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Lebanon Equals Hizbullah
(Media Line-Jerusalem Post) Charles Bybelezer - "There is a common misconception in the West that there are two competing camps in Lebanon," said Maj.-Gen. (res.) Giora Eiland, a former head of Israel's National Security Council. "The first is considered the 'good' camp, led by [Lebanese premier Saad] Hariri and comprising Sunnis, most of the Christians and the Druze. The other consists of [Shiite] Hizbullah which is supported by Iran and Syria." "This inevitably leads to the conclusion, 'let's help the good guys against the bad guys' - but the reality is that there is an agreement between the sides. The former is tasked with presenting the 'nice' face of Lebanon while appealing for Western support, while Hizbullah is allowed to remain the only military power in the country and dominates decision-making." Maj.-Gen. (ret.) Yaakov Amidror, former National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister and a former head of Israel's National Security Council, said, "Lebanon practically does not exist as a sovereign state. This is an illusion, as nothing can be done without the approval of Hizbullah." It is no secret that American military equipment earmarked for the Lebanese Armed Forces has fallen into the hands of, if not intentionally diverted to, Hizbullah. "Hizbullah has more than 120,000 missiles and rockets, many of them stored in houses and apartments in populated areas," Amidror noted. "These are legitimate military targets and if they have to be destroyed by the Israeli air force, then the surrounding areas will evaporate, as there is no tactical way to do so without massive amounts of damage. When the next conflict erupts depends very much on how far the Iranians will push things and how long Israel can tolerate the danger."