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Source: https://www.jns.org/why-the-reactions-to-israels-strikes-on-hezbollah-matter/
Wars Waged to Defend Against Murderous Regimes Are Just
(JNS) Jonathan S. Tobin - Many in the West denounced the pager attacks on Hizbullah because they don't believe in Israel's right to defend itself against terrorists and because they no longer believe that any Western nation has the right to fight even the most just wars. The claim that this was an Israeli "escalation" is entirely untrue since it is Hizbullah that initiated the current round of strife. There is no other example that I am aware of where such a mass-targeted killing of terrorists was so clearly crafted to avoid civilian casualties. In the past year, Israel has often been falsely accused of making no effort to spare civilians, even though they do more than any nation in that respect. Unnecessary and aggressive wars are unjust. But those waged to defend against murderous regimes are just. A war waged to defend a nation's existence is fully defensible and should be supported by anyone with a set of moral values. The issue is whether it's ever right for Israelis or any citizen of a Western country to defend themselves against murderers with blood on their hands. Ethical people understand that there is only one answer to that question.