Thanks for that summary Ted.

Just to widen the scope, here's a bird's-eye of the underlying geopolitics. The map of the oilfields is a clue:

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=CHO20060904&articleId=3147

We all have a vested interest in our own way.

Cheers...

I don't share your enthusiasm about Hezbollah's support base fracturing, as no doubt their vile Islamist propoganda is already in full swing.

What I truly don't understand about Israel is why end it? It's been clear to me for some time that most of world opinion is against Israel, only because such people don't understand that Israel is the main front for the Jihadist war of Islamic imperialism.

I would urge Iran's reactors be taken out immediately, and even for a full scale occupation of this most bigoted, intolerant, region, obviously with western troops.

I've often wondered how it is that buildings could be bombed, where Hezbollah fighters were, which no doubt did kill civilians (although most likely Hezbollah supporters, which makes them different to the western meaning of the word) yet see Lebanese cheering with yellow flags minutes later.

But then, that's expecting rationality from people who are brainwashed to believe Jews are to blame.

Populist politics, in the true meaning of the word, from blistering purple necks (not rednecks) who blame outsiders for their problems, numerous and many.

As for Hezbollah, I believe this stupid notion of bringing democracy to the racist middle-east will backfire, as it did with Hamas.

The victim Palestinians, who overwhelmingly voted in a party on the guise that it's main objective is to genocide Israeli's? I view Palestinians as deposed royalty than victims now, intolerant, arrogant, and maniacal.

I also believe that Israel should have bombed both Syria & Iran, given these cowards orchestrate the attacks from the safety of their nations.

I was surprised the Lebanese didn't react furiously, after their nation had been bombed to oblivion, when the Iranian bigot Admenijad said, when Israel had commented that Syria might be next, that any attack on Syria will be an attack on the whole Islamic world.

That must have made the Lebanese feel two inches tall!

Excellent article, need more of them

Fair comment from Ted Lapkin, as always. Israel has certainly prosecuted military action far better in the past.

Ideally, Hezbollah would have been wiped out; but Israel's inability to do it in short time, with consequent loss of too many civilian lives, necessitated a cease fire.

Sadly, the UN stuffed that up, as they usually do, and there is no requirement for Hezbollah to disarm. The idiots are running around claiming victory over Israel, and are using the inevitably short 'peace' to re-arm and attack Israel again in the near future

Oh well the propaganda war continues with as little truth as ever but lots of emotion. Our Football Team!
Okay Hezbollah underestimated the Zionist temper. After all if someone has imprisoned your people and refuses to abide by previous exchange provisions, collaring some of theirs as exchange pieces in the bargaining might seem worthwhile.
Go back to the diaries of Moshe Sharett the second prime minister of Israel (see www.geocities.com/alabasters_archive/sacred_terror.html?20062
And find particularly in chapter five the reason “let us Create a Maronite State in Lebanon then check out 1978, 1982, 1993 and following.
Israel of course argues it is the threatened party. Sharett’s diary makes clear that from the beginning Israel was to be territorially expanded.
Who is guilty of what is not clear but with the geopolitics of the region such is not likely. Obedience to the security Council, a matter of much weight when to our own advantage is ignored often with the help of the veto. See the UN Security council.
Desire for power and territory, water and security drive the parties with an element of being the chosen people added to the dispute over the land of three religions.

The rewriting of history is alive and well in Big Ted's hands.

If Hezbollah "ignited" anything it was a border incident. It took Israel to turn that into a blitzkreig against Lebanon. Nasrallah's observation that "We did not think that there was a 1% chance that the capture would lead to a war of this scale & magnitude" merely indicates that he forsaw nothing more than a rerun of the 2004 prisoner exchange between Israel and Hezbollah.

No reasonable human being could possibly have envisioned "the scale and magnitude" of the lunatic and bloody rampage unleashed by the Israelis on Lebanon, especially in light of the deterrent effect of Hezbollah's missiles. Israel's wholly disproportionate response to what was essentially just a border incident is an indication, I believe, that Israel's descent into madness is all but complete.

As for Nasrallah's "belligerent declarations of readiness 'for open war'": if 'open war' is what Israel has presented you with, then it stands to reason: you'd better be ready. I bet the Lebanese government is wishing it had had a protective missile defence system in place against Israeli air strikes.

Re Hezbollah's reconstruction effort: if there were any justice on this planet, this would be paid for by Israel and the Americans.

When the international, independent investigations into Israel's war crimes in Lebanon bear fruit, I expect we'll see BT at the cyberbarricades, dutifully defending the indefensible.

I'm not sure what the predictable comments by a representative of a discredited organisation have to add to serious debate on this issue.