Reading this article in the Seattle Times, it's pretty clear to me that Israel is serious as a heart attack about shutting down Hezbollah:

JERUSALEM (AP)--Ehud Olmert's effort to free three captured soldiers has become a broad campaign to alter the strategic balance of the Middle East - an enormous gamble for an Israeli prime minister facing growing domestic pressure to hit Islamic militants hard.

Israel's assault on Lebanon, which has already killed 73 people and turned much of the country into a battlefield, could backfire if it becomes a protracted quagmire, provokes war with Syria or exposes Israelis to increasingly deadly attacks.

But Olmert likely sees Israel's simultaneous offensives in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon as a way to strike a decisive blow not only against Hezbollah and Hamas but also against the interests of Syria and Iran, which bankroll and arm the militants.

Because of widespread Israeli support for strong action against Hezbollah, which penetrated Israel's northern border and captured two soldiers this week, Olmert could be in even bigger trouble if he backs down.

. . .

Support for Israel's campaign in Lebanon has come from some unlikely sources, including Yossi Beilin, Israel's best known leftist, and Orna Shimoni, who played a leading role in pressing Israel to withdraw from Lebanon in 2000 after an 18-year occupation.
. . .

Israeli Cabinet Minister Isaac Herzog said Israel wants to "change the rules of the game."

"Our aim is to change the basic parameters and the basic pattern of behavior so that there will be no more kidnappings and no more insurgencies and no more terror activity and we expect that the Lebanese government will know that they will pay a price if they don't act," he told The Associated Press.

Brig. Gen. Ido Nehushtan, a member of Israel's General Staff, put it bluntly: "We need to put Hezbollah out of business."

Hatzlacha Rabbah.

Posted by: Ragnar at 05:19 PM | Comments (10) | Add Comment
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