Via the Wall Street Journal Online:
Lebanon’s army, which so far has sat on the sidelines of the violence raging in the country, will join the fight against Israel if Israeli forces invade the country, Defense Minister Elias Murr said on Al-Jazeera television. “The Lebanese army — and I stress — the Lebanese army will resist and defend and will prove that it is an army that deserves respect,” he said. In most of the previous Israeli attacks, including in 1978 and the 1982 invasion in which Beirut was occupied, the Lebanese army largely stayed out of the fighting. Twenty Lebanese soldiers have been killed in strikes on their bases during the nine-day-old Israeli bombardment of Lebanon.
It’s probably somewhat important to note that Elias Murr is the son-in-law of Lebanese president, and Syrian lackey, Emile Lahoud. With Hizbollah holding nearly a fourth of the Lebanese parliament and two seats in the cabinet (energy and foreign ministires), and with Damascus-leaning Murr at defense, the Lebanese army entering on behalf of Hizbollah does not look like an impossible scenario. The possibility is only multiplied when the continued destruction of the Lebanese infastructure is taken into account. Israeli targeting of civilain-heavy areas is meant to disable the transportation networks Hizbollah could utilize to either move the two Israeli soldiers out of the country, or receive logistical support from Iran via Syria. While that goal is most likely attained, the unforuntate side effect is massive popular unrest among Lebanese citizens aimed at Israel, not Hizbollah. All the factors are adding up to a possible escalation with the unexpected entry of the Lebanese army on behalf of Hizbollah, and with popular Lebanese support.
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