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DID » Geographical Focus » Middle East - Other » Iran-Syria vs. Israel, Round 1: Assessments & Lessons Learned

Iran-Syria vs. Israel, Round 1: Assessments & Lessons Learned

28-Aug-2006 01:36 EDT

Related Stories: Middle East - Israel, Middle East - Other, Warfare - Lessons

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Hezbollah/Iran’s rockets

In the aftermath of the recent fighting between Iran/Syria proxies Hezbollah and Israel, a few after action reviews and assessments have begun to trickle in. While war is inseparable in practice from political strategy, and the Olmert government’s interference in military planning & operations was significant and negative, DID has searched for analyses that offer more of a techno-tactical assessment. Details have been far sketchier than one is used to for American conflicts, but a hazy picture is beginning to emerge and evaluations are being made of the two forces’ effectiveness. Hezbollah can safely be characterized as a state within a state and was aided by Iranian forces. Accordingly, this conflict featured most of the accoutrements of full state conflicts: Armed UAVs (apparently used by both sides), air and missile strikes with corresponding air defense activity, anti-ship cruise missiles, tanks vs. advanced anti-armor missiles (incl. AT-13s and Milans), et. al. As such the performance of the two forces and their equipment is of serious interest to defense observers around the world.

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Merkava Mk4
(click to view full)

During the war, DID ran a “conflict tech” article covering the Ahi-Hanit missile attack and productization of the researched but never procured THEL laser (now Skyguard), and notes re: the array of Iranian rockets and missiles being employed. Not to mention questions questions about the limits of transformation, et. al. As a service to our readers, we’re now collecting outside assessments and reviews – and we welcome further pointers or submissions from our readers via tips@ here at defenseindustrydaily.com.

  • Defense News (Aug 28/06) – Hizbollah Missile Swarms Pounded Armor, Infantry. “Hizbollah had done their homework and made their acquisition decisions and supply from Iran and Syria from what they saw on the other side of the border,” said CSIS’s Guy Ben-Ari.”
  • Jane’s Defense Weekly (Aug 25/06) – Article claims that of 50 IDF Merkava Mk 2, 3 and 4 MBTs hit, 21 were penetrated (45%). Hezbollah used advanced dual-warhead Russian RPG-29 rockets and AT-13 and AT-14 anti-tank missiles, which can defeat explosive reactive armor protection. Most tanks returned to the fight even when penetrated, but too many tank crewmen did not.
  • Winds of Change.NET (Aug 24/06) – A Military Assessment of the Lebanon Conflict by Ben Moores. Those unwilling to pen a full article but with an insight or two to contribute are encouraged to use the comments section here.
  • NY Post (Aug 17/06) – Hezbollah 3, Israel 0 by Lt. Col. Ralph Peters [ret.]. The revelations concerning the state of the reserves are particularly troubling. On Winds of Change.NET, Trent Telenko expands on that aspect, noting the importance of the corruption factor and wondering if the IDF has become a “hollow force” like the US military was in the 1970s.