Despite Enormous Toll Taken on Lebanon, Hezbollah Remains a Powerful Force in Middle East

This report in WaPo, along with dozens upon dozens of others in various publications, print and Web, all basically agree that Hezbollah (Hizbollah to some) remains at least as powerful a force in the Middle East as it was before Israel decided to try to take them out.

Yet what is more properly true is that Hezbollah has been strengthened rather than weakened by the 34 days of active combat and occupation by Israel in Lebanon. This bis ecause many Lebanese civilians who before would have nothing to do with the organization found that Hezbollah seemed to be the only entity supplying them with much needed food, medicine, fuel, and with their safety as the only body capable of trying to fight back Israel's military troops.

In this respect, Israel lost big time. But it was not just Israel. America lost as well because Bush seemed to want to use Israel as the first line of attack against Iran and/or Syria. We'll pay a huge price - and not just monetarily - for what was done to Lebanon, not the least of which is a heightened perception of the U.S. and Israel trying to run the world, governments eager to attack Muslims in particular (although Lebanon has for some time been a largely Christian country), and governments unwilling to listen to what Arab leaders as well as the rest of the world had to say about the action.