Originally Posted by jayeff

That really is a dismal assessment and has nothing whatever to do with reality...

Hezbollah, although part of the Lebanese government, is not the ruling party and is actually in opposition to the increasingly weak main party. Even if the kidnapping was not a rogue action, there is no way that Hezbollah would have told anyone else, let alone sought permission.

One can only guess at the point of Israel bombing Beirut airport and addressing itself to the Lebanon government as a whole. It is remotely possible Israel believes someone can influence Hezbollah, but it is also hard to avoid the suspicion that a wider agenda is being played out.

With Syria out of Lebanon last year, it was only a matter of time before Hezbollah became the dominant force in the country. Backed by Iran and a committed enemy of Israel, that isn't something Israel (or the US) would want to see. At the same time, occupying Lebanon would be too big a mouthful to chew off, so perhaps this is a strategy intended to destabilize the country once again.