ANALYSIS: Deployment of Lebanese army may be good for both sides

Haaretz ^ | 8/8/6 | Amos Harel and Avi Issacharoff

[SmithL]

The death of 15 Israelis from Katyushas on Sunday in Kfar Giladi and Haifa moves the ground operation of the Israel Defense Forces in an expected direction: deeper into Lebanon.

Senior officers said it seemed that after Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's visit to the Northern Command headquarters Monday, authorization would be given to expand the ground operation at least to the Litani River. But then came Hezbollah's surprising agreement to the deployment of 15,000 soldiers of the Lebanese army in the south.

It is not clear how the pro-Syrian president Emile Lahoud will fulfill his responsibility in this regard, or whether the deployment will be part of Resolution 1559, which calls for the disarming of Hezbollah.

The Lebanese government's dramatic declaration was preceded by Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's speech at the Arab foreign ministers' conference in Beirut where he burst into tears at the "40 Lebanese civilians" (turned out to be considerably less) who were supposedly killed by Israel.

Siniora might have been weeping because the war may well place his country into the hands of Syria and Iran once again.

The Lebanese initiative will improve Beirut's bargaining position in demanding changes to the U.S.-France draft proposal. Israel may find a real achievement in the deployment - compliance with its original demand before the idea of the multinational force surfaced.

If there is no change in the next 24 hours, as a result of Siniora's initiative and international involvement, the army will get the green light to advance to the Litani River and to some points beyond.

[Mr. Mojo]

It is not clear ....whether the deployment will be part of Resolution 1559, which calls for the disarming of Hezbollah.

The Lebanese "Army" disarming Hezbollah? As Charles Krauthammer joked earlier today on Special Report, the Lebanese Army couldn't even deal with a Freedonian Army.

[netmilsmom]

>>As Charles Krauthammer joked earlier today on Special Report, the Lebanese Army couldn't even deal with a Freedonian Army.<<

Oh he did not!!!
Duck Soup is one of my favorite movies.
Krauthammer is a gem.

[rbg81]

This whole idea of a Multi-National Force (MNF) is a bad one. Especially if the wrong countries are involved--which is almost a given. Basically, this force will serve as a buffer to protect Hezbollah from the Israelis rather than the other way around. When Hezbollah starts launching its rockets again, over the buffer zone into Israel, the MNF will do nothing. Instead, the IDF will have to fight its way through the MNF first get to Hezbollah. Can you imagine on the bad press on that one? Thats assuming the MNF will prevent Hezbollah from taking up their old positions again--which I am very skeptical of.