Captain Ed has an interesting piece on Hizb’Allah’s kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers. He points to a piece on Euphoric Reality that the Israeli government intends to declare war against the terrorists who have continually threatened the state of Israel.
Israel should declare war on Syria and Iran – the two supporters of Hizb’Allah and the greatest impediments to peace in the region. Iran’s nuclear program represents a clear and present threat to American and world interests and it is also clear that the Iranians are not interested in a diplomatic solution to this crisis. The Syrian government currently harbors leaders of Hizb’Allah and provides money and weapons to terrorist groups worldwide. There is a clear and strong causus belli in the kidnapping of soldiers. Hizb’Allah keep sowing the wind – how long before it ends up reaping the whirlwind?
The entire Middle East situation is being inflamed by these two nations. Ambassdor Khalizad has been less than subtly telling Tehran that their interference in Iraq will have consequences. The tensions are steadily building, and sooner or later this particular powderkeg will explode.
As devastating as war is, and as extreme a measure as it may be, the status quo is rapidly becoming intolerable. Iranian and Syrian hands are bloodier than anyone’s, and they are actively exacerbating world conflicts in Iraq and Israel. Until those regimes are brought down, the chances of a lasting peace remain far too small. Sooner or later the world will have to deal with these regimes, and each day of delay puts Tehran closer to obtaining nuclear weapons. Israel cannot wait until the day a nuclear-tipped missile is flying towards Tel Aviv to deal with this threat – and truthfully, neither can we.
UPDATE: Pajamas Media has a huge roundup of links on Israel’s incursion into Lebanon. It’s really too bad, Beirut could have once again been the Paris of the Middle East had Hizb’Allah not ensured massive recriminations. I would hope that the Israelis would exercise as much restraint as possible, Lebanon has been one of the region’s more successful attempts at democratization, and any attack comes with great risk. The real enemies here are the Iranian puppetmasters and their Syrian stooges who control Hizb’Allah.
UPDATE: Omri Ceren reports that the IDF may be concentrating solely on Lebanon – at least for now. Sadly, that’s treating the problem symptomatically rather than getting to the root of this conflict.
