Will the Lebanese Army Sent to the South Include Hezbollah Fighters in Disguise?

I must admit that I did not know the Lebanese "army" could field 15,000 people and was under the impression that their military was less than 10,000 "fighting" personnel.

Thus when they offered 15,000 individuals to the UN as part of the monitoring force, my mind wondered whether this would include several thousand Hezbollah (or even Syrian or Iranian fighters) being given Lebanese military uniforms and thus have free movement back and forth and "at will" access into the "off limits" or restricted areas of South Lebanon.

Similary, if the Lebanese military arrives with a thousand extra uniforms, they can dress any Hezbollah trapped in the restricted zone and get them out witout anyone noticing.

Am I maliciously maligning the Lebanese? Not at all. Remember the Lebanese military were ready to fight alongside Hezbollah so their sympathies are not with seeing justice done and the UN resolution correctly implemented. In reality, they have a totally opposite mind set.

In both scenarios, the disguised Hezbollah, Syrians or Iranians would be free to carry and transport weapons, ammunition, supplies etc., as they travel in both directions under cover of Lebanese uniforms and Lebanese identity documents.

The UN forces foreign nationals, French, other European or whatever, who might be tasked with preventing Hezbollah activity, would not be able to distinguish between "genuine" Lebanese soldiers and disguised Hezbollah. And if there were any Arab countries in the UN forces, who might - with emphasis on "might" - be able to spot a difference, would they actually arrest a Hezbollah member? To benefit or protect Israeli interests?

To take this one step further, ostensibly Lebanese troops given duties, which include interdiction of Hezbollah activity, could in fact be "disguised" Hezbollah - resulting in the fox watching the hen house. Who - other than the Lebanese military themselves - and they will not tell - would know or could know the difference?

Arms and amunition that was consequently moved to re-arm and re-supply the Hezbollah in the area would pass as Lebanese army requirements and who would be expert enough to tell the difference?

What will happen if the Israeli forces spot this happening and a firefight ensues between the Israelis and some men in Lebanese military uniforms? How will Israel prove that the dead are Hezbollah? Almost certainly the disuised men will have been issued forged ID by sympathetic, senior Lebanese military officials. Or will have these created after the fact.

The only way I can think of to prevent this certain problem is to deny the Lebanese forces from deploying and becoming the stlking horse used by Hezbolah or other anti-Israel fighters and run into bogus sovereignty complaints by Lebanon rather than clearly creating a huge loophole in the intent of the UN resolution.

If the Lebanese are genuine in their concern and desire for Israel to leave South Lebanon, then they should not object to such an obvious and logical problem that they would create.

As in everything I write, I try to also provide a workable solution not always simply describe the challenge - unless my analytical and experienced mind cannot come up with anything. Admittedly I do not let political correctness or emotion override pragmatic, useful solutions and bow to hust feelings - in this case of the Lebanese government - which cannot ensure the loyalty of their 15,000 men to the UN Resolution or intentions rather than loyalty to the Hezbollah against whom it has been designed.

Living in the Detroit area I can concur with this, we have more Muslims in our neighborhood every month and they are very active in the schools, preaching all the time about their "rights" and how tolerant we should be of their faith.

We are to learn about Ramadan, etc. but they are not to learn about Easter or Christmas. What is below is very true.

The Muslim religion is the fastest growing religion per capita in the United States, especially in the minority races!

Last month I attended my annual training session that's required for maintaining my state prison security clearance. During the training session there was a presentation by three speakers representing the Roman Catholic, Protestant and Muslim faiths, who explained each of their beliefs.

The Imam gave a great presentation of the basics of Islam complete with a video. After the presentations, time was provided for questions and answers.

When it was my turn, I directed my question to the Imam and asked: "Please, correct me if I'm wrong, but I understand that most Imams and clerics of Islam have declared a holy jihad [Holy war] against the infidels of the world. And, that by killing an infidel, which is a command to all Muslims, they are assured of a place in heaven.

There was no disagreement with my statements and without hesitation , he replied, "Non-believers!"

I responded, "So, let me make sure I have this straight. All followers of Allah have been commanded to kill everyone who is not of your faith so they can go to Heaven. Is that correct?"

I then stated, "Well, sir, I have a real problem trying to imagine Pope John Paul commanding all Catholics to kill those of your faith or Dr. Stanley ordering Protestants to do the same in order to go to Heaven!"

I continued, "I also have a problem with being your friend when you and your brother clerics are telling your followers to kill me. Let me ask you a question. Would you rather have your Allah who tells you to kill me in order to go to Heaven or my Jesus who tells me to love you because I am going to Heaven and He wants you to be with me?"

Needless to say, the organizers and/or promoters of the "Diversification" training seminar were not happy with Rick's way of dealing with the Islamic Imam and exposing the truth about the Muslim's beliefs.

I think everyone in the U.S. should be required to read this, but with the liberal justice system, liberal media, and the ACLU, there is no way this will be widely publicized.

Believe the Muslims when they speak. They very honestly will tell you the aims of their religion and how they feel about infidels. They aren't tolerant, but they are often honest.

Just as Ahmadi-Nejad means what he says when he states the problems of Islam would be gone if Israel were wiped off the face of the the world map. And shows every intention of making this happen in the immediate future. Like the Imam, he is not lying. Believe him - and stop him.

Why does no one want to talk about the REAL issue? Further evidence of the "squeeze" of Israel. --

Dore Gold-
The Shebaa Farms
When Israel withdrew its forces unilaterally from Lebanon on March 20, 2000, Secretary-General Kofi Annan certified that by withdrawing to the "blue line," Israel had indeed left all Lebanese territory. His determination was enshrined by UN Security Council Resolution 1310.

Nonetheless, Hizballah argued that Israel was still retaining Lebanese territory, because it continued to hold the Shebaa Farms, which were in the Golan Heights. Lebanese officials backed Hizballah's claim. Historically, the Shebaa Farms were captured by Israel from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War along with the rest of the Golan Heights; their future disposition, it has been assumed, is part of the Israeli-Syrian territorial dispute. Lebanon claimed that in 1951, Syria transferred the Shebaa Farms to Lebanon. However, no such agreement was ever deposited at the UN and Lebanese Army maps from 1961 and 1966 shows the Shebaa Farms to be inside Syria.2

Thus, while Hizballah's claim, in the name of the Lebanese state, to the Shebaa Farms has no basis in either UN resolutions or in past diplomatic documentation, the U.S.-French draft resolution envisions a long-term security plan that includes: "delineation of the international borders of Lebanon, especially in those areas where the border is disputed or uncertain, including in the Shebaa Farms area." The status of the Shebaa Farms was certain, until the draft resolution: it was Syrian territory that Israel captured in a war of self-defense and hence was disputed territory in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 242.

This is not just a legal issue, for the draft resolution clearly traces the current crisis in Lebanon to Hizballah's attack on Israel on July 12, 2006, describing the abduction of Israeli solders as one of the "causes" of the conflict. Yet, by granting that the Shebaa Farms issue is a genuine dispute, the draft resolution rewards Hizballah by recognizing one of its main claims over the last six years. Moreover, there is no internationally agreed understanding of how much territory is involved. One estimate of the size of the Shebaa Farms is that it covers as much as 25 square kilometers.3 The point is that this international discussion over the Shebaa Farms is being raised with regard to a geographically undefined quantity of territory, which could open up a bottomless pit of demands against the State of Israel.

The U.S.-French draft resolution is only a preliminary effort to bring the current conflict in Lebanon to an end. The Lebanese government has many reservations itself about the current efforts underway in the UN, but this should not stop Israelis from raising questions about the underlying assumptions of the draft resolution in preparation. For example, its language presupposes that there are two parties to the conflict - Israel and Hizballah - along with its Lebanese hosts. This neat symmetry is false, however. In reality, this war would be impossible without the active involvement and support of Syria and Iran, in particular. Hizballah will have no incentive to comply with any UN resolution if its Iranian patrons seek to undermine the Israeli-Lebanese border. If UN peacemaking efforts produce only undertakings by Israel and Lebanon, without actively constraining Iran, then the principal actor behind the current crisis will likely continue to destabilize the entire region and any cease-fire will not last long.

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