The Provocation in Lebanon

The leader of Hezbollah has said the Lebanese government's decision to close down its private telecommunications network was a "declaration of war".

Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah warned that the move was "for the benefit of America and Israel" and vowed to "cut off the hand" that tries to dismantle it. This is plainly meant as a provocation: Hezbollah, which fought off the Israelis during the 2006 war, is not about to give up its communications infrastructure. After all, it was Hezbollah, not the Lebanese army, that resisted the Israelis when they rained bombs down on Lebanese civilians, killing and maiming thousands, destroying homes, factories, and houses of worship. The army stayed in its barracks while Hezbollah fought for Lebanon. But no matter. The Lebanese government – with the Americans and the Israelis behind it – clearly wants a fight.

The first comes the provocation, the catalyzing incident that creates a "crisis" atmosphere and inspires our warmongers – and theirs – to act.

Lebanon is a tinderbox, the Balkans of the Middle East, and the "government" – which is not quite a government, since it lacks a president – has lit the fuse. For 17 months, the two sides have been locked in a confrontation with little prospect for a peaceful resolution, and foreign hands – the Americans, the Israelis, the Iranians, the Syrians, the Saudis – are stirring the pot.

Amid all this tumult and drama, as armed factions engage in street battles and a country that was once the jewel of the Middle East is blackened in the flames of war, what is the American interest?  Who benefits from such a war? Is it another Israel plot?

The U.S. has tried almost everything in its efforts to de-fang Hizballah: designating it a terrorist organization; securing a UN Security Council resolution calling for it to disarm; encouraging Israel to invade Lebanon in 2006; and finally, pushing the Lebanese government into unsustainable game of brinkmanship with the Shia Muslim militant group.

Unable to isolate the entire country, the U.S. and Israel will begin thinking about their military options. There aren't many. The last time the US sent troops here the expedition ended badly, with the bombing of the Marine Corps barracks in 1982. But the Israeli army, which has been re-training furiously since its Lebanon debacle in 2006, may want feel less restraint from going to war with a country now dominated by its adversaries.

At this time of blogs line, fierce clashes raged in Beirut on Thursday after the Iranian-backed group Hezbollah said the U.S.-supported Lebanese government had declared war by targeting its military communications network.

Security sources said at least 11 people had been killed and 30 wounded in three days of battles between pro-government gunmen and fighters loyal to Hezbollah, a Shi'ite political movement with a powerful guerrilla army.

The European Union, Germany and France urged calm and a peaceful resolution. Syria said the issue was an internal Lebanese affair while Iran blamed "the adventurist interferences" of the United States and Israel for the violence.

While fears that the political conflict in Lebanon could escalate into sectarian conflict were heightened, Mohammed Rashid Kabbani, Lebanon's Sunni grand mufti, spoke agasint Hezbollah for the fist time.

"Sunni Muslims in Lebanon have had enough," Kabbani said in a televised address from his office.

The Sunni spiritual leader refered to Hezbollah as "armed gangs of outlaws that have carried out the ugliest attacks against the citizens and their safety".