The ongoing conflict between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah is now in its fourth decade and shows no signs of ending. Raphael D. Marcus examines this conflict since the formation of Hezbollah during Israel's occupation of Lebanon in the early 1980s. He critically evaluates events including Israel's long counterguerrilla campaign throughout the 1990s, the Israeli withdrawal in 2000, the 2006 summer war, and concludes with an assessment of current tensions on the border between Israel and Lebanon related to the Syrian civil war.
Israel's Long War with Hezbollah is both the first complete military history of this decades-long conflict and an analysis of military innovation and adaptation. The book is based on unique fieldwork in Israel and Lebanon, extensive research into Hebrew and Arabic primary sources, and dozens of interviews Marcus conducted with Israeli defense officials, high-ranking military officers of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), United Nations personnel, a Hezbollah official, and Western diplomats. As an expert on organizational learning, Marcus analyzes ongoing processes of strategic and operational innovation and adaptation by both the IDF and Hezbollah throughout the long guerrilla conflict. His conclusions illuminate the dynamics of the ongoing conflict and illustrate the complexity of military adaptation under fire.
With Hezbollah playing an ongoing role in the civil war in Syria and the simmering hostilities on the Israel-Lebanon border, students, scholars, diplomats, and military practitioners with an interest in Middle Eastern security issues, Israeli military history, and military innovation and adaptation can ill afford to neglect this book.
Industry Reviews
An interesting and well-researched book. His compelling and accurate analysis explains different aspects of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. * H-Diplo *
This book is significant because it describes, in great detail, both the greatest current military threat against Israel as well as long-term threat trends. . . . Israel's Long War with Hezbollah provides valuable background to this ongoing conflict and a window into what one can expect in the inevitable next round of fighting. * Jewish Book Council *
Marcus's own excellent analysis deserves the attention of any informed reader interested in Israel or modern military history. The long war isn't over, and its underlying dynamic, ably documented by Raphael Marcus, remains unchanged. * MOSAIC *
English-language readers will be rewarded with a clear understanding of current IDF strategy, constraints and planning, particularly as it relates to Hezbollah. * Jewish Herald-Voice *
The book is a significant contribution to the study of this conflict and of Hezbollah. But it also serves as a case study on how militaries-both state and nonstate-can learn from battlefield mistakes and evolve to match threats. . . . This book is worth the attention of anyone interested in learning the intricacies of the civil-military dynamic and those who seek a deeper knowledge of the military history surrounding the Israel-Hezbollah conflict * Parameters *
Marcus's own excellent analysis . . . deserves the attention of any informed reader interested in Israel or modern military history. . . . By skillfully pulling together many disparate events over a period of decades and sketching the evolution of the conflict from its inception, Marcus provides a kindred service in this book. * Mosaic Magazine *
An impeccable, insightful, expertly written and timely study of one of the Middle East's most enduringly political, ideological, and military conflicts. * Midwest Book Review *
[Marcus] is a fine scholar. There doesn't seem to be an Israeli senior officer whose wisdom he has not sought. His work will no doubt appeal to military analysts interested in understanding the conflict in question and, perhaps, fitting it into the way other armed forces around the world are going. -- Martin van Creveld, Professor Emeritus, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Marcus provides a fuller, more balanced picture than many other works on the same subject.....A timely intervention that bridges the gap between English and Hebrew sources and provides a historical prism through which to comprehend the contemporary tactical and strategic preferences of both the IDF and Hezbollah alike. * Fathom Journal *
What makes Marcus's book stand out is his analysis of both Israel's and Hezbollah's strategic and tactical developments, and how the two entities fed off of and inspired the other's innovations. Rather than simply being another military history, Marcus's book tracks the development of strategy and tactics, and strikes a rare balance between research rigour, detail, and accessible readability. * The Times of Israel *
An intriguing and important book for all those who wish to understand the IDF and the military nature of the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. * H-Net Reviews *
An intriguing and important book for all those who wish to understand the IDF and the military nature of the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. * Reading Religion *
Raphael Marcus has written what will be the new standard English-language source for understanding the origins and the continued evolution of the decadeslong conflict between Hizbullah and Israel. Marcus does a masterful job of describing the strategic, operational, and tactical adaptations, or lack thereof, of these two adversaries over time. He clearly meets his stated purpose of examining the "processes of learning and adaptation on each side" (p. 15) within the context of this binary competition. * Middle East Journal *
This book is a must read, a precious source of knowledge for anyone interested in the conflict between Israel and Hizb'allah. * War In History *
