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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran | ||
| More on drone attack on Israeli patrol boat | ||
| 2006-07-15 | ||
The blast caused a fire on board the ship, which had been stationed 16 kilometers off of the coast of Lebanon. After the fire was extinguished, it became clear that four soldiers were missing. Their families were notified soon thereafter. Israel Defense Forces teams, with the help of planes, helicopters and additional vessels, were searching for the missing troops at the site of the blast. The ship was towed back to Israel. The incident occurred at around 8:30 P.M., causing a fire close to the helicopter landing pad onboard. The ship's steering mechanism also sustained some damage. Several hours after the vessel was hit, an Israel Defense Forces spokeswoman said the damage was worse than originally thought. There were some 80 soldiers on board the ship when it was hit. An army spokeswoman said later that Hezbollah continued to target Israeli vessels with a barrage of rockets after the hit, but missed and struck a civilian ship. Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah said earlier Friday that the militant organization had sunk an Israel Navy ship off the Lebanese coast. "Now in the middle of the sea, facing Beirut, the Israeli warship that has attacked the infrastructure, people's homes and civilians - look at it burning," Nasrallah said in remarks broadcast live shortly after an Israel Air Force strike on Hezbollah's Beirut headquarters. Hezbollah has never before used a remote-controlled unmanned aircraft to attack Israel. But in a signal of its growing capabilities, the guerrilla group has twice managed to fly spy drones over northern Israel in recent years. The drones caused great concern in Israel because they evaded the country's air defenses.
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| Posted by:Steve White |
| #33 C-801 of which Iran has hundreds. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2006-07-15 09:05 |
| #32 C-801, not C-802. |
| Posted by: ed 2006-07-15 08:29 |
| #31 Not silkworm. It has a 1000 lb HE warhead that would have blown a corvette out of the water. I haven't seen pics of the damage but think it was a Chinese C-802 missile (Exocet ripoff) with a 360 lb warhead. Video of the attack showed it was a rocket powered missile launched at night (so radar guided). Consequences of this attack is that at a minimum the Israelis need to missile attack Iranian assets such as refineries or the navy. Hopefully Israeli subs are ready and added hardpoints to long range cargo aircraft that can fly around Saudi and back. In addition, the Syrian navy needs to be sunk or the AF destroyed. |
| Posted by: ed 2006-07-15 08:09 |
| #30 Doesn't matter WHAT hit the boat, all that matters is Isreal takes it up another notch. Start targeting where Hezbollahs money comes from, I'm sure the US will be willing to let the Isreali's stop in Airbases in Iraq quick, or even Air-to-Air refuel them if need be. |
| Posted by: Charles 2006-07-15 08:07 |
| #29 Does anyone else get the impression they're just pussyfooting around so far? Methinks its the gunslinger gettin' the bigmouth to draw first. |
| Posted by: BrerRabbit 2006-07-15 07:34 |
| #28 Does anyone else get the impression they're just pussyfooting around so far? It's the legendary Restraint. |
| Posted by: eLarson 2006-07-15 07:05 |
| #27 Hmmm, I think the Capt. of the ship got complacent if it was a silkworm probably did not think the hizzies had silkworms. As the boy scout motto sez "be prepared". |
| Posted by: djohn66 2006-07-15 06:49 |
| #26 Think that Silkworm.... seems like that's a generic name for Chineese anti-ship missiles, was a copy of an SSN-2 (Styx) a huge slow missile. But yeah, if true, it does look like the IDF ships systems didn't do the job. |
| Posted by: 6 2006-07-15 06:48 |
| #25 Jpost is reporting the civilian ship hit was sunk. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2006-07-15 06:43 |
| #24 If it was silkworm it was a complete failure of Phalanx and the Barak anti-missile system and all detection systems or the ship captain was an idiot. Note that Silkworm is a big slow missile and easy to destroy. A Sea Dart missile destroyed a Stix missile in the Koweit Liberation operation and a Sea Dart even isnt an anti-missile system . |
| Posted by: Flavick Sholusing1772 2006-07-15 06:35 |
| #23 That huge 2x4, if true that's Persian for damn sure. |
| Posted by: 6 2006-07-15 06:34 |
| #22 It was a silkworm, not a drone nor UAV, IDF states, the JP report was incorrect, |
| Posted by: twobyfour 2006-07-15 06:18 |
| #21 The IAF would not have disabled Beirut runways unless they wanted to make re-supply by Iran, impossible. Sunni attacks on Hizbollah, indicates that they are prepared to watch Israel crush Shiite terrorists. Ahmadinejad will have to attempt to match his genocidal rhetoric, with action. I cannot see any resolution to this conflict that doesn't include the destruction of the Ayatollah tyranny. Iranians who matter are well aware that 14 clerics have benefitted from sweetheart contracts, to the point that their personal wealth is over $100 million each. Leaving Teheran intact, while flattening Qom, militarized frontier districts, and the nuclear facilities, would cause the overthrow of the central government. Basiji elements are viewed as parasitic strike breakers. There is no scenario in which diplomacy is the monopoly approach to the genocidal, inter-generational threat posed by the human garbage that leads Iran. After the G8, something decisive will happen, and it will not cost many American or Israeli lives. |
| Posted by: Anginens Threreng8133 2006-07-15 04:06 |
| #20 Israel can't let Iran fight a war against them through proxies. They have to make sure Iran pays a price. Iran for it's part will think they are beyond the reach of Israel. The likeliest response is a submarine launched cruise missile from a submarine in the Indian Ocean. If there isn't a sub already there. I expect one is on its way. Hitting oil refineries would make the price to Iran heavy. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2006-07-15 03:32 |
| #19 CU, somehow, you got that across. ;-) |
| Posted by: twobyfour 2006-07-15 02:53 |
| #18 sorry i wanted to say that BaraK and Phalanx ARE NOT prepared for such tiny missiles |
| Posted by: Clerert Uneamp2772 2006-07-15 02:43 |
| #17 The SAAR 5 have the Phalanx and the Barak anti-missle system. If indeed it was a drone with an anti-tank missile that was launched outside Barak envelope then was almost impossble to defend the ship Barak and Phaanx are prepared for such tny missiles. I think that is too much tech for Hizballah, so we are let that a simple drone penetrated one most sofisticated defenses of an Israeli ship... |
| Posted by: Clerert Uneamp2772 2006-07-15 02:41 |
| #16 PIMF: fist = first... albeit within the context, the 'fist' is, admittedly, fitting. |
| Posted by: twobyfour 2006-07-15 02:41 |
| #15 phil_b, I think that attacking Iran in the next 48 hrs would be a bit of stretch. Hizbollah needs to be ground to dust and mopped up fist to a large degree. Syria is next. How soon depends on what can be pinned on them as casus belli. Sometimes the next weekend. It is possible that what is planned is to hit Iran at the same time, with some US support. If not at the same time, sometimes between August 1 to August 15. |
| Posted by: twobyfour 2006-07-15 02:39 |
| #14 The hell of it is, the recent NATO naval exercise in the Black Sea, in which Israel participated (a NATO first) included a similar scenario. The Israeli ship provided a helicopter that launched a kamikaze attack against one of the "blue" ships. |
| Posted by: Rory B. Bellows 2006-07-15 02:15 |
| #13 Mk 15 Phalanx CIWS. One mount, located forward. Ship-drivers can infer what that means... |
| Posted by: Pappy 2006-07-15 01:32 |
| #12 BTW, I'd say ship point defense would be an excellent application for MetalStorm. |
| Posted by: Hupinetle Sninetle9012 2006-07-15 01:26 |
| #11 3dc: Do the Israelis have a terminal defense gun for their ships? That's a good question. I would think something like the Phalanx would have taken the drone out. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2006-07-15 01:22 |
| #10 Hmmm, phil_b. Wouldn't after the end of the G8 be more likely? I confess I haven't the first clue when Israel will step up the pace and begin going after the sponsors, not just the tools. In fact, I'm not (yet) convinced they will take full advantage of this 24K golden opportunity. The one thing that gives me hope is Olmert's statement yesterday that this would not be over until Hezbollah was destroyed. Just wondering aloud. Please post more of the logic behind your prediction, if you see this and have the time. |
| Posted by: Hupinetle Sninetle9012 2006-07-15 01:22 |
| #9 Sill same ?. Do the Israelis have a terminal defense gun for their ships? |
| Posted by: 3dc 2006-07-15 01:10 |
| #8 MORE IDF SHIPS Saar 5 for the life of me I cannot understand Israels tactics to date? Does anyone else get the impression they're just pussyfooting around so far? |
| Posted by: RD 2006-07-15 01:06 |
| #7 Expect an Israeli attack on Iran in the next 48 hours. I hope they attack those oil refineries. It would screw the Mullahs big time. Iran runs on cheap petrol. Without it there will be riots or worse. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2006-07-15 01:06 |
| #6 I am just accepting as fact that Iran has had RG units in Leabanon for years. This is just a more overt example of it. Also it is a UAV or a Drone? They are 2 different things. Many more questions yet than answers. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2006-07-15 00:46 |
| #5 Hey TA- Israel calls their sailors, soldiers. Look it up if you don't believe me. |
| Posted by: Penguin 2006-07-15 00:33 |
| #4 How accurate a story are we getting from a reporter/news organization that doesn't know the difference between Soldiers, who operate on dry land, and SAILORS who work and fight ships! This little error got past the reporter, and the editor not once, but in two seperate stories! So how well did they check the rest of their facts? (assumed)censor |
| Posted by: Thruper Anguting5296 2006-07-15 00:22 |
| #3 What? No mention of the Egyptian vessel (merchant ship or cruise ship) that was also hit? |
| Posted by: Captain America 2006-07-15 00:22 |
| #2 according to Bill Roggio at the CounterTerrorism site... While initial reports are stating an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) was used to ram the ships, an anonymous intelligence official indicates the Egyptian ship was struck by a UAV launched antitank missile. According to the intelligence official, the Egyptian ship was hit with a Raad anti-tank missile (this is a different weapon than the Raad rockets fired against the city of Haifa.) The fact that two separate ships were struck at the same time, very likely with UAV fired antitank missiles, indicates a level of sophistication far beyond that of Hezbollah. The Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps and Imad Mugniyah clearly have a hand in these operations. The coupling of a UAV with an anti-tank missile requires extensive research, development and testing. It is unlikely Hezbollah conducted these efforts without attracting the attention of the watchful Israelis to their south. And the Iranians possess the technological capabilities; the Raad anti-tank missile is from their arsenal. The use of multiple UAVs over the mediterranian Sea indicates Hezbollah may have a fleet of these UAVs, whcih must be maintaned. |
| Posted by: 3dc 2006-07-15 00:21 |
| #1 Steve, those operators could have been Iranian-trained Syrian military forces. At this stage, Iran prefers to spend their forward puppets. |
| Posted by: twobyfour 2006-07-15 00:15 |
