As the battle intensifies, the IDF is conducting a carefully planned and coordinated combined arms operation to reduce Hezbollah's bunker complexes in Southern Lebanon.  As discussed previously in these pages, the IAF can do a lot with to support the ground operation with precision strikes, but lacks capabilities to deal effectively with multi—story bunkers.  Therefore, close—in fights with tank—infantry teams and heavy engineer support are necessary to overcome these underground complexes.

And that's exactly how it has been playing out.  The Jerusalem Post reports  that a powerful combined arms ground force spent four days capturing Maroun Al—Ras and the 'extensive Hizbullah bunkers' in the area.

The units participating consisted of tanks, infantry, engineers, and reconnaissance units.  They included:

 Tanks from the 7th, 188th, and 401st Brigades

 Infantry from the Golani Brigade

 An Engineering Corps battalion

 A reconnaissance unit

 Battalion 101 of the Paratrooper Brigade

The last few days have been spent destroying the remaining houses used by Hezbollah and killing any remaining fighters.

This type of warfare is mean and dirty, and calls for an extraordinary amount of courage and determination.  Many terrorists and Baathist diehards in Iraq thought that US forces were not capable of taking on the enemy in close quarters fighting.  They came in for a rude shock as they fought and lost against America's best.  Israeli troops have also proven their mettle in this type of fight:

An officer who participated in the battle reacted angrily to the criticism in the media from high—ranking officers.

"We fought like lions," he said. "This isn't the PLO or Hamas; Hizbullah is a fighting military organization and they don't run away.  We fought a war and in a war you have to be prepared for every eventuality.  We were prepared and we won."

The IDF needs to ignore the armchair generals and fight the war according to their timetable; not the media's fantasy vision of a sterile battle.  Before we know it, soldiers of the IDF may well be doing their laundry in the Litani River, having eliminated Hezbollah as an effective fighting force.

Doug Hanson  07—25—06