Israel Versus Hezbollah, Round Three?

[webfact]

Israel Versus Hezbollah, Round Three?
ADAM CHANDLER

The Lebanon-based terror group fired rockets into northern Israel just hours after an Israeli strike killed a senior Hezbollah leader in Syria.

NEW YORK: -- On Sunday morning, Arab media outlets reported that Israeli forces launched a missile strike that killed Samir Kuntar, a senior Hezbollah leader, and several others in Syria.

Following the reports, Hezbollah released a characteristically bellicose statement confirming his death:

At 10:15 p.m. on Saturday December 19, Zionist warplanes struck a residential building in Jaramana city in Damascus countryside. The dean of liberated detainees from Israeli prisons, brother Mujahid Samir Kuntar was martyred along with several Syrian citizens in the strike.

While Israel did not take responsibility for the strikes, several Israeli government officials and former military officers let it be known they were not sad to learn of Kuntar’s untimely demise. “It is good that people like Samir Kuntar will not be part of our world,” one member of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet told Israel Radio.

Hours after the episode, Israeli media reported that at least three missiles fired from Lebanon landed in northern Israel, causing no damages or injuries.

Full story: http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/12/israel-versus-hezbollah-round-three/421398/

-- The Atlantic 2015-12-21

[ezzra]

This guy Kuntar was an arch terrorist with a long, long history of terrorism acts against Israel,

he was on the crosshair of Israel IDF for 39 years now, this is the case of closing the

book on this vile vermin children's murderer... End...

Edited December 20, 2015 by ezzra

[Ulysses G.]

Roast in hell terrorist.

Edited December 21, 2015 by Ulysses G.

[Scott]

Off-topic posts and replies removed.

Continue at your own peril.

Off-topic, inflammatory and troll posts will be removed and members will be given a suspension.

[dexterm]

If this is round 3, I hope readers will recall who fired the first shot as usual.

Why rattle the Hezbollah cage unnecessarily? What is Netanyahu up to?

Previous incursions into Lebanon when they have had to fight fully armed opponents have resulted in serious IDF casualties:

1982; 657 dead, 3,887 wounded

2006: 121 dead, 244 wounded

...and Hezbollah will be better armed this time.

Long range rockets can be attacked with air strikes, but it may need ground troops to tackle short range mobile rocket launchers. It's a dangerous ploy if Netanyahu's intention with this air strike is to escalate the situation into another war.

[Scott]

A post with an oversized graphic has been removed.

[jerome2]

Our world ... aii maybe the want it all

[Steely Dan]

Hezbollah are just making the expected bellicose statements given the circumstances. They had indeed stopped employing Kuntar because he was perceived as a liability who might get Hezbollah embroiled in a conflict with Israel they can ill afford. Hezbollah lost an estimated one third of their strength fighting in Syria, they are also very unpopular in Lebanon, so the last thing they need is to open up another front. Israel will no doubt let Isis continue to fight Hezbollah before dealing with them when the time is right.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4741879,00.html

[Morch]

I have no idea if this will actually escalate into a serious confrontation, or will remain within the bounds of limited aggression. Having multiple players and a volatile situation makes it difficult to nail predictions. Perhaps better to wait until after Nasrallah's expected address later today.

A few things though:

Interestingly enough, a rather mild reaction from Syria. The only scenario in which Assad would wish opening another front, is as a last resort, casting himself as leading another Arab war against Israel, and hoping for some support (or respite), This is pretty unlikely, considering other players and his sponsors' interests. So far, Syrian spokesmen are jumping through hoops trying to condemn the attack, not going over the top and keep some face. On some level, there must be a certain amount of resentment toward both Iran and Hezbollah for placing Syria in this position, but what can you do, eh? Also, perhaps some disappointment and disillusion as to the extent of Russian commitment to protect Syria.

There was some talk that the recent deployment of the Russian air defense system to Syria would curtail Israeli aerial operations in the region. This was further augmented by Israel and Russia setting up hot-line and protocol to avoid undesired incidents (re Turkey). Either there is some sort of understanding there, or else, operational limitations are less severe than assumed.

The main decision as to how things will pan out will be made by Iran, Hezbollah and Assad are not powerful enough or in a position to go at it without their backing. But would opening a new front serve Iranian interests? Seems quite risky with the implementation of the nuclear agreements on the line, and with too many players currently nearby. Then again, go figure - they might come to the conclusion that rattling the neighborhood is one way to get some attention.

[Morch]

This guy Kuntar was an arch terrorist with a long, long history of terrorism acts against Israel,

he was on the crosshair of Israel IDF for 39 years now, this is the case of closing the

book on this vile vermin children's murderer... End...

Arch-terrorist would be giving him undue credit.

Prior to imprisonment, one attempted attack which was thwarted, and one attack carried out.

After release, involvement in several attacks, not particularly successful from a terrorist point of view.

As for being in the cross-hairs of the IDF for 39 years....would have been kinda hard to miss, as he spent the lion's share of this time behind bars, in an Israeli prison.

[Morch]

If this is round 3, I hope readers will recall who fired the first shot as usual.

Why rattle the Hezbollah cage unnecessarily? What is Netanyahu up to?

Previous incursions into Lebanon when they have had to fight fully armed opponents have resulted in serious IDF casualties:

1982; 657 dead, 3,887 wounded

2006: 121 dead, 244 wounded

...and Hezbollah will be better armed this time.

Long range rockets can be attacked with air strikes, but it may need ground troops to tackle short range mobile rocket launchers. It's a dangerous ploy if Netanyahu's intention with this air strike is to escalate the situation into another war.

You have no idea whether the attack was necessary or not.

Your assertion (almost regularly made after each similar incident) that the attack is made with the intention of causing escalation is getting old. How many air strikes were carried out by Israel since 2006, how many full scale escalations resulted?

Any military confrontation results in casualties. You simply neglect to mention that Israel's opponents on both occasions took serious hits as well, and that the casualty figures for the First Lebanon War were spread over years.

Hezbollah is better armed, better prepared and possibly better trained (with the observation that many of the well trained forces are occupied with the fighting in Syria). Then again, it is a sure bet the IDF made preparations as well, that Lebanese public opinion is already unfavorable to involvement in the Syrian mess, and that Hezbollah never had to face serious two front war.

[dexterm]

If this is round 3, I hope readers will recall who fired the first shot as usual.

Why rattle the Hezbollah cage unnecessarily? What is Netanyahu up to?

Previous incursions into Lebanon when they have had to fight fully armed opponents have resulted in serious IDF casualties:

1982; 657 dead, 3,887 wounded

2006: 121 dead, 244 wounded

...and Hezbollah will be better armed this time.

Long range rockets can be attacked with air strikes, but it may need ground troops to tackle short range mobile rocket launchers. It's a dangerous ploy if Netanyahu's intention with this air strike is to escalate the situation into another war.

You have no idea whether the attack was necessary or not.

Your assertion (almost regularly made after each similar incident) that the attack is made with the intention of causing escalation is getting old. How many air strikes were carried out by Israel since 2006, how many full scale escalations resulted?

Any military confrontation results in casualties. You simply neglect to mention that Israel's opponents on both occasions took serious hits as well, and that the casualty figures for the First Lebanon War were spread over years.

Hezbollah is better armed, better prepared and possibly better trained (with the observation that many of the well trained forces are occupied with the fighting in Syria). Then again, it is a sure bet the IDF made preparations as well, that Lebanese public opinion is already unfavorable to involvement in the Syrian mess, and that Hezbollah never had to face serious two front war.

And do you have an idea that it was necessary or not? Or is it just blind faith that Netanyahu can do no wrong.

Netanyahu has a track record of provoking completely unnecessary wars such as last year's slaughter of 2200 Palestinians and sacrifice of 64 IDF, just to stay in power. The man thrives on managing conflict.

You tell me what the possible benefit is of provoking a retaliation from Hezbollah. Or better still explain the benefits to the families of Israelis possibly killed in Hezbollah retaliation.

Edited December 21, 2015 by dexterm

[GOLDBUGGY]

If this is round 3, I hope readers will recall who fired the first shot as usual.

Why rattle the Hezbollah cage unnecessarily? What is Netanyahu up to?

Previous incursions into Lebanon when they have had to fight fully armed opponents have resulted in serious IDF casualties:

1982; 657 dead, 3,887 wounded

2006: 121 dead, 244 wounded

...and Hezbollah will be better armed this time.

Long range rockets can be attacked with air strikes, but it may need ground troops to tackle short range mobile rocket launchers. It's a dangerous ploy if Netanyahu's intention with this air strike is to escalate the situation into another war.

True! But Long Range Missiles planted on top of Schools while class is in is not so easy to hit by Air Strikes. Putting Ground Troops in Lebanon, which again is a different country, is not easy to do either.

Don't know the solution to this problem. I guess nobody does either. All I know is that unless something is done soon this will go on for as long as the Crusades did, with no end in sight.

[Morch]

If this is round 3, I hope readers will recall who fired the first shot as usual.

Why rattle the Hezbollah cage unnecessarily? What is Netanyahu up to?

Previous incursions into Lebanon when they have had to fight fully armed opponents have resulted in serious IDF casualties:

1982; 657 dead, 3,887 wounded

2006: 121 dead, 244 wounded

...and Hezbollah will be better armed this time.

Long range rockets can be attacked with air strikes, but it may need ground troops to tackle short range mobile rocket launchers. It's a dangerous ploy if Netanyahu's intention with this air strike is to escalate the situation into another war.

You have no idea whether the attack was necessary or not.

Your assertion (almost regularly made after each similar incident) that the attack is made with the intention of causing escalation is getting old. How many air strikes were carried out by Israel since 2006, how many full scale escalations resulted?

Any military confrontation results in casualties. You simply neglect to mention that Israel's opponents on both occasions took serious hits as well, and that the casualty figures for the First Lebanon War were spread over years.

Hezbollah is better armed, better prepared and possibly better trained (with the observation that many of the well trained forces are occupied with the fighting in Syria). Then again, it is a sure bet the IDF made preparations as well, that Lebanese public opinion is already unfavorable to involvement in the Syrian mess, and that Hezbollah never had to face serious two front war.

And do you have an idea that it was necessary or not? Or is it just blind faith that Netanyahu can do no wrong.

Netanyahu has a track record of provoking completely unnecessary wars such as last year's slaughter of 2200 Palestinians and sacrifice of 64 IDF, just to stay in power. The man thrives on managing conflict.

You tell me what the possible benefit is of provoking a retaliation from Hezbollah. Or better still explain the benefits to the families of Israelis possibly killed in Hezbollah retaliation.

I did not make any decisive assertions regarding the air strike's necessity - you did. Some may have blind faith in Netanyahu, but as my posting history shows, I'm not one of them.

A track record, says biased poster. As discussed in previous topics, the usual nonsense about Netanyahu starting wars (plural, there) doesn't quite stack up to the dates and period of time served as Israel's PM. Your opinion that the last fighting in Gaza was a provocation cooked by Netanyahu is, again, an opinion not supported by facts and discussed on many previous topics (not that it would stop you from derailing this one as well). Same goes for its necessity - a personal assertion, not agreed upon fact. The tired old argument that it is done for the sake of domestic political gain was shown to be bogus on many occasions.

I don't see this as aimed at provoking Hezbollah, hence no need to "tell you what possible benefits" are related. The man was not doing charity work, and there are no doubts that he was involved in actions aimed against Israel. My guess, there was either a concrete attack planned, or that he was a permanent target, to be taken out when circumstances allow.

Back to reality.....

Nasrallah's speech does not indicate a full blown conflict on the horizon, but quite sure there will be some sort of limited reaction. There's no telling when, where and how, but hard to see how Hezbollah could commit to opening another front, or sustaining increased operations and mass casualties at this time. The reaction will most likely take the form of attack on Israeli border patrols (as happened last time). Attacks on Israeli assets abroad or launching long-range rockets on prime targets within Israel would necessitate Iran's involvement and permission - probably not in line with their current interests. Then again, hard to make accurate prediction in this neighborhood.

[dexterm]

If this is round 3, I hope readers will recall who fired the first shot as usual.

Why rattle the Hezbollah cage unnecessarily? What is Netanyahu up to?

Previous incursions into Lebanon when they have had to fight fully armed opponents have resulted in serious IDF casualties:

1982; 657 dead, 3,887 wounded

2006: 121 dead, 244 wounded

...and Hezbollah will be better armed this time.

Long range rockets can be attacked with air strikes, but it may need ground troops to tackle short range mobile rocket launchers. It's a dangerous ploy if Netanyahu's intention with this air strike is to escalate the situation into another war.

You have no idea whether the attack was necessary or not.

Your assertion (almost regularly made after each similar incident) that the attack is made with the intention of causing escalation is getting old. How many air strikes were carried out by Israel since 2006, how many full scale escalations resulted?

Any military confrontation results in casualties. You simply neglect to mention that Israel's opponents on both occasions took serious hits as well, and that the casualty figures for the First Lebanon War were spread over years.

Hezbollah is better armed, better prepared and possibly better trained (with the observation that many of the well trained forces are occupied with the fighting in Syria). Then again, it is a sure bet the IDF made preparations as well, that Lebanese public opinion is already unfavorable to involvement in the Syrian mess, and that Hezbollah never had to face serious two front war.

And do you have an idea that it was necessary or not? Or is it just blind faith that Netanyahu can do no wrong.

Netanyahu has a track record of provoking completely unnecessary wars such as last year's slaughter of 2200 Palestinians and sacrifice of 64 IDF, just to stay in power. The man thrives on managing conflict.

You tell me what the possible benefit is of provoking a retaliation from Hezbollah. Or better still explain the benefits to the families of Israelis possibly killed in Hezbollah retaliation.

I did not make any decisive assertions regarding the air strike's necessity - you did. Some may have blind faith in Netanyahu, but as my posting history shows, I'm not one of them.

A track record, says biased poster. As discussed in previous topics, the usual nonsense about Netanyahu starting wars (plural, there) doesn't quite stack up to the dates and period of time served as Israel's PM. Your opinion that the last fighting in Gaza was a provocation cooked by Netanyahu is, again, an opinion not supported by facts and discussed on many previous topics (not that it would stop you from derailing this one as well). Same goes for its necessity - a personal assertion, not agreed upon fact. The tired old argument that it is done for the sake of domestic political gain was shown to be bogus on many occasions.

I don't see this as aimed at provoking Hezbollah, hence no need to "tell you what possible benefits" are related. The man was not doing charity work, and there are no doubts that he was involved in actions aimed against Israel. My guess, there was either a concrete attack planned, or that he was a permanent target, to be taken out when circumstances allow.

Back to reality.....

Nasrallah's speech does not indicate a full blown conflict on the horizon, but quite sure there will be some sort of limited reaction. There's no telling when, where and how, but hard to see how Hezbollah could commit to opening another front, or sustaining increased operations and mass casualties at this time. The reaction will most likely take the form of attack on Israeli border patrols (as happened last time). Attacks on Israeli assets abroad or launching long-range rockets on prime targets within Israel would necessitate Iran's involvement and permission - probably not in line with their current interests. Then again, hard to make accurate prediction in this neighborhood.

Absolute hogwash. Rockets had been reduced to a trickle of less than one per week falling harmlessly, the Palestinians were establishing a unity government and were in imminent danger of winning the peace, when Netanyahu needlessly launched Operation Brothers Keeper which led to war and 2200 Palestinians and 64 IDF dead, and a PR disaster for Israel alienating more of the global community....but of course he did win the election.

Would gladly discuss Netanyahu's track record, but would possibly be drifting off topic.

I will save my post above and remind you who unnecessarily started this present round of conflict with Hezbollah, when Hezbollah retaliates and Israel as usual plays the victim: "What did we do to deserve this?"

Of course I am biased. I am biased against all bullies.

Edited December 22, 2015 by dexterm

[Seastallion]

<snip as not pertinent>

I will save my post above and remind you who unnecessarily started this present round of conflict with Hezbollah, when Hezbollah retaliates and Israel as usual plays the victim: "What did we do to deserve this?"

As they will.

[Ulysses G.]

I did not make any decisive assertions regarding the air strike's necessity - you did. Some may have blind faith in Netanyahu, but as my posting history shows, I'm not one of them.

Pretty much NONE of the regular posters have ever even hinted that "Netanyahu can do no wrong." Why do the anti-Israel haters have to rely on dishonest versions of events? Another Strawman from dexterm.

[augustwest]

You screw with the Israelis you will pay the price! They are still hunting Nazi's 70 years later.

[Ulysses G.]

Rockets had been reduced to a trickle of less than one per week

You insist on posting this nonsense statistic over and over. In total, about 2,257 rockets were launched at Israel from Gaza in 2012. OF COURSE Israel responded.

[dexterm]

Rockets had been reduced to a trickle of less than one per week

You insist on posting this nonsense statistic over and over. In total, about 2,257 rockets were launched at Israel from Gaza in 2012. OF COURSE Israel responded.

Please do not deliberately muddy the waters with 3 year old information..

The war provoked by Netanyahu again as in this OP instance playing the "you need a strong leader" card to win an election was last year 2014. The facts are as I stated above.

[dexterm]

Israel is clearly gearing up for retaliation form Hezbollah after deliberately provoking them

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/880590-israel-to-deploy-new-missile-interceptor/

Another war looming for domestic electorate consumption led by strongman Netanyahu.

[Morch]

You have no idea whether the attack was necessary or not.

Your assertion (almost regularly made after each similar incident) that the attack is made with the intention of causing escalation is getting old. How many air strikes were carried out by Israel since 2006, how many full scale escalations resulted?

Any military confrontation results in casualties. You simply neglect to mention that Israel's opponents on both occasions took serious hits as well, and that the casualty figures for the First Lebanon War were spread over years.

Hezbollah is better armed, better prepared and possibly better trained (with the observation that many of the well trained forces are occupied with the fighting in Syria). Then again, it is a sure bet the IDF made preparations as well, that Lebanese public opinion is already unfavorable to involvement in the Syrian mess, and that Hezbollah never had to face serious two front war.

And do you have an idea that it was necessary or not? Or is it just blind faith that Netanyahu can do no wrong.

Netanyahu has a track record of provoking completely unnecessary wars such as last year's slaughter of 2200 Palestinians and sacrifice of 64 IDF, just to stay in power. The man thrives on managing conflict.

You tell me what the possible benefit is of provoking a retaliation from Hezbollah. Or better still explain the benefits to the families of Israelis possibly killed in Hezbollah retaliation.

I did not make any decisive assertions regarding the air strike's necessity - you did. Some may have blind faith in Netanyahu, but as my posting history shows, I'm not one of them.

A track record, says biased poster. As discussed in previous topics, the usual nonsense about Netanyahu starting wars (plural, there) doesn't quite stack up to the dates and period of time served as Israel's PM. Your opinion that the last fighting in Gaza was a provocation cooked by Netanyahu is, again, an opinion not supported by facts and discussed on many previous topics (not that it would stop you from derailing this one as well). Same goes for its necessity - a personal assertion, not agreed upon fact. The tired old argument that it is done for the sake of domestic political gain was shown to be bogus on many occasions.

I don't see this as aimed at provoking Hezbollah, hence no need to "tell you what possible benefits" are related. The man was not doing charity work, and there are no doubts that he was involved in actions aimed against Israel. My guess, there was either a concrete attack planned, or that he was a permanent target, to be taken out when circumstances allow.

Back to reality.....

Nasrallah's speech does not indicate a full blown conflict on the horizon, but quite sure there will be some sort of limited reaction. There's no telling when, where and how, but hard to see how Hezbollah could commit to opening another front, or sustaining increased operations and mass casualties at this time. The reaction will most likely take the form of attack on Israeli border patrols (as happened last time). Attacks on Israeli assets abroad or launching long-range rockets on prime targets within Israel would necessitate Iran's involvement and permission - probably not in line with their current interests. Then again, hard to make accurate prediction in this neighborhood.

Absolute hogwash. Rockets had been reduced to a trickle of less than one per week falling harmlessly, the Palestinians were establishing a unity government and were in imminent danger of winning the peace, when Netanyahu needlessly launched Operation Brothers Keeper which led to war and 2200 Palestinians and 64 IDF dead, and a PR disaster for Israel alienating more of the global community....but of course he did win the election.

Would gladly discuss Netanyahu's track record, but would possibly be drifting off topic.

I will save my post above and remind you who unnecessarily started this present round of conflict with Hezbollah, when Hezbollah retaliates and Israel as usual plays the victim: "What did we do to deserve this?"

Of course I am biased. I am biased against all bullies.

As expected, didn't take you long to try and derail the topic. All the off-topic issues raised were addressed in many previous discussions, and with the same results - that is, no real support for allegations, assertions and wild imaginations concerning the political angle of the situation.

Do you have anything to add to this discussion other than unsupported yet definitive claims regarding the goals of the attack or its perceived necessity?

[Morch]

Israel is clearly gearing up for retaliation form Hezbollah after deliberately provoking them

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/880590-israel-to-deploy-new-missile-interceptor/

Another war looming for domestic electorate consumption led by strongman Netanyahu.

Clearly.....how?

Is it your "expert" opinion that the development of a new weapon system (years in the making) was meticulously planned to coincide with current developments?

Do you have anything to support this outlandish notion other than your own opinion? Same goes goes for stating that the aim the attack was to provoke Hezbollah?

Wouldn't be the first time, after an Israeli air strike, that you foresee a major escalation. Most times, these fail to materialize. Same goes for military campaigns and operations being a voter winning ticket in recent Israeli politics - clueless at best.

[Jingthing]

You screw with the Israelis you will pay the price! They are still hunting Nazi's 70 years later.

There are always NEW Nazis.

[Chicog]

I kinda think this is all wind and piss from Hezbollah. They have far bigger things to worry about at the moment.

[Seastallion]

Israel is clearly gearing up for retaliation form Hezbollah after deliberately provoking them

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/880590-israel-to-deploy-new-missile-interceptor/

Another war looming for domestic electorate consumption led by strongman Netanyahu.

Clearly.....how?

Is it your "expert" opinion that the development of a new weapon system (years in the making) was meticulously planned to coincide with current developments?

Do you have anything to support this outlandish notion other than your own opinion? Same goes goes for stating that the aim the attack was to provoke Hezbollah?

Wouldn't be the first time, after an Israeli air strike, that you foresee a major escalation. Most times, these fail to materialize. Same goes for military campaigns and operations being a voter winning ticket in recent Israeli politics - clueless at best.

I would think it's the other way around: David's Sling is ready to deploy, Hezbollah is tied up in Syria, lets give them a nudge, see how hard they can retaliate. If they do, we're ready for them and can then do what we do best, ie cry victim for the global media and act out our aggression "in self defence".

It has certainly happened like that in the past, with great results from the Israeli point of view.

[Steely Dan]

Much in the way a stopped clock is right twice a day I suspect some of our esteemed members may for once be correct that Israel are about to take action to eliminate Hezbollah once and for all. I say this based on a wider view of the region where I suspect action to remove Iran's proxies from Syria, Yemen and Iraq will be followed by action to tackle Hezbollah and Iran itself. ISiS are currently being taken apart by special ops troops from many nations, not that this is headline news with the MSM yet.

The killing of Samir Kuntar, though welcome, was not in my opinion designed to provoke Hezbollah, who are imho dead men walking, though if they do respond in any meaningful way they may hasten their own demise.

[dexterm]

Much in the way a stopped clock is right twice a day I suspect some of our esteemed members may for once be correct that Israel are about to take action to eliminate Hezbollah once and for all. I say this based on a wider view of the region where I suspect action to remove Iran's proxies from Syria, Yemen and Iraq will be followed by action to tackle Hezbollah and Iran itself. ISiS are currently being taken apart by special ops troops from many nations, not that this is headline news with the MSM yet.

The killing of Samir Kuntar, though welcome, was not in my opinion designed to provoke Hezbollah, who are imho dead men walking, though if they do respond in any meaningful way they may hasten their own demise.

The killing of Samir Kuntar, though welcome, was not in my opinion designed to provoke Hezbollah, who are imho dead men walking, though if they do respond in any meaningful way they may hasten their own demise.

Tell that to the families of the dead IDF last time Israel took on the fully armed well trained soldiers of Hezbollah rather than the usual defenceless opposition.

It is very hard for a nation of 2nd passport holders to defeat an enemy of religious zealots.

If they have been hunting Kuntar for years, why now?

[Seastallion]

Much in the way a stopped clock is right twice a day I suspect some of our esteemed members may for once be correct that Israel are about to take action to eliminate Hezbollah once and for all. I say this based on a wider view of the region where I suspect action to remove Iran's proxies from Syria, Yemen and Iraq will be followed by action to tackle Hezbollah and Iran itself. ISiS are currently being taken apart by special ops troops from many nations, not that this is headline news with the MSM yet.

The killing of Samir Kuntar, though welcome, was not in my opinion designed to provoke Hezbollah, who are imho dead men walking, though if they do respond in any meaningful way they may hasten their own demise.

The killing of Samir Kuntar, though welcome, was not in my opinion designed to provoke Hezbollah, who are imho dead men walking, though if they do respond in any meaningful way they may hasten their own demise.

Tell that to the families of the dead IDF last time Israel took on the fully armed well trained soldiers of Hezbollah rather than the usual defenceless opposition.

It is very hard for a nation of 2nd passport holders to defeat an enemy of religious zealots.

If they have been hunting Kuntar for years, why now?

Yeah, why now?

According to some, 8 years is past some imaginary statute of limitations for assassinating someone who got a free pass in a deal. A ridiculous idea, of course.

Why now?

Hezbollah will be asking that, and Israel will be hoping that the assumed answer is the most obvious: Because Hezbollah are tied up in Syria.

And maybe that has something to do with it.

Time will tell.

Maybe it is actually very simple and nasty: It's time to test David's Sling...give a nudge because they can't react with much. Lets see if the Sling works.

[HikeFromLA]

This seems like a particularly lousy time for the Israelis to be meddling in Syria. Syria is a Russian ally, and the Russians have been on a winning streak. South Ossetia, Crimea, Donetsk, now Syria. I don't see the Russians leaving Syria. Who is going to make them?

Americans, French, Canadians, Germans...

Russians and Syrians...

Israelis...

The Turks...

Those are just the air forces. Not counting the players on the ground, from "our" Kurds and FSA to "their" Hezbollah.

Too many players.

Too dangerous.

Russia is careful, but probably won't back down. Syria can't back down.

The Zionists now have their years-old dream of chaos among their enemies in Syria and Iraq. Time to leave well enough alone, and not meddle further. They have nothing to gain by amping up a Great-Power confrontation right next door.

And they have a lot to lose.