Bad To Worse
Apparently distracted by Gaza, the Israeli army was surprised by a raid in which two Israeli soldiers were captured. In response Israel launches raids on Lebanon, losing a tank and four crew members almost immediately to a mine, so more raids continue.
Israel claims it was an “act of war”, but the lack of any settlement, other than between Egypt and Israel, since the 1967 Six-Day War makes it more accurately an “act during war.”
The reports call the Hezbollah raid a “cross-border raid”, but that would only be true if you think the Shebaa farms area belongs to Syria, rather than Lebanon, which is still in dispute. What is not in dispute is that it is occupied by Israel and Hezbollah wants them out.
Hezbollah regularly sends rockets into what it considers to be part of Lebanon. The rockets are directed at Israelis occupying the area. These actions are considered “liberation” activities, not terrorist attacks by the Lebanese government. The Shi’ia of Lebanon, as well as the Shi’ia governments of Syria and Iran, consider the actions of Hezbollah reasonable and praiseworthy.
Like many things in this area of the world, a little more attention to detail by the bureaucrats of the foreign ministries in London and Paris after World War I would have clarified these things.
3 comments
Yeah, and they are didn’t think anybody would really care about Kashmir…
…either…. sorry, my comment didn’t make sense as initially posted…
Having done more than a little traveling it becomes rather obvious that a very large portion of the borders on this planet make no sense ethnically or geographically before ethically even enters into the equation.
Port Roberts, Washington is the 2 by 2 mile tip of a Canadian peninsula that is in the US because the border was a straight line with no deviation for common sense.
If you take a hard look at most of the areas in contention around the world you have to wonder why anyone wants them, must less why two groups are fighting over the area.