Israel's strategic use of outdated carriers as deadly decoys
Israel is known for its interesting tactics, and a notable example is leaving old M113 Zelda armoured personnel carriers abandoned in Lebanon as Trojan horses. Here's why the IDF does this.
In Lebanon, after the IDF entered, abandoned M113 Zelda armoured personnel carriers were found, intended to serve as traps for Hezbollah fighters. These Israeli relics are supposedly filled with explosives and left as bait.
The primary intention is likely to detonate them when Hezbollah fighters try to seize them or, for example, use them as a hideout. This isn't the first instance, as the IDF has previously used such traps during confrontations with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
M113 Zelda — a relic serving as a Trojan horse for Israel
The IDF no longer actively uses M113 carriers, except in specialized variants like anti-aircraft Machbets. As a result, about 5,000 vehicles were stored, and someone devised an unusual way to utilize them.
It is possible that Israel has converted some M113s into remotely controlled moving bombs (resistant to gunfire, such as from AK rifles) or uses them as traps for fighters looking to capture a trophy.
M113 transporters are an old design from the Vietnam War era adapted to carry 11 soldiers in addition to the commander, who also serves as the gunner and the driver. Due to flotation requirements, the M113's armour is made of aluminum alloys and provides protection only against artillery shrapnel and fire from 7.62 mm calibre rifles.
It is worth noting that this protection refers only to bullets with a lead core, and an FN FAL rifle loaded with armour-piercing ammunition would penetrate it without issue. It was the most common armoured personnel carrier within NATO during the Cold War for decades, but today it is an outdated design. Nevertheless, it is still better than a hastily reinforced pickup truck.
