Reading time: 2 minutes – Spotted on The War Zone
The images reaching us from the war in the Gaza Strip, from the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023 to the murderous response of the government of Benyamin Netanyahu, depict a barbaric conflict, certainly, but one where technology is omnipresent. Drones, artificial intelligence, lasers, a far cry from the images shared by Israeli army soldiers this week.
In a short video posted on Mounted on a trailer, the artillery weapon fashionable in the Middle Ages sends an incendiary projectile to the other side of a high concrete wall which demarcates the border between Israel and Lebanon. A total discrepancy that raises questions.
According to the specialized online media The War Zone, we are facing an almost identical reconstruction of the medieval versions of the trebuchet. A rotating arm, equipped at its head with a sling which allows a projectile to be attached to it, is actuated by a counterweight system allowing it to tilt. “The result is a weapon that can launch projectiles heavier than a traditional catapult and propel them longer distances”notes The War Zone.
Is this a little joke organized between soldiers? In recent months, Israeli troops have stood out by sharing numerous videos of their daily lives on social networks, often in questionable taste, sometimes simply shocking. A new IDF joke is therefore entirely possible.
The Israeli army explains itself
However, it seems that behind this vintage weapon lies a real tactic. Israel’s goal would be to set fire to the terrain on the other side of the border by burning the very dense vegetation on the Lebanese side, in order to destroy the natural cover it provides to Hezbollah fighters.
These fighters regularly use Iranian-made Almas anti-tank missiles, which force the shooter to approach the border. By removing the surrounding bushes, the Israeli army makes it possible to expose the firing positions.
Why the trebuchet? Because it may well be the most effective solution. According to the daily Israel Hayom, soldiers had previously attempted to use Molotov cocktails, incendiary drones and even, according to Lebanese sources, white phosphorus munitions.
Another video also published on June 13 by journalist Emanuel Fabian, shortly after that of the trebuchet, shows an Israeli soldier using a bow and flaming arrows to set fire on the other side of the wall.
Ridiculous and ridiculous? Maybe, but certainly less expensive than modern weapons such as incendiary bombs and… more discreet. Which is not a bad thing in a border area where too brutal attacks could further inflame the situation.
