In occupied zone of Lebanon, Israeli military veterans see shadow of past wars

By Maayan Lubell

ISRAEL-LEBANON BORDER, July 15 (Reuters) - Israeli leaders describe the territory now occupied in Lebanon as a war gain, but some military veterans see the so-called "buffer zone" as a deadly replay of a doomed strategy they experienced first-hand.

Gil Shely recalls being told daily by his commanders in the late 1980s, in what was known then as the southern Lebanon "security strip", that he was protecting Israel's north.

"Looking back, it was all fairy tales," he said. ...