The Second Lebanon War aroused much discussion as to the weapons harbored and employed by Hizbollah. The following essay offers some observations on the technical aspects of the weapons used by Hizbollah during the war and their ramifications.
From a military standpoint, the Second Lebanon War focused on exchanges of fire between Hizbollah and Israel. The war’s political, strategic, ideological, and philosophical dimensions, both in Lebanon and throughout the region, were naturally influenced by events on the battlefield, but went far beyond them. Those who initiated the war essentially hoped to impact on these dimensions through the military factor, which subsequently assumed greater importance in and of itself, particularly in the internal Israeli context.
The Second Lebanon War, the violent clash between Israel and Hizbollah of July-August 2006, ended indecisively and left Israel and Hizbollah to lick their wounds and draw respective relevant conclusions. While the Israeli public acquired an uneasy sense of despondency and resorted to introspective self-castigation as to why Israel was unable to achieve the quick and decisive victory that many expected, members of the Hizbollah organization and its supporters reveled in their joy, with mass victory gatherings held in Syria and...
Comprising sixteen analytical essays and three appendices, the book explores various dimensions to the confrontation initiated by Israel on July 12, 2006 in response to Hizbollah provocation. Studying both the Israeli dimensions of the clash and the greater regional issues, the book provides a comprehensive overview of the war and posits the strategic conclusions that can be drawn from it.
Since May 20, the Lebanese Army has been involved in an ongoing and severe confrontation with “Fatah al-Islam” — an organization identified with al-Qaeda — dozens of whose members are holed up in the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp near Tripoli. The government of Fuad Siniora, which enjoys political and military backing from regional and international actors, is determined to force Fatah al-Islam to surrender and it views this event as not just a serious security challenge but mainly as an important...
The political crisis in Lebanon, which threatens to drag the state into even greater domestic turmoil, also constitutes a theater for another clash between the United States and its supporters, on the one hand, and the camp of “resistance,” on the other, over the regional order. Consequently, while the competing Lebanese factions fortify their positions, the key to any easing of the crisis actually resides elsewhere.
The recent series of interviews with Syrian President Bashar Asad in Arab and Western media reveals the extent of changes in the Middle East, in general, and Syria, in particular, in the wake of the confrontation between Israel and Hizbullah in the summer of 2006. Before that conflict, Asad hardly ever mentioned “Israeli aggression against Syria that can end in war” or the “state of alert” in the Syrian army, but since then, Asad has repeatedly stressed the readiness of his military forces.
The latest report of the United Nations International Independent Investigation Commission into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri refrained from pointing the finger of suspicion directly at Syria. Nevertheless, its ongoing work, and especially the intention of Lebanon, supported by elements at the UN, to establish a special international tribunal to try those accused of involvement in the assassination, have already raised concerns in Syria about an additional wave of pressure that could culminate, this...
For Hizbullah and its supporters in Lebanon, UN Security Council Resolution 1701 is, if not a clear victory, then certainly the least of all evils. The main reason is that 1701 keeps the discussion of Hizbullah’s disarmament within the confines of the barren exercise known as the “Lebanese National Dialogue.” Moreover, the Resolution provides no effective mechanism for action by the Lebanese Government or UNIFIL to disarm Hizbullah or terminate its existence as a state within a state.
Although Israel’s political leadership has designated the clash with Hizbullah a “war of no choice,” it has still been obliged to define realistic objectives for the prosecution and termination of this war. These objectives must inevitably relate to the broader regional and global context of the confrontation.
In addition to the release of the two soldiers abducted by Hizbullah, the declared objectives of Israel’s military campaign in Lebanon include the dismantling of Hizbullah’s militia and the deployment of the Lebanese armed forces up to the common border. Achieving these objectives in the face of Hizbullah opposition will ultimately require some cooperation, if not from Shi’ites who provide Hizbullah’s base of support, then at least from the other main Lebanese communities: the Sunni Muslims, the Christians and...
Over the past two weeks, Israel has been enmeshed in conflict precipitated by kidnappings in the south and in the north. Those two tactical events have deteriorated into fighting with strategic consequences. The tactical successes of Hamas and Hizbullah have exposed Israel to extortion and it may well have to pay some price for its failures and for the return of the kidnapped soldiers. In this situation, Israel’s objective is to turn tactical setbacks into strategic outcomes whose gains outweigh the losses. Understanding the...
