And given the Iranian and Syrian support for Hizbollah and the Iranian support for Hamas in Gaza, will any new conflict stay restricted within Lebanon?
We need to bolster the Lebanese army. They did well against the Syrian-backed terrorists near Tripoli last year, with our backing.
Can the army take on the far more formidable Hizbollah?
UPDATE: We openly charged the Iranians and Syrians with supporting Hizbollah:
White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe blamed Hezbollah and its backers for the violence. "The Hezbollah terrorist organization, aided by its Iranian and Syrian sponsors, continues to undermine Lebanon's sovereignty and democratic institutions," he said.
Johndroe said the U.S. was consulting with other governments in the region and with the U.N. Security Council about measures to hold those responsible for the fighting accountable.
I would imagine that we have enough shared interests with France to work on something to support the Lebanese government.
