(Dan Tri) – Israeli forces are expected to use a new weapon called `foam bomb` to attack Hamas’s extensive and intricate tunnel network in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli soldiers in the tunnel (Photo: Telegraph).
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) tested chemical bombs, which do not contain explosives but are used to seal gaps or tunnel entrances where fighters may emerge.
The `foam bomb` is contained in a plastic box, with a metal wall separating the two liquids.
It would help Israeli soldiers avoid ambushes as they advance deeper into Gaza’s tunnel network, sealing gaps where Hamas could attack.
Currently, the IDF has not commented on the use of this new weapon in this war in Gaza.
The Israeli army could face a bloody battle through the so-called `Gaza metro` tunnels as it launches its planned ground offensive in Gaza.
This network is said to be hundreds of kilometers long and dense with traps.
Currently, special forces teams in the IDF’s engineering corps are grouped into tunnel reconnaissance units.
New radio stations, optimized to work in harsh underground conditions, are also a priority for Israel to develop.
However, there are potential problems with Israel’s underground arsenal.
Israel can also use robots and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to help navigate tunnels, but until now, operating them underground has been difficult.
Some robots will be controlled by wires leading to the back of the device.
Israel-based technology company Roboteam has developed IRIS, a small, throwable and remotely controlled drone.
Together with IRIS, they developed MTGR, a `microground robot` that can climb stairs and is designed for soldiers to operate in buildings and caves.
John Spencer, a former U.S. major who chairs urban warfare research at the Modern War Institute at West Point, said underground combat is `more like fighting underwater than fighting in buildings.`
