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del.icio.us Digg It!  new Last update - 03:56 11/09/2006 Lessons of War / IAF succeeded in Lebanon, but must prepare for tougher battles By Ze'ev Schiff The air force, more than the other two branches of the IDF - the ground and naval forces - was successful in most of its major operations during the war against Hezbollah. Nonetheless, the lesson for the Israel Air Force is that it must prepare for a different war scenario, one more challenging and different from what took place in Lebanon. The last war was unusual in its fairly ideal conditions for the IAF: It faced no opposing air force; the enemy lacked surface-to-air missiles and had only a small number of anti-aircraft guns; the battle took place close to bases that were well-defended and available at all times; and the IAF had time on its side. The IAF must prepare to confront the launching of long-range ballistic missiles from Syria and Iran, and to strike strategic targets much farther away than Lebanon. Is it prepared for this? We can cautiously say it is. Advertisement The great success of the air force during the war stemmed from an excellent first strike based on accurate intelligence. During this strike it destroyed a significant portion of the long-range Iranian-made missiles. The result was that Hassan Nasrallah could not carry out his threat of striking Tel Aviv. Also destroyed at the time was Hezbollah's main headquarters, in the Dahiya quarter of Beirut. If Israel had the powerful bunker-busting bombs available to the U.S. air force, it would have been able to strike at the complex of underground tunnels also. At first the war was based solely on a major air operation, and that is too bad. Everything north of the Litani River was the responsibility of the IAF. South of the Litani was the responsibility of Northern Command in collaboration with the air force. In spite of the accusations, Israel's aim was not the destruction of Lebanon - even though the chief of staff and the air force requested permission to damage Lebanese infrastructure more extensively, which the government did not approve. Similarly, a more limited request to destroy electrical infrastructure in the south, connected to Hezbollah bunkers, was also not approved. The pilots embarked on their missions with one thing in mind: Do not make a big mistake. In the end they did - and in the bombing of Qana, 28 civilians were killed, 14 of them children. It is still unclear whether faulty intelligence authorized a strike against a home, or whether the home was struck because Hezbollah fired rockets from a nearby location. In addition, the air force focused on several other targets. It was a bit slow in taking action against the smuggling of rockets and launchers from Syria, and it is not clear why vehicles carrying Hezbollah fighters were allowed to move from the north to the south along the coastal road. The air force could not assassinate individuals in Lebanon the way it has in the Gaza Strip. Greater success in this respect would have greatly affected Hezbollah's morale. The IAF was very successful in providing air support to ground forces. The air force also took great risks in airlifting ground troops and supplies. Prior to the war, IAF head Major General Eliezer Shkedi had warned the force would face a serious problem in countering the short-range rockets deployed in southern Lebanon. The air force had limited success hunting for these rockets, which it claims was due to poor intelligence. It turned out that most of these rockets were fired from fixed positions, but even if all these sites were destroyed, the rocket attacks would not have stopped - they merely would have become less accurate Bookmark to del.icio.us Foreign correspondents Police probe 3 Israeli journalists suspected of unauthorized travel to enemy states. Petrol protest Gaza gas station owners refuse to accept reduced fuel supplies from Israel.   1.   The whole thing was illegal and immoral 10:10  |  Marilyn 10/09/06   2.   IAF 10:20  |  S 10/09/06   3.   IAF Victory? 10:29  |  Lebanese admirer 10/09/06   4.   A book to read 10:32  |  Maral 10/09/06   5.   Oh, Come On, You Got Creamed 10:36  |  Rowan Berkeley 10/09/06   6.   rowan berkerly`s nightmare 10:56  |  fagin 10/09/06   7.   rowan berkerly 10:57  |  fagin 10/09/06   8.   clickfool is rowan berkerly 10:59  |  harzion 10/09/06   9.   the anti israel dogs come baying earlier 11:01  |  thucydides 10/09/06   10.   To Marilyn 11:02  |  David 10/09/06   11.   lebanese admirer the iaf has beaten all other 11:05  |  shylock 10/09/06   12.   Israel must prepare for a total war on all fronts 11:07  |  Shalom Freedman 10/09/06   13.   maral i recall your shouts of victory 11:09  |  lord acton 10/09/06   14.   to Marilyn #1 11:11  |  jeff atkinson 10/09/06   15.   CRAP! this info is CRAP! 11:12  |  Christian Lebanese 10/09/06   16.   marilyn you lie in your teeth 11:14  |  shylock 10/09/06   17.   re #3 IAF victory 11:14  |  jeff atkinson 10/09/06   18.   Ethnic cleansing is not always mass murder 11:16  |  Marilyn 10/09/06   19.   so i gather we can expect rowan berkerly et al 11:19  |  disraeli 10/09/06   20.   Rose tinted spectacles 11:25  |  Lebanese admirer 10/09/06   21.   lord acton u recall nothing 11:30  |  Maral 10/09/06   22.   David N0. 10 11:31  |  Lebanese admirer 10/09/06   23.   realy astonished 11:35  |  lebanese 10/09/06   24.   12. Shalom: the heavy price of "success" 11:37  |  Whoopsie 10/09/06   25.   were you there? 11:45  |  lebanese 10/09/06   26.   Marilyn 11:47  |  ChanahS 10/09/06   27.   #18" Ethnic cleansing is not always mass murder" 11:47  |  jeff atkinson 10/09/06   28.   Marilyn # 18 11:51  |  ChanahS 10/09/06   29.   silly marilyn i`ll have you know 11:56  |  disraeli 10/09/06   30.   14. jeff atkinson 12:01  |  Froggie 10/09/06   31.   #25 "were you there?" 12:02  |  jeff atkinson 10/09/06   32.   shalom freedman is totally right 12:05  |  make me 10/09/06   33.   maral you lost the war and now you are quite 12:05  |  lord acton 10/09/06   34.   The IAF did not "succeed", its technology did 12:09  |  Dr. L. Brnd 10/09/06   35.   Hezbollah And Syria Lost! Rest Won! 12:10  |  Sam The Sham 10/09/06   36.   lebanese the truth is the result 12:12  |  disraeli 10/09/06   37.   victory...thoughts of a lebanese evacuee 12:14  |  jean from lebanon 10/09/06   38.   Answer to number 1 12:17  |  David Nigel Braham 10/09/06   39.   Israeli`s War Crimes Against Lebanon 12:17  |  Imad 10/09/06   40.   R.BERKLEY.Why were your victors in such a rush to get a ceasefire 12:22  |  PETER SM 10/09/06   41.   Bravery 12:32  |  Kiki Bardot 10/09/06   42.   To jeff atkinson #25 12:32  |  Imad 10/09/06   43.   maral i have never seen a more venomous female 12:32  |  lord acton 10/09/06   44.   tm nr 1 marylin 12:36  |  kman 10/09/06   45.   congratulation 12:46  |  elis 10/09/06   46.   to Marylin 12:55  |  Imad 10/09/06   47.   Marilyn and truth and honesty 13:04  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 10/09/06   48.   One More Victim 13:08  |  Ze`ev`s Doctor 10/09/06   49.   No wonder 13:14  |  watcher 10/09/06   50.   Victory is easy against those without weapons 13:15  |  Clickfool 10/09/06   51.   Israel in denial 13:17  |  khaled 10/09/06   52.   # 1- Marilyn..You are one of many people who are..... 13:25  |  Klaudia 10/09/06   53.   To maral 13:26  |  Imad 10/09/06   54.   Acton... 13:36  |  Maral 10/09/06   55.   Acton Your Manners 13:48  |  Mimshal 10/09/06   56.   Harzion sings to Clickfool on Sunday 13:57  |  Clickfool 10/09/06   57.   Chanah is deluded 14:02  |  Marilyn 10/09/06   58.   Rowan Berkeley#5 Good comedy site! 14:28  |  Zardos 10/09/06   59.   to my felow lebanes 14:52  |  Imad 10/09/06   60.   Imad 14:57  |  watcher 10/09/06   61.   TO#3 LEBANIESE ADMIRER 14:59  |  Mark G 10/09/06   62.   Marilyn : don`t try to kid us; we live here 15:01  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 10/09/06   63.   Arabs have always been liars 15:02  |  watcher 10/09/06   64.   TO mr CRISTIAN LEBANESE 15:13  |  Mark G 10/09/06   65.   #49 Clickfool 15:23  |  World watcher 10/09/06   66.   marilyn" i agree that hizb fired 3900 rockets 15:25  |  shylock 10/09/06   67.   Well, Marilyn 15:33  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 10/09/06   68.   No escape now for Lebanese government 15:37  |  Ian 10/09/06   69.   Dear jeff atkinson from California... 15:42  |  marios polycarpou 10/09/06   70.   TO ELIS FROM SAO PAOLO 15:47  |  Mark G 10/09/06   71.   Hypocrisy lies deep in the heartland 15:50  |  Geoff 10/09/06   72.   57: Marilyn, please stop lying 16:11  |  David Teich 10/09/06   73.   #18 You ethnically cleaned Australis. Go back 16:34  |  Haham me Bat Yam 10/09/06   74.   #18 You ethnically cleaned Australis. Go back 16:34  |  Haham me Bat Yam 10/09/06   75.   whatever you sai 16:54  |  ishmael 10/09/06   76.   Schif is Wrong--IAF and IMF were totally impotent 17:19  |  Sal 10/09/06   77.   Zardos #58 17:20  |  Rowan Berkeley 10/09/06   78.   IAF : a victory but not a success... 17:50  |  Francois 10/09/06   79.   you lost 17:57  |  leb 10/09/06   80.   For World Watcher 17:58  |  Clickfool 10/09/06   81.   Waste of Time 17:58  |  Monstruo 10/09/06   82.   Ishmael 17:59  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 10/09/06   83.   Marylin 18:01  |  herman 10/09/06   84.   #83 Herman 18:13  |  Ari ben Yisrael 10/09/06   85.   I agree with Marilyn 18:16  |  Sam 10/09/06   86.   Israel must use Her infantry more 18:19  |  Alex 10/09/06   87.   IAF Tactics 18:21  |  monstruooo 10/09/06   88.   IDF; did not win?? 18:26  |  JON FEIGENBAUM 10/09/06   89.   IAF PILOTS SHOULD RESIGN. 18:28  |  NeutralObserver 10/09/06   90.   A better idea 18:30  |  Danite 10/09/06   91.   86. Israel must use Her infantry more 18:33  |  Monstruo 10/09/06   92.   As usual, statements that no one can verify, nor prove wrong!! 18:34  |  BouSameer 10/09/06   93.   of course israel won 18:39  |  alan 10/09/06   94.   Historic Victory 18:43  |  Mark G 10/09/06   95.   NUUTRAL OBSERVER; YEAH, RIGHT... 18:45  |  JON FEIGENBAUM 10/09/06   96.   RE 50 Herr Obersturmbahnfuhrer Click 18:57  |  Alan (the original) 10/09/06   97.   RE 50 Herr Obersturmbahnfuhrer Click 19:01  |  Alan (the original) 10/09/06   98.   Margie in Tel Aviv 19:02  |  ishmael 10/09/06   99.   REPLY TO "FRANCOIS" 19:02  |  JON FEIGENBAUM 10/09/06   100.   idf/iaf sussess! 19:07  |  Light 10/09/06   101.   CAREFUL 19:16  |  john 10/09/06   102.   JON FEIGENBAUM - Human Shields 19:21  |  BouSameer 10/09/06   103.   Re # 1 Marilyn your post is a joke 19:26  |  The Warrior 10/09/06   104.   The IAF did Great? 19:27  |  john 10/09/06   105.   Israeli/Lebanon 19:31  |  JT 10/09/06   106.   Since He Zballa`s launchers and store of rockets ... 19:43  |  Yaakov K. 10/09/06   107.   IAF victory! 19:44  |  Garry 10/09/06   108.   Success? With what? 19:51  |  fritz 10/09/06   109.   Thugs and killers 20:03  |  Marilyn 10/09/06   110.   IAF success 20:04  |  peter 10/09/06   111.   It was all a clever deception 20:12  |  Colin Wright 10/09/06   112.   Jews on first fleet 20:12  |  Marilyn 10/09/06   113.   107. IAF victory ! 20:14  |  Froggie 10/09/06   114.   With total air superiority and little AAA 20:16  |  Mark Lincoln 10/09/06   115.   To `Lebanese Christian` et al 20:20  |  Colin Wright 10/09/06   116.   this was a prelude 20:25  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 10/09/06   117.   An inspiration 20:30  |  Colin Wright 10/09/06   118.   Ha`Aretz sorry for the language 20:36  |  Ari ben Yisrael 10/09/06   119.   Parole, parole (milim, milim) 20:37  |  sh 10/09/06   120.   Jon Feigenbaum 20:38  |  john 10/09/06   121.   French to provide anti-aircraft missiles 20:38  |  Pablo B 10/09/06   122.   SURE THE IAF SUCCEEDED ... IN MURDERING CHILDREN 20:41  |  Messaoud 10/09/06   123.   The operation was a success, the patient died 20:43  |  Ben Gurion 10/09/06   124.   Mad Marilyn & JEWS on the first fleet #112 20:46  |  Ari ben Yisrael 10/09/06   125.   to Peter #110 20:46  |  john 10/09/06   126.   Answer to #119 `Parole Parole` `s question. 21:02  |  Colin Wright 10/09/06   127.   messaud 21:04  |  jason 10/09/06   128.   Orwell would be so proud 21:14  |  KG 10/09/06   129.   Lessons of War 21:15  |  ELY 10/09/06   130.   To #129 `Lessons of war` -- Really 21:34  |  Colin Wright 10/09/06   131.   Does Anyone Believe Bush? 21:37  |  Rowan Berkeley 10/09/06   132.   John/ HUMAN SHIED GUY part II 21:40  |  JON FEIGENBAUM 10/09/06   133.   BOU SAMEER 21:45  |  JON FEIGENBAUM 10/09/06   134.   Does Anyone Believe Bush? 22:00  |  Mark Lincoln 10/09/06   135.   #125 john consider the facts 22:04  |  peter 10/09/06   136.   To MARILYN and HANNAH 22:07  |  NeutralObserver 10/09/06   137.   Pablo B on arming the ME 22:09  |  peter 10/09/06   138.   Well said, Mark Lincoln 22:14  |  Clickfool 10/09/06   139.   Human Shields Part 3 - FEIGENBAUM 133 22:17  |  BouSameer 10/09/06   140.   RE: IAF Close support of troops 22:29  |  Mike 10/09/06   141.   to ELY in tel-aviv 22:30  |  bad lebanese 10/09/06   142.   CLICKTHEFOOL 22:31  |  JON FEIGENBAUM 10/09/06   143.   IAF Failed Totally and Miserably in Lebanon 22:34  |  Yossi Cronenberg 10/09/06   144.   American toys israeli boys 22:41  |  bad lebanese 10/09/06   145.   # 41 Kiki 23:02  |  ChanahS 10/09/06   146.   Yossi Cronenberg - I disagree on this one 23:02  |  Mark Lincoln 10/09/06   147.   #130 Maral, Click,You Better Calm Hannah Down! 23:03  |  Yonatan Netser 10/09/06   148.   # 57 Marilyn is ignorant 23:06  |  ChanahS 10/09/06   149.   # 57 Marilyn the ignorant 2 23:08  |  ChanahS 10/09/06   150.   re #143 `Jon Feigenbaum` 23:09  |  Colin Wright 10/09/06   151.   More double standards... 23:22  |  Ancient One 10/09/06   152.   BOUSAMEER 23:30  |  JON FEIGENBAUM 10/09/06   153.   response monitor 23:32  |  jon feigenbaum 10/09/06   154.   MARYLIN , # 1 PLEASE READ THIS RATIO!!! ALSO PROUD LEBANESE 23:55  |  gabriel 10/09/06   155.   HERE IS WHY THE IAF WILL WIN THE NEXT WAR EASILY 00:04  |  PhiloEvraios 11/09/06   156.   I Will Tell You Who Lost 00:04  |  Eli 11/09/06   157.   #88 JON FEIGENBAUM 00:17  |  Boycott 11/09/06   158.   Click the Fool 00:22  |  Larry 11/09/06   159.   for Marilyn 00:23  |  Boycott 11/09/06   160.   Marilyn 00:24  |  Charles 11/09/06   161.   Feigenbaum, wrong, wrong, wrong. 00:26  |  gus 11/09/06   162.   Charles she doesn`t bleed as such 00:33  |  Ari ben Yisrael 11/09/06   163.   Peter come back to earth. IAF lost the war 00:35  |  gus 11/09/06   164.   MARILYN#1 00:38  |  ron 11/09/06   165.   The Gorilla and the child 00:41  |  Zac 11/09/06   166.   GUS 00:48  |  JON FEIGENBAUM 11/09/06   167.   GUS PART II 00:55  |  JON FEIGENBAUM 11/09/06   168.   ZACK AND ALL ANTI SEMITES 01:04  |  JON FEIGENBAUM 11/09/06   169.   #156 FEIGENBAUM 01:05  |  Boycott 11/09/06   170.   To Hannah #130 01:14  |  Spontaneous 11/09/06   171.   ZAC in FL 01:19  |  rich 11/09/06   172.   ARABS DEFINITION OF VICTORY- NOT HAVING YOUR COUNTRY OCCUPIED 01:21  |  JON FEIGENBAUM 11/09/06   173.   Gus 01:26  |  rich 11/09/06   174.   Charles, lies, lies and more lies. Isreal bombed first. 01:32  |  gus 11/09/06   175.   # 123 Ben Gurion. ABOUT THE OPERATION,AND DEATH... 01:35  |  Kathy 11/09/06   176.   gus and reality 01:46  |  peter 11/09/06   177.   GUS WRONG WRONG WRONG 01:47  |  JON FEIGENBAUM 11/09/06   178.   #158, spontaneous 01:47  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 11/09/06   179.   BOYCOTT/NEZRALLAH 01:56  |  JON FEIGENBAUM 11/09/06   180.   # 130 SO-CALLED HANNAH,BANANA.... 02:08  |  Kathy 11/09/06   181.   To # 179 Cipora re Hannah 02:22  |  Eli 11/09/06   182.   Lessons of War 02:41  |  Texas Al 11/09/06   183.   Arab hate leads to Arab deaths. 02:50  |  OneStar 11/09/06   184.   PhiloEvraios 02:52  |  A+ 11/09/06   185.   The heart of dakness (Kathy #176) - 2nd try 02:54  |  Ben Gurion 11/09/06   186.   Gus175 03:02  |  Charles 11/09/06   187.   JON FEIGENBAUM 03:07  |  bad leb 11/09/06   188.   Marilyn Jews in Australia 03:09  |  Charles 11/09/06   189.   # 182 Eli.re: Cipora To #179 SO-CALLED HANNAH. 03:09  |  Kathy 11/09/06   190.   Arab`s crave a victory so badly... 03:12  |  OneStar 11/09/06   191.   #182, Eli 03:30  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 11/09/06   192.   Boycott - # 170 03:32  |  Reid 11/09/06   193.   # 180 JON FEIGENBAUM.BOYCOTT/NASRALLAH 03:45  |  Kathy 11/09/06   194.   #175, Kathy 04:23  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 11/09/06   195.   world opinion 04:32  |  phillip 11/09/06   196.   badleb 04:39  |  JON FEIGENBAUM 11/09/06   197.   kathy 04:43  |  jon feigenbaum 11/09/06   198.   News from Iran 04:54  |  Maral 11/09/06   199.   To Cipora-Kathy 05:19  |  Eli 11/09/06   200.   187 bad leb 05:37  |  alan 11/09/06   201.   Fact: Iran asked for a ceasefire in the 1st wk of Hezbollah`s war 05:59  |  Amos 11/09/06   202.   IAF is sceond only to the USAF 06:19  |  Devin Leonard 11/09/06   203.   To Badleb and Jon 06:46  |  Eli 11/09/06   204.   #202 `IAF is second only to the USAF` 06:58  |  Colin Wright 11/09/06   205.   Cowards? Human shields? 07:15  |  john 11/09/06   206.   to #14 Jeff 07:25  |  john 11/09/06   207.   Thank you peter 07:31  |  gus 11/09/06   208.   The first casualty of war is the truth 07:39  |  Tony Price 11/09/06   209.   Jon your writting is another proof about your defeat. 07:40  |  gus 11/09/06   210.   Colin Wright #115 07:41  |  Christian Lebanese 11/09/06   211.   Jon If Nasrallah make you that mad, he must be right. 07:41  |  gus 11/09/06   212.   Charles, here is the fact. 07:49  |  gus 11/09/06   213.   Hezbollah`s heavy reliance on human shields. 07:51  |  OneStar 11/09/06   214.   one star maybe the Arab are not interested in Victory 07:56  |  gus 11/09/06   215.   Thank you John 07:57  |  gus 11/09/06   216.   John God bless you for the Truth 08:03  |  gus 11/09/06   217.   Rich not true at all 08:12  |  gus 11/09/06   218.   Jon, listen to the Isreali media 08:16  |  gus 11/09/06   219.   #to 202 Devin Leonard.. 08:34  |  vvcalan 11/09/06   220.   Jon Feigenbaum - what you don`t understand.. 08:37  |  Johnboy 11/09/06   221.   the truth is out there 08:46  |  sam 11/09/06   222.   the truth is out there (cont) 08:52  |  Sam 11/09/06   223.   Re 112 Luther and bigotry 09:00  |  DJStahl 11/09/06   224.   Re 115 "Hezbollah started...rocket strikes against Israel" 09:08  |  DJStahl 11/09/06   225.   to Devin Leonard # 202 09:09  |  stop provoking wars 11/09/06   226.   Re 129 "the Katyushas came first" 09:16  |  DJStahl 11/09/06   227.   economic war 10:12  |  Hanna 11/09/06   228.   To DJ Stahl 10:59  |  Colin Wright 11/09/06   229.   CLUCKFOOL 15:30  |  Star of David 11/09/06   230.   Re 228 War vs. Tennis 21:05  |  DJStahl 11/09/06   231.   Re 228 significant factors omitted 21:09  |  DJStahl 11/09/06   232.   Re 228 indiscriminate 21:11  |  DJStahl 11/09/06   233.   Tougher battles?? 08:51  |  Natallie Durson 16/09/06   234.   # 5 website does not open why? 15:16  |  suad 06/12/07

Today Online Minister Dichter nixes U.K. trip, fearing arrest for 'war crimes' Responses: 370 Yair Sheleg: Settlers' needs must be factor in negotiations Responses: 84 Three Israeli reporters interrogated on travel to enemy states Responses: 53 Editorial: Israel is the only country that can't let guard down on Iran Responses: 119 Haaretz TV: Ethiopian children forced to study in isolation Responses: 70 More Headlines 22:43 Blair: Deal on Palestinian statehood likely for 2008 22:43 U.S. spy official warns Iranian nuclear ambitions aren't 'benign' 21:22 3 Israeli journalists probed over travel to enemy states 18:38 Jordan condemns Israel plan to build homes in East Jerusalem 20:37 Plane hits U.S. synagogue; pilot dies, no one hurt inside temple 18:32 Two Israeli Arabs arrested on suspicion of planning attacks 21:10 Police step up security around judge whose house was burgled 17:56 Gaza rights groups: Hamas' seizure of legal system unlawful 22:39 Journalist to be freed from jail after nabbed on sex crimes charges Previous Editions Select Day 05 dec 04 dec 03 dec 02 dec 30 nov 29 nov 28 nov 27 nov 26 nov 25 nov 23 nov 22 nov

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