I know everyone in Lebanon is an innocent angel, but when Hezbollah's southern Lebanon commander has an office next door to you, and the Israelis tell you to leave the neighborhood, you might want to go:
When the firefighters arrived they pulled a hose through the wreckage and quickly put out the remaining fires. As more and more journalists got to the location, about a dozen young men began pro-Hezbollah chants for the cameras, just as they did after missiles hit a house in the same area two days before.I asked one man that I had seen at the earlier missile-strike location why
Israel keeps targeting the neighborhood. He said something vague about a mosque being nearby, and then walked away."There was no Hezbollah in this building, man," another said to me. "None."
Later, the Associated Press reported that the building contained the offices of Kaouk — prudently empty, amid the mounting Israeli offensive.
The missile strike seemed to clearly illustrate two aspects of the conflict so far: first, Israel's willingness to use overwhelming force against Hezbollah targets regardless of where they are located, and second, because of the mounting civilian casualties, a gradual closing of ranks by many Lebanese behind Hezbollah.
Closing of the ranks or in the ranks? Israel seems to have its eye on that neighborhood for a good reason.
Posted by floridacracker at July 27, 2006 09:27 AMI view Hezbollah as a foreign financed paramilitary force within Lebanon but they have also "legitimized" themselves in the same way as Hamas did on Gaza - through elections. Hezbollah is a part of the goverment of Lebanon and as such, this particular party took the whole country to war when they attacked Israel.
The rest of the Lebanese might want to consider a recall vote but until they find some way of their own to send Hezbollah packing, they're going to be served best by voting with their feet and getting out of the way of the war their local heroes have brought home.
Posted by: tfhr at July 28, 2006 04:44 AM