A More "Optomistic" Take

While it's necessary to read Debka with healthy skepticism, their summary article of the aftermath of this stage of the Second Lebanon War is important in its perspective: Tehran Takes Gloomy View of the Lebanon War and Truce

The key point is that the IDF may have had a different goal than the People did. The IDF needed to destroy Hezbolla as an army while the people wanted them destroyed as a terror group. The terror capability still exists, mainly because any bunch of crazies with guns can sucessfully hold a country in the grip of terror.

But Debka breathlessly suggests, and its confirmed by bits here and there in the news, that Hezbolla's five year stockpile has been seriously damaged. And the major armaments and infastructure has been destroyed.

The most frightening tool of Hezbolla were their Iranian supplied long range missiles - intended to be used against Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and [drum roll] the Dimona nuclear power plant.

The idea was for Hezbolla to be the front-line/first-strike/less-filling/tastes-great of the Iranian army. Were Israel to attack the Iranian nuclear facilities, Hezbolla was to strike back in kind. Now they can't.

And, to make you feel good, the long range Iranian missiles would likely have nuclear tips in a few years

The lesson? Don't take your lessons from enemy propaganda If these people lie constantly; if they depict us as bloodthirsty civilian targeters; then why should we believe them after the truce is declared?

This is besides the fact that our enemies believe a cease fire = victory; who believe that death is good (so our ceaesing, to save lives, becomes a sign of weakness); who will say they won even with the knife to their throat... we need remind ourselves constantly of reality.

Our enemies succeeded, through evil and deception, to convince the world that Israel was the culprit instead of the victim. Don't let them convince us that a success was a failure as well.

This is notwithstanding the significant losses on the Israel side; the massive damage to life, property, and well-being; and the soldiers are still captive - I know, I know - but the above Debka-fuelled point is trying to stress that this is not a total uff-puck