Israel, Lebanon, and the courage to choose peace

THE EDITOR, Madam:

The last Hezbollah-Israel war ended with a ceasefire in 2006. UN Security Council Resolution 1701 stipulated that Hezbollah forces would remain north of the Litani River, approximately 15 miles from Israel, while the Lebanese army and UNIFIL would keep the peace along the border.

Instead, Hezbollah moved in almost immediately. UNIFIL did nothing. The United Nations did nothing. No one responded to the calls of “Death to Israel, death to America.”

Hezbollah built apartment buildings and houses for its fighters and offered free homes to local Lebanese civilians. All the structures included space for military use, such as weapons storage and rocket launchers.

Over time, Hezbollah amassed an arsenal of some 150,000 rockets and missiles imported from Iran.

The day after Hamas’ savage slaughter of Israelis in the Gaza Envelope on October 7, 2023, Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel. Iran’s plan, it appears, was to replicate Hamas’ invasion along Israel’s northern border. To date, Hezbollah has fired some 6,700 rockets into Israel.

As a result, Israel evacuated 80,000 civilians from northern towns and relocated them inland. These residents must be able to return safely to their homes.

Israel then booby-trapped beepers and walkie-talkies, incapacitating some 3,000 mid-level Hezbollah operatives, before attacking Hezbollah’s infrastructure and weapons systems.

Israel is now clearly poised for victory. Lebanon’s Christian community is cheering them on, and no one else has come to their aid.

JACQUES FORTIER

Montreal, Canada