My Bloggy-Sense™ tells me that this is a better headline than “Recent developments in Israeli tunnel warfare technology.” Let’s dig in!
First, thanks to reader Howard for pointing out this piece on Israel’s sponge bomb (which may or may not exit).
Israeli forces are prepared to employ “sponge bombs” that produce quick-hardening foam to seal off tunnels used by terrorists in the Gaza Strip, according to a recent report. Though unconfirmed, there is some precedent for the use of devices that create hard or at least very sticky foam by military and other security forces.
The Telegraph newspaper in the United Kingdom published a story about the purported Israeli foam-dispensing ‘bombs’ on Wednesday. It is important to note up front that, at the time of writing, the Telegraph’s piece does not appear to cite any sources, on the record or anonymous, and explicitly says “the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] has not commented on the use” of these devices.
As described by the Telegraph, the devices contain a binary chemical mixture that only blends together when the device is activated. The system is reportedly small and light enough to be emplaced, or even thrown, by a single individual.
Israeli “soldiers were seen deploying the devices during exercises in 2021,” according to the Telegraph, but no further details or imagery are provided. “The [Israeli] army has set up a mock tunnel system at the Tze’Elim army base near the border with Gaza.”
Tze’Elim is publicly known to host a mock Palestinian village with an underground tunnel network specifically to help prepare IDF personnel for ground operations in places like Gaza. To this point, this training site is even nicknamed “Little Gaza.”
I tend to believe Israel probably has something along these lines, just because there are so many quick-drying foams used in the construction industry that it’s hardly a stretch to think that Israel has something like that for tunnel warfare. The piece also mentions the possibility of using “glue bombs” on enemy forces.
Israel also has specialized tunnel forces with dogs and drones.
Israel’s military has developed a range of specialist tunnel fighters including killer drones and attack dogs to take on Hamas’s huge underground network.
Officials on Tuesday revealed its forces attacked Hamas gunmen inside the vast tunnel network beneath the Palestinian enclave, estimated by some to rival in length London’s Tube network.
Specialist teams made up of the Oketz or “Sting” dog units and the Samur “Weasel” subterranean commandos have been training in a specially built tunnel complex in the Negev Desert to take on the 500 kilometres of the “Gaza metro” built by Hamas.
Defence analysts have disclosed that Israel has used ground-penetrating radar and gravity detectors to map out the spiderweb system precisely.
Snip.
Hamas has been building the labyrinth for almost a decade, with some tunnels dug up to 70 metres below ground, for storing weapons, fuel and food, but their destruction is vital for any Israeli success.
As a result, they have formed a force of combat engineers called the Yahalom “Diamond” that have trained to locate tunnels and either destroy them or allow for a “hard entry”.
If entry is required, then the Samur and Oketz units will drop into the entrances that would likely have been blown open, and enter the tunnels that are made of reinforced concrete and are 1.8 metres high and one metre wide.
Robots will be used ahead of any tunnel assault, with the Tel Aviv company Roboteam spending the last decade developing specialist unmanned ground vehicles for the operation.
This will include the small IRIS robot that soldiers call a “throwbot”, with its ability to drive down tunnels relaying pictures back to its operator, using specialist sensors to detect objects and people.
It is also understood that Israel has developed a robot similar to the US Marines’ Gladiator tactical tracked drone that has sensors and carries a 7.62mm squad automatic weapon.
The robots will also be able to use their sensors and equipment to find and potentially detonate booby-traps planted by Hamas.
Behind them will come the “Weasel” commandos, who are specially selected troops able to tolerate the enclosed and claustrophobic conditions. Israeli defence sources said they were usually introverted characters with the ability to keep a “psychological distance from the situation”.
Tunnel combat is also described as akin to underwater fighting because kit used on the surface, such as thermal imaging, or surveillance or navigation systems, will not function underground.
Defence analysts also believe the Israeli army could develop tactics used by Ukraine in its fight against Russia by deploying airborne drones inside the tunnels, some equipped with small bombs.
“Both sides will be attempting to surprise each other and they will have surprises up their sleeve,” said Brigadier Ben Barry, an urban warfare specialist at the IISS think tank.
“The Israelis also have advantages with the biggest urban training facility of any armed forces in the world training people to fight in tunnels but also using drones and robots to take the first hit. The Israelis have all sorts of technological gadgets.”
They also have specially trained military dogs in the Oketz canine unit, most likely led by the highly intelligent and aggressive Belgium Malinois favoured by British special forces.
Here’s a video that covers the Hamas tunnels, the tactics used against them, and even the sponge bomb:
Historically tunnel warfare has been one of the most nerve-wracking, dangerous and taxing forms of specialized warfare, from World War I to the tunnel rats of Cu Chi in the Vietnam War.
Israel has some of the best trained forces in the world, but they have their work cut out for them.
Tags: Arab-Israeli Wars, dogs, drone, Hamas, Israel, Israel-Hamas War, Military, technology, tunnel warfare, video
It was my understanding that a foam such as is being discussed here has existed for decades, and is used as part of an anti-theft system when we move nuclear weapons or other nuclear materials around the country. It creates a virtually impenetrable mess if triggered, that can’t be easily cut or burned.
For all I know, Israel may have helped develop it.
Centuries from now, people digging where Gaza used to be will probably be finding Hamas combatants entombed in foam the way insects got caught up in amber…
Can’t say I particularly feel bad about that, either. Reap as ye sow, my friends…
The need for urban and tunnel warfare specialist kit and trained men has been there for decades. We’ve got one single company in the Washington Military District that’s equipped and trained for that sort of thing, and we really need one company per major urban area.
There is a bunch of stuff that should have been in development and procurement since at least the 1980s. One of those things would be a “rapid structure assessment” capability that you could push down to the lowest level, like Engineer squad, and be able to assess and process which buildings are damaged and to what extent, during a major urban “event”. The Army Corps of Engineers has teams for such things, but if you were looking at the Pacific Northwest after the worst-case scenario Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake…? You can probably hear the high mad laughter from where you’re sitting.
We really need some serious emphasis on this stuff, and it’s not getting anywhere near the attention it should be. We’ll likely be pulling a bunch of stuff straight out of our asses after the next major urban disaster, and if we’re really lucky, it will only hit one region, not multiple.
They need to be stockpiling stuff like portable bridging and shoring gear nationwide, along with replacement transformers and all the other gear we’d have to put back into service after a Carrington Event. Are they doing anything like that? Oh, hell no. Blow money on tons of stuff like free needles for addicts, and not a goddamn dime on things that would help us keep the lights on…
We have the most feckless and incompetent leadership in the history of the world, I fear.
Use the Med to flood the tunnels. 🤷♂️
“Use the med to flood the tunnels”
Great minds and all that:
https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2023/11/01/flood_the_gaza_tunnels_989879.html
“Use the Med to flood the tunnels.”
Horizontal boring is a common practice in the oil industry. Israelis have several offshore gas wells. I wonder if their petroleum engineers are able to apply this technology to the Gazan tunnels.
Makes you long for the “earthquake machine” of Tesla…
Consider the results, should something like that be deployed; a true “Operation Samson”, shaking the temple down.
In the Pacific US forces gave up attempting to clear these types of tunnel systems by sending men and dogs into them. Instead they used the following method:
1. Force the tunnel occupants deep through applying firepower to the outside points.
2. Find a ventilator into the tunnel or drill a hole down into it.
3. Pour diesel or gasoline into the hole, lots of it.
4. Drop a thermite grenade or two into it to set the fuel on fire.
5. Wait until the resulting fire is out.
6. Probe the tunnel entrance to see if there is any resistance. If there is repeat steps 3 through 5.
7. Enter tunnel complex after it has been suitably softened up in this manner.
It proved very effective in reducing Forts Hughes and Drum in Manila Bay. The only improvement I can think of is to pump down oxygen after the fuel to get the perfect explosive mix before setting the mixture on fire.
Seawriter is correct; that is how defeating tunnels has been done correctly. Flooding with seawater will work though leaves the ordnance in place for recovery or accidental explosion in the future and does not kill the people in the tunnels. Best solution is seal an entrance, pump in carbon monoxide and nitrogen gas. The gases will sink to the lowest levels and asphyxiate everyone instantly. The people will not realize they are dying. The gases will dissipate over time and the tunnels can be re entered to remove explosives etc. If you want to destroy the tunnels and possibly the buried ordnance, methane or propane gas can be used.
Note to those suggesting simply flooding the tunnels or similar; that’s why Hamas took hostages. While I accept that the hostages are likely to be killed anyway and perhaps would prefer death to the torture they maybe currently receiving; I don’t believe others are as cavalier in disregarding the prospect of repatriating the hostages. Certainly, the idea is not to visit the same method of death on civilian hostages as you intend for those detaining them. Instead of killing them all and letting God sort them out; perhaps the dogs and drones can give it a go first.
The average elevation of most of Gaza is under 20 meters above sea level- flooding from the Med is probably the best method if the tunnel system is interconnected. I don’t know if Hamas is stupid enough to interconnect everything, but they might be.
introverted characters with the ability to keep a “psychological distance from the situation”.
So, Dungeons &Dragons players, then. In a dungeon. Wand of fire, anyone?
Water is a very powerful agent, possibly too powerful, but also slow, and may be bad for the soil. Much faster would be the use of any sort of gaseous agents. That could be sarin, that could be tear gas, that could be fuel air explosive, or that could be, in the case that you believe you may have hostages or enemies to rescue or capture, some sort of advanced fentanyl derivatives such as were used by the Russians at the Nord-Ost theater siege (being Narcan!).
Using Sarin would be illegal under the Geneva Protocol of 1925, to which Israel is a signatory nation. Ditto tear gas.