Soccer Dad

Last summer's war continues

Fuel for Lebanon's Next War (NYT, June 29, 2007)

But as an alarming report to the Security Council made clear this week, that flow of deadly arms continues unimpeded. To let things go on this way is to accept the inevitability of another, devastating war. The Security Council, whose main job is supposed to be preventing wars, needs to move quickly to help Lebanon control its border, and it needs to pressure Syria into finally cooperating.
...
Mr. Assad seems to believe that Syria’s international clout is strengthened by a well-armed Hezbollah and a Lebanon unable to control its borders. The Security Council needs to summon the will to convince him that he is wrong.

Buildup in Lebanon (WaPo July 4, 2007)

When Resolution 1701 was adopted, Israel urged the Security Council to deploy international forces or monitors along the Lebanese-Syrian border to prevent such weapons deliveries. Intimidated by threats of attacks on U.N. troops, the council refused. The result is that Syria and Hezbollah once again are positioned to rain missiles on Israeli cities, to wage war on the Lebanese government or to assault the foreign troops deployed in southern Lebanon. The Security Council has been fully informed; will it do anything to prevent another war?

These editorials from the past few weeks show that the recent incursion into Lebanon by Syrian troops, has been building. (There was also the killing of some peacekeepers and the launch of rockets into Israel.)

The editorial from the Times is troubling for it supposes that a few well worded resolutions from the UN would get Bashar Assad to back down. Assad has a lot riding on events in Lebanon and the UN. He didn't suffer for last year's war on Israel. He has no reason to listen to the UN.

The Washington Post at least argues that the UN should have been policing the Lebanese/Syrian border. But still neither paper was supportive of Israel's war against Hezbollah last summer. Both were interested in stopping the war not in defanging Syria. A year later, Syria appears ready to make mischief again.

At some point Israel (or the United States) will have to act, or Iran's pawn, Syria, will once again extend its control over Lebanon, just as it did more than 30 years ago. Israel may have temporarily deterred Hezbollah last year, but it didn't address the more substantial threat.

Now Syria's back and the cost of deterring Syria will be more expensive this year.

syria, israel, lebanon, hezbollah.

Posted by SoccerDad at July 10, 2007 5:35 AM