The Second Lebanon War: Introduction

The Second Lebanon War embodied a type of military confrontation different from the many other clashes that Israel has engaged in since its establishment. This confrontation belongs to the category of asymmetrical wars involving rival entities endowed with inherently different and unbalanced attributes. In the 2006 Lebanon war, Israel, a sovereign state with a strong, organized military, faced Hizbollah, a sub-state organization that operated from within a failed state while controlling a relatively small guerilla force. Size notwithstanding, the force boasted considerable military abilities and was well deployed for this type of confrontation. Hizbollah presented Israel with a stiff challenge that, built on years of painstaking preparation and close Iranian support, displayed a strategic concept that maximized its abilities and compensated for its weaknesses in the face of a stronger rival. Although in this kind of confrontation it is difficult to identify victor or victory definitively, it is clear that in view of the expectations, the perception in Israel, the Arab world, and the global community is that Hizbollah scored prominent and tangible achievements, while Israel emerged from the confrontation bruised and disappointed.