Decade after war with Israel, Syria's war pulls Hezbollah in
Proudly boasting of tens of thousands missiles aimed at Israel - perhaps including Scuds - would certainly make a new war seem imminent but Hezbollah's involvement in Syria's civil war has cost them more than 1000 fighters including many experienced military commanders and some founding members.
The boast may just be a ruse to keep Israel from hitting their weakened flank but Iran would certainly come to Hezbollah's aid if Israel were to attack Southern Lebanon and it would be a foolish move on Israel's part in light of the damage - both in manpower and reputation - being inflicted on Hezbollah in Syria.
Needless to say, they could instantly regain the love and esteem of the Arab World by killing some Jews but that comes with the risk of incurring the IDF's wrath.
From the article:
They reflect the Shiite group's radical shift from decades fighting Israel, a cause that at one time earned it soaring popularity across the Arab and Muslim world, to the far less popular role fighting fellow Arabs in defense of Syria's president, Bashar Assad...
"Syria has been the worst imaginable piece of news for Hezbollah. A challenge that has transformed the party into something it does not want: the perception of a Sunni killer," said Bilal Saab, a senior fellow for Middle East Security at the Atlantic Council...
Hezbollah's involvement in the Syrian war has, according to its critics, left the group looking even more like an Iranian tool fighting for its own self-interest...
The 2006 fighting killed about 1,200 Lebanese, including hundreds of civilians, and about 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers. The war failed to neutralize the group's rocket threat, and Israeli officials say Hezbollah's improved missile arsenal is now capable of striking virtually anywhere in the country.
Israeli political and military leaders, however, say that the war succeeded in re-establishing Israeli deterrence and provided a decade of quiet on its northern front — and gleefully note that the group's leader Hassan Nasrallah is still in hiding 10 years later.
Proudly boasting of tens of thousands missiles aimed at Israel - perhaps including Scuds - would certainly make a new war seem imminent but Hezbollah's involvement in Syria's civil war has cost them more than 1000 fighters including many experienced military commanders and some founding members.
The boast may just be a ruse to keep Israel from hitting their weakened flank but Iran would certainly come to Hezbollah's aid if Israel were to attack Southern Lebanon and it would be a foolish move on Israel's part in light of the damage - both in manpower and reputation - being inflicted on Hezbollah in Syria.
Needless to say, they could instantly regain the love and esteem of the Arab World by killing some Jews but that comes with the risk of incurring the IDF's wrath.
From the article:
They reflect the Shiite group's radical shift from decades fighting Israel, a cause that at one time earned it soaring popularity across the Arab and Muslim world, to the far less popular role fighting fellow Arabs in defense of Syria's president, Bashar Assad...
"Syria has been the worst imaginable piece of news for Hezbollah. A challenge that has transformed the party into something it does not want: the perception of a Sunni killer," said Bilal Saab, a senior fellow for Middle East Security at the Atlantic Council...
Hezbollah's involvement in the Syrian war has, according to its critics, left the group looking even more like an Iranian tool fighting for its own self-interest...
The 2006 fighting killed about 1,200 Lebanese, including hundreds of civilians, and about 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers. The war failed to neutralize the group's rocket threat, and Israeli officials say Hezbollah's improved missile arsenal is now capable of striking virtually anywhere in the country.
Israeli political and military leaders, however, say that the war succeeded in re-establishing Israeli deterrence and provided a decade of quiet on its northern front — and gleefully note that the group's leader Hassan Nasrallah is still in hiding 10 years later.
