Historic first: IDF operates unmanned APC in Gaza

IDF modifies old M113 APC, giving it ability to carry four tons of supplies to soldiers in the field without endangering lives • Vehicle is operated remotely, can travel up to 50 kilometers per hour • IDF officer: We really broke ground with this.

 

During Operation Protective Edge, the Israel Defense Forces used a unmanned armored personnel carrier, a first in history. The vehicle was used to deliver supplies to soldiers on the battlefield.

"This is history," Lt. Avidav Goldstein, the head of the IDF's unmanned vehicle unit, said. "I feel we really broke ground in this realm. This is the first time in history, throughout the world, that such a thing has been done."

The IDF modified an old M113 APC (the type of APC in which seven Golani Brigade soldiers were killed by an anti-tank missile in Shujaiyya), giving it the ability to carry several tons of supplies to soldiers in the field without endangering lives.

The unmanned APC can travel 50 kilometers per hour (31 miles per hour) and hold around four tons of equipment. It is operated remotely by soldiers in a control vehicle, located inside Israel, which has a steering wheel, pedals and a screen

Israel - Military Affairs: The silent attack force

These days, the idea of Israel engaging its enemies in a war, whether in near or distant arenas, without its “silent attack force” is unthinkable.

The silent attackers would be the soldiers of the IDF’s Electronic Warfare (EW) Section, whose mission is to cause rival forces to enter a state perhaps best summed up in the famous Psalms verse: “They have eyes, but cannot see. They have ears, but cannot hear.”

 n recent days, a senior source from the Electronic Warfare (EW) Section, a part of the IDF’s teleprocessing corps C4i, spoke to The Jerusalem Post about how far this field has come from its rather humble beginnings.

“It began small, and became large over the past decade. Now, it’s a monster,” the source said, adding that “The government instructed us to prepare and know how to operate EW in every operational arena.

These preparations are approved by IDF General Staff.”

There are two types of standard electronic warfare in most militaries: defensive and offensive. In the IDF, every platform or strategic weapon, like submarines, missiles, and radars, have electronic warfare defenses installed in them.

Offensively speaking, the task of the EW Section is to disrupt enemy communications, blind radars and neutralize explosive devices. The anti-explosives aspect of electronic warfare is run by the Engineering Corps, and the remainder is in the hands of the EW Section.

“Due to the massive rise of wireless communications, terrorist operations now rely heavily on this technology,” the source explained. This includes single-band communications, high-frequency waves, short waves, Wi-Fi, ultra-high frequency and microwaves.

“Offensive EW is a very dynamic world. It’s changing at a crazy pace,” the source said.

In the past, EW was reserved for targeting rival militaries. But now, the IDF must focus most of its EW capabilities against terror organizations on its borders, such as Hezbollah and Hamas, a task made harder by the fact the organizations do not use standard military equipment to communicate.

“Once, two rival militaries would be involved in a communications race. Every five to 10 years, they would revamp their equipment. Today, by the time you get your new devices, the rival is moving on to the next era,” the source explained, spelling out the problems of dealing with non-state actors.

“Hezbollah is very disciplined, and can [change] faster than a military. When Hamas in Gaza want to purchase something, they get it off the shelf. This is a real challenge,” he added.

With terror organizations purchasing communications networks wholesale, the enemy can quickly get the latest available encryption and encoding devices. This has forced the IDF’s EW Section to keep a close eye developments in the civilian communications sector, an area the military calls “technological intelligence.”

Simultaneously, the source said, the IDF developed an electronic warfare doctrine based on a good infrastructure that is adaptable to changes, but without the need to alter the whole system during upgrades.

“This is not a kinetic attack. The mission is not to destroy a target, to damage, or neutralize it, but rather to disrupt. I’m aiming at the enemy’s command and control.

His management, organization and commanders are the target,” the source said.

The desired result is a rival on the battlefield whose commanders cannot speak to field units, and who can’t coordinate or synchronize activities.

“I’m directing EW at the head. This is also a form of psychological warfare. I can engage in this and then deny it. It wrecks the functionality of the enemy,” the source added.

When it comes to discussing actual techniques, the source naturally prefers to keep his cards close to the chest. In some attacks, electromagnetic radiation is beamed directly at the target device. Other forms remain highly classified and cannot be revealed.

“There are no borders in the world of the electromagnetic spectrum. The waves can be sent from all types of platforms, from F- 16 jets to submarines,” the source said.

“And this is happening as the IDF is merging all of its platforms – sea, underwater, land, air and space.”

Despite the impressive technology and skill involved, EW is far from being precise, the source noted.

“The devices don’t always behave the way we’d like. It’s trial and error,” he added.

 

On occasion, when Israelis experience a rare disruption to their satellite television service, the finger is often pointed at the EW Section. But the source said that more often than not that blame is misplaced.

There are many sources of possible disruptions, such as a foreign military ship cruising nearby on the Mediterranean using disruptive signals.

“We always try to make sure that nothing gets disrupted for civilians. That’s our aspiration.

If sometimes there are disruptions, then [our goal is to assure] it won’t be critical,” the source said. “We are in an ongoing dialogue with the Electric Corporation and Mekorot, the national water carrier, to ensure we are coordinated,” he added.

As the pace of technological development continues to advance, this secretive world will remain critical to Israel’s 21stcentury engagements.

Arrow 3 Tested Successfully

The anti-missile system is intended to intercept high altitude ballistic missiles

The Ministry of Defense's Homa Administration successfully carried out a successful flight test Monday of the Arrow 3 (in Hebrew: Hetz 3) anti-missile missile, in conjunction with the U.S. Missile Defense Agency.

The Defense Ministry said that the test was intended to check the flight systems of the missile, which is meant to provide added high-altitude protection against missiles and to solidify the defensive array protecting Israel from the long range missile threat.

The Arrow 3 will be able to intercept ballistic missiles with longer ranges than the ones that Arrow 2 can bring down, and it will do so at higher altitudes. It is part of the multi-layer defense system that is intended to protect the state of Israel, which also includes the Iron Dome system and the Magic Wand system.

Iron Dome, which is already operational and functioned very well during Operation Pillar of Defense, deals primarily with short range missiles. Magic Wand will deal with the medium-range threat.

Development of the Arrow 3 is expected to take two more years, whereas Magic Wand is due to become operational in 2014. 

Israel - Iron Dome Keeps Moving

Israel has moved a third Iron Dome anti-rocket system north, to deal with any possible attacks coming out of Syria. There, the two year old civil war is leading to weapons storage sites being captured by rebels and the contents disappearing. Israel fears that someone will grab some rockets and someone to operate them and launch attacks on Israel. Northern Israel is sparsely populated and not very vulnerable to the many 122mm artillery rockets favored by terrorists because these only have a range of about 20 kilometers. But the Syrians have hundreds of longer range missiles and rockets that can reach Israel’s largest cities farther south. Another problem with this is that the cities are easier to hit because the populated area is so large. This caused some unexpected problems with Iron Dome last Novemb 

Although the Iron Dome system succeeded in shooting down about 85 percent of the rockets Hamas fired at Israeli populated areas last November, the number that had to be shot down was something of a shock. It was originally believed that only ten percent of rockets fired at smaller towns and villages would need to be intercepted by Iron Dome missiles. The rest would fall into unpopulated areas that are common near the northern and southern borders.  But the eight day bombardment by Hamas rockets last November saw 1,500 larger or longer ranged rockets fired at larger targets (cities). This meant a third of the rockets headed for populated areas and thus needing an Iron Dome interceptor missile. Even though Israel has ordered more Iron Dome missiles, too many rockets headed for populated areas in a short time means some incoming rockets that should get an interceptor missile won’t. 

A solution may lie in Iron Dome’s software. Iron Dome uses two radars to quickly calculate the trajectory of the incoming rocket and does nothing if the rocket trajectory indicates it is going to land in an uninhabited area. But if the computers predict a rocket coming down in an inhabited area, a Tamir guided missile is fired to intercept the rocket. This makes the system cost-effective. Further improvements in the software may make it less necessary to fire missiles. That's mainly because most of these unguided rockets land in uninhabited areas but the few of those that do land in populated areas inflict casualties. The system was so successful and reliable that it was found safe to fire one missile, instead of two, at each incoming rocket. In addition, during the eight day campaign last November, the Iron Dome software was updated almost daily as users reported any problems which were collected and fixed quickly and a new version of the software created, tested, and issued. 

There’s nothing special about the rest of the Iron Dome system. The Tamir missiles each weigh 90 kg (200 pounds), are three meters (9.8 feet) long, and 160mm in diameter. They have the usual components of a guided missile (rocket motor, electronics, and mechanical devices to actuate the fins and batteries). Without the predictive software Iron Dome would quickly run out of missiles and be much more expensive to operate as well. 

The first real rocket threat for Iron Dome was from a terrorist organization (Hamas) operating out of an area (Gaza) that is basically home for Palestinian refugees who have been there for over 60 years and want nothing less than the destruction of Israel. 

A similar organization (Hezbollah) controls southern Lebanon and is also dedicated to the destruction of Israel, using 40,000 unguided rockets they received from Iran. Hezbollah last attacked with rockets in 2006. 

Israel is organizing a force of 13 Iron Dome batteries to defeat Hezbollah and Hamas rocket attacks. Israel keeps moving these batteries around, making them less of a target for missiles or terrorists. Each of the five existing Iron Dome batteries has radar and control equipment and three or four missile launchers (each containing twenty missiles). Two more batteries are on order. Each battery costs about $40 million, which includes up to a hundred Tamir missiles (costing $90,000 each). The U.S. contributed nearly $300 million for development of Iron Dome.

Israel launches massive airstrikes on Gaza after Tel Aviv bombing

Israeli forces have launched numerous missile attacks on Gaza, killing at least 6 after a bomb struck a bus in Tel Aviv, injuring 16. It is the eighth day of Israel’s ‘Pillar of Defense’ campaign, which has killed over 130 Palestinians so far.

Israeli war jets pummeled Gaza’s Al-Yarmouk football stadium with more than 10 consecutive attacks, Al Jazeera reports. Several casualties were reported following the assault.

The IDF claimed they are striking key Hamas targets, while the Palestinian Authority criticized the attacks for killing civilians.

The escalation of attacks comes off the back of a bomb attack on a Tel Aviv bus that left 16 people injured. Israel’s government called an emergency meeting in response to the first terrorist bombing in the city since 2006.

Israeli authorities have raised security in the area to a level 4 alert and have begun a manhunt for the two suspects.

Hamas spokesperson, Sami Abu Zuhri praised the Tel Aviv bus bombing to the press, but did not say Hamas was behind it. He said that Hamas viewed the explosion as “a natural response to the Israeli massacres…in Gaza.”

"Palestinian factions will resort to all means in order to protect our Palestinian civilians in the absence of a world effort to stop the Israeli aggression," Abu Zuhri said.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton traveled to Israel and the West Bank in order to negotiate a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Gaza.

Clinton also met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on her diplomatic trip to the region, where she vowed that US support for Israel is “rock solid,” and that “the rocket attacks from terrorist organizations inside Gaza on Israeli cities and towns must end.”

The US blocked a UN Security Council proposal by Morocco for a ceasefire on Tuesday evening, calling it “unbalanced.” US officials argued that the proposal failed to identify “the root cause of the current escalation,” which they claim is the continuing barrage of rocket attacks from Gaza directed against Israel.

The statement would have been adopted automatically had the US not blocked it. Other members of the Security Council criticized America for blocking the statement, with Russia accusing Washington of attempting to “filibuster” negotiations.

The unbearable ease of the kidnapping - Hezbollah releases video of abduction of two Israeli soldiers that led to Second Lebanon War

Hezbollah released a video of the 2006 kidnapping of IDF reservists Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev that launched the second Lebanon war. Has Israel learned the appropriate lessons from the Second Lebanon War?

A screenshot of the Hezbollah video.

The video clip released by Hezbollah on Friday, which documents the kidnapping of Israel Defense Forces reservists Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser, and during which soldiers Shani Turgeman, Eyal Benin, and Vasim Nazel were also killed, gives goose bumps to anyone that was there on the Lebanese border, during that forlorn summer of 2006.

The bend in the road near report line 105, east of the northern settlement of Zarit is well known, from multiple visits to the scene of the attack during the months and years that followed.

 For the first time, that bend in the road is seen from the other side of the Lebanese border, from a viewpoint hidden in an overgrown wadi, which concealed the ambush that Hezbollah had laid in wait of IDF hummers.

Most importantly, the Hezbollah militants had the camera rolling from the moment the border was breached, and it documented every stage of the incident, up until the point that Goldwasser and Regev were extracted from their hummer, either dead, or critically injured.

Apparently, there are details regarding the attack that Hezbollah prefers to keep to itself, and whether or not the two soldiers were alive as they were kidnapped and taken to Lebanon is at the top of the list.

Why did Hezbollah decide to release the video now, of all times? Roughly two weeks after the sixth anniversary of the start of the Second Lebanon War, with the world focus in London on eve of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games?

The explanation apparently has much to do with the internal situation in Lebanon, where calls to disarm Hezbollah have been renewed as of late.

On Saturday morning, a Lebanese website, known for its disdain for Hezbollah, quoted a senior official from within the anti-Syria camp, who called the coming elections an “operation to displace Hezbollah’s sovereignty from Lebanon.”

Lebanese parliamentary elections are expected to be held June 2013, and the Shi’ite organization’s situation is a rather uncomfortable one. The video clip is a reminder of Hezbollah’s might, as the true military defender of the Lebanese people.

“We are the only ones who can stand against the Israeli enemy,” says Hezbollah, to the Lebanese people, who are currently focusing their attention on the murders being carried out by Bashar Assad’s regime in Syria.

On Friday night as well, clashes took place in Tripoli in northern Lebanon, between militants supporting Assad, and militants supporting the opposition, in which 12 people were injured.

No less interesting is the method Hezbollah chose to release the clip. The clip was released through the relatively new television channel al-Midian, founded by the analyst Rasan Ben Gado, former al-Jazeera office chief in Lebanon, who has close ties to Hezbollah. Ben Gado quit al-Jazeera over the channel’s anti-Syria policy, and founded, apparently with the help of Hezbollah, al-Midian. The release of the video bolsters the new channel, not just Hezbollah.

A few more interesting insights arise from viewing the video:

1.The unbearable ease of the kidnapping  –  contrary to some of the earlier estimations, that the fence was breached at night, under cover of darkness, the video reveals that the Hezbollah forces crossed the border in broad daylight, a minute or two (unless the video was edited at this point) before opening fire on the IDF hummers.

Hezbollah forces apparently watched the eastward movement of the patrol on the winding road and timed their attack. Hezbollah knew that it was a “dead area” in terms of visibility for IDF observation posts. (Division 91 had requested a camera be erected at the spot, but the request was turned down due to budgeting concerns. The camera was erected a week after the kidnapping.) The Livne post, located on report line 105, was not regularly manned at the time, and other posts and observation points were attacked during the kidnapping, to make it difficult for IDF forces to respond.

2. The patrol didn’t return fire – from the video clip, it was a completely one-sided fight. The ambush took the soldiers in both hummers by surprise. Some were killed on the spot by anti-tank missiles, before they could respond. Two soldiers, including the driver of one of the hummers, escaped, wounded, and hid in the bushes. The video clip does not show the arrival of other IDF forces. The first additional IDF arrived at 9:45 A.M., roughly 40 minutes after the incident began.

3. The negligence was all encompassing – Days before the end of the war, IDF forces conducted a search of the area north of the border fence, and found a Hezbollah bunker on a hill overlooking the scene of the kidnapping (apparently very close to the point where the clip was filmed). Hezbollah forces had managed to carry out extensive preparations for the operation under Israel’s nose.

IDF activity on the Lebanese border between 2000 and 2006 was low on the list of priorities, because of budget problems, and lack of availability of equipment and manpower. Israel also gave up demonstrating sovereignty, and other aggressive military activities in the area, in efforts not to start a conflict with Hezbollah at a time when Palestinian terror was running rampant within the West Bank. The result: Hezbollah took the initiative, and its efforts led to war.

Apparently there is a hidden message here, for current times. The balance of power is clear: the IDF is immeasurably stronger than Hezbollah. Even though Israel did not win the Second Lebanon War, the blow dealt to the Shi’ite organization has proven strong enough to prevent it from starting a second round, to this day, in spite of Hassan Nasrallah’s frequent victory speeches.

It would be a terrible mistake however, to underestimate Hezbollah’s capabilities once again, regardless of whether the decision to act comes from Beirut or Teheran.

In 2006 we were surprised by the kidnapping, the attack on the navy vessel “Hanit,” the Battle of Bint Jbeil, and the rocket fire in the north. If another conflict were to start in the future, it must be taken into account that not only the IDF, but Hezbollah as well have been training and improving during the years of intermission.

IDF reinforces Golan border, fearing Syrian terror attack

Move follows incident in which 500 Syrian soldiers cross demilitarized zone.

 The Israel Defense Forces is reinforcing its defensive positions along the Syrian border on the Golan Heights.

The IDF fears that terror organizations will take advantage of events in Syria taking place on the Golan and will attempt to attack Israeli communities near the border. The steps include strengthening fences and barriers at the border.

 In addition, the IDF has dug a wide trench to prevent vehicles from approaching towns. The various areas that have been identified as sensitive fall within the sector of the IDF’s 36th Division.

The Northern Command’s biggest fear is of a terror attack that penetrates inside Israel in which terrorists strike civilians on the Golan.

The operations branch has also prepared plans to deal with a potential influx of refugees fleeing from Syria, who may very well ask for asylum in Israel. ‏

The IDF’s reinforcement of the border comes after an incident which took place nearly two weeks ago, in which Syrian army forces crossed the demilitarized zone near the border.

Following the incident, in which 500 soldiers and 50 vehicles crossed into the demilitarized zone, Israel filed a formal complaint to the UN secretary general and to the president of the UN's Security Council, warning that the event may have serious ramifications.

Concern in Israel over the situation in Syria, particularly President Bashar Assad’s stockpiles of chemical weapons, is growing by the day.

Israeli protesters demand military draft reform

Thousands of Israelis marched through Tel Aviv yesterday to demand an end to the exemption of ultra-Orthodox Jewish men from compulsory military service, an issue that has put huge strain on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition.

"We are sick of it," Idan Miller, one of the protest organisers said at the rally. "It can be changed. It must be changed. Mr. Prime Minister, get it into your head: we are done being suckers."

Police said about 10,000 people took part in the protest, but local media put the number at 20,000. The marchers held up signs that read "Equal service for all" and chanted "One people, one draft".

"Many of the people here are former soldiers of mine. They are unfairly carrying most the burden," Moshe Kaplinsky, a former Israeli general, told Channel 2 News.

"We are calling on the government to get it together, to stop playing games and make the right decisions," he said.

Military service is a highly emotive issue for Israelis, most of whom start a two to three-year service at the age of 18. Many are also called up for reserve duty. Ultra-Orthodox men are exempt to allow them to pursue religious studies.

In February Israel's Supreme Court ruled that the law which allowed the exemptions was unconstitutional. It gave the government an August 1 deadline to come up with a revised law, sparking a major dispute in Netanyahu's coalition.

Vice Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz, head of Netanyahu's largest coalition partner, Kadima, has threatened to quit the government unless it puts an end to the blanket exemptions.

PM UNDER PRESSURE

But Netanyahu, who has cautiously supported the reform, is also under attack from other coalition partners, ultra-Orthodox parties who have threatened to walk out if their followers are to be forced into military service.

Under pressure from religious leaders, Netanyahu on Monday disbanded a panel that drew up reform proposals. The committee was headed by Kadima lawmaker Yochanan Plessner, who released his report despite Netanyahu's move against the panel.

Plessner's report seeks to slash exemptions for religious seminary students from a present 50,000 to 1,500 by 2016. It recommends stiff financial penalties for draft evaders. It also seeks to triple the number of Arab citizens of Israel doing national or military service, from the current 2,400, within five years. Israeli Arabs, who make up about a fifth of Israel's 7.8 million population, are fiercely opposed to the proposal.

Most commentators in Israel did not see Netanyahu's government under any immediate threat of dissolution and hours before the Tel Aviv protest the prime minister appeared to backtrack on the Plessner report.

A spokesman for Netanyahu's Likud party said in a statement that the leader would convene his faction on Sunday to discuss the report, and if Likud lawmakers approve it, Netanyahu and Mofaz would start drafting up a new bill in the coming week.

Boaz Nol, one of the protest organisers, voiced little confidence in Netanyahu's latest move. "It is a once-in-a-decades opportunity and the prime minister is wasting it away."