The guns began early. By mid-July, Israel and her various adversaries were locked in combat with bombs falling, rockets flying, reserves mobilizing and casualties mounting. As the fighting increased, observers noted the similarities between the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand in 1914 and the provocative abduction of two Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah this month. In 1914 repercussions from the assassination quickly spread to engulf the major European powers. The ensuing wars and their aftershocks continued for the rest of the century. Europe was never to be the same again.
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