Retreating Israeli Forces Abandon Armoured Personnel Carrier to Hezbollah

<p >Images released by sources affiliated with the Lebanese paramilitary group Hezbollah on October 3 have shown an Israeli armoured personnel carrier abandoned by retreating Israeli forces after an attempted incursion into Southern Lebanon. The Israel Defence Forces are confirmed to have <a href=" target="_blank">entered the country</a> in four areas under Operation Arrows of the North, and have since encountered major resistance in all directions and taken significant losses in the process. The abandonment of vehicles and armaments by Israeli forces is far from unprecedented, with Hezbollah having captured significant caches of equipment, including sensitive high tech systems such as Spike guided missiles, following a previous failed Israeli invasion attempt in 2006. Abandoned equipment has frequently been studied to assess its performance parameters or reverse engineer its technologies, although in the case of a personnel carrier it is likely to be displayed as a war trophy after the conclusion of hostilities. </p><p ><img src=" title="Israeli Merkava IV Tank on Lebanese Border"></p><p >A growing number of sources have reported on recent Israeli losses, which were reportedly particularly heavy during a Hezbollah ambush of their positions. It has been reported that three Israeli Mekava tanks <a href=" target="_blank">have been destroyed</a>, while Israeli sources have<a href=" target="_blank"> reported a “high-casualty event"</a> and the evacuation of the wounded using at least four helicopters after the ambush, with 20 ambulances and multiple helicopters later bringing wounded Rambam Hospital. Reporting on a subsequent incident on October 3, Hezbollah announced regarding the targeting an Israeli unit: “we detonated an explosive device against a force from the Golani Brigade that was trying to bypass the west of Maroun Al Was, and we caused deaths and injuries.” </p><p >The quantities of armour at Israel’s disposal are currently in question, with the Israeli Army having lost hundreds of armoured vehicles during hostilities with Palestinian paramilitary groups in the Gaza Strip, the majority during the initial days of hostilities when <a href=" target="_blank">stockpiles were abandoned</a> to advancing Hamas militiamen and subsequently burned. Despite the very limited anti tank capabilities of Gazan militias compared to those of Hezbollah, <a href=" target="_blank">Israeli armour losses</a> have been significant over the past year, with footage showing multiple successful <a href=" target="_blank">operations</a> to <a href=" target="_blank">destroy Israeli combat vehicles</a> in the Gaza Strip.</p>