From the Jerusalem Post:
The Lebanese Minister of Defense warned Israel Thursday that if IDF ground forces are sent into southern Lebanon, Lebanese troops will fight along with the Hizbullah against Israel.
So wait—if Lebanese troops join the fight by defending Hizbullah (and wasn’t the Lebanese story up until now that they couldn’t control Hizbullah in southern Lebanon?), does this not mean that the Lebanese government will have in fact allied themselves with the aggressors in this war? And if that’s the case, isn’t it Israel’s duty, given this bit of refreshing clarity, to defeat those members of the Lebanese army who would stand with Hizbullah?
Oh. And is there no one in that region who isn’t absolutely insane with Jew hatred?
Granted, not a lot of meat to the story. But if this report turns out to be accurate—and if it isn’t just a bluff by the Lebanese to try to bring about a cessation of bombings and thwart a potential Israeli land attack in advance of, say, a UN peace keeping force—what should Israel do?
Anyone?
****
(h/t LGF; related: Krauthammer, “The Only Exit Strategy)
Finish the job.
And won’t that put them in Southern Lebanon, fighting, where they should have been all along?
Do you really want to be holding hands with Hezbollah when the IAF comes to call?
Killem all, and let God sort em out.
I am so proud to see the Lebanese ‘Army’ finally stepping up to the plate.
And I can’t wait to hear the lamentations of their women.
Lebanon: “We aren’t responsible for Hezbollah! We hate them! We can’t control them! It’s not our fault! But our troops will join them.”
Israel: “Gotcha. Say hello to my little friend.”
I am not surprised by this assertion; it’s my understanding that Lebanese troops are sectarian, many with loyalties to hezbollah. Lebanon must be feeling pretty desparate and abandoned about now.
Obviously, if the Lebanese army sides with HZB then all of Lebanon becomes a free fire zone. However, I repeat, I don’t think the Israelis wish to invade Lebanon, nor do they wish to destroy Lebanon. They have to stop the rockets, first.
There are bluffs, bad bluffs, and then there is just plain silly. Lebanon’s army can’t reign in Hezbollah yet somehow they will go to bat for them against the Israelis? Is there any conceivable upside to this approach? Peace through total defeat?
Israel has already targeted components of the Lebanese army, presumably those sympathetic to Hizbollah. Now Prime Minister Seniora has just given Israel the “green light.” How ironic is that?
Wounded soldier: “Oh, god, it hurts!”
Major Pain: “Do you want something to take your mind off that pain?”
Wounded soldier: “God, yes!”
Major Pain breaks his thumb: “There, your leg doesn’t hurt so bad now does it?”
If Lebanon insists on widening the war (and they won’t, they are smarter than that), then the best way to shorten the fight is to delay the ground campaign, which Israel MUST launch but then extend the air campaign to the Syrian border and hit targets in Syria itself. This way, you weaken the entire command structure of HZB and lengthen or disrupt their lines of resupply.
By extending and expanding the initial battlefield preparation, you weaken and isolate HZB (whatever the diplo-idiots say, we are talking about tactical communications here not chimerical ‘good-will’
and so a rolling ground campaign can destroy HZB piecewise as it advances through Lebanon to the Bekaa Valley (where Israel MUST go).
By also extending the air campaign to HZB’s Syrian assets, this forces the Lebanese to either side with HZB AND a notional Syrian response, which would fracture it immediately, thus rendering it immobile and useless, or would unify it against Israel, or against a Syrian incursion.
But the one thing that Israel should not do is wait for enemies to materialize. It should stab HZB in the tender rear and flanks and so cut it into pieces. Then it should devour those pieces one at a time. If Lebanon will be a threat, Syria will be a threat too. Hit the biggest dude in the bar first and the hardest, then wrestle with his scrawny friends.
Charge hard and charge often. Then pick up the weapons that were dropped without a shot being fired. Is the Lebanese army qualified or properly trained to stand up to the IDF? I think not. If there is an engagement between IDF and the Leb army, it won’t last long. ……Oh and sectarian or not, the result will be the same. Liquidation.. That is all…..
Someone had better get to the Lebanese and explain to them carefully what the consequences would be were they to carry out that threat.
Sad to say, but if Lebanon joins with HZB, then Lebanon must be destroyed, as must Syria.
Not that pinpoint shyte, either. We’re talking Berlin/Frankfurt/Tokyo kind of destruction. If Israel is to survive, it must be prepared to take lives, now, while the UN is fumbling and the only people squawking about it are the fwench.
This region has been a pressure cooker with the screws being tightened since 1973, with very little relief in the interim.
Better all parties fight it out now conventionally, before other entities (*coughIrancough*) decide it would be a dandy idea to send in some “special” weapons and training.
SCREW THEM!!
Hey, don’t knock it. Sucks to be on the defeated side, but it does lead to actual peace.
Or so I hear from the French.
If isreal is going to roll over Lebanon like Micheal Moore rolling over a chihuahua in his bed, then the US should send a fleet of ships to rescue the hot chicks of lebanon. Maybe call the operation something snappy: “ the Beirut titty lift” or “hotty rescue”
Just put a security guy with a velvet rope at the gangway of each ship to sort ‘em out.
So waitâ€â€if Lebanese troops join the fight by defending Hizbullah (and wasn’t the Lebanese story up until now that they couldn’t control Hizbullah in southern Lebanon?)…
Not so sure they’d be “defending Hizbullah” so much as they would be “defending their country”. The difference seems pretty clear to me – it’s one thing for them to stand by and do nothing against the IAF, because they don’t have the capability. But how are they supposed to sit still while their country is invaded? What credibility would they have left after that?
Just to be clear: not trying to criticize Israel or give anyone any rhetorical cover here. I’m just not sure it’s productive to try to lump the Lebanese Army in with the Hizbullah scum. I also don’t really understand what you’re trying to imply when you say, rather snarkily it seems, “and wasn’t the Lebanese story up until now…”. Are you saying that the Lebanese army could have controlled Hizbullah and chose not to? If so, can you back that up? Everything I’ve seen and read has said that the Lebanese Army does not have the wherewithal, not to mention the political will, to do so (considering that most Lebanese seem to agree that any attempt to assert such control would have resulted in civil war).
I guess I just don’t understand the apparently hostile tone of your post towards Lebanon generally as opposed to just Hizbullah and its supporters. Is it that you think such a distinction is essentially BS (i.e. that Lebanon can’t claim to be a sovereign nation and then let terrorists run around killing and kidnapping its neighbors)? Or do you just believe that the whole thing is a facade and that most Lebanese actually agree with Hizbullah? Or something else?
As to what Israel should do… how about an alternative to invasion: Israel offers air and logistical support to the LA to drive Hizbullah “soldiers” southward, where they can be shelled, bombed, and sniped out of existence. Not sure if that’s a workable plan, especially since at this point I find it doubtful that the LA could possibly even consider cooperating with Israel (again the credibility thing), but if they really do oppose Hizbullah, and want to avoid the catastrophe of another invasion, it may seem like the least bad alternative.
If, on the other hand, the LA refuses cooperation and does join the fight against an Israeli invasion, then as far as I’m concerned, even if this is the honorable course of action from their perspective as a national military force, then they become just another obstacle for Israel to overcome. It would be sad, but even if I wouldn’t consider them equivalent to Hizbullah for doing so, the bottom line is that Israel has to do what it has to do to survive, and if the LA gets in the way of that, then so be it.
Is that Glenn/Glenda guy in here?
TW:give..war a chance
Israel has very close ties to parts of the Lebanese government. They should work with them to see if they can help them negotiate this somehow. Offer them help through back channels.
Has it occurred to anyone that the members of the Lebanese govenment might be in fear of their own lives? We don’t know what’s happening. The Israelis and the non-radical Lebanese have developed a promising relationship over the last few years. This is nothing less than a tragedy.
There are some who are hostile to Lebanon, with at least some justification.
“Sovereignty” and “nationhood” are not magic charms, nor are they spells a la Doom or Everquest. A sovereign nation must step up to the plate, must do the things that confirm and exercise its sovereignty.
But it goes farther, although that’s a big component of the vector. Analogy: if you have a neighbor whose guests misbehave, you expect that the neighbor, the householder, will take steps to either stop the misbehavior or kick the bums out. If the householder does not do so, it’s fair to consider him complicit in what the misbehavers do.
We need badly to establish the principle, and it would be well to articulate it: if you see somebody shooting at Israel, shoot the s– b– yourself. He and his buddies may try to attack you if you do so. Israel will definitely blow your ass away if you do not. From that the individuals involved may very well eventually infer the general case, which is there is no such thing as “somebody else’s problem”. It is the responsibility of everyone to take steps to maintain societal norms.
Particular individuals may be too weak, or too diffident, to act to that end. This is not villainy if the person so defecting asks for help. We have policemen and armies composed of people who are willing to go to the effort and incur the risks. It is sufficient for the individual to point out the misbehaver in sufficient detail for the helpers to determine what the misbehavior is and how to correct it.
A person not even willing to do that is for all practical purposes an ally of the misbehaver, and gets the same calumny. This will continue to occur.
Regards,
Ric
Kofi says the excessive use of force is to be condemned.
Well, he could have said that the Israelis should all get on these trains…
Could the UN possibly be more useless? Everybody knows the strings are being pulled in Tehran. The funding comes from Tehran. This won’t be ended until Tehran ends it. Is there even the slightest motivation for them to do so?
I think the offer to Israel is “submit and die.”
I hate Iranian sockpuppets.
I hope the Lebanese Army chooses wisely.
Otherwise:
I volunteer to soothe the lamentations of their women.
Greenwald: We’re NOT a Douchebag
Not my area of expertise, but here goes a 30 second attempt.
We all agree I think that Hezbollah is the real enemy here. Or at least the worst enemy. So Israel needs to get them the best they can.
Most of what I’ve heard says that the Lebonese army and even the entire society could split along religeous lines if the army moves against Hezbollah, which could bring about another period of civil war. I don’t know how true this is, but that’s what I hear.
But I’m betting that although fighting Israel would be very dangerous and potentially devestating for the Lebonese army and government, it probably (and this is a big guess on my part) won’t lead to civil war. Just a sound thrashing by Israel, but not total distruction. So actually fighting Isreal could be less risky that fighting Hezbollah.
So why wouldn’t Israel want to destroy the Lebonese army and government entirely? They probably could. But what would that gain them? Truthfully, I think it would be easier for Israel to defeat the Lebonese Army (LA) than to defeat Hezbollah. Because Hezbollah can fade away easier and hid amongst civillians. Just my guess. So what happens if the LA and Lebonese Government (LG) are destroyed? Perhaps that would leave Lebanon closer to being like Somalia than it is now. And then you might have a failed nation-state on the border of Israel, which might be an even worse environment for Israel, and better for Hezbollah.
I could be wrong here. After all, even with the LA and LG as they are now, Hezbollah still fires missiles and captures Israeli soldiers. But maybe it would be even worse if the entire nation of Lebanon desolved into civil anarchy. Again, it is all speculation on my part.
So my two cents? It sounds to me like Israel should do as much as it can to keep the LA out of the fight. If they do attack, as much as possible, try to keep them away. I suppose if LA units started moving south, if the Israeli Air Force blew the bridges between the LA unit and the south of Lebanon, that might slow them down. Bomb their convoys. But maybe instead of bombing them untill they are totally destroyed, just bomb them until they stop moving south. Once they stop moving south, leave them alone.
After all, I think we wanted Lebanon to enforce UN 1559, which meant the LA would disarm and control Hezbollan and the south part of Lebanon. Well, they may not be doing a very good job of that right now, but they certainly won’t be doing it at all if Israel bombs them into obliteration.
It won’t be an easy decision. Israel will probably find itself between a tough choice and a really tough choice.
If Israel is given the chance, then she should take it and finish that front.
Finish fast, then get back into a crouch, a defensive posture, and wait for the next stupid mistake from her enemies.
The waiting and defense allows Israel to keep the progressive Arabic states neutral, and not inflame any one else-except the hemarrhoid states that stay inflamed…
This is either posturing on the part of the Lebanese government, or an insane death wish.
My money’s on posturing.
Which is more likely to happen first?
1. The EU declares Hizbollah to be a terrorist organization.
2. The EU declares the IDF to be a terrorist organization.
In other news, St. Louis was hit with the most damaging storm in its history yesterday, and today suffered through the hottest day of the year. Upwards of 400,000 people here are still without electriity. Ask me tomorrow how many elderly folks perished in the heat. Then we’ll compare the simplisme Red State response to the sophisticated French response of a few years ago, or this year, for that matter.
Turing Word: even, not by a long shot.
As much as I’d like to see Syria clobbered it is becoming clear that Isreal doesn’t want to stir up that hornets nest.
It may have something to do with the fact that Syria has the rockets and the chemical weapons (VX gas in hardened silos) to blanket all of Isreal in a toxic cloud. They probably also have dirty bombs, are would find some if conventionally attacked. Syria’s missle capability is real. Real scary.
The only option, it would seem to me, would be a preemptive, ruthless nuclear first strike on Syria AND Iran.
As appealing as that sounds it would require US involvement. I don’t think we’re going to green light something like this and, at this point, don’t think we should.
But, you never know what Isreal will do. Some day they will either gather the will or cease to exsist.
Am I missing something?
Serr, if you don’t copyright that, I will.
Jeff’s exasperation is similar to mine when Sadat was assasinated. How screwed up is your mental calculus to think fighting Hezbollah will destroy the country, but fighting the IDF will save it?
A moment’s reference to Inferno might be useful. The part about “equivocators.”
CJ,
Right now, Lebanon (the government) has “rhetorical cover” allowing them to NOT directly be a part of this conflict. Their cover is twofold: they haven’t the might (and perhaps will) to remove Hezbollah; and they haven’t engaged with Israeli forces while they address Hezbollah.
It is a weak cover, in that allowing the Hezbollah to prosper and operate freely within their sovereignty could rightly be viewed as state support and allows state-to-state war.
When “defending their country” means that they will engage the Israeli forces in support of either Hezbollah, or Lebanon’s “right” to continue supporting Hezbollah, or even Lebanon’s right to be left alone (while Hezbollah continues operations from their soil) seems to put them squarely on one side of this fight. While there might be a twinge of regret for the consequences of their decision, there should not be hesitation to do what it takes to conclude this fight with success.
If they make that decision (operatively, not verbally) then yes: there is animosity towards Lebanon.
I tend to believe they (the larger population and the acting majority of the government) will not operatively engage. I hope this is true due to observing the recent elections (where Hezbollah won a relatively small number of seats) and the make up of the parliament. I think I am not basing my hopes on wishes.
If they do not engage, they (the government and the fledgling democracy) may be like the gladiator, the one that lives and gets to continue fighting. It is not much, but perhaps best case.
You know Burrhog, I wrote my comment quickly, but thought I had thought it out pretty thououghly. But then I read you post and realized there were a lot of variables that I hadn’t considered. A WMD attack by Syria is a whole ‘nother level of threat for Israel to have to be prepared to counter and deter.
Well, whatever Israel does will be tough, but as long as they stay strong, they’ll come out on top, God willing.
Burrhog–
Several things. First, if Syria attacks Israel, all bets are off regarding US non-involvement (so, you see, the US is involved, but passively, so far). Second, as a previous commenter here noticed, Iraq is a gigantic US aircraft carrier, in effect. Third, carriers and other ships posted in the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. Fourth, B2s. The list is really much longer.
Burrhog
VX gas in hardend silos? Well I guess the bunker busters that Israel purchased from the US last year willbe ineffective. Be honest, what scenario do you think Israel has left out?
My money is on none…..
hardened, sorry
Note —
From now on, trolls who are here solely to shit on me will have their comments deleted.
An ode to exterminate the arab brutes.
there once was a moron from who cares
between his asshole and a hole in the ground he was unawares.
he talked stupid shit
he searched in vane for his dick
and tried to get used to the stares.
Aw, Jeff, please don’t do that. It deprives us of the pleasure of beating the crap out of them.
Great Post here Jeff. Have read much but never commented.
I don’t believe Israel has any choice but to destroy the Hezzies and the Lebanese army that joins them. Israel cannot continue to risk the national security when they are opposed by a group that doesn’t wish to peacefully coexist but wishes to exterminate Jews wherever they exist. It is the unbridled hatred that must be crushed and unfortunately the only language these bastards speak is that of violence, hatred and war.
Yes, but it is a simple matter of missiles to aircraft. Syria has more. Syria has some ~60-80 mobile launchers which Israel will certainly not destroy in a single sortie. Then Syria has (more than) 12 installations with hundreds of missile silos (well over one thousand: sorry, it has been a while since I looked the numbers over). In comparison, Israel only has 337 combat aircraft and a relatively small number of JDAM-type munitions (~1000). That means that Israel could not destroy Syria’s ability to strike back even if every single Israeli aircraft killed two missiles in one massive sortie.
Syria’s major capability is biological, and Israel has two Arrow batteries and two Patriot batteries, something like ~100 ABM missiles. But a strike on Syria should open a round of strikes from Iran too.
This is precisely why Israel has not rolled Syria but it is not an insurmountable challenge.
Wait, Verc–how, exactly, is it that Iran’s going to strike Israel if they start pounding Syria?
As Alexander “I’m in charge here” Haig said on H&C, Hizbollah hasn’t just been lying around getting a tan the last four years. They’ve been assassinating people, infiltrating the Army (which has a large contingent of Shia who are sympathetic to HZ), and doing whatever it takes to consolidate their hold on Southern Lebanon. It’s not a big stretch to imagine the LA joining the fight. One of the reasons the government can’t control the southern part of the country is that they don’t trust their army to stay loyal.
That’s what Iran said, and I tend to believe that the mullacracy IS crazy enough to spike the ball o’war down on the Israelis.
Still, if Israel is going to decisively hit HZB, this war must get wide. Shut down Iran and Syria and that’s it folks, the terror masters are going to turn inward on Syria and Iran and leave Iraq and Israel to its own devices. So its an interesting nut.
Jeff, the story you’re referring to in this post about Lebanese Army joining forces with Hezbullah has been confirmed by FNC.
One thing nagging at my own speculative process:
Hezbollah hasn’t exactly crumbled before the IDF. Reports (even from reliable media) show that IDF has taken regular casualties, even in its limited ground forays into Lebanon. One of their ships took a missile (thanks to Iran’s puppetry). Hezbollah’s got mines everywhere—it’s not a cake-walk if Israel goes full-bore into Lebanon.
If we consider the possibility—however small—that Syria and/or Iran might become overtly engaged, what does the U.S. do, and when?
For my part, should the day ever come when Israel found itself facing a combined military threat—perhaps conventional and perhaps worse—that it might just not be able to overcome alone, I am comforted to know that we presently have a president who would do what an ally is supposed to do in such an event: Bring the cavalry.
Is there any Democrat who could be counted on to do that? For all of Clinton’s talk about being willing to take up arms for Israel (which, of course, he didn’t do for the U.S.), you KNOW he’d be the first guy at Kofi’s “Cease-Fire Now” parade.
Well, thank God, Jeff. Pace Dan and the others, I do like my threads with a little less . . . offal in them.
TW: Well-written post. How much weirder can this whole conflagration get? (I know: A lot.)
BTW: Maybe we should send “Regis” in to negotiate, instead of Condi? Just a thought.
If Israel and Syria ramp up to open war, I don’t know if Iran can stay out of it. If Syria gets an asswhuppin’ the people may blame aloy of it on Iran for not helping. On the other hand, the longer Iran waits, the more the “Islamic Street” will want to see if Iran has it within their means to hurt Israel badly. The “Street” may be looking for a hero.
It also makes a smaller window through which The USA can act through, if needed. Once Iran starts to act, the US will have an excuse, as a defender of Iraq. Not necessarily because we have a treaty to defend Israel.
blame aloy of it
“alot”
tw: “study”: Not as much as I should have, it seems.
If Syria and Iran become involved, the US smashes them. Period. I believe that we are treaty-bound to them, by the same agreements that make us pay Egypt and Israel their aid, but I might be wrong about the force of our alliance.
On the other hand, if Syria enters the conflict, Iran has stated that it will support her, and so the obvious question is through whose goddamn satrapy are you filthy holocaust-denying goat-bothering mad mullahs going to transfer your weapons through? Or fire over? Or overfly with fighter-bombers? Ain’t gonna be Iraq*, that’s for damn sure, and it won’t be Turkey either. Nor Kuwait-Saudi Arabia-Jordan either.
So what they will do is infiltrate Iraq or try shipborne replenishment for the tepid ground forces, and lob a few missiles just to say ‘hi!’
*Even if the Shia south (and elected government) welcomed Iranian forces with open arms–which they won’t–and somehow twisted the US/Coalitions nipples into letting it happen–which they can’t–the only roads to the West are through the decidely unfriendly Sunni Triangle and Al Anbar province or Kurdistan. I doubt Iranian armored columns would dig the vibe they’d get from hookah bars of the Sunni Triangle.
Wretchard has recently added this post in his most recent comment section:
“You’ll note the area overlooking Avivim, where the IDF found 120-foot deep bunkers and weapons caches plus huge land mines, was near outpost 65-2 of the Ghana Battalion, UNIFIL. UNIFIL was commanded by Major-General Alain Pellegrini of France.
7:05 PM
Again, our “friends” the duplicitous French and the UN. Can we finally admit what we are fighting and recognize who our enemies really are?
TW: “charge”–that’s too easy
Aw, c’mon, those guys all prance around so pretty, and they can FORM UP AN ARROW AND MARCH AS ONE!
YOU try it. Huh, not so easy now, is it, mister doubter pants.
And Jeff, if you want me to shit on you, yer gonna have to hit my tip jar pretty hard. And I’ll need a fat sack of Taco Bell as well, and a quart of prune juice.
And a picture of that Lebanese cunt Helen Thomas, to bust loose my sphincter…OKAY! This time you’ve gone too far!
I couldn’t fucking believe this story when I heard it.
Then again, Hizballah is a party within the Lebanese government, so who knows?
Israel might bomb them. Which would be just terrible.
Having reflected, I think this is face-saving, middle-eastern style. An army, not addressing IDF or Hezbollah. The international community, and their own government stating they are incapable of expelling Hezbollah. The Minister of Defense (not the civilian leaders) states they will engage.
Next act: the civilian leadership “restrains them.”
TW: bluster
“what should Israel do?”
Alex, I’ll take “Kick their asses” for $100, please.
Logistically costly for Iran with the USN in the area. The short route being up the Red Sea through the Suez Canal, easy to deny access to at the choke point between Eritrea and Yemen. That only leaves the option of a long trip around Africa and through the Mediterranean, where once again they reach another choke point at Gibralter. In either case Iranian supply / support would be fish in a barrel.
However, Iran could avoid those options and supply Syria with their new stealth flying boats.
http://www.mehrnews.com/en/NewsDetail.aspx?NewsID=150998
Only Lieberman, but he’s done gone and wandered off the reservation now. The modern Democratic party just won’t tolerate decent, religious men who feel we should take the fight to the enemy vice cowardly sitting on our hands and waiting for the next blow. Can’t have such nonsense in the modern Democratic Party.
Defended by their new lightspeed torpedoes, no less.
Verc has a good point. Perhaps we should be working up some kind of B-52 rental program. I suggest we take a page from Enterprise car rental. You rent the Buffs for week, full of J-Dams, and bring it back empty. For our good customers we offer unlimited miles and free-refills.
Leiberman will crush what’s his face in a general election – unless Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson can bring 500 rent-a-marcher buses each into Hartford and Bridgeport.
I’m Republican, but would vote for Leiberman in a heartbeat if that rich Greenwich jackass wins the Dem primary. The Republican candidate doesn’t have a prayer in CT anyway.
I really hope it plays out that way, since the Left is making this race into a bellweather. It would be nice to rub their faces in another pile of doggy deposits.
Yeah. I know. I should have said “dogshit”. It’s got a much better “aura” to it.
But it’s early, and my head is only half full of blood. Once I get that second cup of coffee and a Vic ES down the hatch, I’ll be ready.
You know, every time I see a Vic, I can’t decide whether arthritis is a good thing or a bad thing.
TW: ABLE was I, ere…
Hmmm.
So let me get this straight.
Lebanon’s military is not strong enough to deal with Hezbollah but it is strong enough to take on Israel?
sw: Oh no you didn’t!
DAMN THE TORPEDOES! FULL SPEED AHEAD!
And like Lebanon hasn’t been supporting the huzzy-bull-uh all along.
Well Israel obviously is prepping for a land assault. They’re doing that hollowing-out thing we did in Iraq in ‘03: spot a Hizzy truckâ€â€kill Hizzy truck, spot a Hizzy launcherâ€â€kill Hizzy launcher, spot a Hizzy troopâ€â€kill Hizzy troop, so that when the IDF does go in big, what’s left of the Hizzy lines can’t hold because there is nothing left behind them to support them.
I think Israel can pull this off if they do two things:
1. Don’t lose their nerve.
2. Keep utterly focused on destroying Hizbollah.
As long as Israel sticks to hitting exclusively Hizzy assets, it doesn’t really matter where they are. For example, Israel does need to hit Damascusâ€â€but only Hizbollah offices, and absolutely no regime targets. It’s a shame that they didn’t do it within an hour of Iran’s threat to support Syria.
And if Israel detects Syria warming up their missiles, Israel needs to go ahead and glassify an unpopulated chunk of Syrian desert as a warning to both Syria and Iran that neither of them will survive any attack against Israel. After all, it’s the truth.
yours/
peter.
Yes, Actus, it would be. So far, this is very much a limited war.
Lebanon’s military is not strong enough to deal with Hezbollah but it is strong enough to take on Israel?
Point.
“Lebanon’s military is not strong enough to deal with Hezbollah but it is strong enough to take on Israel?”
That’s hilarious, isn’t it?!
What makes them think they can even take on Israel any way? Did someone forget about 1967 when we slaughtered Egypt, Syria and Jordan all at the same time? muuhahhahaaa… I just wish Israel would unload her full potential at them and wipe Lebanon, Syria, etc. off the planet. We’d finally have peace. :]
No, I’d say Ed got the game, set and match with that comment.
no, the lebanese army is not “secular”. enlisted men are 99% shi’ia, the officers are mainly christian and druze.
the leb gov’t cannot support an israeli ground fource incursion, most of its men would desert to fight with hizb’.
the leb gov’t cannot support the destruction of hizb’. this would cause either a civil war or a hizb’ coup.
look, even rafaik hariri’s son is bashing israel.
siunora can’t support israel, they’re fucking bombing his country, you morons!
try this, via allahpundit–