The problems that a military faces when dealing with a terrorist organization is that the center of gravity, that which makes the enemy vulnerable and can be attacked, is the individuals themselves. When armies face off against each other, the usual …

UNITED NATIONS (AFP) – US Ambassador John Bolton said there was no moral equivalence between the civilian casualties from the Israeli raids in Lebanon and those killed in Israel from “malicious terrorist acts”.
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So can someone explain to me how Lebanon is suppose to confront Hezbollah when they no longer even have a capital city to call their own?

Iran is the key Puppetmaster here, while Syria is playing second fiddle. The reports of at least 500 Iranian Revolutionary Guards aiding the scum in Lebanon are most likely an underestimate. As to Iran agreeing in part to discuss their nuke ambitions…more smoke and mirrors. And if they keep supplying Hiz with better ordinence such as the one that hit the Israeli naval vessel, look to the world (Europe and Mid-East) to remain mostly silent on that.

The peace-keeper scenario is almost insane, especially if US troops are asked to partake, one hopes if it does come to pass that the Libs at Foggy Bottom will keep from imposing feel good ROE on them this time (in 83′, the marines were instructed to not have live rounds in the chamber or was it unload weapons…either way it contributed to the barracks bombing)

Finally, regarding the US and other foreign nationals screaming to get out, they have my sympathy…but only to a point….Lebanon is not Paris or London as such they must accept a certain level of responsibility for being there…

Looks like the first stage of the confrontation with Iran has begun….not sure how it will end.

It shows force works. Unfortunately you have to keep up the show indefinitely.

IMHO, Israel would be well served by launching a few missiles/bombs at the locales in Damascus where it is rumored some of the terrorist leaders are staying. If nothing else rattling their windows might cause them some sleepless nights.

IIRC, Syria & Iran recently inked a mutual defense pact, which I suspect is part of what has the other regional players so worried.

Syria is probably a convenient stopover on the way to other more popular vacation spots. Can’t remember where I read that 60,888 Iranian “tourists” have made the trip to Lebannon — in the last 6 months.

Does it have a plan, per se? Or is it just making it up as it goes along? I don’t mean that as an insult. Unlike some people, like St. Andi of the Beagles, I think war is mostly making……

Homocide bombing thwarted in Jerusalem
The male suspect, a West Bank resident, was stopped by police on the city’s Jaffa Road near the Jaffa Gate for a routine security check during the late-morning incident.
The man was arrested on the scene, a…

If I were Olmert I’d arrange to secretly talk to Lebanon, tell the PM there that Israel will remove Hezbullah and drive them out of here. WHen that’s done, we leave and we’d leave earlier if the Lebanese do two things; 1. Help us root them out and destroy their infrastructure and rockets and 2. Outlaw Hezbullah from ever doing anything in Lebanon ever again. In exchange Israel will help secure Syrian withdrawl and will help rebuild what was damaged by Israeli warplanes in re: to infrastructure. Both nations get peace.

Btw Rush had a funny idea; Mossad agents capture the rockets and a launcher and send them into Syria; oops ;)

Keep them coming.

That would make pretty much whatever he does seem more reasonable – up to and including some kind of sustained ground offensive to take out Hizballah strongholds in southern Lebanon.

A city torn and in crisis. It’s not Beirut, it’s New York: The broadening violence in the Middle East is endangering a political species with deep roots in New York: the liberal Israel hawk. Although parts of the American left……

They don’t care about Syria any more than they care about the Palis. The Joooos, however, they have that very disturbing interest in.

Last night on Pundit Review radio, Ralph Peters noted that he thought Israel had blundered the campaign against Hezbollah by not immediately sending ground troops into southern Lebanon -- that the Israelis have become scared of taking casualtie…

Putting UN peacekeepers in there will do nothing more than sheild the terrorists, and create a target rich environment.. I was there in 83, I don’t want a repeat.

The Manattan project created 3 nuclear weapons in three years… and didn’t even know at the start it was possible.. how can you say that 60 years later, with better technology and MUCH more knowledge, that Iraq is 3 to 4 years away from a Nuc they have been working on for years now? I think Iraq is probably MONTHS away, not years away, and that why the Dance with the UN is happening…

Third? IDF needs to put a couple of armored division on a pincer movement to seal Lebanon 20 miles nort the the Isreali border, than work South to destroy the assets of Hiz… Disarm them, then leave…

The effect would be to surround Syira with democratic republics and isolate them.

And you can bet Syria won’t take overt action. Why should they? They’re content to sit back and watch the chaos unfold. Perhaps they think all of this will give them carte blanche to reinsert troops into Lebanon sometime in the future.

I’ve been a bit digusted with the media since this stuff started (well, more disgusted than usual). They’ve been all hopped up on the idea that this war will turn into a prolonged conflict between Israel, Syria, and Iran. Sure, it would help matters immensely if Israel took down Syria and Iran, but that’s got nothing to do with why the media are taking an interest in it. They just want to show more stuff blowing up so ratings will go up.