Strategic Assessment
Several weeks into the second Lebanon War, it is increasingly apparent that the civilian home front is once again a central element in the military confrontation. With more than five thousand rockets launched at northern towns, at the rate of over one hundred a day, Hizbollah’s strategy in the current confrontation has emerged as an integrated war of attrition. It is based primarily on strong defense both deep inside Lebanon and in its south, coupled with a continuous attack on the north of Israel. Its aim is to hit the very fabric of civilian life in Israel, mostly through the use of scare tactics and the disruption of the daily routine. Hizbollah’s leadership is thus materializing the concept it cultivated in recent years, based on the assumption that the home front is the weakest, most vulnerable link in Israel. Hence, undermining it might tip the balance, despite Israel’s superior military power.