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In recent years, the IDF has invested a great deal of energy and resources in preventing Hezbollah from acquiring precision rockets and missiles. A considerable number of the airstrikes in Syria, attributed to Israel, were aimed at stopping precision weapons from being smuggled into Lebanon. In their efforts to overcome Israel's campaign, Iran and Hezbollah transitioned from smuggling rockets and missiles to smuggling guidance systems. These systems include a small computer, GPS, and wingtip devices to help steer the projectile, followed by a relatively easy process of converting and upgrading regular rockets and missiles.
Israel has never launched a war to prevent certain weapons from falling into the hands of enemy countries and terrorist organizations (except for nuclear weapons). Senior Israeli officials, however, believe the government must set clear red lines pertaining to Hezbollah's precision weapons project, as it is a conventional threat with the potential to reach unprecedented proportions. The officials stipulated an amount of 500-1,000 precision projectiles, in the hands of Hezbollah, as the maximum threshold necessitating Israeli action.
In interviews with The Daily Beast, senior Israeli military officers outlined new details about Iran’s plans to turn a vast arsenal of relatively dumb rockets in Syria and Lebanon into a deadly array of precision-guided missiles. The key, according to Israel, is a Global Positioning System (GPS) “kit” the size of small roll-aboard luggage.
For the most part, it seems, small suitcase-sized GPS components that, with the right technical ability, can be installed into any (dumb) unguided rocket, turning it into a (smart) precision-guided missile capable of landing within meters of a target.
There’s much to recommend this approach from Iran’s point of view. Bigger weapons systems are easier to track and destroy; the suitcases, on the other hand, can be transferred discreetly from Iran on the ground (via Iraq) or through the air into either Syria or Lebanon.
Indeed, last October Fox News reported that these GPS components were sometimes flown directly into Beirut on Iranian civilian airliners. (The report, one of the few in the last two years on the GPS issue, may have been leaked by Israeli intelligence in order to shine a spotlight on the practice.)
The sole variable in this approach is simply the number of rockets and GPS kits available. There are known rocket stockpiles remaining in Syria—and, clearly, there are larger missiles, as last month’s launch showed—but the world leader in the field is Hezbollah in Lebanon, with an estimated 100,000 to 150,000 rockets of all ranges and payloads aimed at Israel. The added advantage of Lebanon is that Israel does not bomb there, unlike in Syria, precisely because of this massive deterrent arsenal.
As officials here in Israel never tire of pointing out, the country is small and narrow. Strikes on a handful of strategic targets—Ben Gurion International Airport, the Dimona nuclear reactor, a few power stations and air bases—could be conclusive. A recent Hezbollah propaganda video replete with satellite imagery and coordinates had these and other sites clearly visible. Making the projectiles more accurate increases the threat level and, in turn, Israel’s appreciation of the risk.
“They can put a missile on the building we’re sitting in now,” the senior officer, speaking at a base in central Israel, told The Daily Beast. “There’s an unlimited ability to put a GPS on these rockets, it only depends on how many kits they have.”
Once the GPS components and rocket are in place, it would allegedly take a trained team just two to three hours in such a facility to convert the Zelzal into a missile: removing a middle section located between the motor and warhead, and replacing it with the internal navigation-guidance-control system.
“You insert the GPS coordinates [of the target] and it’s fire and forget,” the senior officer said—there’s no command and control back end. “It’s just like [the navigation app] Waze.”
Hezbollah is Lebanese Shia Muslims, not Palestinian. Hezbollah was formed as a response to the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon. It did not go well for the Israelis.
The Tyre headquarters bombings were two suicide bombings against the Israel Defense Forces' headquarters building in Tyre, Lebanon, in 1982 and 1983. The blasts killed 103 Israelis and 46–59 Lebanese, wounding 95 people and were some of the worst losses ever for the IDF. The second attack occurred in November 1983 and was attributed to Hezbollah.
After that, Hezbollah turned its attention to the Americans and the French.
Early on a Sunday morning, October 23, 1983, two truck bombs struck buildings in Beirut, Lebanon, housing American and French service members of the Multinational Force in Lebanon (MNF), a military peacekeeping operation during the Lebanese Civil War. The attack killed 307 people: 241 U.S. and 58 French military personnel, six civilians, and two attackers.
The first suicide bomber detonated a truck bomb at the building serving as a barracks for the 1st Battalion 8th Marines (Battalion Landing Team – BLT 1/8) of the 2nd Marine Division, killing 220 Marines, 18 sailors and 3 soldiers, making this incident the deadliest single-day death toll for the United States Marine Corps since the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II and the deadliest single-day death toll for the United States Armed Forces since the first day of the Tet Offensive in the Vietnam War. Another 128 Americans were wounded in the blast; 13 later died of their injuries, and they are counted among the number who died. An elderly Lebanese man, a custodian/vendor who was known to work and sleep in his concession stand next to the building, was also killed in the first blast. The explosives used were later estimated to be equivalent to as much as 9,500 kg (21,000 pounds) of TNT.
Minutes later, a second suicide bomber struck the nine-story Drakkar building, a few kilometers away, where the French contingent was stationed; 55 paratroopers from the 1st Parachute Chasseur Regiment and three paratroopers of the 9th Parachute Chasseur Regiment were killed and 15 injured. It was the single worst French military loss since the end of the Algerian War.
“ Early on a Sunday morning, October 23, 1983, two truck bombs struck buildings in Beirut, Lebanon, housing American and French service members of the Multinational Force in Lebanon (MNF), a military peacekeeping operation during the Lebanese Civil War. The attack killed 307 people: 241 U.S. and 58 French military personnel, six civilians, and two attackers.”
I know that one hasn’t been paid back yet.., hopefully we’ll get even with them for that …. but we constantly have these pussies in leadership…
BEIRUT: When the Choctaw County, a fast transport ship, pulled into Beirut on Sept. 21 for the first-ever US Navy port visit to Lebanon, the messaging from the Navy was all about improving the military-to-military relations between the two countries.
But for analysts watching the situation in Lebanon closely, the timing signals more than just military friendliness. Coming in the middle of unprecedented economic and political pressures facing Beirut, analysts say the arrival of the ship is also a signal of support for the flailing Lebanese government — and particularly its military.
You can't bomb Lebanon, you're a friend of Lebanon.
18 comments:
https://www.newsweek.com/how-biden-should-handle-israel-hamas-iran-opinion-1592674
Don’t worry, the Judeo-Christian dialogic synthesis is right on top of it…,
Nasrallah mocks the US as regards Afghanistan pullout (short video with English subtitles):
Hassan Nasrallah: U.S. Pullout from Afghanistan Is a Lesson to American Allies in Lebanon, Region
Also, Iran is helping Hezbollah upgraded its missiles. Israel wants to set a red line on the number of precision missiles:
Israel's red line: 1,000 precision missiles in Hezbollah's hands
In recent years, the IDF has invested a great deal of energy and resources in preventing Hezbollah from acquiring precision rockets and missiles. A considerable number of the airstrikes in Syria, attributed to Israel, were aimed at stopping precision weapons from being smuggled into Lebanon. In their efforts to overcome Israel's campaign, Iran and Hezbollah transitioned from smuggling rockets and missiles to smuggling guidance systems. These systems include a small computer, GPS, and wingtip devices to help steer the projectile, followed by a relatively easy process of converting and upgrading regular rockets and missiles.
Israel has never launched a war to prevent certain weapons from falling into the hands of enemy countries and terrorist organizations (except for nuclear weapons). Senior Israeli officials, however, believe the government must set clear red lines pertaining to Hezbollah's precision weapons project, as it is a conventional threat with the potential to reach unprecedented proportions. The officials stipulated an amount of 500-1,000 precision projectiles, in the hands of Hezbollah, as the maximum threshold necessitating Israeli action.
To Target Israel, Iran’s ‘Suitcase’ GPS Kits Turn Hezbollah Rockets Into Guided Missiles
In interviews with The Daily Beast, senior Israeli military officers outlined new details about Iran’s plans to turn a vast arsenal of relatively dumb rockets in Syria and Lebanon into a deadly array of precision-guided missiles. The key, according to Israel, is a Global Positioning System (GPS) “kit” the size of small roll-aboard luggage.
For the most part, it seems, small suitcase-sized GPS components that, with the right technical ability, can be installed into any (dumb) unguided rocket, turning it into a (smart) precision-guided missile capable of landing within meters of a target.
There’s much to recommend this approach from Iran’s point of view. Bigger weapons systems are easier to track and destroy; the suitcases, on the other hand, can be transferred discreetly from Iran on the ground (via Iraq) or through the air into either Syria or Lebanon.
Indeed, last October Fox News reported that these GPS components were sometimes flown directly into Beirut on Iranian civilian airliners. (The report, one of the few in the last two years on the GPS issue, may have been leaked by Israeli intelligence in order to shine a spotlight on the practice.)
The sole variable in this approach is simply the number of rockets and GPS kits available. There are known rocket stockpiles remaining in Syria—and, clearly, there are larger missiles, as last month’s launch showed—but the world leader in the field is Hezbollah in Lebanon, with an estimated 100,000 to 150,000 rockets of all ranges and payloads aimed at Israel. The added advantage of Lebanon is that Israel does not bomb there, unlike in Syria, precisely because of this massive deterrent arsenal.
As officials here in Israel never tire of pointing out, the country is small and narrow. Strikes on a handful of strategic targets—Ben Gurion International Airport, the Dimona nuclear reactor, a few power stations and air bases—could be conclusive. A recent Hezbollah propaganda video replete with satellite imagery and coordinates had these and other sites clearly visible. Making the projectiles more accurate increases the threat level and, in turn, Israel’s appreciation of the risk.
“They can put a missile on the building we’re sitting in now,” the senior officer, speaking at a base in central Israel, told The Daily Beast. “There’s an unlimited ability to put a GPS on these rockets, it only depends on how many kits they have.”
Once the GPS components and rocket are in place, it would allegedly take a trained team just two to three hours in such a facility to convert the Zelzal into a missile: removing a middle section located between the motor and warhead, and replacing it with the internal navigation-guidance-control system.
“You insert the GPS coordinates [of the target] and it’s fire and forget,” the senior officer said—there’s no command and control back end. “It’s just like [the navigation app] Waze.”
Yo, if Israel wanted to they could kill all the Palestinians tomorrow…
Hezbollah is Lebanese Shia Muslims, not Palestinian. Hezbollah was formed as a response to the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon. It did not go well for the Israelis.
The Tyre headquarters bombings were two suicide bombings against the Israel Defense Forces' headquarters building in Tyre, Lebanon, in 1982 and 1983. The blasts killed 103 Israelis and 46–59 Lebanese, wounding 95 people and were some of the worst losses ever for the IDF. The second attack occurred in November 1983 and was attributed to Hezbollah.
After that, Hezbollah turned its attention to the Americans and the French.
Early on a Sunday morning, October 23, 1983, two truck bombs struck buildings in Beirut, Lebanon, housing American and French service members of the Multinational Force in Lebanon (MNF), a military peacekeeping operation during the Lebanese Civil War. The attack killed 307 people: 241 U.S. and 58 French military personnel, six civilians, and two attackers.
The first suicide bomber detonated a truck bomb at the building serving as a barracks for the 1st Battalion 8th Marines (Battalion Landing Team – BLT 1/8) of the 2nd Marine Division, killing 220 Marines, 18 sailors and 3 soldiers, making this incident the deadliest single-day death toll for the United States Marine Corps since the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II and the deadliest single-day death toll for the United States Armed Forces since the first day of the Tet Offensive in the Vietnam War. Another 128 Americans were wounded in the blast; 13 later died of their injuries, and they are counted among the number who died. An elderly Lebanese man, a custodian/vendor who was known to work and sleep in his concession stand next to the building, was also killed in the first blast. The explosives used were later estimated to be equivalent to as much as 9,500 kg (21,000 pounds) of TNT.
Minutes later, a second suicide bomber struck the nine-story Drakkar building, a few kilometers away, where the French contingent was stationed; 55 paratroopers from the 1st Parachute Chasseur Regiment and three paratroopers of the 9th Parachute Chasseur Regiment were killed and 15 injured. It was the single worst French military loss since the end of the Algerian War.
Ok they could instead turn north and kill everybody in Lebanon…, same thing…
“ Early on a Sunday morning, October 23, 1983, two truck bombs struck buildings in Beirut, Lebanon, housing American and French service members of the Multinational Force in Lebanon (MNF), a military peacekeeping operation during the Lebanese Civil War. The attack killed 307 people: 241 U.S. and 58 French military personnel, six civilians, and two attackers.”
I know that one hasn’t been paid back yet.., hopefully we’ll get even with them for that …. but we constantly have these pussies in leadership…
Just draw a line from the Kassarine to the Kyhber pass and kill everything within 250 miles of it… world peace for 100 years minimum….
Time for Israel to use its nukes?
Aussies take sides:
Honest Government Ad | AUKUS
Maybe to do Iran but not for Lebanon and the Palestinians they could just saturation bomb and then use armor and ground troops…
If they just hit the main water and energy systems it would be over pretty quick…
Matt Franko,
Hey, what are you guys up to now?
The US Navy Just Made Its First Ever Port Call In Lebanon. Why Now?
BEIRUT: When the Choctaw County, a fast transport ship, pulled into Beirut on Sept. 21 for the first-ever US Navy port visit to Lebanon, the messaging from the Navy was all about improving the military-to-military relations between the two countries.
But for analysts watching the situation in Lebanon closely, the timing signals more than just military friendliness. Coming in the middle of unprecedented economic and political pressures facing Beirut, analysts say the arrival of the ship is also a signal of support for the flailing Lebanese government — and particularly its military.
You can't bomb Lebanon, you're a friend of Lebanon.
Matt Franko,
One-third of the Lebanese are Christians. You want to bomb them too?
That would be something. Americans complaining about the plight of Christians in the Middle East, and then dropping bombs on them.
Maybe that’s setting something up for bigger plans there… more “nation building” in the eastern Med…
Or if the 1/3 Christians start to get abused then we have to go in there to put a stop to that…
Trump started this I guess sleepy Joe is keeping it going:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/12/09/us-finally-released-military-aid-lebanon-heres-what-it-will-wont-achieve/
Pete Australia has a 10b per month trade surplus:
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australia-trade-surplus-hits-record-july-resources-boom-2021-09-02/
If it’s mostly in USDs then they can easily afford that multi year submarine technology transfer program…
Says it’s mostly with China… so Aus selling China coal for USDs and then taking the USDs and buying submarine technology from US to screw with China…
Not bad… I might have to take it all back about these people…
So maybe China cutting back orders for coal and now can’t keep the lights on and had to outlaw crypto “mining”…
Australia doesn't have a monopoly on coal.
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