Why oh Why part II

around lunchtime on Friday, the 28th of July 2006 by Chad

The Belmont Club continues theorizing on the IDF’s plans for Hezbollah…

The first question that must be answered in divining IDF intentions in Lebanon is what the center of gravity of the Hezbollah is, because that is what the IDF must be aiming to destroy. The two obvious ones are Hezbollah’s ability to influence the Lebanese government and the motor of that influence — the military force that Hezbollah maintains in the south. A step down we can ask, what is the most important component of Hezbollah’s power in the south? Again the answer is easy. It is the Hezbollah cadres themselves. Hezbollah’s most precious possession isn’t Katyushas, long-range rockets, night vision goggles or antitank missiles or electronic equipment. It is the trained core of its military force. Equipment can be replaced but Hezbollah’s cadres represent an expensive, almost irreplaceable investment. In them resides the organizational knowledge of Nasrallah’s organization. It embodies man-decades of operational experience against Israel. Rockets can be replaced. The stars of Hezbollah’s operational force are less expendable.

The rest of the essay goes on in very convincing detail as to just why Israel is acting the way it is.