Analysis: In Gaza, Israel tries to excise Lebanon

01-05-2009 | AP

An unspoken objective is to wipe away the errors of Israel's 2006 war in Lebanon

Panama Star JERUSALEM. Israel says the main goal of its ground offensive against Gaza's Hamas rulers is to end years of rocket fire on its southern towns. But perhaps an equally important, if unspoken, objective is to wipe away the errors of Israel's 2006 war in Lebanon.

That 34-day campaign against Hezbollah guerrillas was marred by hasty decisions and unrealistic expectations. With meticulous preparations and limited aims this time around, the Gaza offensive is meant to restore the army's credibility at home — and its power of deterrence against Arab enemies.

"Things are being done in a much more orderly way," Cabinet minister Isaac Herzog said.

Israel declared war on Hezbollah immediately after the guerrilla group burst across Israel's northern border, killing three soldiers and capturing two. With little debate, the government set out an ambitious agenda: to bring home the captured soldiers safely and destroy Hezbollah.

While Israel dealt Hezbollah a heavy blow, it failed to rescue the soldiers or stop the guerrilla group from raining 4,000 rockets onto northern Israel.

Soldiers returning from the war zone complained of poor training, inadequate supplies and battlefield setbacks, often in real-time interviews from their cell phones. Bomb shelters and warning systems failed, and in a crippling blow, more than 30 soldiers were killed just as a U.N.-brokered cease-fire was about to take effect.

The inconclusive outcome was widely viewed as a failure in Israel, costing the defense minister, military chief and other top generals their jobs and raising questions about the army's toughness.

Surrounded by a sea of enemies, Israel relies on military superiority as a cornerstone of its foreign policy.

With that in mind, the military has said a central goal of the ground operation is to strengthen Israel's deterrence — both with Hamas and its other enemies in the region.

"If they want to go for another round, they have to take into consideration the consequences," said one senior commander, who was not permitted to be identified under military guidelines.

In launching the mission, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who was accused in a government probe of hasty decision making and "very severe failures" during the Lebanon war, has tried hard to send the message that he learned his lessons.