Makara of Hizballah: Deception in the 2006 Summer War

摘要

Information, while always a critical element of warfare, is quickly becoming decisive in present day conflicts. While the use of this information can take many forms, one area where the discussion of information's impact on conflict has been delinquent is in the art of deception. Hizballah and Israel serve as the perfect backdrop to examine the effects of deception in current conflicts. While Israel has always maintained a hard power advantage through its military might and prowess, Hizballah looked for other ways to level the playing field. The use of information in supporting deception, which has been a key enabler for the weaker side, became one of the answers to redressing the military balance. This paper will demonstrate that Hizballah, fighting an asymmetric conflict with Israel, used deception very effectively in their defense of southern Lebanon during the 2006 Summer War; this use of deception significantly offset many of Israel's hard power advantages. It will also show that Hizballah's use of information technologies greatly enhanced their ability to wield deception. Finally, this paper will address the interrelation of various information activities and the need to maintain consolidation of these activities for planning and execution on the modern battlefield.