Strikes against bridges, the Beirut airport and any civilians who happen to be in the way of Israeli ordinance must be part of some larger strategic goal.
But what?
Officially, besides the return of the captured IDF soldiers, neutralizing Hezbollah is high on the to-do list. But something else, something larger, seems to be at work here.
But never mind my thoughts.
Dennis Perrin writes:
What's going on at this very moment is quite serious, both for the Middle East and for the world.
And far from this being a "defensive" war (the only kind Israel fights, according to its apologists), the present escalation in Lebanon, as in Gaza, is part of a larger strategy that goes beyond kidnapped soldiers and Qassam and Katyusha rockets launched at Israeli border towns. This is about hitting Syria and ultimately Iran, since Israel will not allow any other country in the region to even taste nuclear power. The right to bear nuclear arms is Israel's alone, and they'll keep it that way, no matter how many cities they have to bomb and civilians they have to slaughter. You need only to listen to the words of Israeli commanders. Far from sounding cornered and defensive, they are openly boasting about bringing extensive pain to their selected targets. As stated in a Ha'aretz news analysis <http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/737744.html>, "According to the [senior IDF] officers, if the kidnapped soldiers are not returned alive and well, the Lebanese civilian infrastructures will regress 20, or even 50 years."
Not exactly a fighting-for-your-life statement.
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<http://redstateson.blogspot.com/2006/07/hell-breaking-loose.html>
and...
Israel claims hundreds of hits in Lebanon
Israel has hit hundreds of targets in Lebanon as part of its effort to force the release of two soldiers captured by Hezbollah guerrillas, a top Israeli general said Thursday.
Israel intensified its attacks against Lebanon on Thursday, blasting Beirut's airport and two Lebanese army air bases near the Syrian border, and imposing a naval blockade. More than 50 people have died in violence following the capture of two Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah militants.
Warplanes punched holes in the runways of Beirut's international airport and two military air bases, attacks that could draw the Lebanese army into the conflict.
Israel has information that Lebanese guerrillas who captured two Israeli soldiers are trying to transfer them to Iran, the Foreign Ministry spokesman said. Spokesman Mark Regev did not disclose the source of his information.
Speaking to reporters, Maj. Gen. Udi Adam, the chief of Israel's northern command, said Israel was targeting infrastructure in Lebanon that held rockets and other arsenals belong to Hezbollah.
Hezbollah guerrillas launched more than 80 rockets and mortars into Israel on Thursday.
"I imagine over time that we will be able to rid ourselves of this threat entirely," he said.
He also said the army was not ruling out sending ground troops into Lebanon.
Israel's army chief Brig. Gen. Dan Halutz warned that "nothing is safe" in Lebanon and said Beirut itself — particularly Hezbollah offices and residences — would be a target.
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<http://www.abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=2187741>
.d.