Israel's Actions speak louder than its Words - its target is the Lebanese State - not just Hezbollah

by Janine Roberts

This picture was not shown on the BBC, as far as we know - Israel was only shown to have captured the totally different Hezbollah flag. Apparently Israel later organized for the media a photo shoot that only included one of the two flags captured that day. This flag, that of the Lebanese state, was put out of sight. (Or else the Western media chose not to show it?)

Everything Israel officially says leads one to think that it is only targeting Hezbollah. Its spokesmen have said that one day the Lebanese State will choose to thank Israel for removing a "cancer" from it. It explains its bombing of airports and blocks of flats by saying these are the ones used by Hezbollah.

But is this true? Do Israeli words correspond to its actions? As soon as we start to look at the facts on the ground, we find Israel has also been bombing the bases of the official Lebanese army, as reported by the Daily Star, Lebanon's leading English -language newspaper. This suggests that the real target is not just Hezbollah, but also the destruction of the very State of Lebanon.

Lets listen for a moment to the US Secretary of State, Condi Rice. She says that her country's goal is to 'reshape' the Middle East - and that the Israeli war is part of this.

This is where Israel bombed between July 15 -21st 2006, in just one week of a war that has now lasted three weeks. Since then Israel has carried out hundreds more bombing raids - all over Lebanon. But Hezbollah is an organization of the Shiites - and is fighting just in the South where most of the Shiites (well over 40% of the Lebanese population) live. (there are about 20% Sunni)

Source - Wikipedia and Global Security The Religious map is 1982 - so may be very out of date.

 

 

Why would Israel target Lebanon as a whole? The Lebanese press believe it is because Israel is trying to "persuade" the Lebanese population to blame Hezbollah for their plight and thus to destroy the influence of Hezbollah. If this is so - and all the evidence points to it - then Israel is engaged in terrorism - in terrifying the civilian population in order to secure a political end.

But it has backfired already. People have instead swung behind Hezbollah, greatly increasing its support. It should be understood that Hezbollah has been named by the Lebanese government as a organisation charged with defending Lebanon. They might be severely critical of some of its actions - but Hezbollah is officially supported as part of the national defences.Lebanon is also slowly engaged in building up more conventionally organised military forces. But these are still very weak - thus though they possess anti-aircraft guns, they have not yet fired on Israeli planes. Hezbollah is vastly superior as a fighting force. If it were to be disarmed, as the US and Israel want, Lebanon would be effectively defenseless. This then is the aim of the US-Israeli policy.

Lebanon would thus be reduced to a condition where it could easily become a fiefdom of Israel and the US.

Strategically, this would greatly undermine the security of Syria . If Syria could next be forced into submission, then the US would have direct access from the Mediterranean to its forces in Iraq - making it far easier for the US to permanently maintain its major bases in Iraq.

It should be understood that the US forces currently are in an unsustainable and potentially extremely disastrous position in Iraq.

Most commentators have missed this - but a quick look at the map will show how easily it would be for American forces in Iraq to be besieged. There is no way that their forces can be adequately supplied by air for any length of time. Military strategists say the airports could only supply perhaps 20% of these bases needs. American bases have long consumed a vast amount of food, of water, of ammunition and fuel, much more than those of other nations - and for these supplies these bases and their troops are entirely dependent on long and highly vulnerable highways. If these are cut - then America will find itself with the biggest military disaster of its history.

Just think what it would mean if supplies of fuel to these bases were cut? Currently Iraq does not produce any where near enough fuel for cars or planes for its own needs. Look the mile-long queues in Iraq at the fuel pumps and garages. If US helicopters cannot fly, if the fuel guzzling monsters that are troop carriers and tanks run out of fuel, then a vast American army is in very deep trouble.

The major bases of the American forces in Iraq are currently being supplied from Kuwait - up a very long desert highway that snakes its way across the Shiite lands of Iraq, across lands that are today controlled by Shiite leaders with friendly relations with the world's biggest Shiite nation - Iran. If the US initiates any kind of action against Iran, then it will expect this road to come under attack - and thus will be planning ways right now to make it more secure. Also Iran might well be able to cut or make difficult the entrance to the Persian Gulf opposite Bandar Abbas (above on map)

What are the alternative supply routes? One would be through Turkey, but for this Turkey will want support against the Kurds in Northern Iraq, with whom the US has good relations. An agreement with Turkey that involves upsetting the Kurds would put any highway to the north to Turkey equally under jeopardy. Even if feasible, this route would require massive investment in before it became really feasible - and it would snake along the northern frontier of Syria, thus would require very expensive fortifications.

But - if Syria and Lebanon are under control - then these bases in Iraq are vastly more secure - and so also is the US access to Middle Eastern oil fields.

Iran would also lose potential Shiite allies, Israel would be in charge of its region, the Palestinians would have much less support - and the Middle East is reshaped. Is this what Condi Rice is referring to when she says she wants the region re-shaped? Is this the endgame of the current US-Israeli strategy? Is this ultimately why Israel is trying to bomb to death the Lebanese democratic state

Perhaps the Israeli general who said that they would take Lebanon back 20 years meant exactly what he said. Twenty years ago Lebanon was an occupied land.

Janine Roberts c2006 - non profit distribution allowed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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