Tuesday, September 05, 2006

French sending in the heavy equipment

The French don't appear to be too optimistic about the stability of the cease fire in Lebanon. According to certain press reports, they're sending in heavy equipment along with their troops into Southern Lebanon. The "package" includes heavy tanks and radar designed to track the source of artillery fire. The AP reports,

France is quietly preparing to play a tougher role in the strengthened U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon, rolling out hefty tanks, powerful artillery, and sophisticated radar systems to pinpoint artillery launch sites.

French Leclerc tanks will be some of the mightiest vehicles deployed under the U.N. flag - an answer to critics who have moaned about toothless, ineffectual U.N. peacekeeping deployments over the years.

...

Heavy armor such as the Leclerc is not typically part of the force deployment package for a U.N. peacekeeping operation, although battle tanks have been used in past missions. Attack helicopters, for example, have been deployed for the biggest U.N. peacekeeping mission in Congo.

Thirteen Leclerc tanks were expected to arrive by rail from central France to the port of Toulon early Wednesday, before being sent across the Mediterranean to Lebanon in the next several days.

...

France is also sending four 155mm surface-to-surface AUF1 canons, with a range of up to 17 miles, plus armored vehicles, short-range anti-aircraft missiles, and Cobra radar which can pinpoint artillery fire in a range of up to 25 miles.
The sad reality on the ground in Lebanon is that there isn't really a resolution to any of the crises that the country currently faces. Everything appears to be hanging in limbo, and this UN force only serves to emphasize that point. Whereas the "national dialogue" proved to be nothing more than a farce, at least Lebanese had a sense that a political solution to the deadlock was possible. Today... even that fragile but valuable mirage has dissipated.

7 comments:

Raja said...

wolfson, two points: 1st, a peace keeping/enforcing mission ought to have the capability to at least defend itself from both sides of the conflict.

2nd, what do you think Hizballah has been using to fight the Israelis? They are armed with mortars, katyushas, and UAVs.

I doubt short range anti-aircraft missiles are effective against F-16s.

francois said...

well according to some sources, it s not disarm the hezbollah

hezbollah as we all know is having air fighters so the SATP radar and its anti aircraft system is useless against it.

i m not interested by the ground operations with the leclerc, the amx 10 tanks to be deployed or the artillery

i m more interested by the air abilities of this UNIFUL which can be seen as a force to prevent israeli violations of the lebanese "airspace" or as a deployment of forces to prevent the future impact of a potential conflit btw the US/israel vs iran next november as some sources indicate/

another interesting point is the moderation of nasrallah in his latest speeches and today the safir interview shows it again.
nasrallah doesnt push the advantages he gained from the last conflict, besides that some informations are underlining some dissenssions btw hezbolland iran, so the right question that might be answered with time would be: is hezbollah lebanising its policies?

francois said...

by the way in that interview if i understood it well, in case of israeli violation , nasrallah said that it s the lebanese army and the UNIFUL to answer this time and not his organization

is it as well related to this heavy equipement sent?

kachumbali said...

1st: the UNIFIL-forces are not supposed to or able to disarm Hizballah; they will not attempt it, but they might strike back if Hizballah fires on Israel (hence the radar able to spot&pinpoint Katyushas and other ballistic weapons) or defend themselves adequately.

2nd: The French seem to have made the decision never again to be embarassed&helpless as it happened in the Balkans in the mid-90s with a French contingent taken hostage on a UN-mission. I guess if push comes to shove, the French will take the UN-mandate, shove it some attackers backside and use their Leclercs and Artillery to cause some serious trouble, even in violation of the ROEs.

3rd: Air contingents will not be put under UNIFIL mandate, but might be based on French carriers or Cyprus and remain under the control of NATO/national govs. Different ROES that way...I am not sure, however, if UNIFIL is going to get some cavallery...

4th: UNIFIL and other int. contingents in the region are not there to help Lebanese go to the toilet, as Aoun put it, but to secure the border and guarantee Israels safety, as the Lebanese gov is unable to do so. Hizballah's disarmament would be one of those 'toilet' cases where Lebanese depend on themselves mainly, and have to use their own two hands...

Honestly, I guess the Lebanese 'cabin' will get pretty crowded with Syrian mukhabarat, different Iranians, CIA, Mossad, BND, FSB and others trying to help out and hold the toilet paper, dry your hands and sweep the floor...and hopefully somehow get Hizballah to properly sit down and stop p**ing all over the place...

Solomon2 said...

but they might strike back if Hizballah fires on Israel

And accept the same dilemma Israel faced - that striking the Katyusha launchers means killing civilians, because Hezbollah chooses to fire its weapons near hospitals and schools? And risk being branded by the Arab world as an enemy?

The question is, once the rockets start firing again will U.N. troops act to stop the IDF from retaliation? That would make U.N. forces far more formidable protection for Hezbollah's rocket launchers than Hezbollah's own forces had ever been.

This war isn't over yet. It is being fought every day at a lower level. Who will betray whom next?

M. Simon said...

Sherri,

So the katyushas were aimed at military targets?

Hizballah didn't build hospitals and civilian housing atop arms bunkers? (which might explain a lot of civilian casualties)

Well OK. I say Hizballah did a great job defending Lebanon. See that they get rearmed.

M. Simon said...

francois,

When Nasserallah thought he was the most powerful man in Lebanon was he moderate?

Might not his current "moderation" be due to a loss of power?