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A Hizballah Victory?

[Times-UK] Tim Hames - Hizballah is hailing a "victory" of sorts, considering it a triumph that it has not been completely "destroyed" after just four weeks of fighting, in contrast with the dismal record of several Arab armies combined in 1967. As victories rank, not being destroyed is not that impressive. However, the facts now evident on the ground suggest an entirely different assessment. First, the damage inflicted by the IDF on Hizballah's infrastructure and resources is far greater than the equivalent harm that it has suffered. Second, Hizballah has deployed its missile arsenal to very little advantage. Roughly 95 percent of them hit nothing of value. It took Hizballah six years to accumulate a stockpile that, fundamentally, it has wasted. Third, Lebanon, which had refused to send its soldiers to the south, has been obliged to pledge that it will now do so. Moreover, the problem of Hizballah, which was exclusively Israel's problem, has been internationalized. The Lebanese government and the UN Security Council well know that if Lebanon's troops cannot pacify Hizballah, then Israel's air force will be back over Beirut. Finally, the past few weeks have exposed Iran's pivotal role as the political patron of terrorism as well as the extent of its ambitions to shape Islam in its image. It will become obvious to Sunni regimes that Israel is an ally against Shiite Iran.
2006-08-14 01:00:00
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