Middle East - CNN: 40 percent of Israel's ammunition not precision-guided
Around 40 to 45 percent of the air-to-ground munitions dropped by Israel in the Gaza war are not precision-guided, according to CNN. The US broadcaster refers to three unnamed sources who have seen a corresponding assessment by the Office of Intelligence Coordination in Washington, as the broadcaster reported on Wednesday (local time). According to the report, the remainder and thus the majority of the munitions dropped to date have been precision-guided. Israel has used a total of around 29,000 munitions against targets on the ground since October 7.
Unguided munitions are generally less accurate and could pose a greater danger to the civilian population, the report said. Israeli army spokesman Nir Dinar told the broadcaster on request: "We do not go into the type of ammunition used."
Israel wants to avoid civilian casualties
According to CNN information, the USA assumes that Israeli fighter jets drop unguided munitions in a dive, a tactic that makes the bombs more precise because they are brought closer to their target. It is unclear what kind of unguided munitions are in use.
In Israel, military spokeswoman Keren Hajioff said on Wednesday that the armed forces were trying to avoid civilian casualties in their operation against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. For example, the Israeli military would ask the civilian population to leave the affected areas prior to combat operations. "This approach is very unusual in military warfare." In addition, the military plans its missions very carefully and uses special ammunition to avoid civilian casualties as far as possible. "Our war is against Hamas, not the people of Gaza," Hajioff continued.
International support for Israel is crumbling
Due to the catastrophic situation in the Gaza Strip, Israel has recently lost international support for its war against the terrorist organization Hamas. US President Joe Biden, for example, said that Israel was beginning to lose support due to its "indiscriminate bombardment". The White House expects the National Security Advisor's visit to Israel from this Thursday to result in "extremely serious talks", which will also focus on Israeli efforts to take more precise action and reduce the damage to the civilian population.
The war was triggered by the worst massacre in Israel's history, carried out by terrorists from Hamas and other extremist groups on October 7 in Israel near the border with the Gaza Strip. More than 1200 people were killed and around 240 hostages were taken to Gaza. Israel responded with massive air strikes and began a ground offensive at the end of October. According to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health, around 18,000 people have died in the Gaza Strip so far.
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- The USA, according to CNN's sources, believes that Israeli fighter jets use a tactic of diving to increase the precision of their unguided ammunition drops during conflicts in the Gaza Strip.
- Despite using around 29,000 munitions in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 40 to 45 percent of Israel's air-to-ground munitions are not precision-guided, as reported by CNN.
- The use of unguided munitions in the Gaza Strip could potentially pose a greater danger to the civilian population, as suggested by CNN's report.
- Joe Biden, the US President, has expressed concern over Israel's "indiscriminate bombardment" in the Middle East's Palestinian territories, specifically in the Gaza Strip.
- The Israeli military, as stated by military spokeswoman Keren Hajioff, takes significant measures to avoid civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip, such as asking the civilian population to evacuate affected areas before combat operations.
- Hamas, a terrorist organization based in the Gaza Strip, triggered the current conflict with Israel through a massacre near the Gaza-Israel border on October 7, resulting in numerous casualties and hostages.
Source: www.stern.de
