July 26, 2006 | By Nathaniel Ward

How and why to fight Hezbollah

The United States, Israel and the world would be well-served if Israel were to completely defeat Hezbollah in its current offensive in Lebanon, a panel of experts said today at The Heritage Foundation.

Speaking in Heritage’s Allison Auditorium, each panelist addressed a different aspect of Israel’s war on Hezbollah, a terrorist organization backed by Iran and Syria that maintains effective control of southern Lebanon.

Author Daniel Pipes, director of the Middle East Forum, suggested that Israel’s best option at this point would be to hold Syria accountable for Hezbollah’s actions. Syrian pressure on Hezbollah could cripple the group, he suggested. Though he admitted this course of action is not ideal, the alternatives—engaging in a costly and ineffective attempt to eradicate every last Hezbollah fighter or relying on Lebanon’s weak army or an international force to suppress Hezbollah—are worse.

“My recommendation is that the US take the diplomatic lead” in holding Syria responsible for the actions of its client, Pipes said. At the same time, “Israel should growl at the leaders in Syria” with a show of force.

The elimination of Hezbollah would strengthen the free world in its ability to deal with Iran’s nuclear program, said Patrick Clawson, deputy director of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Since Hezbollah is essentially an arm of the Iranian government, a defeat would impose tremendous costs on Iran’s aggressive foreign policy and cause them to reconsider future belligerence.

Since an Israeli victory is so important to America and the free world, “the last thing you do is stop before you finish the job,” Heritage Middle East analyst Ariel Cohen said. “It’s not in American interests to push Israel into a ceasefire that will cause Israel to lose.”

Hezbollah constitutes “a triple threat” to Israel and the rest of the world, explained terrorism expert Aaron Mannes. Hezbollah is not only a savvy and effective guerrilla organization that has proven its ability to adapt to new threats, but it is also a strong social and political organization and one of the world’s leading international terrorist groups.

In several wars with Israel, Hezbollah has shown the ability to learn from its mistakes and successfully use new weapons and tactics, said Mannes, author of Profiles in Terror, an overview of terrorist organizations.

“It is the best fighting force in the Arab world,” agreed Clawson. Hezbollah has benefited from training, materiel and financial support provided by Iran, he said.

Hezbollah also maintains a proven capability to conduct deadly and psychologically powerful terror operations against the United States and other countries, Mannes added. The group killed hundreds of American and French peacekeepers in Beirut in 1983, and also bombed the embassies of both countries. Israeli embassies overseas have been a frequent target of Hezbollah strikes, and there is concern among counterterrorism officials that Hezbollah operatives are planning to attack on American soil.

Even with Hezbollah on the run in the face of Israel’s attacks, the worst may not be over. The group has a “long history of pulling surprises,” Clawson said, and a defeat in Lebanon may prompt it to attack Israelis and Americans overseas, which it has done in the past.

Nathaniel Ward is the Editor of MyHeritage.org—a website for members and supporters of The Heritage Foundation.