Ahmed al-Jarallah, the editor of the Kuwait-based Arab Times, accused Iran and Syria of turning Lebanon and Palestine into battlegrounds at the expense of their own people. “They are fighting the international community, especially the United States, in Lebanon and Palestine”, he commented on 16 July. “Nobody is benefiting from this conflict, except Tehran and Damascus, which are using this issue to solve their problems with the international community without any care for the blood that is being shed in Lebanon and Palestine.”

A united, worried Israel - Open Democracy

The second and more significant factor is the recognition that if there is any operation against Iranian nuclear facilities in the coming months, whether by Israel or the United States, one of Tehran’s options in response would be to encourage Hizbollah to open up a front against Israel. The likely consequences of the range of actions available – including action against United States forces in Iraq, and disruption of Gulf oil traffic – would make any plan to attack Iranian nuclear installations fraught with danger (see Paul Rogers, Iran: Consequences of a War, Oxford Research Group, February 2006).

In this context, destroying Hizbollah’s capacity to fire rockets on Israel would remove one problem with attacking Iran – a matter of “getting your retaliation in first”. Moreover, the mood in Washington has moved markedly towards a confrontation with Tehran, with support extending well beyond the traditional neo-conservative centres (Jim Lobe, “The drums of war sound for Iran”, Asia Times, 21 July 2006).

Hit Beirut, target Tehran - Open Democracy

Com deia, l’agenda dels que comencen les guerres no té res a veure amb la del poble que en pateix les conseqüències.

Towards the end of the day, my guides [Hezbollah] took me a hill overlooking the Israeli frontier, and the town of Metulla. There, I sensed that another perspective, and another future, was equally contained within these seemingly peaceful hills.

From one roadside vantage-point, they had pointed to the still unresolved Shebaa area to the southeast. As we looked over to this Israeli town, with people clearly visible walking in the streets, the chief guide turned to me with an unambiguous message: “It took us twenty-two years to drive them out of here [Lebanon]”, and it may take us up to forty years to drive them out of there [occupied Palestine]”.

I long ago decided, in dealing with revolutionaries and with their enemies, in the middle east and elsewhere, to question their motives and sense of reality, but to take seriously what they stated to be their true intentions. Those words, spoken on the hill overlooking Metulla in 2004, were sincerely meant, and carried within them a long history of fighting, sacrifice and killing. In light of recent events, it would be prudent to assume that much more is to come.

A Lebanese fragment: two days with Hizbollah - Open Democracy

I Hezbollah necessita la guerra permanent. No en té prou amb un Liban desocupat.

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