Life's Little Ironies
An interesting nugget regarding the story behind the killing of Spanish and Columbian peacekeepers in Lebanon last Sunday.
Previously, the UN has come under attack from Israeli forces, pro-Israeli guerrillas in southern Lebanon and, occasionally, from Palestinian and Hizbollah fighters. But the Hizbollah has been at great pains to try to protect the new UN force because they fear that just such an attack as occurred yesterday will prompt the US to claim falsely that it was their organisation - which is supported by Iran - that was responsible. In fact, intelligence officers from the French, Spanish and Italian embassies met secretly with Hizbollah officials in Sidon more than three weeks ago to seek assurances that Hizbollah would do their best, as the local armed militia, to protect the international force. The Hizbollah men agreed that they would do their best, but warned that al-Qa'ida-type groups in the Sunni areas of northern Lebanon may well try to breach their security. We shall now find out if America believes this - and it is the truth - or whether Western governments decide to blame Iran by claiming Hizbollah was behind the bombing of the UN troops.
The UN force has been there at the sufferance of Hezbollah since the beginning, but given the fact that this new beef-up force was sold as a form of protection for Hezbollah's enemies, to learn that the UN force itself is looking to Hezbollah to protect it . . . I just can't find the words.
It does put the whole Lebanese situation in a new light, though.
