The Lebanese Dilemma
The Lebanese Dilemma
An interesting thing has happened in the Middle East. A terrorist group that began operating in a sovereign country took and occupied part of that country. It then morphed into a political entity as well as a military entity and is now part of that country’s parliament and cabinet. These terrorists now rule this country and have a bigger and more well-armed military than the country itself!
This is Lebanon, a country in the Middle East that is rarely spoken about, but has an important history that needs understanding, especially in todays climate as it borders Israel on the North.
Hezbollah, a terrorist group funded by Iran, began operating in this sovereign country and has since taken control of it. It has morphed into a political and military entity now embedded in the country's parliament and cabinet. They now rule Lebanon and have a bigger and more equipped military than the country itself.
Different than Isis or Al Qaeda, Hezbollah has nation state resources that have global consequences.
Whether they realize it or not, the population of Lebanon will be on the front lines in the next war with Israel and make no mistake about it, there will be a next war. With Iran now openly operating in Lebanon and basically turning it into a giant missile factory and buffer zone, it’s only a matter of time before Israel has no choice but to deal with Hezbollah and the people of Lebanon just as it had to with Hamas in Gaza.
After repeated rocket attacks fired into Israeli towns by the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) in the early eighties, Israel invaded southern Lebanon to create a buffer zone from these attacks.
Hezbollah was founded in 1985 by Iran as a response to Israel’s occupation of southern Lebanon. Hezbollah is trained and funded by Iran. It is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S., Israel, Canada, the Arab League, the Gulf Cooperation Council, the U.K., Australia and the E.U. Hezbollah is reported to be the first Islamic group in the Middle East to use such tactics as assassinations, hijacking, suicide bombings, and kidnapping of soldiers.
After Israel removed all its forces from Lebanon as part of the Taif Agreement of 1990, the area was to become a demilitarized zone free from weapons and militias. This didn’t last long.
In 2006, Hezbollah engaged in a cross-border raid killing three Israeli soldiers and kidnapping two others. The United Nations (U.N.) stepped in with United Nations Security Council resolution 1701 which called for the disarmament of Hezbollah and the removal of Israeli forces from Lebanon. It also called for no armed forces south of the Litani river, which again refers to Hezbollah.
As usual, Israel acquiesced. In Israel’s place, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was created to make sure the area would not be used for hostile activities.
The U.N. and its observers stood idly by while Hezbollah poured weapons into the region for more than a decade in violation of resolution 1701. It is reported that Hezbollah’s arsenal now includes:
150,000 medium and long-range missiles.
Drones.
SA-6 Anti-Aircraft systems.
Anti-Tank systems.
ZU-23 Artillery systems.
SA-18 Surface to Air missiles.
C-802 Anti-Ship missiles.
A 50,000-man army.
All of this weaponry is now deployed right up to the Israeli border. So much for the hostile activities that UNIFIL was meant to prevent.
If this wasn’t a big enough problem for the world, they’ve done all of this while entrenching themselves among the civilian population of Lebanon. According to Israeli General Ronon Manolis, “One in every three or four houses in southern Lebanon is a headquarters, a post, a weapons depot or a Hezbollah hideout. We know these assets and know how to attack them accurately if required.” These are the same tactics that Hamas uses in Gaza.
Iran is now building missile factories in Lebanon. Along with Hezbollah’s stated goal of eliminating the state of Israel, something Iran also professes every day, Israel will have no choice but to clean this mess up once again. Sadly, the Lebanese people are being used in what surely will be a devastating war. While the international community has no one else to blame but themselves for this dilemma, it will be the poor people of Lebanon who will pay the price.
If you’ve heard all this before, you’re right. You’re watching what will happen to Lebanon right now in Gaza. Same ideology, same human shields, same Jew hatred and same Iranian backing.
The same disease that thrives in Gaza, Syria, Yemen, Iraq and Iran will soon consume the Lebanese people. They’re going to be dragged into a war they can ill afford. Their economy has already been destroyed by Hezbollah and just a few years ago their main port in Beirut spectacularly exploded because of Hezbollah munitions stored in this densely populated area.
The Lebanese have lost complete control of their government and the country cowers in fear of Hezbollah. Against their will, they will be the next generation of human shields.
Why is it that wherever the U.N. is, death and destruction seem to follow? What’s the point of UNIFIL if they’re standing around watching the absorption of an entire country by a terrorist group, mostly on our dime? It sounds a lot like another U.N. agency in the region, UNWRA.
For all the protest around the world today of Palestinian/Arab deaths, why does the world continuously allow people to be used like this? The outrage only occurs when Israel is forced to defend itself. Israel does not occupy nor threaten Lebanon in any way so why all the rockets aimed and shot at them?
The Chief of Staff for the Israel Defense Forces, Herzl Levi, has just endorsed a plan to cleanse southern Lebanon of Hezbollah forces if they don’t retreat to beyond the Litani river. Before the innocent people of Lebanon are forced to pay with their lives, how about some outrage now regarding the dilemma these people are in.
All life is precious but is the outrage today really about precious Arab lives, or is it really just global Jewish hatred? The Lebanese people may soon find out.