The Israelis are now facing a lot more than censure for “overreacting” to Hezbollah. They’re looking down the barrel of an opponent that’s more capable than they expected it to be.
As Steven Erlanger of the New York Times reports today, Israelis are not happy. “The criticism is not that the war is going on, but that it is going poorly. The public wants the army to hit Hezbollah harder, so it will not threaten Israel again.”
Under the fold: in for a pound…
Four weeks into this war, Israel is playing for stakes higher than the immediate threat from Hezbollah. The Lebanese militant group appears to have fought the Israeli Defense Force to a standstill. Much of Hezbollah’s “success” may no doubt be thanks to the IDF’s desire to minimize further collateral damage–a daunting task given the nature of the battle space. Whatever the case, the perception that Hezbollah is “hanging tough” against the mighty Israelis has been established, and the Jewish state needs to terminate the current conflict in a manner that regains some of its former aura of invincibility.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s political clout may be permanently damaged. Gerald M. Steinberg of Bar-Ilan University says, “There is a strong sense of hesitation, of the lack of military leadership needed in times like this.”
Yuval Steinitz of Israel’s Likud party frames the issue in stronger language. “Doubts? That’s an understatement. People are talking of failure. The bombardment of Israeli cities was supposed to be over after 48 hours. The fact that only now the government is ready to even start the real ground campaign is overwhelming.” Steinitz is further concerned that his country’s lack of decisive military success has come against Hezbollah, “…which is the size of a Syrian division without any air defense. So what would we do against Syria?”
All this bodes ill for any hopes of peace in the near term. Israel cannot afford to be perceived as having been bailed out by a cease-fire brokered by its American protectors. It must now press for a clear victory in combat and an end state in which it appears to have dictated the terms of peace.
Cable news networks are reporting that the IDF has commenced its “expansion” of offensive operations in Lebanon. Stand by: this isn’t likely to end soon, or without considerably more bloodshed.
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Commander Jeff Huber, U.S. Navy (Retired) writes from Virginia Beach, Virginia. Read his commentaries at ePluribus Media and Pen and Sword.
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HAIFA (Haaretz) one hour ago — Fifteen Israel Defense Forces troops were killed as fierce fighting with Hezbollah guerillas raged in the southern Lebanon villages of Ayta al-Shaab and Dibel, the IDF annonced late Wednesday night.
IDF troops were engaged in fierce fighting Wednesday with Hezbollah guerillas in the southern Lebanon villages of Ayta al-Shaab and Dibel. The IDF confirmed there were a number of casualties in Ayta al-Shaab.
10 IDF soldiers were reported injured in the battle. They were evacuated to the Rambam Medical Center in Haifa and to the Rebecca Sieff Hospital in Safed for treatment.
The guerillas are equipped with anti-tank missiles, which have previously caused losses among the IDF troops in the area.
≈ Cross-posted from my diary —
Single Israeli Air Attack Kills 41 Civilians in Beirut ≈
"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."▼ ▼ ▼ MY DIARY
Israels in for a penny and in for a pounding.
This only becomes more horrendously sickening with each passing day…and yeah Israel can’t lose ‘face’ now by agreeing to much of anything….that’s the whole sick cycle of war, the longer it goes on the more revenge minded both sides become as they don’t want their comrades to have died in vain..
Hizbollah has already won period-no matter what happens from now on, no matter how much more destruction Israel reigns down on Lebanon…it’s all for fucken naught-a country destroyed so Israel could prove it could destroy Hizbollah in several weeks, except guess what you morons, you can’t and you didn’t even go about it the right way to have a prayer of success anyway.
The next thing we know Olmert will be taking a page out of bush’s ‘all options on the table’ bullshit and threaten nuclear strike-hey I know that sounds far-fetched but……
And everyday that Bolton blocks a cease-fire is a day our country gets more reviled around the world and rightly so. While also reporters continue to let bush and others in the administration continue to say that this all started because Hizbollah started firing rockets into Israel-which is a complete lie..Tony Snow-job just repeated this lie today and I imagine that like Iraq had WMD most Americans now believe this lie to be the absolute truth. Just like bush blathering about not wanting a cease-fire because we need to address the ‘root causes’ of all this…yet he never mentions Palestine..I’ve got you’re root cause for you, you depraved moron.
I think this turned into a bit of rant…that will do absolutely no good except to make me feel better for all of 2 minutes, maybe.
… this one is pretty good. Yeah, Ink, it’s spinning out of control.