Which is why we have to face the enemy with one hand tied behind our back. And assuredly, the enemy counts on that, and is taking this fact into consideration in the development of its own hideous plans.
Sooner or later, the West is going to have to "come out slugging" with both hands and everything we can bring to bear to decimate/eradicate this persistent evil. Sooner is probably better (i.e., in terms of the most efficient and in the last analysis, most sparing actions WRT to conservation of American and Israeli blood and treasure, not to mention that of the hapless people of Lebanon) than later.
Why is it that people refuse to learn anything from history? We've seen this all before.... The Neville Chamberlains of our world seem to be holding all the cards at the moment. That will mean the price exacted in the end, will be horrifically more terrible than it needed to be, if appropriate, measure-for-measure actions were effectively taken NOW.
Well, FWIW. Thank you ever so much for writing, tarheelswamprat. Seems to me your analysis is right on the money.
The purpose of fighting can not be to do the least possible, to allow a return to the peace that existed before the war began. The fact that war began demonstrates that the previous circumstance, the status quo ante, was not tenable; to return to it is to guarantee that war continues.
The proper purpose of a war must be to re-draw the reality on the ground, to create a new status quo that is tenable. For certain that must include the complete elimination of Hezbollah and Hamas, they must be hunted down and removed from the equation, including and especially the leadership, as well as anyone else who comes out to play. Those members of Hamas who were members of the PA "government" must be arrested or forced into exile; no remnant of either force, Hezbollah or Hamas, must survive in any territory bordering Israel.
Eliminating these two parties will allow Lebanon to reestablish its sovereignty, and for other voices to emerge in the territories.
But it will not be a lasting solution as long as the Assad regime continues to dominate the scene, and as long as Syria continues to act as Iran's puppet.
This is where it gets dicey. I wouldn't have wished for this a week ago, but the war is on. We aren't going to have a better chance to finish unfinished business than now. The violence will be pushed back but will not end as long as Iran and Syria are feeding it, nor will our war in Iraq end for exactly the same reasons. We may not have noticed it but despite our efforts to keep them separate, our war and Israel's war are now the same war. Our enemies in Iraq are fed by Iran and Syria; Israel's enemies are fed from the same source.
We fight Iranian proxies and forces directed and supplied from Syria; they do as well.
As we establish the new ground reality, we need to include Syria in the recipe. If we ever have to face Iran, we will be glad Syria was dealt with previously. The Assads need to be brought down, and we aren't likely to get a better chance than now.