What to do about hizbollah and Syria

Submitted by rick (United States), Aug 1, 2006 at 10:10

Hizbollah needs to be viewed by Israel exactly as al-Qaeda is by the US - a terrorist force with which no negotiations should be conducted. That means that even with a ceasefire (Israel must speak only with the Lebanese government and never with hizbollah directly ) followed by whatever plan is envisioned, people like Nasrallah are still to be targets 24/7.

As soon as they leave the Iranian Embassy they can be killed. The US doesn't recognize sanctuary for Osama bin Laden and Israel shouldn't for Nasrallah. The palestinians always want to remove the concept of targeted killings by Israel of its terrorist personnel and hizbollah is no different. The knowledge that they can be targeted at any time and place is the best guarantee Israel has of their staying under cover and thus losing their ability to rant and rave against Israel in an open (Lebanese) forum. By making them targets - you criminalize them - as other non-hizbollah people are not targeted and can enjoy a public life. No more open mass demonstrations for Nasrallah. Let him make tapes from secret places and in hiding.

Nasrallah should never feel safe in a public place again.

Syria should be targeted only if hizbollah uses missiles against Israel.

That is the red line. Although small arms are also provided by Syria, they can be obtained in many places by numerous middlemen. True, Syria uses hizbollah for its proxy battle with Israel, but hizbollah by itself is quite willing to carry on against Israel regardless. If there is a cross border raid of any proportion after a third force is positioned in South Lebanon then again the gloves are off unless the third force takes immediate and forceful action against hizbollah - which of course no one believes will rever happen. The efficency of whatever third force is agreed on wil be determined by its success and/or its failures on the ground and not by words.

Whatever eventually takes place, hizbollah needs to be degraded now in a very dramatic way. Hizbollah has a reality beyond Syria and that reality needs to be destroyed. I believe that if Lebanon hasn't learned its lesson this time then apparently nothing short of an all out war will be necessary. Hearing the moderate head of the Lebanese government say "we are all hizbollah" is hopefully a statement for political expediency and not a really honest opinion. If he really means it then is he saying "we hope to see Israel destroyed"?

Too bad for Lebanon. One always has hope for that nation because of its Christian minority but that minority needs to step up to the plate or be lumped in with terrorists.

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