Andrew Exum, a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and the American University of Beirut, has compiled a report - "Hizballah at War" - on Hezbollah's actions in the July War "from a military and tactical" perspective. Andrew's biography states that he served in the US Army from 2000 to 2004, leading platoons in both Afghanistan and Iraq.
The report is written in a very non-judgmental way (although, at one point, Exum describes Hezbollah as a team of terrorists), omitting any political matters and primarily focusing on why and how Hezbollah managed to uphold a very aggressive Israeli offensive and inflict unprecedented casualties on the IDF.
Exum describes precisely the July 12 kidnapping of IDF soliders near Ayta ash Shab, and explains how events unfolded from then on, in detail. He brings to light how Hezbollah prepared for years for such a guerilla war - the preparation of the battlefield, the weapons they used, their training, their communication and logistical organisation.
The result of the July War is compared to previous Arab-Israeli wars. Unlike all previous Arab attempts to defeat Israel militarily, Hezbollah's success, according to the author, is attributed to three main factors:
- its ability to maneuver tactically against the IDF;
- the autonomy given to its small units and the initiative taken by the small-unit leaders; and
- the skill Hezbollah displayed with its weapons systems.
A very interesting read. For the full report, follow this link PolicyFocus63.pdf.
Actually I was a bit puzzled about the timing of the whole affair. What Hizbollah was trying to achieve, kidnapping these soldiers?
Posted by: pontecorvo | May 13, 2008 at 09:43 PM