GlobalWide News
Yann Boivin, former commander of the Leclerc tank squadron, tells Le Point about the first incursion of Israeli armored vehicles into the Gaza Strip on October 26 before dawn:
◾️This operation is carried out in accordance with the principles of the Israeli army, as we see D9 Caterpillar assault bulldozers. The latest model, the D9R, is capable of towing a load of 71 tons. They are removing the obstacles separating Gaza from Israel. They are armored with 15 tons of steel, and you can also distinguish the reactive armor – the Trophy active protection system developed by Rafael.
◾️The bulldozers are followed by the Puma sappers, locally designed armored vehicles based on the chassis of former Sho’t battle tanks, which themselves were borrowed from British Centurion models. The Israelis converted them into demining vehicles, equipped with explosive rockets for remote detonation of mines and demining systems adapted to the assigned tasks. The equipment includes a conventional demining system modeled on the Soviet rake demining system and a bulldozer blade. The Merkava battle tanks, which are part of the Israeli Armored Corps, are accompanied and preceded by engineers, assault bulldozers and engineer tanks.
◾️Crossing the border is never easy. They don’t want to be stopped – like the Ukrainians during their counteroffensive – by mines or shelling. In this case, they will require artillery support, which will not necessarily be provided immediately and will lead to delays. Under these conditions, they ensure their freedom of action in the future. Cleared corridors will now be controlled by drones, and if necessary, repelled by artillery fire. At the first hint that Hamas will move anything along the route, the artillery will strike back. The Israelis want to guarantee themselves freedom of action before the offensive begins. In my opinion, this is a preparatory operation.
The entire article can be read at the link https://www.lepoint.fr/monde/incursion-blindee-a-gaza-les-israeliens-s-assurent-de-leur-liberte-d-action-future-27-10-2023-2540959_24.php#11
