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S-2 · 05-02-2007, 20:35 PM

Interesting comments. A few thoughts-

"Olmert's two goals
-get back the two soldiers
-Destory Hezbollah"

Stated? If so, both were largely unattainable. The initial kidnapping in Gaza had already proved vexing enough.

"If Olmert had stated instead that the objective is to show nations that if they let 3rd party groups impede their soverignty to Israel's harm then they should not expect Israel to respect their soverignty either and there will be a large price to pay. That would have been a goal the military could guarantee and did."

Now, THIS is worthy of war. I cannot concur that the Lebanese government and army were incapable of meeting their responsibilities. It is the essential raison d'etre of any nation. It calls to the legitimacy of his government then and now. Clearly, though, had they done so, Siniora would not be facing the challenge to his government from POG that he does today.

"...he neglected the obvious truth that the rockets won't stop until the ground they are launched from is seized and secured. The worst mistake of Olmert was that his adminstration was more occupied in the first few days of the war by the missing soldiers and the consquences of war then by the tactical situation with the rockets landing on Israel."

Olmert's government seems most culpable here. I can't imagine that, given the existing intelligence and obvious threat that such a capability in the hands of POG implied that war-plans weren't available to seize a buffer which would sanitize any rocket belt. The IsAF removed the threat of long-ranged systems fairly quickly, but the continuing barrage of short to medium range tactical rockets continued largely unabated. The eventual ground operations seemingly entailed little coherance or forethought. That's since been verified. Thus, no plan?

What's interesting to me is that the IDF and Ministry of Defense, indeed the GOVERNMENT knew that POG had re-infiltrated the south, fortifying and pre-positioning supplies and weapons for seven years. These included mortars and tactical range rockets. Further, they knew that the Syrians and Iranians had supplied more sophisticated and longer-ranged rocket systems. This effectively deepened the battlefield, complicating the targeting process.

Still, were the objectives as you've suggested, Druze, it would have placed the responsibility for war upon it's rightful shoulders, the Lebanese government. Its acquiescence of both sovereign rights and RESPONSIBILITIES made it culpable in POG's rocket campaign, both philosophically and practically. The Lebanese army's unwillingness to occupy and assert it's authority over southern Lebanon led directly to this condition.

05-02-2007, 20:35 PM	#8 (permalink)
S-2 *Military Professional* Join Date: 09-11-06 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 2,553 Country:	Druze Reply Interesting comments. A few thoughts- "Olmert's two goals -get back the two soldiers -Destory Hezbollah" Stated? If so, both were largely unattainable. The initial kidnapping in Gaza had already proved vexing enough. "If Olmert had stated instead that the objective is to show nations that if they let 3rd party groups impede their soverignty to Israel's harm then they should not expect Israel to respect their soverignty either and there will be a large price to pay. That would have been a goal the military could guarantee and did." Now, THIS is worthy of war. I cannot concur that the Lebanese government and army were incapable of meeting their responsibilities. It is the essential raison d'etre of any nation. It calls to the legitimacy of his government then and now. Clearly, though, had they done so, Siniora would not be facing the challenge to his government from POG that he does today. "...he neglected the obvious truth that the rockets won't stop until the ground they are launched from is seized and secured. The worst mistake of Olmert was that his adminstration was more occupied in the first few days of the war by the missing soldiers and the consquences of war then by the tactical situation with the rockets landing on Israel." Olmert's government seems most culpable here. I can't imagine that, given the existing intelligence and obvious threat that such a capability in the hands of POG implied that war-plans weren't available to seize a buffer which would sanitize any rocket belt. The IsAF removed the threat of long-ranged systems fairly quickly, but the continuing barrage of short to medium range tactical rockets continued largely unabated. The eventual ground operations seemingly entailed little coherance or forethought. That's since been verified. Thus, no plan? What's interesting to me is that the IDF and Ministry of Defense, indeed the GOVERNMENT knew that POG had re-infiltrated the south, fortifying and pre-positioning supplies and weapons for seven years. These included mortars and tactical range rockets. Further, they knew that the Syrians and Iranians had supplied more sophisticated and longer-ranged rocket systems. This effectively deepened the battlefield, complicating the targeting process. Still, were the objectives as you've suggested, Druze, it would have placed the responsibility for war upon it's rightful shoulders, the Lebanese government. Its acquiescence of both sovereign rights and RESPONSIBILITIES made it culpable in POG's rocket campaign, both philosophically and practically. The Lebanese army's unwillingness to occupy and assert it's authority over southern Lebanon led directly to this condition. __________________ "This aggression will not stand, man!" Jeff Lebowski