Why the Israeli army could not cope with Hezbollah. Why the Israeli army was unable to cope with Hezbollah Evacuation of civilians, conflict resolution and restoration of infrastructure

Second Lebanese War

Military conflict

Parties

Hezbollah, Amal, Syrian Social Nationalist Party, Lebanese Communist Party, Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Lebanon, Iran, Syria, Somalia

Commanders

Amir Peretz Dan Halutz Eliezer Shkedi

Hassan Nasrallah Imad Fayez Mughnia

Forces

30 thousand soldiers ~ 100-400 tanks, up to 400 armored personnel carriers, about 400 PA, Air Force, Navy guns

20 thousand militants and reservists 50-70 launchers NURS and NUR, about 40 anti-tank systems, 50 thousand Lebanese soldiers, 310 tanks, over 500 PA guns, rocket launchers

Losses

Military casualties: 119 killed ~ 400 wounded 2 prisoners 1 boat 10 helicopters 10

tanks 3 UAVs Civilian casualties:

44 dead 4,262 injured

Military casualties: 250 killed ~ 1 thousand wounded 21 prisoners 2 UAVs Civilian casualties: 1,191 dead 4,409 injured

Map of hostilities in Lebanon and northern Israel.

Na Nach HAFATZA during LEBANON war.

Israeli cluster shells in the war in Lebanon.

Lebanese war.

Tikva by Subliminal.

08/11/2006 Israeli soldiers in Lebanon.

Shelling of an Israeli tank.

Israel is bombing Lebanon.

Second Lebanese War (July War) - the Arab-Israeli war between Israel and the radical Shiite group Hezbollah, which actually completely controlled the southern regions of the state of Lebanon (and other Arab groups), which took place for 34 days from July 12 to August 14, 2006.

[Edit] Reasons

The war was provoked by the radical Shiite Lebanese organization Hezbollah, which at 9 am on July 12, 2006 fired rocket and mortar fire at the fortified Nurit settlement and the border settlement of Shlomi in northern Israel (11 people were wounded) and, at the same time, attacked an Israeli border patrol, killing three and capturing two Israeli soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces (Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev).

In exchange for prisoners (as it turned out later, killed), Hezbollah demanded the release of their prisoners.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said that “Hezbollah has actually unleashed a new war. There will be no negotiations with terrorist organizations.”

In turn, Hezbollah is armed and financed by Iran, so the war between Israel and Hezbollah can be considered as an Iran-Israel war.

An important reason why Lebanon has become a convenient base for Hezbollah and similar organizations is the fact that Israel withdrew from South Lebanon in May 2000 (Ehud Barak, then the Israeli Prime Minister, decided to withdraw the IDF from Lebanon), and the betrayal of the local Christian community. The vacated political and military vacuum was filled by radical Islamist organizations, which created the conditions for the establishment of Hezbollah's power in southern Lebanon.

In addition, the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon was perceived as a sign of the weakness of the Jewish state and became one of the reasons for the Intifada that began in September 2000.

Hezbollah, with the support of the Lebanese government, demanded that Israel withdraw its troops from the 25 km² area of ​​the so-called "Shebaa Farms", located at the junction of the Israeli, Syrian and Lebanese borders. This site, according to the UN, belongs to Syria, but was captured by Israel from Syria in the 1967 Six Day War.

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The Second Lebanese War - an armed clash in July-August 2006 between Israel and the Hezbollah group, which actually controlled South Lebanon.

background

The roots of the Second Lebanon War go back to the 1982 conflict (), which led to the Israeli occupation of the territory of South Lebanon in order to create a buffer zone to prevent the shelling of Israeli cities and the infiltration of militants from Lebanese territory.

In May 2000, Israel withdrew its troops from South Lebanon in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution No. 425 of March 19, 1978. The Hezbollah group nevertheless demanded that Israel withdraw troops from Shebaa Farm, a 22 km² area at the junction of the Israeli , Syrian and Lebanese borders.

This area was captured by Israel from Syria in . Syria later agreed that the Sheba Farms were part of Lebanese territory.

In September 2004, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1559, according to which all foreign armed forces were to leave Lebanon, all irregular armed formations on Lebanese territory were to be disarmed, and the Lebanese authorities were obliged to establish control over the entire territory of the state.

In 2005, Syria withdrew its troops from Lebanon.

With regard to Hezbollah, the Lebanese government actually refused to implement resolution 1559, arguing that "national resistance" "serves the strategic interests of Lebanon in the fight against the enemy" in order to "return" the Shebaa farms and "return the refugees to their homeland."

After the withdrawal of Israeli troops, the entire border zone was under the control of Hezbollah militants, who began to create fortified areas. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, speaking in Beirut on May 23, 2006, stated:

“The entire Israeli north is in the zone of destruction of our missiles. All ports, all military bases, all industrial enterprises and other facilities located in the area. Our forces currently have over 12,000 missiles. And when I say “over 12,000,” it should not be understood that we have no more than 13,000 missiles.”

Course of the Second Lebanon War

The second Lebanese war began on July 12 with a rocket-mortar attack by Hezbollah militants on the Nurit fortified site and the settlement of Shlomi in northern Israel (11 people were injured) and a simultaneous attack on the border patrol (4 were killed and 2 Israeli soldiers were captured) on the Israeli-Lebanese border .

In exchange for the release of the captured soldiers, Hezbollah demanded that Israel release several thousand Palestinian prisoners from prisons. In response, the Israeli Prime Minister stated that

“Hezbollah has actually unleashed a new war. There will be no negotiations with terrorist organizations.”

Olmert also accused the Lebanese government of involvement in the incident. The Israeli Prime Minister announced that

"Israel's reaction will be harsh and Lebanon will pay a heavy price."

Olmert also announced his order to conduct a large-scale anti-terrorist operation in southern Lebanon.

The operation is codenamed "Worthy Retribution" (Hebrew שכר הולם‎ "sugar holem"). A few hours after the border incident in Israel, an emergency call for reservists was announced.

Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad el-Siniora denied allegations that his government was involved in the capture of Israeli troops. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah also said that the Lebanese government was not involved in the attack and did not know about it.

Nevertheless, within a few hours, the Israeli Air Force began a massive shelling of southern Lebanon. During the first hours of the war, Israel attacked more than 40 targets: bridges, roads and other transport communications.

Israeli aviation responded with numerous missile and bomb strikes throughout Lebanon. In one day, almost all the bridges on the Tire-Beirut highway, most of the bridges across the Litani River were destroyed, the Beirut-Damascus highway, Beirut airport were bombed.

The Israeli Navy blocked the Lebanese coastline. By July 15, there was not a single intact bridge across the Litani River and not a single intact highway left in Lebanon.

The IDF attacked Beirut, Tripoli, Tire, Sidon, Baalbek. All three runways of the airport in Beirut were damaged. A mass exodus of refugees to Syria begins.

On July 22, IDF soldiers, accompanied by heavy equipment, cross the Lebanese border near the village of Maroun al-Ras, the first major ground battle with Hezbollah fighters is tied up. The next day, the battle for Bint Jabil begins, where Israeli soldiers have faced particularly fierce resistance from militants.

The IDF command accepts a plan to expand the ground offensive operation in southern Lebanon in order to create a buffer zone, and on August 1, after heavy bombing of the border areas, the IDF units go on the offensive along the entire front line. During the first day of the offensive, Israeli troops advanced 6-8 km deep into Lebanese territory.

The IDF occupies the cities of Mays al-Jebel, Tibnin, Markaba. During the defense of Bint Jbeil, Hezbollah militants manage to knock out several Israeli Merkava tanks. However, it becomes clear that the introduced forces are not enough to maintain control in the occupied territory. Preparations begin for a large-scale offensive to the north.

Attack on the Litani

On the evening of August 11, more than 30,000 IDF troops launched a large-scale operation in southern Lebanon. The offensive of the armored units was accompanied by large landings. During the lightning offensive, the IDF finally occupies Bint Jbeil and other strongholds of Hezbollah: Rashaf, Marjayun, Ganduriyya, Ater. However, by the evening of August 13, the IDF failed to reach the Litani River. At least 35 IDF soldiers were killed during the operation.

Ceasefire

On August 14 at 8 am, in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1701 adopted on August 11, a ceasefire was declared. The bombing of Lebanese cities and rocket attacks on Israel have ceased.

According to the terms of the truce, Hezbollah was to stop all armed activities south of the Litani River. However, Hezbollah militants repeatedly violated UN Security Council Resolution 1701. In particular, in July 2009, an explosion occurred in the deployment zone of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) - it turned out that one of the Hezbollah ammunition depots was located there. French experts arrived at the scene to investigate the incident, but about 100 local residents blocked their path. The Italian military arrived in time to open fire in the air, trying to disperse the crowd, but stones flew in response to them. 14 UNIFIL soldiers received minor injuries (bruises and abrasions from stones), and about 10 vehicles were damaged.

The fighting of the Second Lebanon War continued until August 14, 2006, when, in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution No. 1701 of August 11, 2006. a ceasefire was declared.

On October 1, 2006, Israel completed the withdrawal of troops from the territory of South Lebanon. Control over southern Lebanon completely passed to units of the Lebanese government army and UN peacekeepers. By the beginning of October, about 10,000 Lebanese military and over 5,000 peacekeepers had already been deployed in southern Lebanon.

On July 16, 2008, the bodies of Israeli soldiers captured early in the conflict were returned to Israel in a prisoner exchange.

Results and policy implications

Both opposing sides talk about their victory in the conflict, which, according to some observers, indicates that neither of them actually achieved their goals.

October 1, 2006 Israel completed the withdrawal of troops from the territory of southern Lebanon in accordance with the terms of the ceasefire stipulated by the resolution of the UN Security Council. Control over the southern territories of Lebanon was completely transferred to units of the Lebanese government army and UN peacekeepers. By the beginning of October, about 10,000 Lebanese military and over 5,000 peacekeepers had already been deployed in southern Lebanon.

The kidnapped Israeli soldiers have not been released.

The conflict led to a fall in the popularity of the Kadima party (leader - Ehud Olmert). Reservist soldiers involved in the conflict, returning home, launched a protest campaign demanding the resignation of the people they believe were responsible for Israel's military defeat - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Amir Peretz and Dan Halutz.

On March 19, 2007, Israel officially recognized the armed conflict as a war (before that it was called a military operation); On March 21, 2007, the Knesset decided to call it the Second Lebanese War, although there was no official first Lebanese war in the history of Israel (the events of 1982 are still referred to as Operation Peace for Galilee).

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Second Lebanese War (Israeli title)
July War (Arabic title)

Losses

Hezbollah

It is not possible to name the exact number of dead Hezbollah fighters, since both sides of the conflict point to different figures. The Israeli command claims that during the fighting from July 12 to August 14, they managed to destroy over 700 militants, 600 of which are known for sure. The leadership of the UN Monitors and the Lebanese government give a figure of at least 500 militants killed and 21 taken prisoner.

IDF

The IDF lost 121 people, according to official figures, including two killed after the ceasefire came into force. 400 soldiers were injured. The greatest losses occurred on August 12, when 24 Israeli soldiers died, including 9 people killed in an ambulance helicopter shot down by Hezbollah militants, which evacuated the wounded.

Lebanese civilians

The civilian population of Lebanon suffered the biggest losses in the war. According to various estimates, from 850 to 1,200 citizens of this country were killed as a result of Israeli air strikes on Lebanese cities. In addition, 37 members of the Lebanese Army (which did not enter the war) were killed in the fighting. 4400 people were injured.

Tens of thousands of Lebanese lost their homes. More than a million became refugees.

Israeli civilians

As a result of rocket attacks in the north of Israel, 44 Israelis were killed, including 4 people - as a result of a heart attack. About 100 people were seriously injured, 2,000 were injured. 300 thousand people were evacuated from the Northern District, the exact number of refugees is not known.

Investigation

On April 30, 2007, interim results of the work of the Eliyahu Winograd commission, which studied the actions of the country's leadership during the Second Lebanon War, were made public in Israel.

All responsibility for the failures of the campaign lies with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Amir Peretz and former Israeli Chief of Staff Dan Halutz.

According to the head of the commission, “Ehud Olmert bears personal responsibility for the failure of the Second Lebanon War,” since his decision to strike Lebanon in response to the kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah militants was not based on a thorough analysis of the domestic political situation in Lebanon, which ultimately led to a large number of Israeli civilian casualties and the need for a "large-scale ground operation, the cost of which turned out to be too high."

DON'T WAIT

In 2000, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak made the strategic decision to withdraw Israeli troops from southern Lebanon. Thus, he fulfilled his election promises to the citizens of the country. The army, which occupied the buffer zone for 22 years, which did not allow extremists to attack the Jewish state, returned home. At the same time, no agreement was concluded with Lebanon, and allies from the Army of the South of Lebanon (ASL) were left to the mercy of fate.

Parts of the AJL turned out to be unable to independently defend the territory and manage it. They immediately left their positions and, taking their families, fled to Israel, leaving their weapons and warehouses behind. Those who remained were executed by the fighters of the Shiite group Hezbollah. It was they, and not the Lebanese army, who occupied the territory south of the Litani River, creating their own quasi-state, led by the religious leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah. They got the military equipment and weapons of the AJL, large warehouses of ammunition and food. And although army garrisons also appeared, the Lebanese military did not feel themselves masters on their land.

In six years, with the help of Syria and Iran, a well-trained and equipped professional army was created, main task which declared war on Israel. Sooner or later, a clash between Israel and Hezbollah would definitely happen ...

The IDF operations in southern Lebanon were preceded by the tragic events in the Gaza Strip. On June 25, 2006, Israeli army corporal Gilad Shalit was kidnapped by Palestinian militants at the border of the sector.

An operation to free him began, during which armored vehicles entered Gaza, street battles unfolded, and aircraft operated. The Palestinians suffered heavy losses in killed, wounded and captured. To help the "Palestinian brothers", Hezbollah attacked Israel from the rear.

At 9 am on July 12, Hezbollah militants from Lebanese territory launched a rocket and mortar attack on the Nurit fortified point and the border village of Shlomi, injuring 11 people. Simultaneously with this diversion, a group of militants crossed the border and ambushed two Humvee patrol jeeps. Three servicemen were killed, two were captured - Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev. Launched two hours later, the operation to free the prisoners resulted in the loss of another 5 Israeli soldiers. Four of them died in a blown up tank.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah offered to release three Israelis captured on the Gaza-Lebanon border in exchange for the release of several thousand Palestinian and Lebanese prisoners. In response, Operation Change of Direction was launched to free the captives, punish Hezbollah, destroy the group's leadership and undermine its influence.

Tel Aviv blamed Lebanon for the aggression, which was simply not capable of controlling South Lebanon. In the evening of the same day, Israeli Navy ships established a naval blockade of the Lebanese coast. The Israeli Air Force began patrolling Lebanese airspace. The Beirut airport was bombed and the runway was disabled. The country lost air communication. Helicopters and artillery launched massive attacks on Hezbollah facilities and the infrastructure of Lebanon, which Tel Aviv declared the aggressor.

The "Army of God" responded by shelling Israeli cities and villages with unguided rockets. After that, the main efforts of the IDF had to be directed to the detection and destruction of launchers and multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS). At night, aviation hunted for rocket launchers, and during the day they bombed Lebanese infrastructure facilities. The IDF command argued that the destruction of the bridges would prevent the removal of prisoners from the border zone and the supply of ammunition. At the same time, mobile communications towers, gas stations, and oil storage facilities were destroyed throughout the country.

The course of the war was unexpected for both sides. Israelis are accustomed to raids against poorly armed and poorly disciplined Palestinians. And here they came across a prepared defense with fortifications and minefields, professional soldiers in modern equipment, armed with precision weapons. And most importantly, from the territory of Lebanon, despite the bombardment of aircraft, not only continued daily rocket attacks, but they even intensified.

On the other hand, Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah admitted in late August, after the end of hostilities, that he would not have ordered the capture of Israeli soldiers if he had assumed that this decision would lead to a large-scale IDF operation in Lebanon.

Israel's biggest miscalculation was the assumption that attacks on Lebanese infrastructure would anger the population against Hezbollah, which is the cause of suffering. But it turned out the other way around. Hezbollah appeared as the protector of Lebanon from Israeli aggression, and its authority grew even stronger.

It is quite obvious that the IDF did not plan a big war. Therefore, in the early days, his ground forces were assigned rather limited tasks, in which small units, mainly special forces groups, participated. Most of all, the government and command were afraid of human losses.

FORCES AND MEANS

The border with Lebanon was administered by the Northern Military District of Israel. Directly in the border strip were units of the 91st division "Uzbat ha-Khalil" as part of the 1st infantry brigade "Golani", the 7th armored brigade "Saar me-Golan", armed with tanks "Merkava-2" (Merkava Mk 2 Bet) and the 35th Airborne Brigade. These formations are considered elite by the IDF. Additionally, in the east, at the junction of the borders of Lebanon and Syria, the 162nd division "Uzbat a-Plada" was deployed as part of the 933rd infantry brigade "Nakhal" and the 401st armored brigade "Ikvot a-Barzel", fully armed with the latter ( 4th) modification of the Merkava - Merkava Mk 4. Both divisions were additionally transferred to several separate battalions.

Hezbollah armed detachments numbered 10 motorized and 6 infantry battalions of 250 people each, another 5 thousand people - a trained reserve. In addition, volunteers from Lebanon and other countries joined them. For example, according to the American newspaper The New York Times on November 14, 2006, 720 Somali jihadists took part in the war on the side of Hezbollah in exchange for arms supplies.

At least 1,000 Hezbollah fighters have been trained in camps in Iran. Most of the rest were trained in Lebanon under instructors from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Many received serious military specialties: artillerymen, ATGM operators, miners, signalmen, etc. Their modern equipment was almost no different from the equipment of the IDF soldiers. It happened that the Israeli special forces could not distinguish the enemy from their own, they were so equally equipped, up to night vision devices.

According to a number of experts, the main forces of Hezbollah were withdrawn to the north from the Litani River, 2.5-3 thousand fighters remained in southern Lebanon, who were supported by the population. Local residents also hid rocket launchers in their buildings and gardens, maintained them, and sometimes acted as operators.

According to Mossad, the Shiite group had about 12,000 missiles, including several dozen heavy 610-mm Zelzal and up to 500 large-caliber ones - from 220 to 333 mm. But most of them were destroyed by bombing. However, Hezbollah did not reduce the intensity of shelling until the very end of the war, on the contrary, it even increased them. And this despite the fact that the Israeli Air Force claimed that only in the first few days they destroyed 160 launchers.

It was a surprise that the militants had surface-to-sea missiles. On July 14, the Israeli corvette Khanit was hit by a Chinese-made S-802 anti-ship missile launched from the shore. Since Hezbollah does not have an air force, the ship's air defense systems have been disabled. 4 sailors were killed, and the corvette was out of action for 3 weeks. Apparently, the 165 kg warhead did not explode, otherwise the Israelis would not have gotten off so easily.

Another surprise was that the militants had Iranian-made Ababil unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), designed not only for surveillance, but also capable of carrying a load of 10 kg of explosives. These UAVs have been repeatedly launched from Lebanese territory and have flown over Israel since 2004. Two such vehicles of the IDF Air Force were shot down on August 7 and 13. Israel itself lost three UAVs - one was shot down by Syrian air defenses, two crashed due to technical problems.

TACTICS OF THE PARTIES

In ground combat, Hezbollah placed the greatest emphasis on anti-tank weapons. Approximately 500-600 fighters were divided into groups of 5-6 people - the calculation of the anti-tank missile system and the support team. Their weapons were the most diverse. Basically, these were the classic Malyutka ATGMs of various variants, including the latest Iranian Raad-2T tandem missiles.

In addition to them, the Russian "Fagot" and "Competition" (licensed Iranian Towsan-1), received from Syria ATGM "Metis-M", "Kornet-E" and rocket-propelled grenades RPG-29 "Vampire". Israel promised to demonstrate captured ATGMs with the Russian text: “Recipient: Syrian Ministry of Defense” in confirmation, but so far has not done so. However, it is believed that it was the Russian complexes that turned out to be the most effective.

In addition, the militants were armed with Western-made ATGMs "Milan" and "Tou" "inherited" from the Army of South Lebanon and acquired from the Lebanese army, as well as Iranian copies of the latter - "Tupan": Toophan-1 and Toophan-2 with powerful tandem warhead. There were a large number of RPG-7 hand grenade launchers from various manufacturers, mainly in the Iranian version.

The IDF did not expect such a powerful anti-tank defense. At the same time, Hezbollah militants sought to hit armored vehicles from the maximum possible distance, literally at the limit of the ATGM capability - 2-3 km. And mostly at night, using British Mulat-115 night vision devices. Several dozen were captured. It turned out that the UK supplied Iran with 250 such devices to fight drug smugglers at the border.

In total, according to Israeli data, about 1000 launches of anti-tank missiles were recorded. At the same time, some of them - on the shelters of the infantry. So, on August 12, an officer and three soldiers were killed by such a rocket in the village of At-Tiri in the central sector of southern Lebanon. On the same day, an ATGM shot down a helicopter.

Most of the IDF soldiers died from anti-tank weapons. This applies not only to tankers, but also to infantrymen. Only 8 people died from small arms in 34 days of the war. As participants in the battles noted, Hezbollah fighters did not use machine guns and sniper rifles much. But they actively used mortars and grenade launchers.

The IDF recognized 46 tanks (out of 400 involved) and 14 armored personnel carriers as destroyed. Such a small number of wrecked armored personnel carriers is explained by the fact that they were rarely used in the offensive. And most importantly, only heavy highly protected Akhzarit vehicles on the chassis of captured T-55 tanks, Nagmakhon on the chassis of the Centurion tanks and the newest, tested in combat conditions, the Nemerakh on the Merkava chassis, entered Lebanon.

Armor penetration was recorded in 22 cases on tanks and in 5 cases on armored personnel carriers. 6 tanks and 1 armored personnel carrier were blown up by land mines. Among the destroyed 18 newest Merkava-4 tanks, 6 had armor pierced. The Israelis claim that only the Russian Konkurs, Metis and Kornet anti-tank systems, as well as the RPG-29, penetrated the armor. 23 tank crew members (0.5 per tank) and 5 armored personnel carriers were lost dead.

In general, Merkava demonstrated high level security. Irrevocably, according to the Israeli media, only 5 tanks were lost: one Merkava-2 and Merkava-4 were blown up by powerful land mines, two Merkava-2s and one Merkava-3 burned down after being hit by an ATGM.

On August 9, the tank battalion of the 401st Armored Brigade suffered the heaviest losses, moving unaccompanied by infantry into the Saluki Gorge. He got into the "fire bag" and was literally shot from the ATGM. 11 newest Merkava-4 tanks were shot down, the battalion commander and 7 more servicemen were killed.

During the first 7 days, the IDF did almost no ground combat. The calculation was on the actions of aviation, which was supposed to force the enemy to surrender according to the "Yugoslav option". However, the destruction of infrastructure and the literal demolition of everything that belonged to Hezbollah and Shiite businesses did not lead to a cessation of rocket attacks, nor to capitulation. And on July 19, raids on Lebanese territory began.

And then the IDF soldiers made an unpleasant discovery - for 6 years, Hezbollah covered the territory of southern Lebanon with a network of fortifications, concrete bunkers and underground tunnels, where there were stocks of ammunition, food and water. In general, the huge fortified area created corresponded to the staffing of the Iranian Armed Forces division. During July 19-20, Israel lost about 10 soldiers killed, a Merkava-4 tank and two Apache helicopters, which, however, themselves collided in the air. One of them had to be written off. But on July 24, they managed to take the first two prisoners near the border village of Marun al-Ras.

The next major invasion began on 25 July. At the forefront of the attack was the settlement of Bint Jbeil (Bint Jubail, Binat Jabil) - the "capital" of Hezbollah. The 51st battalion of the Golani brigade, with the support of the 7th armored brigade, immediately got stuck in the fortifications, literally penetrating the three-kilometer strip between the border and Bint Jbeil. Instead of the expected 60-80 militants like Palestinians from Gaza, they were met by a battalion (200-250 people) of professional fighters. Their mobile groups struck and went into the system of underground passages and concrete bunkers.

Among the tactical surprises was a reception when the militants allowed the Israelis as close as possible and, appearing literally from the ground, fired at point-blank range. At the same time, the IDF artillery and helicopters could not support the infantry, being afraid to hit their own. Any captured building, which the soldiers tried to turn into a stronghold, was immediately subjected to powerful fire with all means of destruction: anti-tank systems, mortars, rockets. Losses were greater than during the assault. On July 26, the Israelis withdrew. Only with the participation of two more battalions, it was possible to take Bint Jbeil on July 29. However, fighting in the area continued until 11 August.

ESCALATION

Israel was drawn into the war gradually. On July 18, the first three battalions of reservists were called up. On July 21, several thousand more were called up. On July 30, a decision is made to create a buffer zone several kilometers deep. After that, powerful artillery and bombing strikes were carried out along the entire border and battles began. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad put the army on alert and ordered a partial mobilization. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov kept the Syrian leader from interfering.

The international community has already condemned Israel for the inappropriate use of force and death civilians. Tel Aviv has lost the information-psychological war. Not a single TV channel in the world showed a single Hezbollah fighter, but all the news programs were filled with destroyed cities and crying refugees. Israel has turned from a victim of aggression into an aggressor. In addition, on the night of July 26, 4 international UN observers were killed under Israeli bombs.

And in Israel itself, the mood of the people began to change. If at the beginning of the conflict everyone demanded to punish Hezbollah, then the losses among the civilian population and soldiers caused a wave of indignation. The same people began to demand the resignation of the government and command, the cessation of hostilities.

The world community strongly condemns Israel for the deaths of civilians in Lebanon. On July 31, the authorities announce a 48-hour moratorium on airstrikes to allow the population to leave dangerous areas. The Minister of Defense urges not to do this, meanwhile the militants get the opportunity to regroup and seriously replenish resources.

On August 3, Sheikh Nasrallah first proposed a truce in mutual bombardments. In response, the Israeli Air Force bombed the Shiite outskirts of Beirut in the most massive bombing of the entire operation. And at the same time the Christian ones were bombed.

On August 9, the evacuation of residents of the northern regions of Israel began. This causes even more outrage at the inability of the military to stop the rocket attacks. On the same day, a decision was made to expand the ground operation. But already on August 10, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert gave the order to suspend the execution of the order. The official version is to let the UN Security Council find a peaceful solution to the crisis. But the fighting continues. Hezbollah announced that it had knocked out 15 tanks on August 10, the Israelis admit the loss of five vehicles.

On the evening of August 11, after a threefold increase in troops, a massive IDF offensive begins. The command was given to go around the fortified points to the Litani River. The largest airmobile operation since the 1973 war is taking place on the river bank. A battalion of the 623rd Airborne Brigade is landing from 50 CH-53 and UH-60 helicopters northeast of the city of Tire. He occupies key heights and proceeds to expand the bridgehead. On August 13, other battalions of the brigade joined the landing force, which, with the support of tanks, carried out a ground operation. They go to the shore of the Litani and approach Tire.

On August 12, the offensive unfolds in full force supported by artillery and 400 tanks. 30 thousand soldiers are on the Lebanese front. Hezbollah puts up fierce resistance, but the militants are forced to retreat north. Strong fighting leads to the greatest losses: 41 servicemen die in three days. During these three days, the entire southern Lebanon up to the Litani River was occupied, in some places the Israelis even crossed over to the opposite side. Tel Aviv for the first time in history agrees with a UN resolution and stops fighting from 7 a.m. August 14. But until the last minute, his artillery hits the enemy positions.

As early as August 15, the withdrawal of part of the troops, mainly reservists, began. By that time, 60,000 of them had been mobilized. The air and sea blockade is lifted on September 7-8. By October 1, the complete withdrawal of troops from Lebanese territory was also completed. Their places are taken by soldiers of the Lebanese army and international peacekeepers.

IDF losses totaled 119 killed, 2 captured (July 12) and about 700 wounded. The loss of the economy, according to the Israeli Ministry of Finance, is almost 5 billion dollars, the direct costs of the war - 2.6 billion dollars. The war did not undermine the country's economy, did not collapse the markets and the national currency, did not reduce the GDP. However, 15-20% of small and medium-sized entrepreneurs in northern Israel went bankrupt.

Hezbollah casualties are unknown. Israel believes that more than 560 militants have been killed, 180 of them have been identified. However, the militants acknowledge the death of only 61 of their comrades, 7 fighters of the Amal movement and one member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

The data on the dead Lebanese civilians also differ. Israel believes that there are 340 such people. The Lebanese authorities counted 1,287 dead and 4,054 injured. Among the dead and wounded were 1,140 children under 12 years of age. The Lebanese army lost 40 people. 970 thousand Lebanese became refugees. The financial damage was initially estimated at $2.5 billion. Then this figure began to increase, and its growth, it seems, has not stopped so far.

TOTAL

Israel never achieved its stated goals. Hezbollah has not been disarmed or defeated. Its leaders are still alive and well and continue to prepare for the next war. The world community considers Israel an aggressor who used force inadequately. Guarantees against new rocket attacks and terrorist actions by extremists have not been received. The reputation of the IDF has been undermined, a political crisis erupted in the country. And even the prisoners are not freed. In this regard, we can talk about the failure of the campaign.

In military terms, it became clear that it was useless to conduct a non-contact war against quasi-state terrorist groups. And it is also impossible to win without bloodshed. Southern Lebanon was actually taken in three days of a massive offensive, but these three days accounted for a third of all losses. However, if you spread all the losses over 34 days, you get less than 4 people per day. From this point of view, the campaign was quite successful.

Hezbollah's tactics, based on the defense of certain areas, could only lead to a delay in the process of destroying pockets of resistance. It is not capable of leading to the defeat of the enemy or the achievement of any other military goals. The entire infrastructure of the group was destroyed, lost a large number of weapons and equipment. It turned out that even a professional partisan army was not capable of holding territories. To say that Hezbollah defeated the IDF is ridiculous. But the authority of the Islamist group in Lebanon and the Arab world has seriously strengthened. It remains as before a dangerous source of terrorism and military tension.

Second Lebanese War(official name in Israel since March 21, in the Arab world - "July War") - an armed clash between the state of Israel, on the one hand, and the radical Shiite group Hezbollah, which actually controlled the southern regions of the state of Lebanon, on the other hand, in July-August.

The conflict was provoked on July 12 by rocket and mortar shelling of the Nurit fortified point and the border settlement of Shlomi in northern Israel (11 people were injured during the shelling) with a simultaneous attack on the border patrol (killing three and capturing two Israeli soldiers) of the Israel Defense Forces on the Israeli Lebanese border by Hezbollah fighters.

During the ground operation, the Israeli army managed to advance 15-20 km deep into Lebanese territory, reach the Litani River and largely clear the occupied territory from Hezbollah militants. In addition, the fighting in southern Lebanon was accompanied by continuous bombing of settlements and infrastructure throughout Lebanon.

Hezbollah fighters carried out massive rocket attacks on Israel's northern cities and settlements for a month on an unprecedented scale.

The fighting continued from July 12 to August 14, when a ceasefire was declared in accordance with a UN Security Council resolution.

On July 16, 2008, the bodies of Israeli soldiers captured early in the conflict were returned by Hezbollah to Israel in a prisoner exchange.

background

In the meantime, the Lebanese government has tacitly given the Hezbollah movement complete control over southern Lebanon. After the withdrawal of Israeli troops, the entire border strip was under the control of Hezbollah militants, who began to strengthen their positions and build up military power. Hassan Nasrallah, speaking in Beirut on 23 May 2006, stated:

The entire Israeli north is in the zone of destruction of our missiles. All ports, all military bases, all industrial enterprises and other facilities located in the area. Our forces currently have over 12,000 missiles. And when I say “over 12,000,” it should not be understood that we have no more than 13,000 missiles.

Participants in the conflict

Military actions

Evacuation of civilians, conflict resolution and infrastructure restoration

The course of hostilities

border incident

At around 9 am local time, the Israeli border town of Shlomi, not far from Nahariya, came under rocket fire from Lebanon. At about the same time, fighters from the Shia Hezbollah movement entered Israel east of Shlomi and engaged Israeli border troops. During the skirmish, 8 soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces were killed, 12 were injured, two were abducted.

In exchange for the release of the captured soldiers, Hezbollah offered Israel to release several thousand Palestinian prisoners from prisons. In response, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert stated that “Hezbollah has actually unleashed a new war. There will be no negotiations with terrorist organizations.” Olmert also accused the Lebanese government of involvement in the incident. The Israeli prime minister announced that "Israel's reaction will be harsh and Lebanon will pay a heavy price." A few hours after the hostage-taking in Israel, an emergency call for reservists was announced.

The Israel Defense Forces is trying to clear the southern Lebanese territories from Hezbollah, which does not stop rocket attacks on Israel. On July 22, IDF soldiers, accompanied by heavy equipment, cross the Lebanese border near the village of Maroun al-Ras, the first major ground battle with Hezbollah fighters is tied up. The next day, the Battle of Bint Jabil begins, where Israeli soldiers face particularly fierce resistance from militants.

The IDF command accepts a plan to expand the ground offensive operation in southern Lebanon in order to create a buffer zone, and on August 1, after heavy bombing of the border areas, parts of the Israeli army go on the offensive along the entire front line. Syria responded by putting its army on high alert. During the first day of the offensive, Israeli troops advanced 6-8 km deep into Lebanese territory.

Meanwhile, the intensity of rocket attacks on Israel only intensified. On August 2, about 220 rockets were fired at Israeli territory. On August 3, Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah offered Israel a truce for the first time since the start of the war if the bombing of residential areas in Lebanese cities ceased. Israeli officials did not comment on this proposal.

The Israeli army occupies the cities of Mays al-Jebel, Tibnin, Markaba. During the defense of Bint Jbeil, Hezbollah fighters manage to knock out several Israeli Merkava tanks. However, it becomes clear that the introduced forces are not enough to maintain control in the occupied territory. Preparations begin for a large-scale offensive to the north.

Attack on the Litani

Positions of the conference participants:

• The United States expresses Israel's position - a truce (ceasefire) is impossible without eliminating the causes of the current conflict - Hezbollah must first be disarmed and expelled from the border areas with the participation of foreign peacekeepers, preferably under the auspices of NATO. According to the United States and Israel, the conflict was provoked by Syria and Iran.
• France - NATO troops cannot be sent to the Middle East, since they are considered here as an "armed formation of the West"; a ceasefire must precede the entry of peacekeepers and settlement negotiations. According to French President Jacques Chirac, Iran shares responsibility for the conflict, but Chirac refrains from direct accusations against him.
• Russia - in general, a similar position: the conflict cannot be allowed to go beyond Lebanon and affect Syria and Iran; there are suspicions that the Lebanese campaign may be viewed by the US only as a prelude to a campaign against Iran. Even during the G-8 summit in St. Petersburg, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Israel's actions may have other goals besides the desire to get back their kidnapped military personnel.

The attitude of the international community towards the situation in Lebanon and Israeli actions was sharply affected by the tragedy in the Lebanese town of Qana, where, as a result of an Israeli air raid on the night of July 30, 28 people died under the rubble of a collapsed building, (half of which were children), and the first few days were reported about twice the death toll. Nevertheless, it took almost two more weeks to develop a UN Security Council resolution to resolve the situation.

Results and policy implications

Both opposing sides talk about their victory in the conflict, which, according to some observers [ whom?] , indicates that none of them actually achieved their goals.

Investigation

Weapon

Exchange of prisoners

On July 16, 2008, Israel and Hezbollah exchanged the bodies of kidnapped soldiers (Ehud Goldwaser and Eldad Regev) for 190 bodies and 5 living terrorists (among them the killer Samir Kuntar).

see also

Notes

Links

Cards

News

• 12 days of war: statistics and main events (Israeli view)

Analytics and journalism

• M. Behe. The most hypocritical people on earth. (fr.) (eng.) (rus.) (Article by a Lebanese Christian journalist dated 29.07.2006.)
• Civilians are becoming victims of conflict in the Middle East (Human Rights Watch press release)
• F. Ajami. Hezbollah Hostages (The Wall Street Journal)
• P. Romanov. About the war in the Middle East without emotions.
• M. Dorfman. Notes from the fronts of the second Lebanese war
• M. Dorfman. Defeat is possible in war
• A. Kolesnikov. The Israeli-Lebanese conflict in the mirror of Russian sociology (RIA Novosti)
• The truce in Lebanon: in anticipation of the "second round" (RIA Novosti)
• I. Budraitskis, A. Lekhtman. Lebanon: unfinished war
• Analysis of some military aspects of the Lebanese-Israeli conflict

Photos and reports

• , Satellite images of the Harat Hreik area in the Beirut suburb of Dahia, which was bombed by Israeli aircraft. The images were taken by the QuickBird remote sensing spacecraft and provided by DigitalGlobe, as well as

On July 12, 2006, an Israeli army patrol was attacked by Hezbollah fighters on the Israeli-Lebanese border. Hezbollah fighters, who penetrated into Israeli territory, shot our soldiers from an ambush - five soldiers were killed, two were wounded. The bodies of two Israeli soldiers - Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser - were dragged by militants to Lebanese territory.

At the end of the same day, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Amir Peretz and Chief of Staff Dan Halutz decided on a large-scale military operation against Lebanon, called "Worthy Retribution."

Israeli reservist soldiers Ehud Goldwasser (1975-2006) and Eldad Regev (1980-2006) who died in action on July 12, 2006. Their bodies were dragged by Hezbollah militants to Lebanese territory

All rights belong to Alexander Shulman(c) 2012
© 2012 by Alexander Shulman. All rights reserved
Use of material without the written permission of the author is prohibited.
Any violations are punishable by copyright law in force in Israel.

Alexander Shulman
Military operation in Lebanon - 6 years

On July 12, 2006, an army patrol was attacked by Hezbollah fighters on the Israeli-Lebanese border. Hezbollah fighters, who penetrated into Israeli territory, shot our soldiers from an ambush - five soldiers were killed, two were wounded. The bodies of two Israeli soldiers - Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser - were dragged by militants to Lebanese territory.

The foreman of the reserve, Ehud Goldwasser, died on the spot from a direct hit by an anti-tank missile on a jeep. Reserve Sergeant Eldad Regev was hit by the same missile, tried to get out of the burning car and died from a bullet that hit his head. However, Hezbollah announced that they had taken these soldiers alive as hostages.

While pursuing the terrorists, an Israeli tank was blown up by a landmine, which led to the death of five more Israeli soldiers. Hezbollah fighters launched rocket attacks on the border areas of Israel.

It was an act of unprovoked Hezbollah aggression against the Jewish state. The self-confident arrogance of the leader of the terrorists, Nasrallah, was based on the belief that in response, the IDF would only inflict a few pinpoint strikes on the positions of the Shiites and calm down.

The Arabs once again miscalculated - at the end of the same day, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Amir Peretz and Chief of Staff Dan Halutz decided on a large-scale military operation against Lebanon, called "Worthy Retribution."

Israeli troops enter Lebanon

On the first day of the military operation, the IDF limited itself to air strikes on the border regions of Lebanon. However, on July 14, 2006, the Israeli corvette "Khanit", patrolling the Lebanese coast, was damaged by an Iranian-made missile. On the same day, Israel launched a massive air offensive throughout Lebanon, one of the main targets was the headquarters of Hezbollah in Beirut.

The actions of the IDF during the military operation in Lebanon can be divided into three stages:
- from July 12 to July 23 - a massive air offensive, during which the Israeli Air Force methodically destroyed Hezbollah facilities throughout Lebanon, including Beirut, bridges, roads, warehouses, power plants, and other Lebanese infrastructure that could be used by Hezbollah to control and militant supplies
- from July 23 - in addition to the air offensive, a limited ground operation began against the fortified points of Hezbollah in the border areas, when no more than two infantry and tank companies were simultaneously introduced into Lebanese territory.
- the offensive of the ground forces on August 11-14, which became the culmination of hostilities. Then the largest landing operation was carried out with the participation of more than 50 helicopters. Israeli troops reached the line of the Litania River, which contributed to the strengthening of Israel's position during diplomatic contacts in order to resolve the conflict.

An analysis of the military aspects of the hostilities in Lebanon in 2006 leads to the conclusion that on the part of Israel it was a military operation limited in terms of the forces involved in order to eliminate Hezbollah gangs in the border areas, as well as to destroy the infrastructure of Lebanon, which was used there for many years by Iranian and Syrian sponsors. Hezbollah.

The goal of the Israeli command was to achieve decisive successes in the war with minimal losses among the military and civilians. The experience of the Lebanese war of 1982 was taken into account, when three army corps were brought into Lebanon, which occupied a significant part of this Arab country, including Beirut.

Then the Israeli troops suffered serious losses due to the guerrilla actions of the militants during the hostilities and on stretched communications. This time, the Israeli command preferred to use methods of non-contact warfare, in which the main burden falls on air Force, and the ground forces play a supporting role for the final cleansing of territories from militants after massive air attacks.

As part of the non-contact war, Israeli troops did not go for a frontal capture of the settlements that were the strongholds of the militants - Lebanese cities and villages were hermetically blocked, they were subjected to massive air strikes, and only then raids were carried out to clear the area from the militants.

This scenario of hostilities was imposed on the Arabs, which completely destroyed Hezbollah's plans to draw Israeli ground forces into bloody battles to break through the fortifications of well-armed militants. Thus, the Israeli command managed to outplay Hezbollah, driving it into a trap and forcing it to “play” according to its plan. “We can say that we did not encounter strategic surprises. As for tactical, local surprises, there were plenty of them,” he said. Homeland Security Minister Avi Dichter.

Over the years, Hezbollah has turned the border regions of Lebanon into impregnable underground fortresses: many kilometers of minefields, narrow mountain roads have been mined and shot. A system of well-camouflaged tunnels has been created that stretches for many kilometers, and bunkers at a depth of 30-40 meters, where the militants hoped to sit out the battles and from where they expected to inflict surprise attacks on our troops. Border Lebanese villages were turned into militant strongholds - a complex system of underground communications and arsenals was created in each.

Destruction of Hezbollah bunkers in Lebanon

In their underground shelters, the militants created huge stocks of weapons, food and everything necessary for many months of large-scale war. According to military intelligence, at the time of the outbreak of hostilities, Hezbollah did not have Russian anti-tank missiles - all thousands of Russian anti-tank missiles were urgently delivered to Hezbollah in Lebanon after the start of the military operation.

In fact, the IDF conducted two interconnected operations in Lebanon. The first, air-sea, was carried out by the General Staff and its means of combating Iranian missiles deep behind enemy lines, during which the Israeli Air Force conducted a massive "air offensive" against thousands of targets. The second, land, was conducted by the forces of the Northern Military District of the IDF and covered the border regions of Lebanon.

The results of the air and sea offensive against Lebanon are quite impressive. According to the IDF command, during the military operation, Israeli Air Force planes and helicopters made 15,500 sorties, destroying 7,000 targets.
Among 15,500 sorties:
- more than 10,000 sorties of combat aircraft (fighters and fighter-bombers);
- about 2,000 sorties of combat helicopters;
- about 1,000 sorties of transport and landing helicopters;
- more than 1,300 reconnaissance sorties and
- about 1,200 transport sorties.
This data does not include Israeli UAV sorties.

Navy ships spent more than 8,000 hours at sea, striking 2,500 coastal targets.

In 34 days, 145 bridges and overpasses, 136 highways, including strategic ones, were damaged or completely destroyed in Lebanon. gas stations, 7 thousand houses and 29 infrastructure facilities, including airports, seaports, power plants and water supply stations. The total material damage caused by the war to this small country amounts to billions of dollars.

For these purposes in Lebanon, the IDF fired hundreds and thousands of tons of rockets and bombs. In order to avoid casualties among the civilian population, the Israeli command for the first time in the world widely used high-precision weapons capable of destroying selected objects without unnecessary casualties.

.
Map of Israeli air strikes on Lebanese territory

In an interview with The New York Times, a high-ranking Israeli officer said: “Based on accurate intelligence in the first two days of the war, we destroyed 80% of Hezbollah’s medium and long-range missile launchers, so Nasrallah could not bombard Tel Aviv with Iranian Zelzal missiles.

These data are confirmed by reports of American diplomats from Beirut to Washington in early August 2006, published by the WikiLeaks leak site:
On August 8, the Lebanese defense minister told the American ambassador that Israel dealt a crushing blow to Hezbollah: the militants lost 50% of their equipment and equipment and at least 1,000 people were killed. According to him, Hezbollah fired 3,000 missiles at Israel, and Syria supplied the organization with another 2,500 missiles. The ambassador said that the likelihood of an attempt to strike Tel Aviv with Zalzal-1 or Zalzal-2 missiles was extremely low.

Judging by rare facts leaked to the Israeli media, during the fighting, the entire territory of Lebanon became the scene of covert operations by Israeli intelligence services and air and sea landing units. The purpose of the Israeli paratroopers, apparently, was the elimination and capture of Hezbollah commanders, the destruction of the command and communication centers of the terrorists. With a high probability, we can assume that only two operations behind enemy lines were specifically leaked: about the airborne assault in Baalbek and amphibious assault and Tire, although in fact there were many more such operations.

According to the army radio station "Galei Tsakhal" it is known that in just a month of fighting, the Israeli special forces carried out at least 20 such large-scale operations behind enemy lines.

Israeli Air Force in the Lebanese War

Israeli air strike on Hezbollah headquarters in Beirut

The loss of Hezbollah militants, according to the Israeli military command, is more than 1,000 people. And these are only those of them whose identities have been documented. At the same time, no one will ever know how many hundreds of corpses of militants are left to rot in the destroyed underground bunkers and tunnels through which the Israeli fire shaft passed. During the month of fighting, the military potential of Hezbollah was largely destroyed.

The success of the limited military operation of the IDF was paid for with the blood of Israeli soldiers and civilians: 154 Israelis were killed in battles and during rocket attacks, including 115 military personnel and 39 civilians. About 2800 people were injured, injured and shell-shocked, among them more than 700 soldiers and officers of the IDF.

The analysis of losses in tanks showed the high efficiency of the means of protecting Israeli Merkava tanks of various modifications and, as a result, relatively low level tank losses.

According to information published in the Israeli press, Hezbollah fighters fired about 1,000 rockets at Israeli tanks, which damaged 52 Merkava tanks. Of the fifty hit by Merkav missiles, 22 vehicles received penetrating damage, i.e. 44%. At the same time, according to IDF statistics, 47% of damage was penetrating in the last Lebanese war, and 60% in the Doomsday War.

During the fighting in Lebanon, out of all the damaged tanks, 5 vehicles were irretrievably lost, two of which (modifications Mk2 and Mk4) were blown up by land mines, and three more (two Mk2 and one Mk3) were completely burned out as a result of missiles. It is interesting to note that in the Merkava Mk4, which was blown up by a landmine, equipped with reinforced bottom armor, only one crew member died, and three more tankers and three wounded on board were not injured.

Israeli tanks in Lebanon

Of the 52 damaged and lost vehicles, 18 tanks belong to the latest modification of the Merkava, the Mk4. Of these vehicles, 8 remained operational despite missile hits, most of the rest returned to service after repairs before the end of the operation. Through armor damage was received by 6 tanks of the Mk4 modification. This statistic suggests that the Merkavas, especially the latest modification of the Mk-4, showed themselves in the course of the battles from the very best side. After all, if we consider the number of ATGMs fired at Israeli tanks as reliable, then it turns out that the effectiveness of these weapons in terms of destroyed tanks turned out to be 0.3%.

Despite the high efficiency of the Merkava tanks shown during the battles, the Israeli command is making efforts to improve them. The IDF became the first army in the world to equip all serial Merkava Mk4 tanks with Meil ​​Ruach ("Air Cloak") active tank protection systems developed by RAFAEL on the basis of the well-proven Trophy project. It is planned that by the end of 2010 all new Merkava tanks will be equipped with new complexes.

Perhaps the main negative aspect of the fighting in Lebanon was the rocket fire on Israeli border towns and villages, which caused the exodus of hundreds of thousands of Israelis deep into the country. Rocket fire was carried out mainly by Russian and Iranian Grad-type short-range missiles. The effectiveness of rocket attacks was extremely low - Hezbollah militants managed to fire about 4,000 rockets into Israel, killing about 40 Israeli citizens. (I note that a significant part of the victims of rocket attacks were Israeli Arabs, ironically supporting Hezbollah). However, they resulted in economic losses and negative psychological pressure on the civilian population. At that time, no country in the world had effective means fighting "rocket rain"

Haifa under rocket fire

Therefore, one of the main results of the hostilities was the decision to accelerate the creation of special weapons capable of protecting the Israeli population from short-range missiles.

The decision to finance the billion-dollar project was “pushed through” in the government by Defense Minister Amir Peretz after the Second Lebanon War.
However, money for the development of the Iron Dome began to be transferred even before the government officially approved the appropriations: the then head of the armaments department of the General Staff, General Dan Gold, single-handedly decided to start financing the project, without even informing the Minister of Defense and the government.

Rafael Advanced Defense Systems carried out the development of the Kipat Barzel complex in record time - it took Israeli engineers only 2.5 years to develop the world's first anti-missile system of this class.

Developed by the Israeli company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, the Kipat Barzel anti-missile system became the world's first tactical missile defense system to protect against unguided tactical missiles at ranges from 4 to 70 kilometers.

On April 7, 2011, the Israeli anti-missile system Kipat Barzel (Iron Dome) for the first time in the world successfully intercepted and destroyed a short-range missile - a 122-millimeter Russian Grad missile, launched by Palestinian terrorists from Gaza at the Israeli border city of Ashkelon.

The IDF emphasizes that the successful combat test of Kipat Barzel is a historic event, since a system of this kind has demonstrated its effectiveness for the first time in world practice.

Israel is building the most effective missile defense system in the world.
A plan to create a four-tier missile defense system will soon be submitted to the government for consideration. According to experts, this missile defense system, which is part of the so-called national plan emergency response, "will make Israel the most secure state in the world against any missile attack.

About $2.5 billion will be invested in the implementation of the plan, which is due to be completed in 2015. As explained in the Ministry of Defense, the first and second levels will be based on Hetz installations capable of destroying enemy ballistic missiles (for example, similar to the Iranian Shahab-3) outside the earth's atmosphere, as well as those that have already entered the atmosphere.

At the third level, anti-missiles will be used, which will be able to neutralize both long-range artillery shells and cruise missiles fired from land or sea. The fourth level will comprise the Iron Dome installations designed to protect against short and medium-range missiles.

All missile defense systems will be equipped with radars, united in one network connected with American and Israeli space satellites.

At the same time, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said that he would not like to create unnecessary illusions that the new missile defense system will be a panacea for all ills. The head of government explained that only a combination of defensive and attacking weapons, as well as a firm position of the government and society, can be the only optimal defense.

After the end of hostilities, all the actions of the Israeli government and military command were subjected to a thorough analysis. Any most successful war always reveals the problems that exist in such a well-oiled military machine as the IDF. In the few months that have passed since the completion of the operation in Lebanon, a number of commissions set up by government agencies and the Ministry of Defense have subjected the actions of all army units to a thorough analysis.

In Israel, unlike other countries, they do not concentrate on the real successes achieved. It is customary for us to subject identified shortcomings to the most severe criticism - which is the best way to correct the identified problems. All reports of such commissions are full of negative facts, they carefully analyze all the actions of the military and civil authorities.
Based on the results of the checks, the army command began to immediately eliminate the identified shortcomings and improve military doctrine.

In the course of hostilities, shortcomings were revealed in the combat training of reserve units and formations. Due to cuts in the military budget in last years there were almost no military exercises with the participation of reservists, which affected the level of their combat readiness. The report of the commission of the head of the Logistics Department of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Avi Mizrahi, which checked the circumstances related to the participation of reservists in the Lebanese campaign, outlined recommendations for changing the law on reservist service. The commission recommended an increase in the duration of the reservist duties, as well as raising the age bar for the discharge of IDF officers into the reserve.

As part of the analysis of the conduct of the war in Lebanon and preparations for possible future conflicts, the leadership of the ground forces decided to increase the number of days of reservist training by 30% -40%, the Yediot Ahronot newspaper reports. Thus, during 2007, all reservists of combat units underwent reservist training.

The intensity of the exercises and the number of reservists called up have returned to the level that they had before 2000, however, this applies only to the reservists of combat units. In the next three years, the rank and file was called up for 80 days, and the officers - for 95 days, of which 27-30 days were already in 2007.

This actually means a complete freeze of the law on reservists, according to which it was planned to call for reserve service for no more than 45 days within three years. "The number of days proposed in the bill is too short for the conditions in which we are," - said the commander of the ground forces, Major General Benny Gantz.

Most of the reservists are engaged in exercises, but a number of units have taken the places of conscripts, whose exercises were also decided to be made more intense. The main focus during the exercises is on the interaction of various units up to the level of brigades, as well as interaction with other branches of the military - the Achilles' heel, which was discovered during the second Lebanon war. For this purpose, the budget allocated for ground forces exercises increased from 550 million shekels this year to 830 million shekels in 2008, and by 2010 had reached a billion shekels.

Many units of the armored forces have not taken part in exercises and live firing over the past five years. An analysis of the results of the Lebanese campaign showed that the lack of experience and combat training was one of the factors that led to losses among the personnel.

The reports of the commanders of the armored units, sent to the General Staff after the end of the fighting in Lebanon, testify to miscalculations and mistakes. In this regard, the commander ground forces Major General Benny Ganz ordered the introduction of a new schedule for the fire training of tank units of the reserve.

When developing the exercise plan, the shortcomings identified during the war were taken into account. First of all, this concerns the actions of crews in the event that the enemy uses modern anti-tank missile systems. Separately, elements of combat in difficult terrain and with massive artillery fire are being worked out.

The main attention during the exercises is given to the interaction of various units up to the level of brigades, as well as interaction with other branches of the military.

Speaking about the foreign policy aspect of the fighting in Lebanon, we can say about the success of Israeli diplomacy, there was a tacit support by most countries for Israel's actions against Hezbollah terrorists - for the first time in all its wars, Israel's actions were never condemned by the UN.

It is not only about the US, Great Britain and Germany - Israel's permanent allies: usually pro-Arab France supported a completely pro-Israeli UN draft resolution, European countries are emphatically neutral, even Arab countries tacitly supported Israel.

Lebanese war soldiers awards

Moderate Arab regimes expressed support for Israel's actions, as were happy to get rid of Hezbollah at the hands of the Israelis. "Statements like this have been coming to us all last week," Yediot Ahronot reported, citing an Israeli Foreign Ministry source.
The ulema (Muslim theologians) of Saudi Arabia cursed Hezbollah. Egypt said it would not interfere in Israel's conflicts with its neighbors. The Jordanians responded harshly to the tragedy of the Lebanese, but refused to participate in the conflict.

Only Russia, with its irrational anti-Israeli policy, has joined the rogue states of Iran and Syria that oppose Israel.

The results of the fighting in Lebanon in July-August 2006 were summed up by the words of the former chief of the IDF General Staff, General Gabi Ashkenazi, who led the Israeli army after the end of the war:

“There were many problems in the Second Lebanon War, but we cannot deny that it achieved its goal of maximum deterrence. I don’t remember such a long period of calm on the northern border. We have a whole generation of children who will soon go to school, and never heard a siren announcing an alarm"
Since the limited military operation, the border with Lebanon has become the calmest in all the years of the Jewish state

In Lebanon, for the first time in the world, new Israeli technologies of non-contact war against terrorist formations, conducting an "air offensive" were tested in combat, which confirmed their effectiveness during the "Cast Lead" operation in early 2009.