The Second Lebanon War

The Second Lebanon War broke out on July 12, 2006, following the abduction of IDF soldiers Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev and the killing of eight soldiers. During 33 days of fighting, the IDF operated against Hezbollah in the air, at sea and on the ground, while thousands of rockets were fired at communities in northern Israel.

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During the first three weeks, the fighting relied primarily on firepower from the air and the ground, while the large-scale ground maneuver began only at a later stage. Armored forces were initially deployed in limited formations and assigned specific missions, including supporting infantry forces, rescue and evacuation. Only toward the end of the war were the armored forces massed and deployed as part of combined-arms combat teams.

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The tanks operated in mountainous and built-up terrain and faced explosive devices and Hezbollah’s advanced anti-tank systems. During battles in southern Lebanon, including the fighting in the Wadi Saluki area, the forces came under missile fire from elevated positions and were required to operate in complex terrain with limited mobility. The fighting demonstrated the importance of up-to-date intelligence, combat engineering support, mutual support and full cooperation among the armored forces, infantry, combat engineers, artillery and the Israeli Air Force.

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Despite the hits sustained by the tanks, the protection and high survivability of the Merkava tanks saved the lives of many crew members. The lessons of the war underscored the need to train forces for large-scale maneuver warfare, mass armored power and employ it in accordance with its operational strengths.