News: Around the web on the war in Lebanon

Not surprisingly, the US is sending military aid to Israel. HT: Drudge

Excerpt:

WASHINGTON, July 21 - The Bush administration is rushing a delivery of precision-guided bombs to Israel, which requested the expedited shipment last week after beginning its air campaign against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, American officials said Friday.

The decision to quickly ship the weapons to Israel was made with relatively little debate within the Bush administration, the officials said. Its disclosure threatens to anger Arab governments and others because of the appearance that the United States is actively aiding the Israeli bombing campaign in a way that could be compared to Iran’s efforts to arm and resupply Hezbollah.

The munitions that the United States is sending to Israel are part of a multimillion-dollar arms sale package approved last year that Israel is able to draw on as needed, the officials said. But Israel’s request for expedited delivery of the satellite and laser-guided bombs was described as unusual by some military officers, and as an indication that Israel still had a long list of targets in Lebanon to strike.

As you can see, the way the article is phrased sure makes it sound like the writers are trying to emphasize the moral equivalence of both sides by making the war a proxy war between the USA and Iran.

Iran and Hezbollah want Israel wiped off the map.

Would critics say the USA and Israel want the same thing?

Additionally, the news story was made possible by "unnamed source":

The new American arms shipment to Israel has not been announced publicly, and the officials who described the administration’s decision to rush the munitions to Israel would discuss it only after being promised anonymity. The officials included employees of two government agencies, and one described the shipment as just one example of a broad array of armaments that the United States has long provided Israel.

In this case, it really doesn't bother me that somebody "leaked" the story. If anything, I wish the US would come right out and hold a press conference and say, yes, we are supporting Israel and we will continue to do so because they are our partners in the war against forces that would use terror to rob the freedom of peace-loving people around the world.

Drudge also links to this item that says US analysts think Israel still has a long way to go in knocking down the Hezbollah rocket launchers and inventory and that the Israeli battle damage assessments are too optimistic. Excerpt:

Israel is overstating the damage its air war has inflicted on the Hezbollah militia, which hides its weapons in tunnels and civilian neighborhoods throughout Lebanon, Bush administration and intelligence officials said yesterday.

Israeli assessments are "too large," said one U.S. official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. But he added, "We are not getting into numbers."
..........
The problem for Israel is, there are limits to air wars and there are missions that only ground troops can carry out. Aerial bombardment cannot get at all targets, or verify damage. That is one reason Israel is contemplating a limited invasion to clear out bunkers and create a buffer zone free of Hezbollah rockets.

"Clearly [Israeli attacks have] had a very significant impact on their military capability," said a U.S. counterterrorism official. "But Hezbollah still has a significant stockpile of rockets."

If I had to venture a prediction, the ground invasion will take place within the next few days. The only way to be sure they destroy the launchers and stockpiles is to have ground troops find them and destroy them. Ground troops also will force Hezbollah to pack them up and move them lest they fall into Israeli hands and while they are trying to move the stuff, the IDF can destroy them.

The ground war might be very difficult. Hugh Hewitt links to this item over at Counterrorism blog that reports on the ambush of an elite Israel ground unit indicates Hezbollah troops are well trained and well equipped. Excerpt:

The Golani Brigade is an active duty IDF unit with experience on the Lebanese and Gaza fronts. It is considered an elite IDF unit and has a storied combat history. They were forced to retreat from the battlefield under heavy fire from the Iranian trained Hezbollah fighters.

The Israelis are calling up another couple of thousand troops - essentially another brigade of reservists. The knowledge that Hezbollah possesses a well trained and armed military force must be weighing heavy on Israel's political and military leadership. Hezbollah is a direct threat to the Israeli state, and if allowed to survive will dominate the Lebanese political and military arenas, and only grow stronger and bolder over time. The state-within-a-state will become the state.

Bainbridge discusses just war analysis. Excerpt:

Just war theory has two distinct components:

1. Jus ad bellum: Is this a just war? Was there a legitimate cause for going to war?
2. Jus in bello: Are you waging war in accordance with the ethical, moral, and legal requirements of justice?

He links to Georgetown Law Blog where they say in practice courts would defer to the judgement of military commanders on the question of proportionality. They go on to say, only political pressures are likely to be applied if it is believed one side is acting disproportionately.

Emotionally, it is very difficult to see civilians get killed in Iraq and Lebanon. But what are you supposed to do when terrorists hide themselves and their weapons in the midst of civilians?

Unfortunately, there aren't magic bullets that only seek out and kill the bad guys.

Much like chemotherapy of cancer, the good cells get killed along with the cancer cells and there are horrible side effects. However, if the patient is untreated, the cancer kills them. Of course, I suppose there are some circumstances when the treatment is worse than the cure especiallly if the cure is just an extension of the persons life for a few months. In those cases, I suppose some patients opt to receive only pain management care.

Do we believe the situation in Lebanon and Iraq is so intractable that the current situation is worse than doing nothing?

If Israel announced tonight that it will cease its military campaign, how long will it be before Hezbollah starts launching more rockets into Israeli cities? How long will it be before they start cross border raids again?

Iraqi is more complicated. In the end, they might wind up with three countries like the former Yugoslavia. But for the moment, I think we need to support the current government in an effort to hold things together. There needs to be a good faith effort to see if it can work. If not, then looking at a three state solution will move up the list of options.