The way I see things

America and England brokering a cease-fire between Israel and the Hezbollah would be the worst strategy the Bush and Blair administrations has accomplished. The only possible outcome of a cease-fire is it would give the Hezbollah the time and resources it needs to rebuild their infrastructure the Israelis are presently dismantling.

The only viable solution is to allow the Israelis the freedom needed to complete the dismantling of the terrorist network that has been implemented over the years since they have left Lebanon. That is exactly what they are presently doing and in lieu of a full-scale invasion of Lebanon, which would be costly in casualties, it is the best option available for the Israelis as well as America.

I have stated before that I do not believe the Hezbollah knew the Israelis would respond as they did when they conducted the cross-border raid taking soldiers hostage. The Hezbollah assumed, incorrectly that the Israelis would open a prisoner exchange, as they have done many times in the past. They did not realize the full potential of the current Israeli administration to react in a hostile manner. Once the Hezbollah crossed the proverbial line in the sand, the Israeli government went into full war mode instead of the past peaceful coexistence they once enjoyed.

This left the Hezbollah holding a hostage that they could not barter with, reducing the value of their collateral to nothing, whether that hostage is still alive at this point is anyone’s guess, but his value diminished greatly the moment that Israel responded militarily. I would add that at this point the Hezbollah should insure the soldier is alive and well cared for otherwise they will pay a terrible price for their misunderstanding the present Israeli government.

If we look at the timetable involved in the entire affair then it can lead one to assume someone else orchestrated the events which unfolded, possibly Iran as they coincide with the present G-8 summit. It is highly possible that Iran sent the Hezbollah on the mission, as this would have taken the heat off the present Iran nuclear problem at the summit. Of course, I am not an international security consultant with unlimited resources, but simply looking at the events as they unfolded would lead to that possibility.

Reviewing the timetable does lead me to conclude that one central source is directing terrorism in the Middle East and who better at this stage of the game than Iran. They have the motive and the means by directing the Hezbollah and incorrectly feeding the information that it was a prime time to move. They had everything to gain by directing the attention of the G-8 summit to the Israelis instead of their nuclear program.