Why? Because Israel hit a UN observation post near the Lebanon border and killed 4 UN peacekeepers. Kofi Annan is calling for heads Israel to investigate what he termed a deliberate targeting of the UN forces. Israel has at least told Condi Rice (apparently not by official release to the media) that the incident was an accident. Bush and Rice are still sticking to the desire for a sustainable cease-fire, but that only appears to get more difficult if Israel keeps mistakenly hitting UN observation posts. Palestinians protested Rice’s visit by shutting down entertainment and restaurants - it appears Rice was sped through town anyway and didn’t have time to see the sites since she was kept safely in her bullet-proof van. Seriously though, did they think she’d actually get out and have dinner? The shutdown protest of Rice’s visit certainly didn’t help the debt-riddled Palestinian government, who were keen in talks with Rice for additional US aid. Might want to keep those shops and businesses open next time, it at least shows you’re trying to have an economy. Meanwhile, Hezbollah leaders are yelling that they *are* going to bomb further inside Israel than Haifa, however they will have to do that while dodging Israeli missiles targeted at their own homes today. Israel might want to be careful who they are aiming at, since they are now saying that the crash of an IDF Apache helicopter Monday was brought down by friendly fire. The quote of the day comes from Hezbollah leader Mahmoud Komati:
"The truth is - let me say this clearly - we didn’t even expect (this) response.... that (Israel) would exploit this operation for this big war against us," said Komati.
He said Hezbollah had expected "the usual, limited response" from Israel.
In the past, he said, Israeli reponses to Hezbollah actions included sending in commandos into Lebanon and kidnapping Hezbollah officials or briefly targeting specific Hezbollah strongholds in southern Lebanon.
He said his group had also anticipated negotiations to swap the soldiers with three Lebanese prisoners in Israeli jails, with Germany acting as a mediator as it has in past prisoner exchanges.
Sometimes it does not pay to go into a chess match without considering all the alternative moves your opponent can make.
Technorati Tags: Current Affairs, News, Hezbollah, UN, Lebanon, Israel, Gaza, Palestinians, Condi Rice
Comments