Hezbollah: How Strong?

Read "Why Hezbollah Is Proving So Tough On the Battlefield," a sobering and sober summary of what Israel is up against. (At left: Hezbollah soldiers parading in Beirut, 2005.) Excerpt:

As Israel ended its 18-year occupation of southern Lebanon in 2000, its army left behind part of a strategic outpost known as Karqom. Concerned they might damage an ancient synagogue nearby, soldiers hesitated to level the outpost, as they did the rest of their military infrastructure.

When Israel's military returned to Karqom during the fighting in recent weeks, what was left of the outpost was gone. In its place was a fortified, 5,000-square-foot Hezbollah military base with a radio tower, secure satellite communications and a unit of more than a dozen guards. The Israelis ordered an airstrike, which detonated a huge cache of what they say were explosives and other weapons. The explosion, said a senior Israeli military official who was involved, "was like Independence Day in America."

Read the whole thing if you can. If you're like me, the piece will educate you about the nature of the West's Islamist enemies. It will also make John Kerry's statement that if he had been elected president, this crisis would not have happened, look even more foolish.