To go to the militarily complicated East, the French are bringing out "heavy" equipment. Leclerc tanks, with 155-mm cannons and ground-to-air missiles, will be deployed in southern Lebanon with the two French battalions of the new UNIFIL. A weapon never seen before in a force under the UN flag. And a clear political signal sent by a France under criticism for delays just a few days ago.


Almost all of the first units that will embark for Lebanon, probably next week, belong to the 2d Armoured Brigade, the general staff of the Armed Forces announced yesterday [29 August]. This 900-man battalion will in fact be comprised of a squadron of Leclerc tanks from the 6-12th Olivet Tank Regiment, an AUF1 ground-to-ground artillery group of the 1st Marine Artillery Regiment of Laon, and two AMX 10P mechanized infantry companies of the reinforcement regiment from Chad.


These latter are tanks with tracks rather than wheels, "to handle the rugged terrain of the region", an officer explains. The force will also be protected by a very short-range surface-to-air (SATCP) missile defence section and a Cobra radar of the artillery brigade from Haguenau. These troops will travel to Lebanon by sea before September 15. A second battalion will follow later, raising the French manpower to 2,000 men.


Consequently, the day of the old UN operations when the Blue Helmets had to put their weapons on the ground before unkempt militia members as in Bosnia has passed. The firepower France is deploying has not been seen other than in NATO forces, for example in Kosovo where Leclerc tanks were used earlier. "In 1993, in Sarajevo, when our Blue Helmets asked New York for authorization to bring in our 81-mm mortars to be able to reply, the request was refused," one colonel recalls, "and initially we had to use our 12.7-mm calibre MacMillan anti-sniper rifles almost secretly to avoid offending the UN diplomats."


The heavy weapons used by France in Lebanon therefore have a dual significance. First of all political, with this expressed desire to not be humiliated by one or the other party present.


Tactical significance


The French generals have therefore geared themselves to the most powerful of the forces, the Israeli army. "The Leclerc tank is the same category as the Israeli Merkava, which moreover is a more recent generation," a military source explains.


"The AUF1's are heavy artillery and the SATCP is an effective anti-air system. In case of tension, that provides arguments in the debate." The French soldiers remember operation "Peace in Galilee" in 1982 when, already in UNIFIL, they were virtually "trampled underfoot" by the Israeli soldiers streaming into Lebanon.


This choice of weapons also has a genuine tactical significance. And here they are clearly aiming at Hezbollah and its firing of rockets. The Cobra trajectography tracking radar, which can locate enemy batteries in real time to a distance of 40 km, like the systems on board the Leclerc tank, make it possible to accurately identify the departures of strikes. "The Leclerc is the best (tank killer) at this time, but it is also an excellent mobile observation blockhouse, both day and night, which corresponds well to the mission," an officer comments. "Protected by armour, its operators have night vision systems, thermal cameras and telemetry instruments." Equipment of a technology that goes far beyond that of the "asymmetric conflicts" of recent years.


Deployment sectors of the contingents


The French troops are now waiting for the "operational concept" to come out, the document produced at the UN's strategic level. It is being approved in New York. On this basis, the UNIFIL general staff will then draw up the "operations plan" that in particular will make it possible to determine the geographic sectors of deployment of the various contingents.


"What worries us at this time is the question of monitoring the border with Syria," a military source admits. Beirut refuses the deployment of international forces along this line. Yet Israel feels that weapons will continue to be delivered to Hezbollah through this Syrian route. This is where the risks of loss of control are greatest. A genuine time bomb.