Israel's New Wars

This book examines Israel's new wars and their impact on Israeli military doctrine and buildup. The book analyzes Israel’s wars in recent decades, by focusing on those that occurred in 2006 in Lebanon and in 2008-2009 and 2014 in the Gaza Strip. The book also looks into the ‘cold war’ between Israel and Iran.

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Israel’s New Wars examines Israel’s recent conflicts with Iran and its partners. The book’s key focus is how these wars differ from those fought between 1948 and 1982. In the wake of its independence, Israel fought a series of high-intensity wars against Arab states. Since then, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have fought several confrontations and numerous smaller actions against non-state actors such as Hezbollah and Hamas, and have also been engaged in a long-running ‘cold war’ with Iran, mostly over Iran’s nuclear program. Author Dr. Ehud Eilam explores the lessons learned by Israel in these conflicts, and how they have influenced strategy and doctrine. He also makes a major new assessment of the structure of the IDF, and evaluates its capacity in fighting Iran and its allies.





This book is essential for anyone who wishes to understand the present and future of the Middle East.


"Dr. Eilam offers meticulous analysis and in- depth discussion of current Israeli military history in a way that few historians do."


—Brig. General (Res.) Dr. Dani Asher author and defence expert


"This carefully researched study sheds light on the multifaceted efforts of the IDF to manage and overcome the threats posed by Hamas and Hezbollah. Eilam’s balanced and nuanced analysis provides a revealing account of these endeavors."


—John Calabrese, The American University, Washington, DC


"Israel’s New Wars is a must- read book not only analyzes the conflicts between Israel and Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas, but also provides an intriguing and comprehensive study of how the IDF can prepare to fight non- state actors."


—Brig. General (Ret.) Ilan Paz


"There is a lot of important information contained within this book, focusing on Ehud Eilam’s highly valuable insights on various combat events and their impacts on the IDF and its combat doctrine development."


—Brig. General (Ret.) Gideon Avidor, Head of The Institute for Advanced Military Thinking


"Ehud Eilam offers a timely and well researched assessment of the history of 21st century conflicts pitting Israel against Hamas and Hezbollah. Most significantly, the author identifies and explains the distinctions between those conflicts and prior Arab- Israeli Wars."


—Dr. Bob Pauly, The University of Southern Mississippi