Who won, who lost the most recent Israel vs Hezbollah war?
War involves manpower, equipment, technology, timing, and luck. We saw each of these qualities in the most recent 34-day war. It was a very asymmetrical conflict that shows the massive advantage Israel holds in offensive capability. It also showed the tenacity that Hezbollah guerillas held in defending their territory. After both sides stood down and the dust settled, the statistics (courtesy Associated Press) revealed that 1181 Lebanese were killed compared to 157 Israelites killed. If body count alone is considered, the Israelite military held a decisive victory. Pictures from the news services confirmed that the destruction of Lebanese infrastructure exceeded that of Israel by a significant ratio as well. The overall economic loss to Lebanon was estimated at 9.4 billion US dollars as opposed to 3 billion to Israel. Displaced people in Lebanon numbered 916,000 as opposed to 300,000 in Israel. OK, Israel won but that isn’t the complete picture.
Hezbollah avoided complete annihilation, kept their two Israelite soldiers hostage, and by the latest accounts will not be forced by the UN to disarm. Looks like a consolation victory for them as well – you could say they came in second place. However, let’s not forget that their “victory” came on the backs of innocent civilians killed, injured, and displaced. Whether or not the noncombatants wanted this war, which was provoked by Hezbollah in the first place, they were deprived of their peace and prosperity. Now Hezbollah is attempting to spread good will by handing out thousands of dollars in relief. I wonder if the good people of Lebanon will recognize that one hand of Hezbollah caused their losses while the other is attempting to buy their allegiance.
Both hands of Hezbollah serve the same head, one whose interest is not peace and prosperity but rather the annihilation of Israel. Perhaps this is the basis of Hezbollah’s popularity – the people of Lebanon are willing to sacrifice their peace and prosperity for such a cause. If so, then the popularity of Hezbollah appears to be reinforced, leaving little doubt that they will take advantage of the relative peace by improving their arms and tactics for the next war. According to press articles, the resupply of war materiel is already flowing in from Iran.
The losers of this war were the peoples of Israel and Lebanon who were killed, injured, displaced, and otherwise affected by this war. This war was started on hatred and revenge, and achieved nothing but the misery of these peoples. Essentially, the Hezbollah leadership has robbed them of the ability to live in peace, prosper, and enjoy life. They picked a fight with a world-class Defense Force and hid behind civilian infrastructure so the brunt of the counterattacks was borne by the people of Lebanon. That is why Hezbollah is considered a terrorist organization. They waged war without sanction by the Lebanese government, violated the International Laws of Armed Conflict, and violated the Geneva Conventions.
Hezbollah avoided complete annihilation, kept their two Israelite soldiers hostage, and by the latest accounts will not be forced by the UN to disarm. Looks like a consolation victory for them as well – you could say they came in second place. However, let’s not forget that their “victory” came on the backs of innocent civilians killed, injured, and displaced. Whether or not the noncombatants wanted this war, which was provoked by Hezbollah in the first place, they were deprived of their peace and prosperity. Now Hezbollah is attempting to spread good will by handing out thousands of dollars in relief. I wonder if the good people of Lebanon will recognize that one hand of Hezbollah caused their losses while the other is attempting to buy their allegiance.
Both hands of Hezbollah serve the same head, one whose interest is not peace and prosperity but rather the annihilation of Israel. Perhaps this is the basis of Hezbollah’s popularity – the people of Lebanon are willing to sacrifice their peace and prosperity for such a cause. If so, then the popularity of Hezbollah appears to be reinforced, leaving little doubt that they will take advantage of the relative peace by improving their arms and tactics for the next war. According to press articles, the resupply of war materiel is already flowing in from Iran.
The losers of this war were the peoples of Israel and Lebanon who were killed, injured, displaced, and otherwise affected by this war. This war was started on hatred and revenge, and achieved nothing but the misery of these peoples. Essentially, the Hezbollah leadership has robbed them of the ability to live in peace, prosper, and enjoy life. They picked a fight with a world-class Defense Force and hid behind civilian infrastructure so the brunt of the counterattacks was borne by the people of Lebanon. That is why Hezbollah is considered a terrorist organization. They waged war without sanction by the Lebanese government, violated the International Laws of Armed Conflict, and violated the Geneva Conventions.
The recent war in Lebonan raises some of the issues that the Holy Quran addresses. For example, the Holy Quran explains why a larger force cannot always destroy a smaller force. Interestingly, the last verse on the last page of the Holy Bible helps to clarify why the Israeli entity and its r????? conservative Christan backers in the USA, Britian and Europe are now looking to secular Muslim leaders to help deflect the onslaught of history.
Posted by Anonymous | Tue Aug 29, 01:59:00 PM EDT