Thursday, August 03, 2006

Special Effects

I have repeatedly said that I am upset with Israeli attacks on civilian infrastructure in Lebanon just because Hizbollah may use it, thinking it counter-productive and not worth the price Israel is paying in regard to the time constraints they must fight under. But Strategypage writes that the attacks are more flash than bang:


That said, the Israelis appear to be approaching the destruction of Hizbollah in a methodical fashion. The first two weeks were spent hitting Hizbollah targets that were obvious, and some non-obvious ones obtained from agents on the ground or within Hizbollah. While these air attacks appeared to hit things that all Lebanese used, like highway overpasses and bridges,. on closer examination, the bombs were placed where they would do temporary damage (just taking down some of the roadbed), rather than much longer term, and expensive to repair, damage (to main supports). This detail was noticed by many Lebanese.


So when the dust settles, the Lebanese may not be as upset as they appear.

But the world will continue to believe Israel "destroyed" Lebanon and set them back twenty years. I think that a lot of thought should go into whether this campaign was worth it.