Lebanon's Battles; And Ours

The Lebanese military continues to battle Fatah al Islam in Tripoli, and the terrorists are using rockets to attack the military positions. They are slowly turning Nahr el-Bared into a wasteland.

Had Israel engaged in such destruction, the worldwide din of disapproval would quickly force Israel to stop, but since this is the Lebanese government acting against Palestinian terrorists, there isn't much of an outcry.

Regular artillery and tank fire could be seen falling on Nahr el-Bared, sending plumes of black smoke rising in the air over the refugee camp's bullet-punctured buildings.

Apparently trying to ease the military pressure and expand the battles outside the camp, the al-Qaida-styled militants unleashed a volley of Katyusha rockets at the army on Friday.

A total of nine rockets crashed into villages neighboring the refugee camp, as well as in orange and grape groves, security officials and the state-run National News Agency said.

The rockets caused some damage but no casualties, said the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

Fatah Islam gunmen also traded heavy fire with the troops circling them in the refugee camp, soldiers said.

Here are some questions to help you sort things out:
1) Who is supplying Fatah al Islam with the arms?
2) What is UNIFIL doing to prevent militias from operating in Lebanon?
3) Is UNIFIL fulfilling its mission if Fatah al Islam and Hizbullah are both able to regroup and arm to the teeth with rockets, missiles, and all manner of weapons that are prohibited by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, 1559, et seq.?

The answers to those questions are also clear:
1) Syria and Iran;
2) Nothing; and
3) No.

UNIFIL's job is to prevent militias from operating in Lebanon and secure Lebanon's territorial integrity, and yet terrorist groups operate with impunity and openly. UNRWA, which operates the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon (and elsewhere in the Middle East) had no problem with militias roaming the streets and taking up arms, despite the fact that they have an obligation to keep the camps free of weapons. Both are complicit in the situation and in making the situation worse.

From Beirut to Beltway notes that the Lebanese military is getting hammered hard by those Syrian-made rockets, and the border is as porous as ever. He also points out that the Lebanese military says that Fatah al Islam is doing Israel's dirty work:

A year after Israel launched a war on Lebanon that would last 34 days and kill hundreds, various Lebanese and international figures reviewed the situation in the country, with most painting a dire picture of the current political crossroads. The Lebanese Army said on Thursday that Fatah al-Islam militants in Nahr al-Bared refugee camp "took up again Israel's dirty work."

The army has been battling the Al-Qaeda-inspired group since May 20.

"What Israel was not able to destroy during its 34-day war against Lebanon, Fatah al-Islam is currently destroying," a statement issued by the army's press office on the occasion of the one-year anniversary of the war said.

Just ignore the fact that Israel would not have invaded Lebanon, fired weapons at Lebanon or suffered casualties had Hizbullah not invaded Israel, killed and captured Israeli soldiers, and then unleashed a rain of rockets on Northern Israel for weeks.

It is Lebanon's steadfast refusal to deal with Islamists and militias inside the country that has brought about this situation, and Syria's ongoing efforts to destablize the country is a major factor - the influx of weapons into Lebanon is coming from one major source - Syria. The rockets that Fatah al Islam is using is coming from Syria. Where's UNIFIL in all this? They've busy saying that all is well and nothing to see here.

UNIFIL is complicit in Lebanon's slow motion deconstruction.