A Revealing Confession?

Hassan Nasrullah, the leader of Hezbollah, has confessed that he and his forces did not know what they were getting into when they entered Israel and captured (or kidnapped, if you prefer) two Israeli soldiers. "Had we known that the kidnapping of the soldiers would have led to this, we would definitely not have done it," Nasrullah told a Lebanese television station.

It's hard to see why Nasrullah would make such a confession; Hezbollah has been celebrated across the Muslim world for standing up to the Israelis, yet its leader's words admit that Israel has succeeded in deterring a future strike, at least until Hezbollah feels it is a lot stronger.

In other words, while Israel did not destroy the enemy, as it hoped to, it did achieve at least one of its major goals--to keep Hezbollah from attacking in the future.

True, this success is limited: Hezbollah and its allies have not abandoned their intent to wipe Israel from the Earth. Still, Israel has bought itself some time. Time in which it may reform its military strategy and perhaps its military establishment. Time in which it may seek peace. Let's hope it does so.