Word: hizballah
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...outcome of the Lebanese political crisis may have been inevitable. On Friday Hizballah-the only force ever to defeat the Israeli army - defeated forces loyal to the American-backed Lebanese government. Still, few expected that the Iranian-backed militia would triumph so quickly and so easily...
...This latest crisis started when the Lebanese government, which has been holding onto power despite a 17-month campaign of Hizballah street protests, announced its intention to move against a private telecommunications network that Hizballah uses to coordinate military activity against Israel. On Wednesday, the opposition co-opted a planned general strike and turned it into a show of force complete with burning tire and rubble barricades that blocked many major highways, including the airport road. Then yesterday, Hizballah leader Nasrallah called the government's telecom crackdown an act of war, accused it of doing Israel's dirty work...
...Just why the government chose this particular moment to move against Hizballah's telecoms remains unclear. Hizballah, which fought Israel to a standstill in the summer war of 2006, is much stronger on the ground than the government and is certain to win any confrontation. Still, Hizballah would have much to lose in an open civil war. Not only would the chaos distract the group from the far more dangerous struggle with Israel, but it could also help radical al-Qaeda-affiliated Sunni jihadi groups infiltrate Lebanon. Tellingly, Hizballah regulars have so far stayed out of the fighting, leaving...
...government officials who moved against the Hizballah network are known to coordinate their actions with the United States, and the Bush Administration may be digging in its heels into Lebanon while its days in office are on the wane. The Bush Administration is keen both to preserve Lebanon's independence from Syria, which ended its occupation of Lebanon in 2005 under American pressure, and to push for the disarmament of Hizballah, which the U.S. regards as a terrorist organization and a major threat to Israel. "Hizballah needs to make a choice: Be a terrorist organization or be a political party...
...little ability to force Hizballah's hand. The Bush Administration has been training and equipping Lebanon's Internal Security Forces. But unlike the army, which all sides regard as neutral, the opposition regards the ISF as little more than an official militia, dominated by pro-government and pro-American officers and composed of mostly of Christians and Sunnis, a proxy force being readied for action against Hizballah. They are unlikely to be of much use. "If they want to fight us, we can kill them in one day," said an opposition fighter...