A column of Israeli Merkava tanks is amassed on the outskirts of Kiryat Shmona (AFP)
The Israeli military has been striking Hamas group's positions in the Gaza Strip in a counterattack following a massive rocket attack yesterday. Over 600 have died in the war since it started yesterday.
A straight comparison of the military strength of the Hamas group and the Israeli armed forces is not possible since Hamas fights a terrorist, unconventional battle.
The intriguing use of relatively new weapons systems such as drones and gliders in addition to extended range rockets, however, points to a different and more advanced form of terrorist operations.
Israel, it now seems inevitable, will counter this using its far superior conventional forces if there is a ground assault on the Gaza Strip.
Hamas' Arsenal
The unprecedented terror attack by Hamas - a full-fledged military style operation - involved new war-fighting tools, some of which have never before been deployed in active conflict.
Videos show Hamas using powered gliders to fly terrorists into Israeli territory by bypassing heavily fortified check posts.
Armed drones have been used for the first time by Hamas to take out Israel's most well-defended tank, the Merkava IV.
While the use of rockets is not uncommon for Hamas, the fact that some rockets have had the range to hit Tel Aviv more than 70 km away points to the use of relatively advanced guidance and propulsion systems.
The Hamas group also tried to enter Israel through a maritime route; many of these boats were intercepted by Israeli forces.
All these weapons systems have been used as part of Hamas's al-Qassam Brigades, the military battalions that carry out terrorist operations.
The attack this time has seen Hamas use, once again, hostage-taking and the use of civilians as human shields as standard operating procedure. Many of the terrorists who infiltrated into Israel may also have been deployed on one-way missions.
Israel's military
Israel, while renowned for its intelligence apparatus through multiple agencies, will now have to rely heavily on its conventional military strength in the event of a larger military conflict, one that now sees inevitable.
The Israeli Air Force, one of the most technologically advanced in the world, have these weapon systems:
- F-35 stealth fighters
- A wide range of smart bombs that strike targets with minimum collateral damage
- A highly network-centric system of operations where sensors are used at multiple levels to detect and engage targets
- Approximately 500 Merkava tanks
- Missile boats with quick reaction systems to take on threats from incoming missiles or naval drones
- Israel is also a nuclear power, a capability that may not be relevant in the context of the fighting with Hamas, but a deterrent if the conflict extends beyond its boundaries