The situation in the Middle East is getting tenser by the hour. Israel is no longer making veiled threats but is talking some serious action against Lebanon and Syria. Here’s some late-breaking news from the Jerusalem Post:
Following a security consultation with Shin Bet head Yuval Diskin, Defense Minister Amir Peretz said Wednesday afternoon, “We don’t need to use threat, we need to take action. From this moment on, we demand minimal talk - let action speak for itself.”
“We know what we need to do, to complete preparations to begin operating,” the defense minister said.
Peretz added that the goal of the operation was to hit the Hizbullah “hard, so it regrets what it began this morning.”
Earlier, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert reacted to Hizbullah claims that it abducted two IDF soldiers in the north on Wednesday morning during a welcoming ceremony for visiting Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.
“These are difficult days for the State of Israel and its citizens,” Olmert said.
“There are elements in the north and in the south who are threatening our stability and are trying to test our steadfastness. They will fail, and pay a heavy price for their actions.”
Olmert also singled out Syria for sharp criticism.
“Syria has proven lately that it is a state which supports terror. Its government facilitates murderous activities by terrorists both within and without its borders. This will of course require an appropriate response to deal with Syria’s actions,” he said.
So what happens when Israel conducts serious bombing raids on Lebanon and Syria? Will other Arab countries join in?
Unless tensions cool — and there’s no evidence that they are — I’m predicting all-out war in the Middle East within days.
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