Military science asserts that smart bombs are the most effective tool in warfare, allowing attackers to reach their target with precision instead of having to drop dozens or even hundreds of "dumb bombs" to achieve the same effect. A single smart bomb can often accomplish the mission.
While the Israeli Defense Forces consistently claim their objective in Gaza is to target the Islamic Resistance Movement "Hamas", their excessive use of dumb bombs reveals the true intention to strike at the civilian incubator of the resistance – the people of Gaza, not just the resistance fighters.
Smart and Dumb Bombs: What's the Difference?
A traditional bomb is generally made up of explosive materials packed into a sturdy container with a fuse mechanism that includes a detonator – usually a time delay system, an impact sensor, or a proximity sensor which initiates the explosion. When the trigger is hit, the fuse ignites the explosives, causing a blast that results in severe pressure and shrapnel flying to destroy surrounding structures.
Associate Professor of Operations Research at Brock University in Canada, Michael Armstrong, tells Al Jazeera Net via email, "A dumb bomb—which is also known as an unguided bomb—contains only these components and is dropped from an aircraft (like a B2 bomber). It’s described as dumb because it simply falls to the ground without effectively guiding itself to a specific target. If released from a high altitude by high-level flying aircraft, its accuracy is very low. During World War II attacks against cities in Europe, bombs often fell up to 1000 feet away from the target. However, if dropped from a lower height by dive-bombing aircraft, their accuracy can be much higher."
Armstrong elaborates that, in contrast, guided or smart bombs have an electronic sensor (like a camera or GPS) and a guidance system (like fins), with an integrated control system (onboard computer), which enables steering towards the target during its fall. Accuracy depends on the technology used, with modern missiles capable of hitting small targets like individual buildings or vehicles when functioning correctly.
How Does a Smart Bomb Work?
The famous American site "HowStuffWorks" explains the working principle of a smart bomb, stating, "When an aircraft drops a smart bomb, it essentially becomes a particularly heavy glider that doesn't have its propulsion system, like a missile. However, it does have forward speed (by being dropped from a speeding aircraft) and flight fins generating lift and stabilizing its flight path. The control system and adjustable fins give the bomb the means to steer itself while gliding. During its flight, the sensing system and control system track a designated target on the ground. The sensors feed the control system with the target's relative position, and the control system processes this information and determines how to steer the bomb toward the target."
It adds that "To operate the bomb, the control system sends signals to motors adjusting the flight fins, which work fundamentally like the various plates found on an airplane. By tilting the fins in a particular direction, the control system increases drag acting on that side of the bomb, causing it to turn in that direction. This adjustment process continues until the smart bomb hits its target. The fuse mechanism detonates the explosives, with smart bombs usually containing proximity fuses, which detonate the explosive material just before the bomb directly hits the target, or impact fuses, detonating the explosive material once the bomb actually hits something."
Why Doesn’t Israel Use Smart Bombs?
The United States continually supplies Israel with smart bombs. For instance, in 2004, Israel received about 5,000 smart bombs in one of the largest arms deals between the allies for years, worth $319 million. Before the current war, the US approved the transfer of $320 million worth of these bombs to Israel. A CNN report published on November 6 stated that Washington plans to transfer these bombs to Israel to support its war against Hamas.
So, why hasn't Israel heavily used smart bombs in this conflict? A US intelligence report conveyed by CNN found that approximately half of the munitions used by the Israeli military against Gaza since October 7 are unguided, known as "dumb bombs."
Armstrong states, "Air forces usually prefer guided (smart) bombs because they tend to be more accurate. However, dumb unguided bombs remain abundant as they are cheaper and easier to produce, and the US and Israeli militaries have more of them in stocks than guided bombs. Since smart bomb supplies are limited, air forces use them against targets that are vital to hit or where it’s crucial not to miss. For example, they could be used to hit a military building in a city."
If the declared aim of the war on Gaza is to end Hamas, then the lavish use of dumb bombs, which do not choose their targets precisely, implies that Israel is using targeting Hamas as a facade for the eradication of the people of Gaza, supported by recent statements by US President Joe Biden on December 12, acknowledging Israel's "indiscriminate bombardment" in Gaza.
Newsweek reported on December 13, quoting a senior US Air Force officer, saying, "Israel's attack on Gaza is, in reality, an attack on civilians."
Dumb Bombs and International Law
These revelations from the American report indicate that Israel is far from scientifically qualifying as a state with a strong commitment to democratic systems and international law, even if it possesses the "clean" smart bombs that are less likely to target civilians.
A study by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, published in the Journal of Conflict Resolution, tracked global purchases of smart bombs and conducted detailed statistical analysis to support their hypothesis that states facing security threats—especially those with democratic systems and a strong commitment to international law—are most likely to acquire bombs that do not target civilians. The study listed America and Israel among these countries. However, the study did not analyze the rate of smart bomb usage once possessed.
Ahmed Abdullah, a psychological consultant at the University of Zagazig in Egypt, offers a psychological analysis suggesting that the low usage of smart bombs reveals Israel's primary goal in this war is to terrorize the Palestinian people, destroy their morale, and deprive the resistance of its civilian support base. Therefore, Israel is less concerned with targeting Hamas than with assassinating the people and stone of Gaza using its dumb bombs.
In a phone conversation with Al Jazeera Net, Abdullah says, "According to the transactional analysis theory by the renowned Eric Berne, used in military psychology to understand certain aspects of conflicts, Israel has addressed the childlike side of the personality since the beginning of the war with naïve claims that it is fighting in Gaza to eradicate Hamas. In truth, the conscious adult response to Israeli messages reveals the absurdity of claiming the target is only Hamas, while the destruction over 70 days has been of the people of Gaza, confirmed by the use of dumb bombs."
The theory suggests human interactions are understood through three states – Parent, Adult, and Child. The 'Parent' state refers to ideas, feelings, and behaviors adopted from authority figures; the 'Adult' represents the rational, objective, and logical aspect of the person; and 'Child' state embodies the feelings, emotions, and behaviors experienced in childhood that continue to influence actions.
Abdullah clarifies Israel "directed its message at the conflict's outset, targeting the childlike aspect of the personality, which worked for a bit, until there was a shift in the receivers of these messages worldwide, who, seeing the reality such as the overuse of dumb bombs, started to process these messages with the mature, rational part of the personality."
However, he adds, "a significant sector in the Arab world still receives Zionist claims, statements, decisions, and plans through the childlike aspect of the personality."
