Israel Strikes Hamas (Worst in 60 years!)

Hezbollah watches for now as Israel hits Hamas
By SAM F. GHATTAS, Associated Press Writer Sam F. Ghattas, Associated Press Writer 39 mins ago
BEIRUT, Lebanon – Lebanon's powerful Hezbollah guerrilla — widely seen as the Arab world's most effective force against Israel — has vowed to support Palestinian ally Hamas under the barrage of Israeli warplanes but has for now held its fire, constrained by its own political goals and fears of mass retaliation.

Hezbollah possesses a formidable arsenal of rockets and missiles that bloodied Israel during a monthlong war between them in 2006. Now, the Iranian- and Syrian-backed Shiite Muslim militant group faces domestic constraints on reopening a fight against Israel.

A massive retaliation Israel has threatened to unleash in case of any renewed Hezbollah rocket bombardment could hurt Hezbollah's political power growing in Lebanon since 2006, particularly if the Lebanese see it as drawing the country into another war.

So Hezbollah is instead playing the propaganda card, calling for protests in Lebanon and across the Middle East to pressure Arab governments to act against Israel.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah drew tens of thousands, waving Palestinian, Hezbollah and Lebanese flags, for a rally Monday in his south Beirut stronghold. He professed that Israel's Gaza offensive will ultimately fail.

Nasrallah put his men on alert in southern Lebanon in case Israel attacks and claimed he was ready to fight back if provoked. He promised not to abandon Hamas. The Islamic Sunni group is also backed by Hezbollah allies Iran and Syria.

But he made no threat to open fire on northern Israel to relieve Gaza — an act that would certainly provoke another war with Israel.

Hezbollah "cannot afford to enter a full-scale war with Israel, which would be devastating for Lebanon," said Paul Salem, Beirut-based director of the Carnegie Middle East Center, an arm of the Washington-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

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Aaron wrote:Here's the problem I have with that Stephanie, and please don't take it as me excusing Israel but Gaza also shares a border with Egypt. They could get supplies in any time they wanted to but it is Egypt is honoring the blockade.

In fact, they are not only honoring the blockade, they are shooting Palestinians who are trying to flee Gaza and get away from the Israeli strikes.

Stephanie wrote: Do you not thing the blockade that has led to such widespread suffering, shortage of food, medical supplies, and power etc is not an act of war?

Stephanie wrote:Israel should respect her internationally recognized borders. Israel should acknowledge the right to return of the Palestinian people. Israel should tear down the god damned wall they've been constructing and dismantle the settlements in the West Bank. Israel should end the practices of Apartheid and genocide and the ethnic cleansing of the Holy Land.

If Israel behaved like a civilized nation, instead of a power hungry land grabbing militant state the Palestinians wouldn't be interested in desperate, pathetic attempts at the destruction of Israel, in large part because so many of Israel's residents would be Palestinian and in part because they wouldn't be living like animals the world's largest concentration camp denied basic human rights and necessities.

Hamas
Updated: June 8, 2007