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Averting a Third Lebanon War
(Wall Street Journal) Mark Dubowitz and Mike Gallagher - Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, in cooperation with Hizbullah, has been constructing missile-production facilities in Lebanon. Israeli officials now say that pre-emptive strikes may be necessary to destroy these missile capabilities before they're operational. In recent years, Israel repeatedly struck transfers of "game-changing" weaponry that could challenge Israel's military superiority and pose severe threats to its civilians. Hizbullah's inventory has expanded to 150,000 missiles, compared to 50,000 at the beginning of the Second Lebanon War in 2006. An increasing number are highly accurate, capable of delivering a massive payload to anywhere in Israel. While Israel has advanced missile defenses, Iran and Hizbullah are now seeking an arsenal that can overwhelm these systems. The Trump administration should make it clear to Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad Hariri that it is his responsibility to dismantle these facilities, as well as to ensure that southern Lebanon is free of "any armed personnel, assets and weapons" not under direct control of the Lebanese government, as required by UN Security Council Resolution 1701. Mark Dubowitz is the chief executive of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) is a former U.S. Marine Corps intelligence officer.