The Russians are not lying about the supply of the Metis-M AT-7 Saxhorn. What Hezbollah has obtained besides the older SAGGER (which everyone knew they had for a long time) but also replacement for the AT-3 Sagger, the 2000 meter range AT-4 and 4000 meter range AT-5, which is similar in size and ability to the French/German MILAN. Both missiles use the same launcher and the bottom photo of the containers with the one with the wider base are AT-5 missiles. A lot of other nations produce the laucher and the missiles for the AT-4 and AT-5. Some of these arms manufactures secretly on the blackmarket. The AT-4 lacks the penetration to take on a Merkeva (but plenty for a building) but the AT-5 could easily take on any armored vehicle if it can get any shot, but a frontal shot. So now the mystery maybe is solved.

You do forget the RPG-29, which ‘grenade’ the PG-29v is shown the pictures as well, number 4 from the left.

And the TOW-missile, which was shown repeatedly on earlier pictures.

Furthermore, how do you know a Fagot cannot penetrate a Merkava? There are lots of Merkava 2s driving around and the sides and the rear of even the later versions do not feature the same protection as their turret fronts. Plus, there are several variants, more and less advanced, of the Fagot (AT-4 Spigot) in service worldwide.
Moreover, Iran produces a whole plethora of anti-tank missiles, not only updated Sagger variants (SACLOS instead of MCLOS), but also Tow-variants (i.e. Toophan-1 and Toophan-2), the Konkurs (AT-5 Spandrel), the Dragon etc: here’s a picture showing some systems produced in Iran:

Burned out Merkava 2:

Any attempt at winning a hearts and mind campaign has been totally thrown out the window

I hope you do not live in the illusion that Israel could ever even hope to win the “hearts and minds” of the Shia population in Lebanon (=indirect approach to a guerilla opponent) . Furthermore, as you mention a rigorous campaign of ethnic cleansing is indeed politically not feasible (=direct approach to a guerilla opponent); which makes this an unwinnable war with unclear political objectives.

I cannot stop thinking “What a waste!” everytime I watch videos where the expensive Javelin is being used by the US Army on mud sheds and insurgent positions on roof tops or in apartments in urban areas. Targets that are generally only a few hundred meters away and that could probably be handled just as well by a much more economical RPG-like weapon with optical sights, such as the USMC’s SMAW (which can also use projectiles with a much more useful thermobaric warhead) or the IMI Shipon.

BTW

The JAVELIN has a soft launch which means it can be launched from enclosed spaces (TI spent a fortune developing that feature).

The Spike / Gill is also advertized as to be able to being launched from enclosed positions; for example here:
http://www.defense-update.com/directory/spike-mr.htm
http://www.defense-update.com/directory/spike-lr.htm

Excellent site Sferrin (the 2nd one); must be a great help for militants all over the world constructing rockets. :dev2:

Nevertheless, militants could also simply order some of the wealth of information available to the public on rocket and engine construction from Amazon or other online vendors.

For example:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/093038704X/ref=pd_cp_b_title/102-7656869-5786521?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=283155
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1553952081/ref=pd_sim_b_2/102-7656869-5786521?ie=UTF8
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1412058104/ref=pd_sim_b_1/102-7656869-5786521?ie=UTF8

You know those so called “crude rockets” that Hamas in Gaza is firing into Israel. Many military experts are confused about them. You just don’t mix some black powder with alchol and pack it into a tube and a V chamber pressed into the rear of the black powder in the tube and them bolt some wings to the tube and have an artillery rocket. A black powder rocket would not fly far with black powder anyway. And Hamas rockets while crude have the range far beyon that of a black powder rocket.

They are not powered by black powder, but by a solid propellant manufactured from potassium nitrate fertilizer and powdered sugar.

Of course landing such an advanced “34.5657th generation plane” with those nice engine nozzels may be a tat hard:

Wee, I thought this thread was deleted, but it was merely moved to the GD-forum I rarely visit. 😮

Still discussing morality? Don’t you people get tired of seeing international affairs through those Wilsonian glasses?

That’s just load of trash and you know it. The accuracy of the old rockets Hezbollah are using is so miserable that it cannot guarantee hitting any specific target, so they do they only thing they can, aim at a city and shoot at will. Got a better suggestion to use a 40-year old Katyusha? Let’s hear it..

On July 16th photos were published of an Israel M-109 unit coming under fire from artillery rockets; so there are alternative uses. Moreover, these small artillery rockets are always fired in volleys in order to hit anything; it works just like a shotgun: a percentage of pellets / rockets hits the target.
The reason the artillery rockets are fired at cities is of course not their inaccuracy, but is done for strategic reasons: the psychological effects on the civilian population and government are much greater.

They are social organizations in the first place. Just because your crappy country considers them terrorist it does not mean I am obliged to do the same. EU recognized them as a social organization and political party, that is all what matters to me..

How come you have so much faith in EU sense of direction that you do not question their judgement in this case? I wonder what you would define a terrorist organization. Al-Qaida perhaps? Because it has no social branches for the good PR and popular support? This social thing; is that your marxist sympathies flaring up? 🙂

It is beyond me how anyone can consider current large-scale military blockade of Lebanon as ‘defense’. In sane countries, POW situations are being solved using special forces operations. Where is Sayeret Matkal 269? Are they on holiday?

Simply a different strategy that does not exactly seem clear to anyone. Besides pressuring Hizballah and the Lebanese population, Peretz said today there are planning to establish an unmanned buffer zone in Lebanon; whatever that may be.

And that is why they will be hated even more..

They will always be hated in those parts of the world merely for just existing and unwilling to live as dhimmis.