Posted on 01/31/2018 4:09:13 PM PST by SJackson
TEL AVIV (Reuters) - The United States pledged continued support for Lebanon’s military on Wednesday, calling it a potential counterweight to Iranian-backed Hezbollah, even as Israel said the two forces were indistinguishable and fair game in any future war.
Such a public difference of opinion between the allies was remarkable enough, but especially so as it was sounded by senior officials at the same event - an Israeli security conference.
The Lebanese Armed Forces took no part in the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel. It has received more than $1.5 billion in U.S. military assistance since then and, in the last seven years, training and support from U.S. special forces too.
With Hezbollah having helped sway the Syrian civil war in President Bashar al-Assad’s favor, Israel and the United States worry that the Shi‘ite militia could now broaden its clout in its Lebanese heartland.
“We will sustain our efforts to support legitimate state security institutions in Lebanon, such as the Lebanese Armed Forces, which is the only legitimate force in Lebanon,” David Satterfield, acting assistant U.S. secretary of state, told the conference organized by Tel Aviv University’s INSS think-tank.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
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From the article
“As far as I‘m concerned, all of Lebanon - the Lebanese army, Lebanon and the Lebanese army - are no different from Hezbollah,” he said. “They are part of Hezbollah and they will all pay the full price” for any large-scale attack on Israel.
Goofy headline, Israel "threatening", it's a given, to respond to a large scale attack is hardly a threat. The State Department's reaction is bizarre.
This is excellent balance and the correct foreign policy. Unless Israel is attacked by that country, they need to stay out of other sovereign countries.
This from November. Hezbollah is a dominant force in the Lebanese government. I don't understand how you disassociate the Lebanese army from Hezbollah.
Hezbollah continues ‘absolute dominance’ of Lebanon amid domestic political crisis"
the Lebanese army is essentially taken over, as is that country’s government, by the terrorist murder gang (supported by the Iranian terrorist murder regime).
USA should have prevented this, or at least taken it out...long ago... Israel too. Both are negligent ... the Hezballah murder gang needs to be eliminated and then maybe the Lebanese government MIGHT be possible to be fixed
otherwise the Muslim terrorists running the show there will get the country basically destroyed ... for nothing.. just like the same IslamoNazi terrorist types have gotten Syria and Iraq destroyed already
its coming, I am sorry to predict but its coming
Hardly, Israel stated it would respond to a large scale attack from Lebanon. State Department appears to have taken the Lebanese Army’s side. We supply them with arms and training. Are you suggesting that if Israel is attacked from Lebanon, Israel can’t respond? Doubt that’s really US policy, but if it is, we’re the ones interfering with a sovereign nation’s right of self defense. The ultimate beneficiary of that policy would, of course, be Iran.
Sort of. Most Lebanese, including the political class, would be happy to see the last of the “Palestinians.”
Horse hockey. Show me the indication that the Lebanese Army plans to attack Israel. You are making that up. That is ludicrous and unfounded. Israel attacked the sovereign country of Syria with zero provocation from Syria, a total violation of international law, Israel needs to join the world as a responsible member and quit attacking sovereign nations unless there is a violation of their sovereignty. I am elated at the balance in our great state department. ( BTW we need to get the hell out of Syria unless we are invited there!!)
It's clear from the quote in this article that if Hizbollah launches an attack on Israel, sorry, a major attack, that Israel will defend themselves in response. Common sense. A warning to the Lebanese army is reasonable since, under international law, Israel is allowed to respond to an attack launched from Lebanon. and it's quite possible that along with Hizbollah and the Republican Guard in the south, the Lebanese Army will get the sh*t kicked out of them.
Not quite sure what your problem is. Even this article was clear that Israel's warning pertained to their response to an attack launched from Lebanon. With the collusion of the Lebanese Army who, along with the UN has a legal obligation to disarm Hizbollah. They've done the opposite.
As to Syria, I presume you're referring to the destruction of Assad's nuclear program. Like Sadaam's, I thing that's a good thing. Someone should have done the same thing to North Korea, but it's unreasonable to expect that from Israel. The US would have to had do it by themselves.
Most? Not so sure. The question is whether they'd like to be rid of Hizbollah. Clearly the government, which isn't what it was a decade or two ago, supports them.
It used to be ruled by the Christians.
I was surprised to see that 40.4% of Lebanon is still Christian, while 54% is now Islamic.
I thought the Christian element was almost gone there.
Is it your assessment that Hezbollah is Palestinian. If not didn’t mean to put words in your mouth. That seemed to be your inference.
I too don’t believe the Lebanese are real thrilled with Hamas being in the catbird’s seat there.
Now my take on Hamas may not be too accurate, but it’s my understanding it didn’t hold sway in the ‘Palestinian’ areas near Israel until the last decade or so. It was voted into power around that time. Before that I believe al Fatah was in control.
Perhaps you can set me straight on some of this.
Who knows if they're palestinian, no one knows what a palestinian is. They're a Lebanese shia terrorist organization. When it's convenient and the cost is low, it's advantageous to use the issue of palestinians, but I suspect the couldn't care less. If they get the west out of the Mideast, they'll be fighting the Sunnis, Hamas and the palestinians. It's not confusing, it's irrational.
You're right about Hamas. They shouldn't have been allowed in the election, armed groups are banned under Oslo, but GWB and Condi insisted and Israel and the PLO , who didn't want them in, relented. They wanted the Muslim Brotherhood in Egyptian elections too, but Egypt refused. I like GWB, but he had some serious blindspots in the region.
I agree with your take on things there.
The policy that is addressed here isn’t something I approve of, as I understand it.
The problem is though, these days you have no idea if what you are reading is pure propaganda or not.
You’re kind of forced to allow things to play out, and by which time bad policy may have been implemented.
Meant to address this and didn’t.
They also used to reference it as the Riviera of the Middle East.
Then the Palestinian came to town, and Beirut was savaged. They may have been there as refugees, but at some point they balked and created havoc.
That’s pretty much the case where-ever they have gone.
Jordan, Egypt, and Lebanon come to mind, and of course off Isreal’s border too.
Thanks SJackson.
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