And since this story is coming out of the New York Times, which has never met an anti-Israel group it didn't adore, I think it has that much more credibility. And as such, it more or less confirms points I've been making about Hezbollah tactics -- and shoots down my former troll's claims that Lebanese Christians just love Hezbollah.

The refugees from southern Lebanon spilled out of packed cars into the dark street here Thursday evening, gulping bottles of water and squinting in the glare of the headlights to find family members and friends. Many had not eaten in days. Most had not had clean drinking water for some time. There were wounded swathed in makeshift dressings, and a baby just 16 days old.

But for some of the Christians who had made it out in this convoy, it was not just privations they wanted to talk about, but their ordeal at the hands of Hezbollah — a contrast to the Shiites, who make up a vast majority of the population in southern Lebanon and broadly support the militia.

“Hezbollah came to Ain Ebel to shoot its rockets,” said Fayad Hanna Amar, a young Christian man, referring to his village. “They are shooting from between our houses.”

“Please,’’ he added, “write that in your newspaper.”

And since they are launching rockets from the middle of civilian neighborhoods -- and Christian neighborhoods in particular -- where do the Israelis have to attack in order to defend themselves? Those same neighborhoods. And what are teh targets of hezbollah? The civilian population of Israel. As a result, Hezbollah bears responsibility for ALL civilian casualties, regardless of whose munitions cause those casualties.

And please consider that some of the casualties among the Lebanese Christians are directly inflicted by hezbollah.

Many Christians from Ramesh and Ain Ebel considered HezbollahÂ’s fighting methods as much of an outrage as the Israeli strikes. Mr. Amar said Hezbollah fighters in groups of two and three had come into Ain Ebel, less than a mile from Bint Jbail, where most of the fighting has occurred. They were using it as a base to shoot rockets, he said, and the Israelis fired back.

One woman, who would not give her name because she had a government job and feared retribution, said Hezbollah fighters had killed a man who was trying to leave Bint Jbail.

“This is what’s happening, but no one wants to say it” for fear of Hezbollah, she said.

QUite right -- expecially the United Nations and the "international community", which wants to have this all play out by the same old script. You know the one.

Act I Jihadi terrorists murder Israelis.
Act II Israelis engage in a defensive response.
Act III Jihadis claim victim status.
Act IV Israel condemned as unjust aggressor.
Act V Israel gives in to international pressure to be nice.

But the reality is that the conflict and the casualties are not instigated by the Israelis, who have shown an incredible desire to seek peace with their neighbors and a serious willingness to compromise to achiev that end. Rather, it is those who hide behind civilians to launch cowardly attacks -- to the point of preventing civilian evacuations -- whose actions must be condemned. Sadly, the UN lacks the stomach to do so.

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Posted by: Greg at 10:33 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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