Lebanese Website Derides 'Fictional' Hezbollah Victory

Libanoscopie, a Lebanese Christian website, quotes a military expert to dismiss Hezbollah's claims of victory over Israel (this is the site that accused Hizballah of putting handicapped children in the building at Qana, then drawing Israeli fire by firing rockets from the roof).

The site is published in French. I've translated below:

Hezbollah's Fictional Victory in Lebanon

After 34 days of fighting, Hezbollah's secretary general [Hasan Nasrallah] is claiming victory, his supporters strolling to their hearts' content on the still smoking ruins of what were, a month ago, a hamlet, a village, a city; now a district where multi-story buildings have been reduced to powder, devastated by a wind that destroyed the major part of its existence.

Syria applauds and Iran rejoices in the victory over the Zionist plans.

But, how is victory measured? Libanoscopie posed that question to an expert in political strategy.

"There are three conditions [to be met] to announce the winning of a war.

- inflicting decisive defeat on the enemy force, preventing them from continuing the fight,

 - inflicting military setbacks by invading enemy territory,

- gaining the declared objectives of the war."

But, as far as Hezbollah is concerned, none of these conditions need be fulfilled.

The Israeli army, although it has undergone some setbacks, is very far from having suffered catastrophic losses, and its capacity for air, sea, and ground strikes is nearly intact.

There was no invasion of enemy territory [by Hezbollah], to the contrary, it was the Israeli army that invaded Lebanese territory and occupied part of south Lebanon.

When the objectives of Hezbollah [are considered], the recovery of the Chebaa farms and the return of three Lebanese detainees in the Israeli jails, [one finds] the first is not near, and the Israelis now hold fifteen more Hezbollah militiamen. The figures show the bitter defeat of Hezbollah. Despite attempts to prevent the local and Arab media from revealing the true figures, it [defeat] arises from it. According to semi-official sources, seeking anonymity for fear of reprisals, Hezbollah has undergone total destruction of its logistic and economic infrastructures, and suffered about 1500 deaths of militiamen and leaders.

This announcment of victory is actually trying to turn defeat into victory, a ploy to be expected from the culture from which the party of God [Hezbollah] arises.