The calculus of israel's troubled history in Lebanon seems, at first glance, simple enough. Add up the invasions, "operations," commando raids, kidnappings and massacres by proxy armies. Then count the dead: thousands of Lebanese and Palestinian civilians, more than 900 Israeli soldiers, "martyrs" of Islamic and secular guerrilla groups, fighters of the Israeli-backed South Lebanon Army and Israeli civilians killed in rocket attacks or terrorist incursions. Assess the damage to Lebanon's economy and infrastructure. Analyze the brutalized Lebanese psyche. Make the calculations any way you like, and the end result is the same: Israeli soldiers retreating across the international border last week, looking over their shoulders at Islamic guerrillas cheerfully looting abandoned posts. "I closed the gate for the last time and it feels bad," said a 21-year-old sergeant from Jerusalem. "Such a waste oflives."
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