Linkmeister

Israel v. Lebanon, the sequel

Trying to figure out what's going on in Lebanon is a task I'm highly unsuited for, which is why reading an article like this one is helpful. The author, Anthony Shadid, is with the WaPo Foreign Service and seems to know more about the factions within that country than most of the other writers I've read. He posits that Hezbollah may have overreached its position and that the country's elected officials may start pushing back. I've heard on the network news that the Lebanese army doesn't patrol its borders with Israel in the south, leaving it up to Hezbollah. Apparently the kidnaping of the two Israeli soldiers and Israel's response is beginning to push Lebanon's politicians closer to asserting themselves over Hezbollah, which would probably be useful.

After a cabinet meeting Thursday, the government said it had a right and duty to extend its control over all Lebanese territory. Interior Minister Ahmed Fatfat said the statement marked a step toward the government reasserting itself.

Other government officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, went further, calling it a first move in possibly sending the Lebanese army to the border, a U.N.-endorsed proposal that Hezbollah has rejected. The officials described the meeting as stormy and contentious but said both sides -- Hezbollah and its government critics -- were especially wary of public divisions at a time of crisis.

If Israel had any sense and didn't react so emotionally to the fate of its two soldiers (not that the US has much room to suggest that after our reaction to the killing of those contractors in Fallujah) it might be logical to sit back for a bit and wait to see what happens with the Lebanese politicians.