Would screening really help in this urban and congested environment with destruction and debris all around? IDF really doesn't know which hole Palestinian fighters will pop out of. I know the field of view will be better if infantry was on foot, but I think they would suffer heavy casualties from RPG's and direct gunfire.
No offence intended, but you do realise that infantry screening for tanks doesn’t mean infantry forming a meat shield around the tanks right?
The point of dismounted infantry screening tanks is that infantry should be advancing with the tanks, checking every door and window for hostile. Someone pokes an RPG out of a hole, you have 10 times the chance of spotting it before it shoots with your squad dismounted than all crammed inside IFVs replying on just the commander/gunner to spot and engage threats.
And even if an enemy does pop off a shot, your infantry should have a better chance of making them pay a blood price for that shot.
The biggest and most unforgivable amateur mistake the Israelis are making is in forgetting that tanks can’t win and hold ground. How can you be sure the ruined buildings you just drove past isn’t full of Hamas fighters without someone going in and checking?
Urban jungles are possibly the worst places to fight in for an attacker because there is no real zero loss strategy. Israel’s giant strategic blunder was in bombing everything into rubble first and making it even harder for their troops to secure the place.
With a building, at least your troops can breach it, clear it and secure it to deny it to the enemy. Building by building is how you win urban warfare. It’s slow and bloody work, but at least it can be done with enough patience and blood.
But how the hell do you do that with a pile of rubble? A guy with balls of steel can go climb into a pile of rubble and blast you at point blank range with an RPG. Are you prepared to send guys down every rat hole in every pile of rubble? What Israel has done was turn a hard and costly fight into an impossible one for themselves trying to cheat the butchers bill.
Despite Hezbollah possessing better strength than the Palestinians, the environment at that front is not as difficult as in Gaza. It isn't destroyed concrete jungle with tunnels everywhere.
Does fighting Hezbollah mean Israel don’t have to fight Hamas in Gaza anymore? Why start a new fight when you have already bitten off more than you can chew with the fight you are already in?
Iran gave stern warnings to Israel to not launch a ground invasion of Gaza; Israel launched it anyway but Iran, apparently, did not respond with anything major.
That’s my point. So did Hezbollah, who also failed to live up to its threats, and now Israel is openly talking about invading Lebanon.
Show weakness to a bully and you invite attack, that is obvious. What isn’t obvious is whether inviting Israel to attack was the plan all along.