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The start of the twenty-first century saw many changes in the way war was being conducted. Alongside war at sea, in the air, and on land, there is now psychological warfare (referred to as psywar), which has proven to be an extremely powerful military dimension. The power of psychological warfare is a result of the revolution in information and communication in the first years of the current century: the Internet, instant global communications, smartphones, and social media. All these channels have become arenas for warfare and powerful influencers on leaders, militaries, and entire populations. Historically, democracies have been reticent about employing psychological warfare for a number of reasons, but in recent years, they have been unable to ignore its existence and have increasingly been making use of it. However, in contrast with other forms of warfare for which there are international ethical rules, there is no ethical regulation of psychological warfare. This article assesses the challenges and dilemmas facing democratic countries in their use of psychological warfare and for the first time offers proposals for ethical rules toward that end by way of an Israeli test case: the long-term use of psychological warfare by the Israel Defense Forces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The commission of inquiry into the events of military engagement in Lebanon in 2006 asserted that Israeli special forces were improperly deployed during the Second Lebanon War. In this article, Yair Ansbacher and Ron Schleifer explore why the Israeli special operations forces' (SOF) contribution to campaigns have been marginal, using the 2003 US deployment of SOF in Iraq as a point of comparison. They aim to identify and define the most effective deployment modes of modern SOF in war, and explain the changes that Israeli SOF must undergo to enhance future performance.◼ [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article informs that the Israel–Russia relations refers to the bilateral foreign relations between the two countries, Israel and Russia. Topics include the two countries have signed twenty intergovernmental agreements; Russian–Israeli relations are based on a mutual interest: to bring peace to the Middle East; and Russia's policy toward Iran has always been in conflict with that of Israel.

The 2006 War between Israel and Hezbollah had a significant component of PSYOP. For the first time in its military history Israel deployed PSYOP as an inseparable part of its military operations. The performance of the PSYOP unit was less than satisfactory due to organizational factors and the general conduct of the war itself. This article analyzes the goals, the themes, and the delivery channels used throughout the PSYOP campaign. An attempt is made to answer the key question of whether this effort was effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How could a few hundred guerrillas force their will on a regional power? The struggle of Hezbollah against Israel is a striking case study of applying psychological warfare techniques, which can provide an explanation to the above question as well as to similar conflicts against radical Islam. The article outlines the structure of a PSYOP plan adopted by Hezbollah, details their messages to the selected target audiences, means of their delivery, and the unique doctrine developed and executed, which eventually led to Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]