The Difference In How Israel And Hezbollah Prepare For War

Ya Libnan combines 2 different news sources, and in so doing provides a telling contrast in how Israel and Hezbollah prepare for war.

The article begins with an AP account of how Israel is preparing for war:

An Israeli military unit says it has developed a new system to protect against a chemical attack – it quickly measures temperature and wind direction to determine areas to evacuate then feeds hospitals casualty assessments.

The high-tech Lotem unit on Wednesday gave a rare exhibition of technologies against rocket attacks – one of Israel’s main security fears.

The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah lobbed 4,000 rockets into Israel in 2006, and Hamas has launched thousands from Gaza. None had chemical warheads, but Israel claims neighboring states have them.

Another technology analyzes a rocket’s trajectory to estimate where it will land. It can override broadcasts to issue warnings. A system still being developed would send cell phone text messages to civilians in the line of fire.

Not much surprise here. After all, after years of dealing with the Hamas rocket attacks coming out of Gaza, Israel's defensive measures for protecting its citizens have often been in the news.

Then, we have Hezbollah's preparations for war:

In a related development sources close to Hezbollah have reportedly revealed to the Kuwaiti al-Rai newspaper on Wednesday that the party has completed its preparations for a new war with Israel, saying that its arsenal has been enhanced with several types of weapons and it has bolstered its defensive and attacking capabilities that encompass the entire Lebanese coast reaching all the way to the country’s eastern mountain range.

The sources told al-Rai that for the first time since the establishment of Israel, the decision of war or peace is now in the hands of Hezbollah.

No surprise here either. Hezbollah's raison d'etre is to attack Israel--if there is no ongoing war, then it will have no excuse not to surrender its weapons, as has been requested of it before.

Likewise, by Hezbollah's very nature, while we read about the terrorist group bragging about having the ability to attack first, we don't see Hezbollah saying anything about how it intends to defend the Lebanese citizens that it will take upon itself to put into harm's way.

No surprise there.

Likewise, considering the fact that Hezbollah is taking upon itself the right to attack Israel and put the entire country in danger--independent of the Lebanese government--the article goes on to discuss the danger of Hezbollah taking over the country in the event that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) follows through on indicting Hezbollah for the part it played in the assassination of Rafik Hariri.

Iranian control over Lebanon--through its puppet Hezbollah--strengthens unabated.
That would explain why Hezbollah cares so little for the lives of the Lebanese people: we wouldn't expect them to care more than their masters.

Technorati Tag: Israel and Hezbollah and Lebanon.