Israel threatens to wage a new war against Lebanon unless the country restrains Hezbollah from gaining more political power.
“If Hezbollah gains more strength, we will no longer place any limitations on ourselves,” Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert warned at Home Front Command headquarters on Tuesday.
He said, “In the Second Lebanon War we had much greater means and capabilities which we avoided using since we fought against an organization and not a country.”
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Referring to future confrontations with Lebanon, Olmert said “We will be forced to bring a quick end to conflict, at the smallest possible cost, using our comparative advantage.”
He also said a future war against Lebanese will be conducted differently, noting that “Gone are the days when wars were fought on remote and hidden battlefields while life in the cities carried on as usual.”
On Aug. 12, the Lebanese parliament overwhelmingly approved a national unity government. The elected government agreed on a manifesto that gives Hezbollah the right to keep its arms to defend the nation and liberate its land from Israeli occupation.
Israel fought a 33-day war against Lebanon in the summer of 2006 after Hezbollah captured two of its soldiers. First it vowed to destroy Hezbollah resistance movement and secure the release of the two captured soldiers.
However, Israel failed to achieve any of its goals and it suffered the first-ever defeat in the Middle East. Hezbollah victory shattered the myth of the invincibility of Zionist army.
