Ground forces make upgrades to prepare for war with Hezbollah; 40% of artillery rounds to be high-accuracy shells.
In the event of another war, only a full-scale ground offensive will achieve a convincing defeat of Hezbollah in Lebanon, a high-ranking IDF source said on Tuesday.
“It’s clear to the general staff that a ground maneuver is what’s needed” to extinguish the threat of mass rocket attacks, the source said. This view holds true despite the highly advanced capabilities developed in recent years by the air force, which enable it to strike a myriad of targets in a short space of time, he said.
The Ground Forces Command embarked on a series of upgrades designed to better prepare it for the day forces are ordered to storm hostile ground.
“The enemy is growing powerful” in its ability to rain down rockets and missiles on the Israeli home front, the source said, but it remains challenged by the IDF’s ability to launch ground offensive, which Hezbollah sees as an Israeli advantage.
One change under way involves an upgrade to weapons systems. Some 40 percent of artillery shells are being converted into precision shells that accurately strike targets as far as 40 km. away.
The shells come equipped with fins and other adaptations to make them accurate.
“It’ll prevent the need to place artillery forces deep into enemy territory. The new shells have 150% more range. This gives us more operational flexibility,” the source said.
This enables a battalion commander to request whatever firepower he needs and receive it within a few minutes.
“We don’t have to get the air force to drop 250kg. bombs on every target. Sometimes a shell going through a structure is enough,” the source said.
The remainder of the Artillery Corps’s shells – which are classed as statistical firepower – will be made more efficient, the source said. The IDF is in advanced stages of purchasing a new artillery gun to replace its aging M109 155mm. self-propelled Howitzers.
Ground Forces planners are taking into account an enemy that knows how to strike and “disappear,” while operating in closed spaces where much of the IDF’s firepower is more limited, the source said.
“They [Hezbollah] have many missiles and explosive devices [to target advancing IDF armored vehicles],” he said, adding that Hezbollah’s armament efforts are “unceasing.”
As a result, Ground Forces planners are aiming to inject units into the depth of Hezbollah’s territory.
“For us, that means we must restructure and prepare, and to stay ready for a clash that can occur tomorrow, in a few months, or a few years,” he said.
“A ground offensive has to be deadly, defensible, network- based and agile, with advanced firepower adapted to… a changing battlefield,” the source said. “It’s clear to us that we have to shorten a conflict. A ground maneuver will accomplish that.”
Other areas of improvement include working in conjunction with the air force and receiving and applying intelligence in real time.
Command and control tools, such as the Digital Ground Army, link up various forces to a computer-generated map showing target locations, the source said, describing such developments as the most advanced in the world.
“A tank gunner will see a target as it is seen by fighter jet pilot. Companies on the ground will be able to detect targets and place them on a [digital] map,” he said.
“We are developing a battle doctrine based on the need to operate in enemy’s depth. It is focused on how to get forces there, how to fight in closed spaces, destroy tunnels, and take on fortified targets.
It looks at how an [infantry] company enters a home to destroy a rocket launcher,” he said.
Structural changes to the Ground Forces are under way.
These include giving territorial army divisions greater autonomy.
If war breaks out with Hezbollah in the North, the Gaza Division in the South will be able to “solve its own problems” and formulate independent responses to rocket attacks from Gaza, freeing up the General Staff to deal with the Lebanese arena.
All-purpose divisions that can fight on multiple fronts (there are a few such divisions) have been enlarged with extra battalions, such as Engineering Corps units, the source said.
“We have to get to the enemy and strike its ability to fire on us. In the end, this creates pressure on it and on Lebanon, and this is an enemy that understands when it’s starting to lose,” he said.
@ Bear Klein<
Bears and Bee are natural enemies. Its the honey, Sugar.
@ honeybee:
Look Bears are easy you prepare some Salmon or trout and you are friends for life.
Bear Klein Said:
Idaho is very dangerous this time of year, the bears are coming out of hibernation.
@ CuriousAmerican:
CA do not worry the IDF is not targeting Christians who are not fighting in the Lebanese Army.
If the Hezis use them as human shields that is another issue. South Lebanon in the eventual next war will in all likelihood suffer tremendous damage (worse than last time).
The Hezis have put arms in whole floors of apartment buildings so the whole building will be gone as soon as the war starts. We have already warned the Lebanese about this.
Anyway if you have friends living in Lebanon you should get them a visa to Idaho, it will be colder but safer.
What do you think the Lebanese Civil War was?
Maronite Lebanese fighting Muslims AND Palestinians.
Maronites lost. Israel cut and run in 2000.
Know your history. The Maronites are not the villains, here.
Will you then say they left voluntarilty?!
yamit82 Said:
Did you know the Ancient egyptians refuse to cross the Latani because they said the people were so wild and dangerous.
CuriousAmerican Said:
Their is only side….Israel!!!!!!!
How ‘accurate’ is a qassam rocket?
Why bother????
I like yamit’s option much better.
CuriousAmerican Said:
There is no way to completely-destroy Hezbollah. Our problem is not military it is political. Give the IDF a clear and defined directive and they will accomplish it.
Our politicians worry too much about what you goyim will say or do which ultimately leads to the IDF never planning, executing or bringing to bear the full force of the IDF in order to win a war victoriously. It’s all based on hurting and diminishing and degrading our enemies sufficiently in-order to buy some time of peace and quiet. I would destroy Lebanon meaning all of their civilian and military infrastructure.
Depopulate all of the South up to the Litani and annex that territory.
Ted is optimistic that Israel can accomplish it’s mission in 2-3 days…. Hezbollah is dug in deep with hundreds if not thousands of miles on interconnecting bunkers and underground tunnels they will have to flushed out one by one a daunting and dangerous task for any military, we will lose a lot of our sons in such an effort. I would expect Hezbollah to let loose with everything they got upwards of 60-80,000 missiles and rockets of various types some wputting all of Israel within it’s range which can include Tel Aviv, BenGurion airport our power stations and even Dimona Nuclear facilities. We don’t know how many of Hezbollah’s Rockets are chemical and bio weaponized but we should assume they have some of both. Syria might be forced to aid them even in their now weakened position.
Israel may have learned some of the lessons from the 2nd Lebanon war but then so has Hezbollah and Iran. Iran’s Republican guard will also be opposing us in Lebanon.
I have less faith in sophisticated Hi-tec untested weapon’s system than old fashioned boots on the ground told to kill anything that moves and using massive fire power and even napalm to flush out the underground tunnels.
As far as Maronite christians go? “F.. em” they had a chance to align with Israel against their Muslim brothers and chose the Muslims against us. Their lives are therefore forfeit in any invasion or attacks by Israel and Besides as far as being a Jew Haters, they are worse than Hezbollah. I would give them notice of 6-12 hours to move out of South Lebanon and declare any who don’t leave will be shot on sight.
@ the phoenix:
As Giulio Meotti indicates in his latest book virtually all (perhaps actually all) of the Middle Eastern Christian clergy – all with important-sounding titles – are utterly psychotic about the Jews, and have been embracing the muslims for some time now. They must know they are putting their flocks in great danger, especially from the muslims, but it doesn’t seem to bother them. The blood of their flocks will be on their hands.
@ CuriousAmerican:
And what was that you were mumbling there, american, about the moronites, ??
Israel should absolutely wipe Hezbollah out; and not stop with Weapons destruction.
Take it easy on the Maronite Christians who are not involved in this.
Pre-emptive wars can be moral. The USA attack on Iraq. Britain declared war in Hitler in 1939.
However, this recent round of skirmish seems traceable to a Feb 24 attack on a Hezbollah shipment of arms into Lebanon. Hezbollah threatened retaliation.
Okay! I agree Israel is justified. No one wants Hezbollah to have real weapons; but it looks like Israel may have struck first, which is understandable.
If Israel does go in … I hope Israel wipes Hezbollah out. But in this case Israel may not have been the victim; but pre-emptively striking.
I am just trying to figure out the timeline.
THIS LOOKS TO BE MORE PRE-EMPTIVE! That is okay, but why not admit it.
Yes, recently there has been raids into Israel; but those were often Hezbollah retaliations for an airstrike on Syria or Lebanon.
This looks to be an Israeli pre-emptive strike.
I suppose now is the time to do it, while Putin is too busy in Crimea to help Iran/Syria, and while every Sunni in the planet hates Hezbollah.
Good luck.
This article is not concerned with local skirmishes. Sooner or later war will break out whether instigated by Hezbollah or Israel. This article is about how Israel intends to fight that war.
I believe that, there will be a massive invasion to occupy the areas from which the rockets are fired. That should take two or three days. The IDF will destroy all the rockets, launchers and munitions and then will withdraw.
In the meantime, Israel is doing all it can to prevent the flow of rockets etc into Lebanon.
Can someone give me the timeline of events here?
I know Israeli soldiers were attacked recently, but that was not the first time. There has been a series of small attacks.
Both sides – as usual – have completely different stories. Is this pre-emptive more than retaliatory?
This is what Reuters wrote
That makes Israel look like Israel struck first.
But Reuters is not reliable.
So is this really over minor stuff, or is Israel pre-empting Hezbollah buildups with advanced weaponry.