How many tanks did Israel lose in South Lebanon?

[Nimrod2005]

Does anyone know the total? Seems like Israel never reported the number.

snip

Israeli forces were taken by surprise by the sophistication of the anti-tank weapons they faced. They are believed to have accounted for many of the 116 deaths the army suffered. Dozens of tanks were hit and an unknown number destroyed.

snip

The missiles were also used against infantry, in one case bringing down a house and killing nine soldiers. They played an important part in Hizbollah's tactics of using a network of concealed positions to set up ambushes for the Israelis as they inched in.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/08/15/wmid15.xml

I am sure Putin, Iran, and Syria are very proud!!!

[MrPrax]

1. For what it is worth...

In Uri Avnery's latest column....he says

"...It is also clear that Intelligence, and the army in general, was not ready for the deadly efficiency of Hizbullah's anti-tank weapons. Hard to believe, but according to official figures, more than 20 tanks were hit.

The Merkava ("carriage") tank is the pride of the army. Its father, General Israel Tal, a victorious tank general, did not want only to build the world's most advanced tank, but also a tank that provided its crew with the best possible protection. Now it appears that an anti-tank weapon from the late 1980s that is available in large quantities, can disable the tank, killing or grievously wounding the soldiers inside.

CP

[Nimrod2005]

2. Interesting, no hard numbers anywhere...

[MrPrax]

3. True...

I was offering it in the hopes someone might find a link to it in a news release...

But Averny is probably correct -- it's not likely something that the IDF would mention too often, if true. It's not an extraordinary claim...

[catmandu57]

4. No there won't be any hard numbers

I saw a news report that said ten, but it's something that won't be released.

[Bigmack]

5. How about US tanks in...

Iraq? I've seen some numbers, but not from the US govt, and not much about what knocked them out.

Defense (read:War) contractors don't like stats released about how their products really don't work as advertised... witness the Bradley.

Bill Mauldin... Willie and Joe cartoon from WWII... tank drives by and Willie says to Joe...."I don't like 'em - a movin' foxhole attracts the eye."

[Nimrod2005]

8. Speaking of us in Iraq, you know whoever is there against us, has already

ordered those Hizbollah missiles to use against the US, you will see, they will start popping up everywhere.

[Igel]

6. They weren't made to go up against Kornets.

They--and Israeli tactics--are in for a redesign.

They're part of the technology that makes the claims of Hezb being a little homegrown militia downright silly.

[DavidDvorkin]

7. More than Israel says

And fewer than Hizbollah claims.

The truth is somewhere in between, and we'll probably never know the correct number. Which can be said about statistics in wars in general.