Say what you will to criticize Israel's tactical decision to attack Hezbollah (some say it only serves to unify the opposition), but nobody in their right mind, not even Israel's harshest critics, not even Hezbollah itself, is saying that Israel is doing anything other than obliterate Hezbollah forces in battle. Well, nobody except certain crazed Russian generals totally detached, in a classic Neo-Soviet manner, from reality. KUNA reports:

MOSCOW, Aug 15 (KUNA) -- The vice-president of Russia's Academy on Geopolitical Affairs General Leonid Ivashov said Tuesday Israel had not scored a military victory against Lebanon's Hezbollah. Ivashov, in a statement carried by the Interfax news agency, said the Israeli army was used to fight conventional wars and had "failed to deal with Hezbollah, which was fighting a guerrilla war." He also stressed that Israel, which faced a popular resistance it was unprepared for, had also "tried and failed to draw Iran and Syria to the conflict." He added that a United Nations Security Council resolution 1701 calling for a cessation of hostile activities on both sides was issued only after it was clear that "Israel is not capable of deciding the fate of the military conflict in south Lebanon one way or another." Meanwhile, the deputy-chairman of the Russian Communist Party, Ivan Melnikov on Tuesday called for canceling a fair of Russian industrial products, scheduled to be staged in Israel next month. "The fair and all activities associated with it should be cancelled in protest at Israeli agression against Lebanon," Melnikov said in a press statement.