Political and Military Objectives in a Limited War against a Guerilla Organization

The discrepancy between expectations and reality led to the strong sense of disappointment and frustration that was evident in the Israeli public following the war in Lebanon. At the start of the war there was an expectation, nurtured by the political leadership, that the IDF would defeat Hizbollah and rescue the hostages; the aim of disarming Hizbollah was presented as a realistic objective. The expectations outlined by the Israeli leadership were shared by parties in the West, particularly the US administration, which viewed the war both as an opportunity to settle accounts with one of the parties positioned on the “axis of evil” and as a battle in the war on international terror. However, the war continued for over one month, and up to the last day of the war Hizbollah continued to launch a large number of rockets towards population centers in the north of Israel. Moreover, at the end of the war it was clear that the organization was still standing and would not be disarmed, certainly not as a direct result of the war. The ensuing sense of dissatisfaction in Israel and other interested parties ranged from a general undercurrent of malaise to public expressions of disappointment.