Second Lebanon War not far off

PanARMENIAN.Net - The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) confirmed the information about crossfire between the Lebanese and Israeli sides along the Blue Line. Acting Force Commander of UNIFIL Santi Bonfanti urged the fighting parties to exercise maximum restraint to prevent further sharpening of the situation. He even flew to the zone of armed conflict by helicopter. The “Blue Helmets” increased patrolling in their duty area, and peacekeepers were sent to the zone of the incident... Unfortunately, Lebanon now serves as a bargaining chip in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Lasting internal political instability, threat of a civil war and frequent terrorist acts get the country involved in numerous clashes between Israel and Palestine, or to be more precise - between Israel and the Arab world, especially its most radical wing, the Hezbollah. Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, the current leader of this pro-Iranian grouping, apparently prepares to strike Israel in case of an attack on Iran by the U.S. and Israel. That is, the Middle East could once again become a burning region, where no agreements remain valid for a period of more than 10-15 years. And in this regard it is appropriate to recall the words of the late Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Dayan: “The only peaceful negotiations are those in which we settle the lands and build and again settle, and from time to time we fight.”

Last year the U.S. spent about $400 million to purchase weapons for the Lebanese Army, despite numerous objections from Israel. France sends advanced anti-tank missiles to the Lebanese army. And this fact cannot but disturb Jerusalem. In fact, the U.S. increases the amount of weapons in the Middle East, as Russia does in the Caucasus. The two superpowers pursue the same aim - to gain a foothold in their positions. As for the “civilian population”, its interests are either considered as a last resort or not considered at all.

With that, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon expressed concern about the exchange of fire between the Lebanese army and the Israeli Defense Forces on the Blue Line - the de facto border - near the village of `Adaysah. He called the incident the most serious challenge since the adoption of Security Council Resolution 1701.

Resolution 1701 was approved on August 11, 2006, and put an end to the ongoing war in the Lebanese territory between Israel and Hezbollah. It stresses The resolution provides for the security of the Lebanese-Israeli border, the withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from the Lebanese territory and expansion of the UN presence there.

The Commander of UN peacekeeping force in Southern Lebanon stated that both Lebanon and Israel have recognized the UN authority to define the international boundary line between them. Jordanian Prime Minister Samir Al-Rifai declared his country had actively participated in the process of reconciliation of Lebanon and Israel in the midst of the incident on the Lebanese-Israeli border. “On the instruction of King Abdullah we used all diplomatic means to convince the parties that intensification of the conflict in this difficult period is pointless,” said the head of the Jordanian government.

Nevertheless, the region is again slipping into the Second Lebanon War and the responsibility for its initiation lies on the U.S. and various NGOs, such as the International Crisis Group (ICG), which is exclusively engaged in provoking conflicts around the world, especially in the Middle East, the Balkans and the Caucasus.