(Defense News) Barbara Opall-Rome - The last time war broke out along the Lebanese border, Israel acted clumsily and lost its aura of invincibility. If there is a next time, Israel's military brass vows, things will be different. Under a strategy honed since the 2006 Lebanon war and rehearsed in microcosm in the late-2008 Gaza incursion, a new fight against Iranian- and Syrian-backed Hizbullah would see an all-out assault on the party's arsenals, command centers, commercial assets and strongholds throughout the country. It also would include attacks on national infrastructure; a total maritime blockade; and interdiction strikes on bridges, highways and other smuggling routes along the Lebanese border with Syria. Meanwhile, land forces would operate well beyond the Litani River. Israeli officials have indicated that unless the Lebanese government or the international community disarms Hizbullah, such a war may become inevitable.
2010-06-04 10:06:50Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive