Round 2 in Lebanon: How the IDF Focused Exclusively on COIN and Lost the Ability to Fight Manuever War

Israel has defeated larger Arab armies repeatedly since its creation in 1948. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) enjoyed a reputation of invincibility among its Arab neighbors until last year. Israel got bloodied and bogged down in Lebanon by a stateless military organization: Hezbollah's military wing, the Islamic Resistance (IR). The Israeli high command expected the air force alone to crush the IR. Instead, the air force killed many civilians and destroyed property but could not stop the IR rockets and missiles that rained daily on Israel. When IDF troops tried to push their way into a well-prepared defense, they failed. It seems that the Israelis have lost their ability to conduct high-intensity maneuver warfare. What happened to the IDF? Published in Infantry, p32-35, Sep-Oct 2007.