Some were equipped with ventilation systems, concrete slabs and modern lighting. Tunnels for smuggling food and goods such as building materials and other contraband had been in use for decades, especially those dug under the Gaza-Egypt border. The Gaza conflict brought ancient tunnel warfare to a new level. With nearly seventy fatal casualties suffered by the Israeli Defence Forces, a significant loss of life, it has become clear that no clear answer has been found to the “hybrid” challenge and that airpower has its limits in urban warfare. The 2014 tit-for-tat war, Operation Strong Cliff (or Protective Edge), over rocket strikes by Hamas fighters and Israeli attacks-who started this latest round of hostilities remains a matter of discussion-proved that this type of warfare is still in dynamic development.

The essence of hybrid warfare is irregular forces or “non-state actors” comprising a guerrilla or insurgent force equipped with the latest ordnance, such as guided anti-tank-missiles- the best ordnance money can buy-or allies can provide.įemale IDF conscripts exercising / Photo Shutterstock Since Russia annexed Crimea through its cunning use of special forces-the “little green men” who were first said to be local defence forces, but then officially admitted to have been Russian commandos-the phrase “hybrid warfare” seems usually to refer to the intervention in Ukraine by its large eastern neighbour, but the phrase has been coined before, especially to describe the asymmetrical conflicts between Israel and its adversories Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Also, American Stryker armoured vehicles will be bought. One, perhaps two extra reservist divisions will be formed, and hundreds of the latest armoured personnel carriers, called Namer, and a new version of the Merkava tank (Mk-IV) will replace older equipment. The land forces will be substantially bolstered by Tefen, proportionally more so than the navy and the air force. This five-year plan mirrors the ambition to cope with an future armed conflict, be it tank battles in Syria, long-range operations in Iran or going after rocket firing teams in Lebanon or in the Gaza Strip. In 2007, a year after the Israeli Armed Forces and their commanders had made less of an impression during operations against Hezbollah in South Lebanon (see the Israeli-Hezbollah War), the Israeli military presented an armed forces wide procurement plan called Tefen. While maintaining the large armoured formations, Israeli land forces have invested in counter-insurgency, asymmetric warfare, hybrid warfare and other new types of conflict, as have its air force and navy. After the end of the 1973 October War, the chances of launching this type of attack gradually diminished until the region entered a state of ‘no war and no peace’. In the case of a threatening attack by armoured formations belonging to Arab neighbouring countries, conscripts would be called to mobilization centres and move to their defensive positions for counter-attacks. The highly mechanized Israeli land forces especially rely on conscripts. Men serve between 2 years and 8 months to three years, while women serve for 2 years. All eligible men and women are drafted at the age of 18. Military service is compulsory for both males and females in this Israel is probably unique in the world. The compulsory military service does not apply to Israeli Arab citizens. Most Israeli citizens have to serve in the IDF for a period of between two and three years. The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) rely heavily on conscripts. Presumably, these are distributed over a triad of delivery systems: missiles, aircraft and nuclear tipped cruise missiles aboard submarines. It is commonly assumed that Israel is a nuclear power with some two hundred warheads. Some 360 F-15 and F-16 (different versions) Thirteen Sa’ar 5 and 4,4 corvettes, six patrolboats APC + AIFV: 5,500 American, Israeli-developed and modified captured Soviet T-54/55. Some indigenously developed 3000 Merkava (different versions) and American M-60’s. According to the World Bank, military expenditure amounted to 14.6 percent of central government expenditure in 2015, a decrease when compared to 2010, when 16.2 percent of government expenditure was spent on the military.ġ87,000 (2011), including 135,500 conscripts – under general mobilization the armed forces swell to more than 600,000 men and women According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, in 2012 the Israeli military expenditure amounted to an estimated 56.5 billion NIS or 6.2 percent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (for comparison: Jordan spent 4.6 percent of its GPD on military expenditure, Egypt 1.7 percent). According to the Israeli Ministry of Finance, in 2012 the Israeli defence budget was 50.6 billion NIS or 14 billion USD, on a total national budget of 365.9 billion NIS (101.8 billion USD).

Israeli tank force field