Friends, Here we have an example of the important principle of 'asymmetric warfare'. These Russian missiles, which can reliably destroy tanks, are much cheaper to produce, transport, and operate, than the tanks are. It seems Israel might have been caught off guard here, which is not surprising given their overwhelming military superiority, generally speaking. We saw the same thing in the CIA-initiated Soviet-Afghan War, when the CIA-created Mujahideen's shoulder-held missiles (from the US) brought down Soviet helicopters on a wholesale basis. This is analogous to the situation that will be faced by the Axis when they attack Iran and Syria. Certainly the US Air Force and the IDF can destroy both countries with (neutron?) nukes, and presumably preserve the oil fields at the same time, but the advanced missiles in the possession of Syria and Iran cannot all be stopped before launch. With 1% of the firepower, considerable havoc will be wreaked in Israeli cities, the Axis fleet, and -- most significant -- with oil shipping. (See for example: "Iranian warns Israel to fear missiles" - http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060815/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iran_israel_3). The prognosis seems to be a global economic collapse, following the blockage of shipping the Gulf. rkm -------------------------------------------------------- Original source URL: http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=101965&version=1&template_id=37&parent_id=17 Anti-tank weapons inflicting heavy losses on Israeli army Published: Friday, 11 August, 2006, 01:26 PM Doha Time JERUSALEM: Powerful anti-tank missiles manufactured by Russia and Iran are being used with deadly effectiveness by Hezbollah against the Israeli army in southern Lebanon, military sources say. A large proportion of the 68 Israeli soldiers who have died in south Lebanon since the start of the offensive a month ago were killed by such missiles. Top-selling daily Yediot Aharonot reported yesterday that out of 25 anti-tank missiles fired, about one-quarter of them pierced the armour of targeted tanks and caused heavy losses. "The terrorists know where the weak spots are, and we are being badly hit," the newspaper quotes a senior official as saying. The attacks are a blow to the pride of Israel¹s army. Merkava III and IV tanks are considered among the most powerful in the world and have a reputation for extremely resistant armour and protective systems. Merkavas boast 1,200 horsepower and are equipped with state-of-the-art electronic systems that should make them some of the safest and most mobile tanks in the world. But Israel¹s tanks, crucial for any ground operation in southern Lebanon, have proved vulnerable to the attacks of Hezbollah and ill-adapted to the hilly and heavily wooded terrain. Israeli military officials have also admitted surprise at the level of resistance they are meeting from Hezbollah fighters, who are well-trained and have been firing at tanks from very close range. The bulk of the Shia militia¹s anti-weapons are Russian-made models, although some were manufactured in Iran, said expert Yiftah Shapir from the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies. "The most efficient missiles are the Metis-M and the Kornet manufactured by Russia and delivered to Syria in the nineties," he said. "They are very lethal because they have been designed to penetrate active armour on modern tanks such as those the Israelis were the first to introduce in the early eighties," Shapir said. Hezbollah also has the latest Sagger missile, a Russian weapon manufactured in Iran, as well as the Russian Spigot, the expert. These missiles have the ability to pierce armour as thick as 1m and have a range of 1.5-5km. "The Israeli army knew that Hezbollah had a large arsenal of missiles, but maybe they didn¹t know they had the Metis-M and the Kornet," Shapir added. Yediot Aharonot quoted a senior military official as saying the army¹s lack of preparedness for the threat of anti-tank missiles "is a bigger failure than that which preceded the Yom Kippur War." The Israeli army has dramatically underestimated Egypt¹s ground forces ahead of the 1973 Arab-Israeli conflict. "The problem isn¹t technical," said Shapir. "They will always end up finding the answer to the new generation of missiles just like they did in the past." "The most important thing is that the Israeli army finally understand that they are not up against a gang of terrorists but a real army." 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