ISRAEL is unleashing its devastating arsenal of high-tech weaponry, tanks and warplanes to obliterate the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.
The defence forces are already pounding the Gaza Strip with air strikes and rockets, while they amass 300,000 reserve troops and 300 tanks poised for a possible ground offensive.
AFPThe Gaza Strip is being pummelled by the full force of Israel’s military[/caption]
AFPThe destruction around a mosque levelled by Israeli airstrikes[/caption]
AFPIsrael’s arsenal includes the fearsome Merkava IV tank[/caption]
Israel‘s Defence Forces (IDF) are relying on the full force of its military might to carry out revenge on Hamas after the terrorist’s surprise attack killed over 700 Israelis.
A deadly concoction of over 600 warplanes and 300 rocket launchers is being used to blitz the densely-populated Gaza Strip as Israel begins their “complete siege”.
In the last 20 hours, Israeli officials have said they have dropped 2,000 munitions and 1,000 ton bombs on over 10,000 Hamas targets.
Now, Israel is planning to launch a coordinated ground offensive in the “next 48 hours”, US officials reported.
The small nation has drafted in an extra 300,000 reserve troops to bolster its 173,000-strong army that is headed for war.
The Top 20 World Power has a deadly iron arsenal under its belt, including F-16I “Storm” fighter jets , Merkava IV tanks, Sa-ar 6 warships, the “Iron Dome” and Jericho III nuclear missiles.
F-16Is
Soaring above the skies of Gaza and reigning hell down on the area are Israel’s hefty fleet of F16Is.
The well-revered Israeli Air Force has been mastering the use of the “Storm” fighter jets since the early 2000s – perfecting long-range strikes.
It is a slightly modified version of the US-made Flying Falcons – the most popular warplane in the world – and Israel holds the largest fleet outside of the US.
They 50ft beasts can reach speeds of 1,350mph and are capable of carrying 17,000lbs of bombs across large ranges.
They can rely on its complex electronic jamming and helmet systems to foil enemy radars to fly undetected.
Merkava IVs
The IDF spent decades perfecting their main battle tanks, which are specially designed and deployed for urban warfare as the Gaza-Israel conflict rages on.
They have formed the backbone of the IDF’s Armored Corps and earlier models have been in service since the 1970s.
Merkava IV’s weapons include a 125-mm cannon that can launch Lahat anti-tank missiles, heavy machine guns, smoke launchers and a 60-mm mortar.
The frightening 8-man tanks have previously proved successful in urban, low-intensity combat.
Sa’ar 6 Corvette
The Sa’ar 6-class corvette warships are tasked with protecting Israel’s coastlines along the Med and the Red Sea.
The successor of the smaller class 5s, the 2,000-ton vessels are fitted with almost 20 advanced sensors, weapons and communication systems.
Despite its size, the warship packs a punch and can fire the devastating Barak-8 surface-to-air missiles at targets.
It can also defend itself with the mighty Phalanx CIWS system that can target any incoming radar-guided missiles, like those previously launched at the ships by Hezbollah militants.
The Iron Dome
The Israeli all-weather land-based air defence system is as powerful as its name suggests.
The homegrown weapon can blast short-range rockets and mortars out the sky and has since 2011 been effectively intercepting a constant barrage of rockets fired from Palestinians territories.
The Iron Dome can calculate whether the rockets are about to hit a target, and if so, they will launch one of its 20 interceptor radar-guided missiles to explode its target.
Earlier this year, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected calls to send the air defence systems to Ukraine over fears it could end up falling into Iranian hands.
Jericho III
The terrifying Jericho III intercontinental ballistic missile entered service in 2011 after being steadily developed by Israel since the 1970s.
It is reportedly the most advanced nuclear missile in the Middle East and is capable of striking targets as far away as the US.
The radar-guided missile can carry a 750kg nuclear warhead over a range of 4,800-6,500km.
The weapons are said to be stored in secret underground caves south-west of Tel Aviv.
AlamyIsrael’s F-16ls that are currently involved in blitzing Gaza[/caption]
AFPThe fearsome Merkava IV developed specially for urban warfare[/caption]
navyrecognitionIsrael’s Sa’air 6 Corvette warship that packs a punch[/caption]
WikipediaThe Iron Dome air defence system that has blasts incoming rockets out the sky[/caption]
militarytodayThe Jerico III missile is said to carry the most powerful nuclear warhead in the Middle East[/caption]
It comes as…
More than 1,100 have been confirmed dead in Israel and Gaza and thousands more injuredHamas terrorists launched an all-out attack on Israel from land, air and sea with 5,000 rockets firedRishi Sunak has called an urgent COBRA meeting to discuss the attacksThe Palestinian Ministry of Health said hundreds had died in the violence that followed the surprise Hamas attack on IsraelIsraeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that Gaza will be “reduced to rubble”Reports emerged of kidnapped Israeli soldiers being paraded on military vehiclesOne-eyed Hamas terror boss Mohammed Deif masterminded the deadly assault on IsraelBritish citizen Jake Marlowe has been reported missing after attending a music festival in southern IsraelNetanyahu mobilised the country’s army reserves following his declaration of warAirlines have halted flights to Tel Aviv as the violence rages onThe attack has been dubbed “Israel’s 9/11” after an “embarrassing intelligence failure”
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After officially declaring war on the militants, Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to reduce Gaza to “rubble” as he blitzes Hamas strongholds in revenge for their bloodbath.
More than 1,100 people in Israel and the Gaza Strip have been killed since the Palestinian militants stormed across the border on Saturday and massacred hundreds at a music festival.
Israeli emergency services have said its paramedics recovered about 260 bodies from the Supernova music festival in Sukkot, southern Israel.
Hundreds of revellers were slaughtered by gunmen on paragliders and a barrage of rockets and over 10 Brits are reportedly feared dead or missing.
Nathanel Young, 20, was killed fighting the Palestinian militant group while Scot Bernard Cowen, 57, was reportedly murdered after being caught up in the fighting.
Fellow Brits Jake Marlowe and Dan Darlington have both been reported missing.
At least 100 citizens have been captured by Hamas and abducted into Gaza – with images circulating on social media of bloodied an murdered hostages.
Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza have fought multiple cross-border wars and have had numerous skirmishes since the group seized control of Gaza in 2007.
The death toll of what is being dubbed “Israel’s 9/11” is expected to soar on either sides.
Meanwhile, Hamas insiders claimed that Iran helped them plot the brutal attack.
They said top officers from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had worked on the plot since August – and reportedly gave the go-ahead at a meeting in Beirut, Lebanon.
Militants from Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed militia that runs much of Lebanon and has often clashed with Israel, also said Iran helped plot the slaughter.
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