More Links on Lebanon, Hezbollah, Israel, Syria, Iran, and Palestinians

Some links for you to peruse; with one exception (the one from Iraq), all are from Ha'aretz, the Israeli newspaper.

Well, if Israel wants a bigger fight (and I suspect President Bush is aching for it), it looks like they're about to get their fondest wish answered. Assad of Syria has told the army to prepare for "regional challenges" and alludes to both the situation in Lebanon as well as with the Palestinian Authority, according to Ha'aretz.

Israel claims it destroyed ALL of Hezbollah's long range missiles (right, and I'm Queen Mary). Yet - in practically the same breath, Israeli Prime Minister Olmert claims there can be no cessation to the violence unless and until all rocket threat against Israel is over.

Lebanon all but begs the U.N. Security Council for a cease fire while Israel says it's up to Lebanon to stop Hezbollah (except that Israel has played a huge role for years in the weakening of Lebanon making it even less possible for the Lebanese to wipe out Hezbollah than it's proven for Israel).

In a statement designed to make President Bush practically pee his pants with uncontrollable glee, Shimon Peres (a man I have in the past respected more than most of Israel's elected officials rolled together), as VP of Israel, lays the blame for all the current trouble - including Hamas and Hezbollah - on Iran (thus helping give both Bush and Israel as excuse to go after Iran).

In Iraq:

In the poor Shiite slum of Sadr City, hundreds of women and children marched today to protest the Israeli attacks. Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq’s most prominent Shiite religious leader, issued a statement late Sunday that criticized the “outrageous crime” of killing women and children at Qana.