Within 24 hours before the start of the "cease fire, Hezbollah fired over 200 missiles into Israel. Maybe as many as 250.
Since destruction of Hezbollah and elimination of these missiles were the number one and two goals of the war for Israel, according to Boaz Ganor, an Israeli expert who discussed the goals with me at the outset of the conflict, who do you think "won ?
And who is going to disarm and disband Hezbollah now? They are going to melt into the public because they are the public. Their weapons will disappear, much like Saddam's WMD disappeared.
"The situation on the ground is advantageous, the diplomatic situation is advantageous to Israel," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev.
Yossi Kuperwasser, a brigadier general in the Israeli army, wrote in an article for the Jerusalem Post, "We created the necessary conditions to compel the international community to... ultimately turn Lebanon into an accountable, sovereign nation. If this happens, Syria and Iran would be the main losers of this war."
We ll see.
In Lebanon, as the clock struck 8 this morning and the cease-fire commenced, the streets of Beirut were littered with a new leaflet dropped by Israeli planes saying that Hezbollah had brought the people of Lebanon "to the edge of the abyss and brought only "destruction, displacement and death.
The leaflet warned that the Israelis could return "with all necessary might. Addressed to Lebanon's citizens, Israel s leaflet said, "Will you be able to pay this price again?"
Hezbollah distributed leaflets of its own on Monday congratulating Lebanon on its "big victory" and thanking citizens for their patience during the 34-day war with Israel. The populace fired guns in celebration.
This morning, as the cease fire begins, The Washington Post features a page one story under the headline "The Best Guerrilla Force in the World. The article is, of course, about Hezbollah.
If Israel had won, the headline might have read "Finest Fighting Force On Earth Again Prevails referring to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).
I m really a military analyst with only ten years in the media as a journalist and even I can figure this out.
For good or bad, Israel appears to have not prevailed in their goals in this war.
Israel, and in particular, Mr. Olmert s government, are guilty of misunderspinning and also seriously misunderwinning.
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