IMHO, the "climate" didn't turn on a dime.
Hezbollah has been terrorizing Israelis along the border for years.
What happened was they (Hezbollah) poked the lion with a stick once too often, and Israel finally responded.
I guess in that way, you could say that the Israeli's response "turned on a dime"...but the terrorist actions in southern Lebanon have been there for years.
>>Hezbollah has been terrorizing Israelis along the border for years<<
Exactly.
I agree that this is a long time in coming. I follow current events closely on Free Republic and other websites. If I could have predicted it myself I would have warned by friend not to go. No one predicted this outbreak prior to these last two weeks.