THE ISRAELI Defence Forces (IDF) is unwilling to commit ground troops to south Lebanon, where they would inevitably become prey to the well organised guerrilla fighters of Hizbullah. Instead it has opted for a stand off, high tech operation where none of its soldiers is at risk.
"Operation Grapes of Wrath", as the Israelis term the bombardment of south Lebanon, may be the first virtual war for the IDF operatives involved.
The Israelis have since the 1960s followed a military philosophy of "punishment by deterrence". In previous wars, the IDF took the offensive against aggressive Arab neighbours, driving straight at the enemy and throwing all their resources into offensive action. The policy gave the IDF some of the greatest military victories of the 20th century, but at a great cost in lives. Times have changed and the IDF is no longer prepared to commit ground troops.
South Lebanon is the Hizbullah's home territory. Hizbullah might be driven back or into hiding by a ground offensive but its fighters would filter back and inflict wounds on the invading force with guerrilla tactics and suicide bombs.
When IDF is using technology and massive fire power to punish the people of south Lebanon and deter Hizbullah. For the IDF the campaign against south Lebanon is being fought on computer screens and from positions miles inside Israel or high above the local countryside.
Pilotless aircraft, called drones, equipped with video cameras, relayed pictures and coordinates back to command posts in northern Israel. The information is computerised and used to automatically direct artillery and aircraft attacks.
The Israelis also have equipment which detects the point of fire of the Katyusha rockets used by the Hizbullah. The US manufactured "fire finder" system plots the co ordinates of the firing point and directs the artillery and aircraft. The response to the Katyusha rocket attacks occurs within minutes.
Shells rain down around the Katyusha positions. The Hizbullah, however, are well acquainted with the effect of the new technology so they fire with time delay fuses. By the time the Katyushas take off and the Israeli fire comes in, the Hizbullah can be in hiding miles away.
There is no let up in the Israeli surveillance of south Lebanon, even at night. The pilotless drones, the Cobra and Apache helicopter gun ships and the F-16 and other attack aircraft are equipped with night vision. The fire finder equipment also works day or night and some of the most serious rocket and artillery exchanges of the past two weeks have been during darkness.
The Israelis have been trying to cut off supplies into south Lebanon with their naval gunships bombarding traffic on the main coastal road and the jets bombing the roads radiating out from the coast into the Lebanese interior.
With the Lebanese authorities and army unable to operate in the south, the job of opening the roads and moving food and supplies is being left to the UN.