Posted on 08/07/2006 8:00:01 AM PDT by knighthawk
THE most important equipment Israeli commandos took with them in a daring weekend raid in the Lebanese city of Tyre may have been video cameras. In the wake of successful efforts by Hezbollah to film their attacks on Israeli outposts in order to promote their fighting image among friend and foe, the Israelis have accepted they are involved in a war in which image is no less important than substance.
The raid on Tyre, like another last week in the Bekaa Valley more than 100km north of Israel's border, was filmed on the ground and from helicopters and the results were publicised.
Hezbollah was until recent days ahead on points in terms of image. Its fighters have proved dogged and skilled while the Israeli ground forces were perceived to be dawdling as the high command toyed with the notion the war could be won with air power alone.
Only when ground troops were thrown into battle did they demonstrate their capacity to overcome the Hezbollah fighters in close combat.
But the Israeli command recognised the need to burnish the army's image by demonstrating flair. Israel's commando units had already penetrated Hezbollah territory 15 times, presumably on intelligence-gathering missions, without any publicity.
The Bekaa raid, an apparent attempt to free an Israeli prisoner or seize a Hezbollah official, was the first to use cameras for public relations purposes. The raid on Tyre was the second.
The need for such authentication was demonstrated in the aftermath of the Tyre raid, when a BBC journalist stationed there reported as fact what Hezbollah had told him -- that the raiders had landed by helicopter "and walked right into a Hezbollah ambush".
A few hours later, Israel released videos showing the raiders, a naval commando unit, stealthily approaching the apartment building that was their target and surrounding it before dawn.
An officer who participated said their objective was the commanders of Hezbollah's long-range rocket team. The three Hezbollah officers were living in an apartment on the second floor of a five-storey building. The commander of the Israeli team was the first to burst in.
In the shootout, all occupants of the apartment were killed but the Israeli commander was shot through his lungs, another commando was also seriously injured and six others wounded lightly by grenade fragments.
Carrying the two wounded men on stretchers, the commandos were attacked by several groups of Hezbollah fighters who came out of nearby buildings. Assisted by helicopter gunships, the commandos reported killing six to nine of the attackers before reaching the beach where they had landed. There a naval doctor performed a field operation on the wounded team leader that reportedly saved his life. The men were lifted off by helicopter.
In another attempt to overcome Hezbollah in the propaganda war, Israel has begun to broadcast in Arabic the names of about 400 Hezbollah fighters it claims to have killed, presumably obtained from identity tags.
Hezbollah has reported very few of its casualties while playing up Israel's casualty list, which totals 45 dead, including eight killed in the cross-border raid on July 12 that launched the war.
Ping
He He. Thats smart. I like that..the More Israel records its attacks the less opportunity there is for the enemy to lie about what they are doing. Since they can't rely on the media to tell the truth..its up to them to tell it themselves.
War is Deceit - Mohammed
Do not trust ANYTHING that comes out of a radical Islamic organization, and trust no more than 25% of what comes out of a "moderate" one.
Their "morality" is no different than that of the Pinkos before them... a lie is ok, so long as it serves the greater good.. there is no nobility or moral obligation to the truth.
No need for a second source, my friend. We can get you a second Hezbollah spokesman to confirm the 'facts' if you really insist.
Please simply assume the noble desert warriors are victorious in every encounter and report that fact.
Moderate Islam: Mohammed's out of ammo.
Now, if they augment the videos with a running enemy body count in one of the lower corners of the screen, that would be cool. A bad guy goes down, the count gets updated and perhaps a nice sound effect (Nelson from the Simpsons perhaps). :)
Particularly, do not trust the claim that they are "moderate".
...the less opportunity there is for the enemy to lie about what they are doing.
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The less opportunity there is for the MSM to lie about what they are doing!!!!
High volume. Articles on Israel can also be found by clicking on the Topic or Keyword Israel. also
2006israelwar or WOT
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400 to 45 kill ratio? Not good enough. It should be 4000 to 45, minimum. We need to send over some B-52 pilots to teach the Israelis the joys of carpet-bombing.
Agree a 10 : 1 is not good enough. But one should remember that Israel probably only counts / reports those they have definitely confirmed. The real figure is in all likelihood much higher. And then there must be a number of injured terrorists as well. Since they don't have the same medical capabilities as the IDF they will be unable to return to the fight (if they survive).
Only a media person would assert this. "THE most important equipment Israeli commandos took with them in a daring weekend raid in the Lebanese city of Tyre may have been video cameras."
Deceit is a great tool in war. Remember Operation Fortitude?
PR is also a great tool in a war such as this, and Hez has been winning that so far. I'm glad Israel is finally countering, and luckily all they need to counter the Hez PR is the facts.
We had a 20 to over 1,000 kill ratio in Mogadishu ("Blackhawk Down"), and people still called it a disaster.
Don't worry, they will reappear as props in the next "massacre production". At least once.
The BBC reporters don't even require bribes to reprint the Hezbollah talking points.
Good for Israel!!! But Israel has been fighting this war the right way in the first place. Win the war and kill all Hizbollah terrorists first, THEN deal with the PR war, because they knew the world media would be stacked against them before it even started. Israel is doing this all EXACTLY RIGHT!!! And that's how we should be fighting the war on terror in Iraq and Afghanistan, and in Iran and Syria and North Korea as a matter of fact.
(Go Israel, Go! Slap 'Em Down Hezbullies.)
Fair points. Let's hope the Hezzies enjoy gangrene before they go.
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