Peters: Hezbollah 3, Israel 0
Charles Johnson
Thu Aug 17, 2006 at 6:08 pm PDT • Views: 271
I’m having a difficult time coming up with a reason not to agree with Ralph Peters’ hard nosed assessment of the outcome of the Hizballah-Israel war: Hezbollah 3, Israel 0.
August 17, 2006 — ISRAEL’S rep for toughness in tatters. Hezbollah triumphant. Iran cockier than ever. Syria untouched. Lebanon’s government crippled. An orgy of anti-Semitism in the global media. Anti-Americanism exploding among Iraqi Shi’as inspired by Hezbollah.
Thanks, Prime Minister Olmert. Great job, guy.
The debacle in Lebanon wasn’t even a war. It was only round one of a war. And Israel’s back in its corner, dazed and punch-drunk.
Israel got in a gut jab, but Hezbollah landed three ferocious haymakers:
* Despite the physical damage the Israeli Defense Forces inflicted, Hezbollah’s terror-troops were still standing (and firing rockets) when the bell rang.
* At the strategic level, Hezbollah’s masterful manipulation of the seduce-me-please media convinced the region’s Shi’a and Sunni spectators alike that Hassan Nasrallah is the new Great Arab Hope. He’s got a powerful Persian cheering section, too.
* While Israel couldn’t plan or execute a winning campaign, it also failed to think beyond the inevitable cease-fire. But Hezbollah did. The terrorists had mapped out precisely what they had to do the moment the shooting stopped: Hand out Iranian money, promise they’ll rebuild what Israel destroyed - and simply refuse to honor the terms of the U.N. resolution.
Frank says: