Israel launches offensive inside Lebanon

[Venisenvy]

MARJAYOUN, Lebanon - The Israeli army on Wednesday said seven soldiers were killed in fighting with Hezbollah guerrillas after a cross-border raid in which the Lebanese group captured two other soldiers and dozens of Israeli troops crossed the frontier with warplanes, tanks and gunboats to hunt for the captives.

Israel’s Channel 10 reported Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz authorized a campaign of air strikes targeting Hezbollah guerrilla installations and Lebanese civilian infrastructure — a second front in the fight against Islamic militants by Israel, which already is waging an operation to free a captured soldier in the Gaza Strip.

The report described the planned blitz as part of Israel’s response to the capture of two of its soldiers and killing of several others in a Hezbollah border raid earlier in the day.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert called the soldiers’ capture “an act of war.”

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13823680/

I was not too happy with the action Israel was taking in Palestine recently but the actions Israel has taken today I am fully in favor of.

[db44]

I haven't been happy with Israel of late either, and I'm not in favor of this. However I don't know enough about the situation. Such as how much Hezbollah is connected to Lebanon.

[Venisenvy]

Hezbollah is a group in Lebanon like Hamas. They are also a political group like Hamas, they have 2 cabinet members that I know of and they are a key part of the government, they definetly are connected.

Also it doesnt help to see the Lebanese embassador to the US demanding that Israel stop and carry out a prisoner exchange. Basically saying we have israeli prisoners now, they have lebanese prisoners lets have an exchange. I think thats the last thing Israel should do, it sets a horrible precedent and frankly in these situation my hawkish side comes out, they should make them either release the prisoners or pay.

My only worry is that this could really make things a lot worse in the middle east for years to come. Obviously Syria is now involved because of Hezbollah. And Iran created Hezbollah to go after Israel so who knows what could happen there.

[Regis Philbin]

I have the utmost respect for the Israelis. They are such a tough people and have put up with so much crap just because of their religion. There's no doubt Syria and Iran are sending money, weapons, support to Hezbollah. This war could widen to other parts of the Middle East but I doubt it. I'm sure Syria, Egypt and Saudi Arabia can remember the absolute ass-whipping Israel put on them during the wars of the 1940's, 1960's and 1970's.

God bless Israel.

[pinky]

Their problems aren't about religion any more than 9/11 was. In both cases, the issues are political, but dressed up in religious garb.

[Regis Philbin]

Baloney! It's because they're Jews...

[pinky]

So you're trying to tell me that, if the nation of Israel didn't exist, and the Jews were still scattered around the world, that the Palestinians would be attacking them? :rolleyes:

[Venisenvy]

Look obviously its not just because they are jews but religion/race does play a part in the situation. Many things have gone on in 2000 years between the two people leading up to the tentions today, that cannot be forgotten but the situation today must also be looked at without putting too much weight on everything that happened in those 2000 years. The situation today is that Israel is here to stay, that others do not want to accept that and are doing everything to go after Israel.



I support the steps Israel is taking, i see little difference to when we attacked Afghanistan as a whole because of 9/11. Lebanon has allowed Hezbollah to freely grow without impunity. They are a terrorist organization for any military action to stop Lebanon has to denounce hezbollah and arrest its leaders, destroy the group. I would warn Israel against expanding it but if they decided to target sites in Syria I would not hold it against them and believe it is within their rights. Hezbollah being funded by the governments of Syria and Iran have opened those governments up to targets, obviously I do not want world war 3 and would strongly urge Israel not to expand it beyond the present fronts.

[pinky]

Certainly the differences in their respective religions makes it harder for them to achieve peace, but the fact of the matter is that the establishment of the nation of Israel is the basis of the hostilities, and terrorist organizations like Hezbollah and Hamas wouldn't be seeking out Jews as targets if Israel didn't exist.

[Venisenvy]

They would not be attacking them either if Jews didn't exist but they do, and Israel does exist. They are targeting them, and chances are if Israel didnt exist Jews would still be targets by someone somewhere they have been for all of history.

[pinky]

All religious groups have been attacked by others at some time. My point is that the crisis in the Middle East is political, not religious. Had Israel not been carved out of traditionally Arab territory, the current hostilities would not be taking place.

That said, Israel IS a reality that's not going away any time soon, and the other nations in the area are going to have to find a way to coexist.

[Regis Philbin]

http://drudgereport.com/if.gif

[Richard Tafoya]

Isreal takes a few hits.

NY Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/15/world/middleeast/15voices.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

More than 100 rockets rained down on northern Israel on Friday in a third straight day of attacks, killing a woman and her 5-year-old grandson, while thousands of residents around here packed their cars, boarded buses and hitched rides out of a region that normally enjoys a large influx of tourists on summer weekends.

The woman and boy were killed when a rocket slammed into the family dining room as they ate a traditional Sabbath dinner in the town of Meron. Several other family members were wounded in the attack, which was carried out by Lebanon’s militant Shiite Muslim group Hezbollah, according to the Israeli military. The names of the family were not immediately released.

At the bus station in nearby Safed, a town pounded by rockets on Thursday and Friday, Israelis scrambled to grab buses heading south before the start of the Jewish Sabbath at sundown Friday.

“Safed was a town that had never been hit by rockets until Thursday, so people were quite shocked,” said Galia Kubi, 66, whose family has lived in this hilltop town for seven generations.

Isreal demolishes Hezbollah headquarters
LA Times:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-mideast15jul15,0,2294193,print.story?coll=la-home-headlines
With the threat of regional war heightening by the hour, Israeli fighter jets demolished Hezbollah's headquarters in the southern suburbs of Beirut at sunset Friday, unleashing massive explosions that rocked the capital for miles around.

Hezbollah chief Sayed Hassan Nasrallah responded almost immediately with a televised speech -- and an ominous threat.

"The surprises I promised you will start now. The Israeli war vessels that inflicted damage on our infrastructure . . . will burn and sink in front of you," the Shiite cleric said. "This is the start."

With airstrikes and missile attacks intensifying, rhetoric hardening and civilian casualties mounting on both sides, Israel and Hezbollah seem determined to escalate their fight.

Hezbollah's improved arsenal, extended range worries Isreal
LA Times:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-haifa15jul15,0,7602484.story?coll=la-home-headlines

Brig. Gen. Yossi Baidatz, who heads the research wing of army intelligence, told the foreign-affairs committee of the Israeli parliament Thursday that Hezbollah has about 100 rockets capable of reaching 25 to 45 miles, the Yediot Aharonot newspaper reported.

Officials estimate that Hezbollah has about 10,000 rockets, mostly the shorter-range Katyushas, the newspaper said. The report said the older of the longer-range rockets, an Iranian-made Fajr 3, carries 200 pounds of explosives, while the newer Fajr 5 has a 385-pound warhead. It was unclear which of the two may have targeted Haifa.

Officials believe Hezbollah may also have rockets capable of reaching 75 miles, Eitan Ben-Eliyahu, the former Air Force commander, told Israel Radio on Friday. If true, that is far enough to reach the heavily populated fringes of Tel Aviv.

And the daily Haaretz newspaper reported Friday that Israeli officials believe Hezbollah may have rockets that could travel even farther, putting them in reach of most of the main cities in Israel.

[x2_Iceman]

What Israel is doing is disgusting!!!

They are going to start another war, involving other countries!

They don't give a damn about peace, all they want, is to show how strong they are, thanks to us, their big brother!

[pinky]

I can't agree with that assessment. Hamas, Hezbollah, and more than one Arab government leader have all threatened Israel repeatedly. The nation has a right to defend itself and its people from attack.

This time, they're going overboard, though. The sheer amount of destruction being caused is completely disproportionate to what's been done to Israel. And the overreaction of the Israeli government is extremely dangerous to the region and the world. Too bad Bush isn't man enough to tell them to stop.

[Venisenvy]

I disagree its not an overreaction its war, when Hezbollah attacked Israel it was an act of war and now when one is in war you dont just attack in a proportionate way to how you were attacked but you attack to win and achieve your goals.

[pinky]

Hezbollah has captured a handful of soldiers. Israel is attacking civilians populations.

[~Aquarian86~]

I can't agree with that assessment. Hamas, Hezbollah, and more than one Arab government leader have all threatened Israel repeatedly. The nation has a right to defend itself and its people from attack.

This time, they're going overboard, though. The sheer amount of destruction being caused is completely disproportionate to what's been done to Israel. And the overreaction of the Israeli government is extremely dangerous to the region and the world. Too bad Bush isn't man enough to tell them to stop.

I think they should defend themselves too, I haven't been keeping up to date with this stuff but I didn't know it was getting this severe/intense. It seems like they're all trigger happy over there, and Bush of course supports it since that's how we got into that Iraq mess.

[~Aquarian86~]

Oh, and I also didn't know Hezbollah struck first. I'm late.:o

[Venisenvy]

Israel is attacking Hezbollah locations and infastructure. Infastructure at times includes civilians locations but they serve important military purposes, Hezbollah is mostly located in locations with civilian populations. It is not Israel just targeting Civilians for the hell of it.

This is war, you are not restrained by what the other side has done, you do what you can to win. (within reason and that basically means dont purposely attack civilians for the hell of it and dont use nukes)

[~Aquarian86~]

Yeah, I thought I heard about Hezbollah being another Hamas. Isreal has so many threats I can't keep up.

[Venisenvy]

Yes Hezbollah is definetly similar to Hamas. Another thing that is worth knowing about Hezbollah is that they get their support from both Syria and Iran. Hezbollah was actually created by the Iranian government back in 1982 with the purpose of attacking Israel. They still continue to get support from them, the weapons they are using right now come from Iran. It is even said that the training the recieved was from Iranian troops in Lebanon. It is hard to believe that Iran and Syria were not involved in the attack Hezbollah launched.

[pinky]

All of which makes the stakes that much higher. Israel is risking all-out war with the entire Arab world.

[db44]

I'm not sure Hezbollah did strike first... I remember hearing of Israeli actions against I think Palestians a week or so before the kidnapping.

[Richard Tafoya]

From NPR's Marketplace, Hezbollah's cash base is Iran's oil export business:
http://marketplace.publicradio.org/shows/2006/07/14/PM200607141.html

MARTIN INDYK: It's generally accepted that Hezbollah receives approximately $100 million a year from the government in Tehran, which constitutes the bulk of the funding for Hezbollah's operations.

Iran also supplies Hezbollah's long-range missiles, the kind that hit the Israeli city of Haifa yesterday. Now, Tehran's already in the UN hot seat over its nuclear program. So why ask for more trouble?

Patrick Clawson of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy says Iranian leaders aren't scared. They feel their oil-rich economy is sanction-proof.

PATRICK CLAWSON: Iran's got more than $45 billion in foreign-exchange reserves in the bank. Iran thinks that its oil is vital to the world economy, and the West can't cut it off. And so Iran is remarkably self confident.

It's also expanding its influence in the region. Pro-Iran groups play key roles in Iraq's new government. And Tehran not only has financial leverage over Hezbollah, which is Shia, But also the Sunni Hamas, which is fighting Israel on its southern flank. Again, Martin Indyk:

INDYK: As the financing of Hamas was cut off, partly by the results of the US treasury, Hamas became more and more dependent on Iran.

Take these regional partnerships, add in 78 bucks for a barrel of oil, and Indyk says OPEC's number-two producer feels the wind is in its sails.

[Venisenvy]

All the more reason we need to spend more money on domestic exploration, building new refineries and increasing funding towards alternative fuels. We cannot just have one strategy to ween ourselves off mideast oil we need a multipronged one.

[buzzlightbeer]

I have the utmost respect for the Israelis. They are such a tough people and have put up with so much crap just because of their religion. There's no doubt Syria and Iran are sending money, weapons, support to Hezbollah. This war could widen to other parts of the Middle East but I doubt it. I'm sure Syria, Egypt and Saudi Arabia can remember the absolute ass-whipping Israel put on them during the wars of the 1940's, 1960's and 1970's.

God bless Israel.

Do you even know what you are talking about? Israel doesn't put up with crap because of their religion. The roots of the conflict are in territory. It has 0 to do with religion.

The whole situation is royally screwed up. The Palestinians have legitimate grievances. Heck, even Israel recognizes that. But given circumstances Israel has to be strong and defend itself.

[buzzlightbeer]

Baloney! It's because they're Jews...


With an uninformed, simplistic answer like that I will not be taking your opinion on this subject seriously.

[buzzlightbeer]

Look obviously its not just because they are jews but religion/race does play a part in the situation. Many things have gone on in 2000 years between the two people leading up to the tentions today, that cannot be forgotten but the situation today must also be looked at without putting too much weight on everything that happened in those 2000 years. The situation today is that Israel is here to stay, that others do not want to accept that and are doing everything to go after Israel.



I support the steps Israel is taking, i see little difference to when we attacked Afghanistan as a whole because of 9/11. Lebanon has allowed Hezbollah to freely grow without impunity. They are a terrorist organization for any military action to stop Lebanon has to denounce hezbollah and arrest its leaders, destroy the group. I would warn Israel against expanding it but if they decided to target sites in Syria I would not hold it against them and believe it is within their rights. Hezbollah being funded by the governments of Syria and Iran have opened those governments up to targets, obviously I do not want world war 3 and would strongly urge Israel not to expand it beyond the present fronts.


The religious issue is only recent. Jews lived far more peacefully in Arabic lands throughout history than in Christian ones. The issue is related to the founding of the Israeli state.

I also dont think the situation is like Afghanistan. Lebanon has not had the wherewithall to destroy Hezbollah, which has been controlled by Syria. Lebanon is attempting to become a democracy and free itself from Syria's grip. There are many factions within Lebanon, some of which may support Hezbollah. Your approach penalizes the Lebanese people rather than the perpetrators of the crime. That is more like Iraq actually.

Expanding the war to Syria would be idiotic. Sure, Israel could destroy them. But that is a short-term solution. That action would further inflame the Arab public and set middle east stability back 30 years.

I am not an expert so I hesitate to say what should be done. But it seems like surgical strikes against leading perpetrators would be the most effective response. Like it or not, this is not just a war of strength, but of public opinion. Inflaming the Arab world, whether justified or not, will not serve anyone's long-term interests.

[buzzlightbeer]

All religious groups have been attacked by others at some time. My point is that the crisis in the Middle East is political, not religious. Had Israel not been carved out of traditionally Arab territory, the current hostilities would not be taking place.

That said, Israel IS a reality that's not going away any time soon, and the other nations in the area are going to have to find a way to coexist.

I agree with you. I dont think that anything you said is even in question by anyone from arch-conservatives to flaming liberals.

[buzzlightbeer]

What Israel is doing is disgusting!!!

They are going to start another war, involving other countries!

They don't give a damn about peace, all they want, is to show how strong they are, thanks to us, their big brother!


I disagree. I think they are in a very difficult position. Acting out of strength has served them well for a long period of time. Ultimately, I believe their interests and those of the Palestinians are the same, which is peace, prosperity and stability. Israel will have to give up some things in order for that to occur. But they have shown a willingness to do that. It is tricky as to when to give up and when not to. I think to some extent Israel's militarism can play right into a trap that Hezbollah has set up for them. That is, Israel comes off as the bad guy, turning Arabic and world opinion against them. Over the short term, Israel won't let this affect them. But over the long term this will force them into greater concession sooner--probably too soon, which could be disastrous.

[buzzlightbeer]

I disagree its not an overreaction its war, when Hezbollah attacked Israel it was an act of war and now when one is in war you dont just attack in a proportionate way to how you were attacked but you attack to win and achieve your goals.


That is old style thinking. The thinking that existed when if you were the stronger military you could simply go in and destroy your enemy and force capitulation. Today, even when you are weaker or defeated, the possibility to inflict enormous hurt on the stronger party exists. Over-aggression will increase the likelihood of harmful actions against Israel over time. It will intensify and prolong hostilities which will not serve Israel's interests well.

[buzzlightbeer]

Yes Hezbollah is definetly similar to Hamas. Another thing that is worth knowing about Hezbollah is that they get their support from both Syria and Iran. Hezbollah was actually created by the Iranian government back in 1982 with the purpose of attacking Israel. They still continue to get support from them, the weapons they are using right now come from Iran. It is even said that the training the recieved was from Iranian troops in Lebanon. It is hard to believe that Iran and Syria were not involved in the attack Hezbollah launched.


I hate these analogies you make. They are very dangerous. It makes us see situations as stereotypes rather than in their concrete uniqueness. Hezbollah and Hamas are completely different organizations with similar objectives but differing motivations.

[buzzlightbeer]

All the more reason we need to spend more money on domestic exploration, building new refineries and increasing funding towards alternative fuels. We cannot just have one strategy to ween ourselves off mideast oil we need a multipronged one.


Now, you are talking. I also think we should put a consumption tax on large SUVs and other vehicles that put all of our long-term security at risk. Selfishness should come at a cost.

[x2_Iceman]

How are they definding themselves? Soldiers have been kidnapped and they answer with a war? Do they really think they have a chance getting the soldiers back that way? No, they will lose more soldiers and they could provoke a war with a lot more Arabian countries!

Ultimately, I believe their interests and those of the Palestinians are the same, which is peace, prosperity and stability.

Uhm, they are doing heck of a job showing that!

[alive]

Let's look at this whole thing from another point of view...

Three years ago, US, and the Eropean Union demands Iran to stop enriching uranium, which can be lead to creating atomic weapons...UN sent its representatives to Iran, looking for any sign proving Iran is after atomic weapons or is in the process of enriching uranium.
Iran's Islamic government started playing hide and seek, and put up games after games to stop the process.

Now, after three years, the whole world has reached a conclusion that Iran should stop the process, because it's a threat to the whole world. The case has been sent back to Security Council, and that can have a lot of disadvantages for Iranian government. Then all of a sudden two Isreali soldiers are kidnapped in Isreal by people whose links to Iran's government is obvious to the world...do you guys see what I see? They are trying to shove the spotlight back on Isreal and Lebanon crisis...they are buying time for themselves.

[Venisenvy]

I hate these analogies you make. They are very dangerous. It makes us see situations as stereotypes rather than in their concrete uniqueness. Hezbollah and Hamas are completely different organizations with similar objectives but differing motivations.


Analogies are never a perfect fit but they do help at times to better see the situation. The fact is both are terrorist organizations with branches that are political and the world will be a better place when both organizations are destroyed.

Now, you are talking. I also think we should put a consumption tax on large SUVs and other vehicles that put all of our long-term security at risk. Selfishness should come at a cost.


I am not in favor of putting a tax on large vehicles what i am in favor is of forcing car manufacturers to make cars with better gas usage.

That is old style thinking. The thinking that existed when if you were the stronger military you could simply go in and destroy your enemy and force capitulation. Today, even when you are weaker or defeated, the possibility to inflict enormous hurt on the stronger party exists. Over-aggression will increase the likelihood of harmful actions against Israel over time. It will intensify and prolong hostilities which will not serve Israel's interests well.

I disagree while I dont necessarily disagree with your conclusion in War the object is to win. Israel cannot do that by launching a missle here and a missle there, it has to frankly do everything in its power to destroy Hezbollah and bring it to its knees. That also means that it will have to attack non-hezbollah targets like bridges, the airport, roads going in and out of the country etc... An act of war does just that it launches you into a war, after that the gloves are off. And Israel has the legitimate right to do what it has done. Now the question of wether its smart or not for the long term is one worth discussing but in the end Israel still has the legitimate authority to act as it is.

funny enough most people want to talk about Israel and how its over reacting but people dont really talk about Hezbollah and how they must stop. Pick on the victim...im not a big fan of that.

[lallybrooky]

^ But there isn't just a single victim. Israeli, Palestinian and Lebanese civilians are all victims.

Hopefully Israel will contribute towards the rebuilding of the airport, bridges and roads. Otherwise Lebanon will be set back several years and Israel really doesn't need Lebanon relying on Syria or Iran.

But Lebanon is my country and my home. It was supposed to be Lebanon's golden summer, lots of my friends were coming to stay. One hotel had 70 weddings cancelled in seven hours. Our economy will be ruined.

There are some really balanced opinions from both sides of the Israel-Lebanon conflict on the BBC:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5185256.stm

[buzzlightbeer]

funny enough most people want to talk about Israel and how its over reacting but people dont really talk about Hezbollah and how they must stop. Pick on the victim...im not a big fan of that.

You seem to want to apply your own morality to this situation, rather than look at reality. What good is it going to do for the world to demand Hezbollah stop? None. Actions are possible, like bans and blockades, but what happens in these situations is that innocent victims start to suffer and organizations like Hezbollah turn the tide of opinion against the imposer.

In a war, each side wants to win. If you have the stronger military it is easy to invoke conventional morality and so-called rules of war. Because that will ensure victory. But, if you are on the other side, you have no choice but to play by different rules.

It is foolhardy to moralize. Obviously, Hezbollah thinks they are in the right and since conventional means will not achieve their objectives they ain't gonna listen to America, the UN, or conventional moralists--who in my opinion are actually only seeking to maintain the status quo.

The only solution is to come to an agreement that both sides accept. To do this, both sides will need to compromise. Israel has shown more willingness to do this. But they are also in the catbird seat. Hezbollah's concerns must be understood and treated with respect by the world community--only then can they be prevailed upon to understand and treat with respect the concerns of Israel.

This is a difficult course and will take a long time. In the interim, terrorist actions must be stood up to, pain inflicted and the ability to terrorize limited. But this must also be done understanding that the ultimate war here is not military but of public opinion--both getting the Arab public not to feel that the west are neo-imperialists, controlling their region of the world, and trying to change their culture and also world opinion at large, which at this time is sympathetic to the Palestinians which results in the very objection you point out--condemnation of the Israelis.

Your attempt to hold all parties to a moral standard is admirable. Just realize that it is your own moral standard and thus one that benefits those who already hold power. It's like claiming that children should respect their parents. Well, if a child is being abused, then should they still respect that parent? And we certainly can get angry at that child when they act out, take drugs, bully other children...But the underlying issue of the parents abuse is not addressed.

I am not necessarily saying that Israel is abusing the Palestinians. But the Palestinians do feel that way, so to claim the abused child should respect the parent just fosters the child's frustration and anger. If the world sees terrorism as a cancer, the world must address the underlying causes, rather than just spank and punish the terrorists. On the other hand, those who are bad need to be spanked.

[buzzlightbeer]

I am not in favor of putting a tax on large vehicles what i am in favor is of forcing car manufacturers to make cars with better gas usage.





I don't agree with this at all. I am against government limiting the freedom of individuals or corporations. Companies should be regulated by government in areas where their direct actions affect the common good, such as pollution in manufacturing process. But they should be free to build the products they wish.

Consumers should also be free to purchase Hummers if they want. However since this purchase has a disproportionate affect on others by increasing our reliance on limited fossil fuels, then the Hummer purchaser has a responsibility back to society in the form of increased taxes. Their free choice is preserved while the overall societal affect is accounted for.

[Stopanimalabuse]

It's been a while since I posted here, but this event could lead to a depression over time so it is of huge importance. I have been reading arguments about this on the Christina board. Now I can remember why I don't post there anymore.

In 1990, Hezbollah took numerous hostages from the "Western world". Many were released and little to no violence resulted. Israel has taken Hezbollah members and Palestinians as hostages. Hezbollah has responded by taking two Israeli's as hostages but Israel hasn't suffered too much from these acts. There are as many as 200 million slaves today in mostly third world countries. There are thousands of sex slaves today. Foreigners will come in to countries and, in many instances, they have been murdered. All of these acts could be considered "acts of war" as well, but little action is taken. If humans started to take actions like these anytime an incident like this happened, there would be war just about everywhere.

In 1967, the USS Liberty was shot at by Israeli's. Maybe 33 sailors would die and more than 100 injured. There is no indication anywhere that it was being hostile, so there was no reason it should have been shot at. Should the United States government have done something about this even close to what Israel has done? No.

Groups like Hamas and Hezbollah reportedly enjoy great popularity in their countries. Israel is considered an imperialist and an aggressor by many Arabs, so they have to change that. This act certainly won't do that. Zionists had refused the Madagascar Plan in 1940, so obviously they chose Israel as their "home". They should try to live in peace with their neighbors, but Israel's government just doesn't have that desire. If they get rid of these groups, another group similar will likely form in the future. Nobody wins in the end.

[Stopanimalabuse]

The fact is both are terrorist organizations with branches that are political and the world will be a better place when both organizations are destroyed.
When the US and Israeli militaries bomb hospitals and kill civilians time and time and time again, that would be considered terrorism as well.

[Stopanimalabuse]

Oh, and I also didn't know Hezbollah struck first.
There's no evidence shown that Hezbollah did strike first. All of this talk about war with Iran by the Israeli and US governments has occured, and then something like this happens? I guess Israel doesn't have hostages on the other side? Yeah, right.

[Stopanimalabuse]

I'm sure Syria, Egypt and Saudi Arabia can remember the absolute ass-whipping Israel put on them during the wars of the 1940's, 1960's and 1970's.
You forget to mention they did it with American aid. When you have that kind of technology and your opposition doesn't, of course you're going to win.

[Stopanimalabuse]

I guess Blair and Annan are sending forces to help stop the attacks on Israel. They're siding with one country in a case like this. That's typical.