Nicholas Blanford

This is an insider's account of the anti-Semitic organization Hezbollah. The group's ideology, motivations, and training, as well as new information on military tactics, weapons, and sophisticated electronic warfare capabilities are covered here.

The group began as a zealous group of raw fighters motivated by Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution. Today, they are the most formidable non-state military organization in the world.

The work demonstrates how Hezbollah won hearts and minds with show more exhaustive social welfare programs and sophisticated propaganda skills. The group surfaced in the wake of Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon. The monotonous and long-standing guerrilla conflict has spiraled out of control for Israel by the late 1990s. The steady flow of troop casualties help turn the Israeli public opinion against the occupation.

In May 2000, for the first time the Jewish state had been forced to yield occupied land by the force of Arab arms. The daily battles may have ended in May 2000 but the struggle continued, as Hezbollah in great secrecy morphed from an efficient guerrilla force using hit-and-run tactics into a crack infantry division capable of defending ground and defeating Israel's topline battle tanks.

The dynamic today endures with the West, chiefly the United States, France, and Saudi Arabia, backing a mainly Sunni and Christian coalition while Iran and Syria support Hezbollah and its allies. Syria is the vital geostrategic linchpin connecting Iran to Hezbollah. If the Assad Alawite dominated regime falls and is replaced by an administration better reflecting the majority Sunni population, Hezbollah's stature in Lebanon inevitably will diminish, even if it remains the dominant political and military domestic actor.

It is evident that both sides are acutely aware that the next confrontation will be at a magnitude unprecedented in the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Hezbollah's stockpile of weapons include rockets with sufficient range to accurately strike all major urban centers in Israel, placing the Jewish state's heartland on the front line for the first time since the 1948 war. And if the reports that it has acquired Syrian Scud D missiles are confirmed, then nowhere in Israel is immune from Hezbollah's reach. By the same token, Israel promises to bring massive destruction onto Lebanon in the event of another war.

The author should not be overly criticized for emphasizing has Hezbollah's perspective in the conflict; however, I think it would have improved the book had we heard more of what is Israelis, and Israeli leaders, thought of the conflict. It still seems a bit one sided. Finally, the work would have been improved had it included some illustrations but in particular maps of these more remote regions discussed in the volume. show less

ספר מרתק אבל סובל מכמה ליקויים. היעדר עריכה וערבוב מוגזם של חוויות אישיות עם תיאור וניתוח כללי. אבל בעיקר מהטייה ניכרת לחיזבאללה שגובלת כמעט בהערצה.