Weekend long read

1) A Wall Street Journal editorial asserts that ‘U.N. Peacekeepers Are Hezbollah’s Best Friend’.

“The United Nations peacekeeping force known as Unifil had one job: Keep armed terrorists out of southern Lebanon, where they could shoot at Israel. It failed so abysmally that Israel has had to go to war to clear out the terrorists. So what does Unifil do now? It refuses to fight, refuses to move, and blames Israel for putting its non-peacekeepers at risk.”

2) At the Alma Center, Sarit Zehavi asks ‘Does UNIFIL actually want Hezbollah out of southern Lebanon?’.

“UNIFIL, upon realizing that any action it took resembling enforcement or movement in Hezbollah-dominated areas would put its soldiers’ lives at risk, began to prioritize humanitarian assistance over its primary military mission. UNIFIL, which has grown from 2,500 to 10,000 soldiers over the years, justified its approach by citing legal concerns. According to the force, it lacked the authority to enter “private property” in Lebanese villages without a Lebanese judicial order. Despite this, there is no record of UNIFIL ever attempting to obtain such an order, further undermining its credibility.”

3) WINEP reports on the ‘Tripling of Iraqi Militia Claimed Attacks on Israel in October’.

“The Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI) umbrella group had an exceptionally busy month in September, claiming 35 attacks against Israel. But if October stays on trend (with 47 attacks claimed so far), it would nearly triple September’s claims by month’s end. […]

By claiming such a large number of targets in northern Israel, the self-styled Iraqi muqawama (resistance) are probably trying to show that they are aiding Hezbollah in Lebanon. Most of the IRI’s early summer claims were Israeli ports, slotting Iraqi groups into the “blockade” campaign led by the Houthis in Yemen; the new focus is Israeli military sites in the Golan Heights. On October 2, an IRI attack claim appeared to coincide with a successful drone strike that killed two Israeli soldiers in the Golan and injured up to twenty-four, including two seriously.”

4) At the Spectator, Jonathan Spyer asks ‘Where does Lebanon go from here?’.

“The problem is that the appointment of a new president would not address the fundamental point in Lebanon, which polite political and diplomatic society still seems unwilling to confront: namely, that the official Lebanese state institutions are not able to issue orders to Hezbollah, and have no mechanism for imposing their will on the organization.

Simply put: the state within a state inserted by Iran into Lebanon, which goes by the name of Hezbollah, is stronger than the official Lebanese state.  So any arrangement which relies on the Lebanese state imposing its will on Hezbollah is doomed in advance to failure.  Given that this is the case, the US diplomatic effort regarding the Lebanese presidency amounts to so much whistling in the wind.”

5) MEMRI provides resources pertaining to Qatar’s support for Hamas.

“Al-Jazeera, Qatar’s flagship media network, has been operating around the clock as a propaganda outlet in the service of Hamas, with hardly any coverage of other topics. It expresses unreserved support for Hamas, justifying its October 7 attack, showing footage from it obtained from the terrorists’ bodycams, and celebrating it as a victory that has brought pride and honor to the Islamic nation. The network has provided an unlimited platform for messages and threats by Hamas’ leaders and spokespersons, and for their calls on Muslims worldwide to join the jihad against Israel. In fact, Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar described Al-Jazeera as “the best pulpit that accurately gives voice to our positions.””

6) At the JCFA, Lenny Ben David explains how “Iran Spreads Illegal Drugs in the Middle East, Western Hemisphere, and the Far East”.

“Among the groups operating the smuggling network are Iran’s expeditionary Quds Force, Hizbullah, Iranian proxy militias, Kata’ib Hizbullah, Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq, elements in the Assad regime, including his brother Gen. Maher Assad, commander of the Syrian Fourth Division, and Syrian intelligence units. The profitable drug trafficking helps finance them all.”

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1 Comment

  1. says: Grimey

    Israel should now deploy more ultimatums in its defence policy. Simply announce “if Hezbollah sends more missiles, Beirut will be like Gaza” or “unless hostages are returned, all Hamas leaders will be eliminated” or “if Iran sends more drones, its factories will be destroyed”, etc etc.
    Using the warnings route, antisemitic media (BBC, Grauniad, CNN, etc) can not accuse Israel of being genocidal – as the victims will have brought their destruction unto themselves.

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