Hizbollah's Propaganda Machine

Time's Fake Tank Complete with Hizbollah Approved Caption  Its been a while since I posted anything so I don't feel bad about writing a post about a 8 mouth old picture from Time Magazine (15 August 2007 Issue). Last summer Hizballah opened the appropriately named Spider Web Museum among the ruins of a bombed out building outside of Beirut, Lebanon. Built to commemorate their 34 day war with Israel in the summer of 2006, the museum contained a number of elaborately staged propaganda scenes filled with real and faux artifacts of the conflict. Prominent among the Spider Web's exhibits was a captured Israeli Merkava tank displayed dramatically in the bottom of a bomb crater. The captured wreck of one of the IDF's most formable and well protected main battle tanks makes for an impressive display, too bad it's a fake.

Playing the part of the captured Israeli Merkava is a cosmetically altered Soviet manufactured T-55 tank. To be fair to Time's militarily challenged editors and journalists, the T-55 had at one time served in the IDF and it had fallen into Hizballah hands. The vehicle had been one of a number of Soviet supplied T-55s captured from Arab armies during the 1967 and 1972 wars. Over the next 20 years the renamed Tiran 5s were heavily modified by replacing power packs and main guns as part of IDF upgrade and standardization programs. During 1980's Israel began to phase out the Tirans and in the process turned over a number of Tirans to their South Lebanese Army (SLA) allies. The vehicle at the "Spider" was abandoned by the collapsing South Lebanese Army (SLA) during the summer of 2000 (For more on SLA Tirans and other vehicles see: Moustafa El-Assad's "Blue Steel" series of books).

No longer in running condition, At some point between 2000 and 2007 the tank turned up at Hizballah's prop shop and began its transformation into a Merkava. With sheet steel appendages added to the turret and hull to give the rough shape of a Merkava the derelict vehicle went on to be used as a prop in Hizballah propaganda videos promoting the tank killing abilities of organization. In one video sequence the fake Merkava in question can be seen siting stationary in a muddy field flying an Israeli flag.
A few moments later a massive explosion is detonated under the tank.

Screen Capture from YouTube - Fake Merkava Just Before Explosion
Exploding Dummy Merkava - No Hollywood Gasoline Fire Balls

Great theater for Hizballah faithful, but hardly worthy of the more grandiose gasoline fueled fire ball explosions that Western audiences have come to expect! Maybe a copy of "Saving Private Ryan" could be sent to the Hizballah special effects department?

It can be safely assumed that after filming the wreck was dumped in the crater at the "Spider" to continue its role in Hizbollah's on going deception and propaganda operations.

 Update: The hat tip for this post goes to Joe D. on the AFV News Discussion Group. See here.  

 Update: I was wrong again.  Turns out that the VISMOD "Merkava" was a runner before the staged IED detonation. Photos of the vehicle in operation can be seen here.  Hat Tip goes to Roy Lingle on AFV News who lead me to a post by Dark Avenager on militaryphotos.net.  It turns out the photos were on Yahoo! News.