Mick Hartley

Jake Wallis Symons at Spiked – Israel is not at war with Lebanon:

The joint statement released by Israel and Lebanon on Thursday could not have been clearer. ‘Israel and Lebanon affirm that the two countries are not at war and commit to engaging in good-faith direct negotiations’, it said.

Wait, what? Israel and Lebanon were not at war? What about the endless hours of media coverage showing us the devastation of Lebanon’s southern villages? What about all the Gaza comparisons? What about all the outrage?

Well, their joint statement held further clues. ‘Both countries recognise the significant challenges faced by the Lebanese state from non-state armed groups’, it said. ‘Those groups’ activities must be curtailed.’

To anybody who knows anything about the region, so much was already obvious. Israel’s campaign in Lebanon is targeted at Hezbollah, not the population at large. Even if every single Shia in the country was supportive of the terror group – which is far from the case – that would mean that two-thirds of Lebanese people opposed it.

With good reason: Hezbollah was founded by the Iranian regime, is fanatically committed to Israel’s destruction and has even adopted the Sieg Heil as its salute. Meanwhile, it has infiltrated Lebanese politics and society like a parasite, turning the country into a zombie state designed for the death of its neighbour.

Israel’s enemy is Hezbollah, not Lebanon. And most Lebanese would welcome the chance of peace with their Israeli neighbours. The big question is: does the Lebanese government have the power and determination to see off the Hezbollah parasite that’s been destroying the country from within for decades?