Report: Experts Predict 200 Israeli Fatalities in War with Hizbullah, Iran
The Israeli Defense Ministry estimated that if the country engaged in a war with Hizbullah and Iran some 200 Israeli civilians would die.
According to Israeli newspaper Haaretz, the number of fatalities could rise to 300 if Syria joins the war as well.
The Defense Ministry experts said that there would be “less than one fatality for every ballistic missile,” warning against Hizbullah’s arsenal that contains short and medium-range Katyusha rockets and hundreds of relatively accurate M-600 rockets.
The experts say that these rockets could strike the center of Israel.
The daily reported that a possible confrontation with Hizbullah depends much on the Air Force and Intelligence’s ability to strike long-range rockets on the ground before they are launched.
However, experts say that this will be harder than the 2006 war as Hizbullah has an estimated 60,000 rockets.
The ministry expert’s predictions come in accordance with statements issued by Defense Minister Ehud Barak a year ago.
He said in an interview with Israeli Army Radio in 2011 that in a war with Iran “far fewer than 500 (Israeli civilians) would die.”
Barak stated that predictions of thousands or tens of thousands of dead civilians were "hysterical" and groundless.
The report said the assumption is that Israel attacks the Iranian nuclear facilities and Tehran strikes back, without using its entire missile reservoir.
“Some of the missiles will fail to launch or will be hit on the ground by the Israeli Air Force. Others will miss and fall in open areas,” the report added.
The launched missiles are expected to hit the Dan region.
“The high number of protected spaces and shelters could reduce the number of casualties,” the experts say.
Another factor that would decrease the number of casualties is the American X-band radar, which gives a 15-minute alert before an Iranian missile is expected to land in the center of Israel.
| Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. | https://cdn.naharnet.com/stories/en/48678 |