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I didn\u2019t know little girls were Hezbollah fighters<\/div>\n

<\/p><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

Hezbollah\u2019s brazen kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers last week fulfilled a promise<\/a> made by their leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, after the successful withdrawal of Israel in 2000, to secure the release of all Lebanese prisoners held by Israel (there are three remaining). As with Hamas\u2019 earlier successful capturing of an Israeli soldier for the women and children<\/a> among 8000 Palestinians held, the short term strategy is based on successful prisoner exchanges in the past. But in both cases, Israel has found itself condemned<\/a> for its overreaching response \u2013 the bombing of power stations and civilian infrastructure, coupled with scores of dead, some of who were retreating at Israel\u2019s request. Part of this response is due to the unprecedented use by Hezbollah of longer range missiles against Haifa and Tiberias 30 miles away (Nasrallah claims Tel Aviv is next) and radar guided anti-ship weaponry (killing 4 on an Israeli ship off Beirut). At the G8 meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia, world leaders were measured in their response (France\u2019s Jacque Chirac called Israel\u2019s response \u201cdisproportionate\u201d and US President George Bush wanted<\/a> to the UN to \u201cget Syria to get Hezbollah to stop doing this shit\u201d), but behind the scenes they hustled to evacuate<\/a> their thousands of stranded citizens. As for the Lebanese, if it weren\u2019t for the civilian casualties, many of them would look away if only Hezbollah suffered. Additionally, there is a consensus that Hezbollah had no right<\/a> to provoke new hostilities from Lebanese soil (a view shared<\/a> by some in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt, who feel their interests will suffer). Ultimately, Hezbollah won\u2019t succeed in weakening Israel (as it dreams of doing) and Israel won\u2019t eliminate Hezbollah (as it states it will do). Most analysts agree that the conflict will likely end as past interactions between the two have \u2013 in a prisoner exchange. Though Israel denies this for now, it\u2019s not clear they could stomach another land invasion (though they don\u2019t rule it out<\/a>). As for insisting the Lebanese government (itself recovering from the Hariri assassination and the subsequent expulsion of Syrian troops) is ultimately responsible, Israel concedes that they are no match for Hezbollah\u2019s militia \u2013 just as the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is in no position to reign in Hamas. Still, the Israelis insist \u2013 somewhat ironically \u2013 on degrading whatever infrastructure would be required to counter Hezbollah, such as attacking Lebanese army positions. This mirrors earlier Israeli bombings of PA police stations after the increase in suicide bombers after 2000. With degraded infrastructure comes a greater unwillingness to comply, as well as more hatred (just as starving the Iraqis through sanctions didn\u2019t help them overthrow Saddam Hussein). As for the greater region, Israel has since linked<\/a> Syria and Iran, Hezbollah\u2019s sponsors, to Hezbollah\u2019s operations \u2013 not surprising, since there is wide agreement that such a linkage exists. \u201cHad Hezbollah been taking decisions on its own, it wouldn\u2019t have committed this stupidity,\u201d said Saudi columnist Qenan al-Ghamdi, who adds that the group cannot stop the fight because it does not have the final say. \u201cIt has lost the support it had. Today, it\u2019s facing a big catastrophe and it has dragged Lebanon into a bigger one.\u201d In the end, a proxy war on Iran or Syria\u2019s behalf will not be worth the loss of innocent life, especially since Israel gives \u2013 in terms of civilian casualties \u2013 far more than it gets.<\/p>\n

<\/i><\/p>\n

Zahed Amanullah is associate editor of altmuslim.com. He is based in London, England.\n<\/p>\n

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