Publications

The Second Lebanon War lasted just over one month. Its duration was determined by a variety of factors, but primarily by Israeli’s own assessment that prolongation of the fighting would not advance any war aims even more ambitious than those that Israel had already achieved, at least not at a cost deemed acceptable to the society and political system. Unlike previous wars, Israel did not – contrary to the predictions of many analysts – have to operate under severe time constraints, because its margin of maneuver was not seriously curtailed by diplomatic pressure. Whether or not that freedom of maneuver ultimately worked to Israel’s benefit is a subject of some controversy in Israel’s collective post-war assessment, but as an operational factor it appears incontrovertible.