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Israeli Official Demands Wants Syrian Help
Israel’s foreign minister demanded Sunday that Syria and Lebanon restrain Hezbollah militants from attacking its northern border, but did not specify the steps his country would take if they failed to comply.
So writes a reporter with no imagination.
Silvan Shalom’s comments followed Friday’s exchange of artillery fire between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas over a disputed area near the confluence of the Syrian, Lebanese and Israeli borders — the first such exchange in eight months. On Saturday, Hezbollah fired anti-aircraft shells over the northern Israeli town of Kiryat Shemona. One building suffered minor damage, but no injuries were reported.
Where was the counter-battery fire?
The Lebanese militant group, which is backed by Iran and Syria, routinely responds to Israeli air force flights over Lebanon with anti-aircraft fire.
After which the Israelis bomb the AA guns.
Shalom held Lebanon and Syria — which dominates Lebanon — responsible for Hezbollah’s actions. ``We say to Syria and Lebanon as responsible parties for Hezbollah behavior ... that if Hezbollah activities continue and constitute an undermining of security of the citizens of Israel, we will have no choice but to defend ourselves,’’ he said in a radio interview. Shalom declined to elaborate on what he meant.
"Go ahead, suckers. Guess."
``We don’t want to use the language of threats now and say what we will do and how we will do it,’’ he said. ``I think the regime in Syria knows very well what our capabilities are, and I don’t think it’s worthwhile for it to put us to the test.’’
Ah, so he DID say what they’d do; the reporter just missed it.
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations sent a letter to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan holding the Syrian and Lebanese governments responsible for Hezbollah’s ``acts of terror,’’ Foreign Ministry spokesman Yonatan Peled said Saturday. American diplomats also told Lebanon and Syria that the administration was concerned about the ``calculated and provocative escalation’’ by Hezbollah, State Department deputy spokesman Philip T. Reeker said. Israel withdrew its forces from a self-declared security zone in southern Lebanon in May 2000, following more than a decade of low level warfare with Hezbollah, including frequent Hezbollah rocket attacks on northern Israeli towns. Since then violence between the sides had all but disappeared.
Except for the shelling and the rockets, you mean.

Hezbollah mythology has it that they heroically drove the Israelis out, rather than that the withdrawal was the result of long and complicated negotiations and relentless UN pressure. There's a UN "peacekeeping" force in the area (UNIFIL) which doesn't seem to do much and Hezbollah tough guyz occasionally beat a few up. The perils of believing one's own mythology can include having false memories pointed out the hard way.

Posted by: Steve White 2003-08-10
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=17480