Word: lebanon
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...long term - the military forces currently operating on the ground in Gaza are supplied to remain there for between one and three days, after which they'd have to be rotated out - and the fact that many of those reserve troops will be deployed along the northern border with Lebanon is intended to let Hizballah know that Israel has the resources to respond forcefully to any attempt by the Lebanese radical group to attack in solidarity with its allies in Gaza. The reserves also give Israel the capacity to free more combat units from duties elsewhere, like guarding settlements...
...case of Hizballah during Israel's 2006 offensive in Lebanon, Hamas has all along believed it will "win" the battle of Gaza simply by remaining intact and on its feet. Although Israel has no intention of taking control of Gaza and getting stuck there, the purpose of its ground invasion is to make Hamas commanders believe that even their goal of surviving and remaining in control of Gaza after Operation Cast Lead is slipping beyond their grasp, in the hope that this will make the organization more likely to accept Israel's truce terms. The armed "negotiation" over Gaza...
...Unlike the botched invasion of Lebanon in 2006, when Israel set itself the unattainable goal of eliminating the military capability of Hizballah, this time Barak and Olmert have made clear that their objective is not to wipe out Hamas, but instead to force the radical group to accept a durable cease-fire on Israel's terms. While they hope to weaken Hamas, Israel's leaders are aware that a military campaign is unlikely to destroy the organization that remains the most popular political force in Gaza. Any attempt to do so would require not only a massive invasion...
...Israel's deaf ear to Sarkozy's plea has raised the diplomatic stakes involved. Although the French President's trip to Egypt, Syria and Lebanon had been set long ago, stops in Ramallah and Jerusalem have been added to discuss "possible paths to peace" with various leaders. Elysée officials say Sarkozy won't be advancing any plans for resolving longer-term conflicts but rather seeking to use his influence and rare good relations with major players in the area to get the fighting to stop. "For now, all other questions are secondary to the issue of restoring peace...
...what, exactly? The first rule of launching a military campaign is to know how to end it, and Israel lacks an obvious endgame in Gaza. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, having overreached in his attempt to stamp out Hizballah in Lebanon, has announced modest goals this time: he's not promising to eliminate Hamas or even to permanently halt the flow of rockets from Gaza. Both those options would require Israeli troops to occupy Gaza for a long time, with the potential risk of massive casualties. Instead, Olmert is hoping a large show of force will persuade Hamas to stop stockpiling...