https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Bint_Jbeil
(benny hill music playing)
The first tank was hit by a missile,
The second tank, a Merkava IV, ran over a powerful remote-controlled mine and rolled over from the blast.
An armor-plated D-9 bulldozer that attempted to rescue the casualties was forced to retreat after being hit by a missile.
An Apache Longbow attack helicopter flying support mission for ground forces at Bint Jbeil crashed
The third company walked into a well-prepared ambush
the fighting changed drastically from an offensive military operation to a rescue mission.
After evacuating their dead and wounded, the Israelis withdrew from its positions in Aynata, claiming to have "completed operations".
I like the implication that the helicopter wasn't even shot down, the pilot just fucked up
Hezbollah stuck out a bunch of scarecrows wearing 'Press' outfits and the pilot got too distracted trying to figure out which one to shoot first
After evacuating their dead and wounded, the Israelis withdrew from its positions in Aynata, claiming to have "completed operations".
some things truly do never change
I think it's very important for people to understand the value and significance of well trained properly supplied troops compared to like, average. The really serious soldiers that are actually good at soldiering compared to regular average gang.
This video, while chuddy, is a very interesting insight into the impact of such units. https://youtu.be/OyWmpoLrkBI
Several times in this video the iraqis are essentially driven back by what I would speculate is supply loss. For example the truck that arrives on top of the damn and engages US special forces for 1 hour before retreating likely ran out of ammunition, and faced with the lack of ability to fight then withdraws. Additionally assaulting a defensive position without mortars and/or artillery is basically impossible against well trained forces, especially over any remotely open ground, you are simply throwing bodies at them to get mowed down.
The IDF are very poorly trained conscripts, with a few units that are excellent proper units but not very many. Most of the IDF do not want to be there, they are not fighters, they are mandatory service members. Contrast this with the Hezbollah fighters and the Special Forces they had with them, they are people who signed up for this, they are willing to die for what they believe in, and they are very well trained.
Gotta do your national service, get some promotions to put on your resume, and hopefully don't die. I imagine is the attitude of a lot conscripts.
Yeah exactly. There's a huge difference between these people that are actual fighters, and then there's a huge difference again between the actual fighters and the ones that want to be oorah specops goons. They live, eat and breathe fighting and it shows when they go up against one another. It's like the people at the top of a sport going against the people at the bottom of it, and in the case of conscripts it's like the people at the top of a sport going against a bunch of people that don't play the sport and don't want to be playing it. The result is predictable.
That's just how you use the word in that context. Belligerents are the nations involved in conflict legally speaking. Look at the page for any battle in any war, every side is always belligerents
Egh, a bit disappointing for me, judging first by the title, but anything that slows the Israeli advance and almost gets a 1:1 kill ratio is good...
It's a war of survival I suppose...
modern historians will mark this battle as the beginning of the downfall of the apartheid and the whole satanic American Empire