The Merkava was unveiled in May 1979. The tank was unlike anything fielded by other armies, particularly the United States and Soviet Union. 

The Merkava first saw action in 1982, when it fought Soviet-made Syrian T-72 tanks in the Bekaa Valley. 
Merkavas destroyed eight T-72s at ranges of up to four thousand meters, without loss to a single Merkava.

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Source: FORCE Technology - Youtube