GET THE FIRST SHOT OFF AND SHOOT THE CLOSE TARGETS FIRST.
It's a concept that holds true from an individual pulling the trigger all the way up to the actions of a Nation State! The first shot of a gun fight sets the tone for the whole fight. Don't wait for the other side to decide when to shoot. Shoot the close-end threat first and work your way out.
Why does this hold true for Israel if, when, she goes to war?
Hezbollah and Hamas are the close-end threats and have been armed, by Iran, to a level that Israel cannot afford to deal with as secondary targets.
Second tactical issue for Israel:
Don't wait for Hamas and Hezbollah to take any proactive actions. Once Israel decides the time has come to deal with her threats, she must act and act swiftly.
Third tactical issue that is probably the most emotional one:
Both these groups are going to hide key command and control nodes, as they have in the past, amongst the civilian population. A hard decision for Israel and one that will haunt her military leaders for the rest of their lives. It's is the ugliness of War that makes avoiding war so critical, but once war is the only option, the ugliness cannot be avoided.
Fourth tactical issue:
Israel must be ready to fight multiple enemies at multiple locations as soon as she starts operations. She has accomplished this before and she must be ready to accomplish it again only on a more dramatic scale than any time in her past.
Final tactical issue:
Don't try to occupy the enemies soil. Destroy their ability to harm the homeland and leave! I know this is not a doctrine currently accepted in the military halls of strategic education, but the 21st century is not the time of von Clausewitz! Times change and Nation State doctrines must change. Occupation in the 21st century is a recipe for long term commitment. The world is too plugged in. It is too wired. The criticism of "occupation" can turn victory into defeat. Can you spell IRAQ/ AFGHANISTAN?
Israel must do more than defeat the growing threats to her survival, she must show the world she understands the changes of the new 21st century and will do what it takes to survive in such a world. Hard words I understand, but the process of defeating your enemies is built around defeating their belief they can defeat or destroy you as well as their tools of war and destruction.
Did I mention the next real war in the Middle East will be one unlike any in the past? Let's just pray the "goodbook" is wrong!
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