Finishing the Job
In this, Nasrallah failed to remember the admonition that "You do not disturb the alligator until you have crossed the river." Israel, of course, had no choice but to respond with force. Hezbollah, after all, is the al Qaeda of the Middle East, and Nasrallah the parasite on the body of Lebanon just as Osama bin Laden was the parasite on the body of Afghanistan.
The civilian casualties are very disturbing, but in Lebanon they are a direct consequence of the way the terrorists cynically hide behind civilians, concealing their rockets in private homes, paying rent for the concealment of launchers, leaving Israel with no choice but to respond, although it has done so only with precision weaponry.
Hezbollah can claim no such justification for the Israeli civilians killed by its weapons. It simply lobs rockets into urban areas. Hezbollah has fired hundreds of rockets into Israel, all against civilian targets. This is terror as statecraft.
The stakes today are high. A victory for Hamas and Hezbollah would radicalize the entire Middle East. Preventing this is an absolute imperative. For this, Israel needs the time to destroy the weapons, and to root out the radicals in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley. There is a convergence of international interests among Israel, various Arab regimes, the United States, and even many in Lebanon who want their government to take full control of its land.
The recognition of Israel's right and need to remove Hezbollah is a wise and welcome change.
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