[SJackson]

If you'd like to be on this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.

High volume. Articles on Israel can also be found by clicking on the Topic or Keyword Israel. also

2006israelwar or WOT

..................

[saganite]

My impression was that he could have stopped the assault at any time by returning the kidnapped soldiers and accepting a negotiated settlement. The fact that the soldiers have still not been returned belies his comments in this interview.

[Robert Drobot]

BTTT

[KellyAdmirer]

One of the lessons of WWII about terrorism is that as the terrorist organizations become larger and more structured, they paradoxically become less effective. Isolated cells of resistance can plant car bombs, spike rail tracks and so forth without much risk. Once you have known "headquarters" and infrastructure such as rocket launchers and high tech bunkers, the terrorist organization becomes preoccupied with defense and less effective at its true mission of destruction.

It looks like Hezbollah has entered that stage.

[wideawake]

In other words, the MSM says that Hezbollah is massively popular in southern Lebanon among people of all religious allegiances while Hezbollah is speaking and acting as if the situation on the ground is exactly the opposite.

[mad puppy]

That is deterrence, something Israel had lost against Hezbollah in recent years.

Israel may have regained -some- lost respect, but the burning question is 'will it be enough to prevent more attacks?' and sadly, I don't think so. In fact, I don't think it was near enough. Hezbollah doesn't give one red-cent about what happened to the citizens of Southern Lebanon unless they can use it for propaganda.

Even if Hezbollah has regained respect (fear is what it really is), the rest of the Islamic world hasn't.