In keeping with the apparent preferred sport of Iranian leaders’–tossing invective toward Israel–on Thursday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad urged Hezbollah’s leader to wipe out Israel “once and for all,” if a regional war “breaks out” in the near future, the Associated Press reports.
According to the Iranian state news agency, Ahmadinejad told Hezbollah head Sheik Hassan Nasrallah that “the preparations should be of the level that, if they (the Israelis) want to repeated the mistakes of the past (by attacking), then their case should be closed once and for all and the region delivered from their evil ways forever.”
The slight problem with Ahmadinejad’s logic is that Israel hasn’t started wars with Hezbollah (you have to love the way AP uses the neutral term “breaks out” — as if war just sort of happens). Rather, Israel went into Lebanon after repeated cross-border attacks by Hezbollah, including the July 12 attack that set off the war: Hezbollah sent a barrage of rockets into northern Israeli towns and then sent a team of terrorists into the Jewish state (some military minds might call this “an invasion”), who killed three Israeli soldiers, wounded two, and dragged the bodies of an additional two soldiers–who were seriously wounded and may have died pretty much immediately–back across the border.
The purpose of Israel’s incursion was to recover the two soldiers, about whom Hezbollah refused to provide any sort of information, including signs of life. It wasn’t until a prisoner swap two years later that the families of the soldiers–Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev–discovered that the two–their sons, brothers, and husbands–had probably been dead the whole time.
In addition to such flagrant flouting of the rules of combat, Hezbollah actively attempts to emotionally torment Israeli civilians — beyond refusing to provide any information about captives, the organization has the lovely habit of erecting billboards just inside the Lebanese border with Israel that include graphic photos of dead and dismembered Israeli soldiers, with statements taunting Israelis and Israeli leaders.
We don’t think Israel is the one with “evil ways” from which we all need deliverance.
Hezbollah receives funding and other support from Iran. Its also closely allied with the dictator state of Syria, whom it recently joined in issuing threats against the Jewish state.
What do you think?
1:56 am
I am beginning to think that the old leaders from 1970s Iran are disappearing. It looks to me like Iran is now run by their military with Ahmadinejad as their front man. I hope that the world wakes up and realizes what a danger he is, especially to Israel. It’s time to deal with this situation now instead of waiting until Iran gets nuclear weapons.
8:26 am
Organizations such as Hezbollah have earned the title “terrorist” for a reason. Israel, you’re in our prayers. May God protect and deliver you and send people to stand with you against these cowardly acts of terrorism. Even if other men let us down in the times of our greatest need, God will always come through. One plus God equals a majority!
1:46 pm
Israel has a perfect right to protect her citizens and to recover the bodies of her fallen soldiers.
10:52 pm
Yep, just another gust of “wind” from the extremist guy who recently stole the “presidential election” from the peoples’ real choice. But this is what you expect from such dictatorial nations. It’s too bad that the world does have to take him seriously; the consequences could be tragic.