Israel Continues Attacks

Israel Blockades, Bombs Lebanon While Hezbollah Rains Rocket Fire

By Anthony Shadid and Scott Wilson

Washington Post Foreign Service
Friday, July 14, 2006; Page A01

DAMOUR, Lebanon, July 14 -- Israel imposed a blockade on Lebanon by land, sea and air on Thursday, striking the capital's airport twice, cutting off its ports and wrecking bridges and roads in attacks that killed at least 47 people in the last two days, nearly all of them Lebanese civilians. Israel said the radical Shiite Muslim group Hezbollah fired 150 rockets into northern Israel, including two that reached the port city of Haifa. Israeli jets repeatedly crossed over Beirut before dawn Friday. At least two explosions were heard, and antiaircraft fire and flares lit up the night sky. More
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With the third day of fighting well under way and my having watched, read, and listened to enough news coverage, talking heads, experts, and blogger I have come to a few conclusions:
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One is that Israel had to respond militarily in some way. Organizations such as Hezbollah and Hammas view non action and diplomacy as signs of weakness. Conversely they will invariably use Israel's attacks as justification for further attacks. It's a crappy catch 22.
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Hezbollah and Hammas will stop only when popular support of their actions drops to a point that it threatens their power. The question is will Israel stop its attacks before the same happens to them or the situation escalates?
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CNN reports that UN diplomats have been dispatched to Lebanon and that the Lebanese will be petitioning the U.N. which may result in U.N. peacekeeping troops patrolling Lebanon's southern border. That may help but it also might not be enough to stop Hezbollah's rocket attacks given their longer range than Hammas' rockets.
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What's that mean to your average U.S. citizen?
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It means we get to wait to see if the world catches on fire while gas prices rise. What joy.