Lebanon has been subjected during the last couple of weeks to an organized assassination operation, targeting its infrastructure of bridges, roads, houses, power stations, airports, harbors in addition to the Lebanese people themselves and residents in Lebanon.
The material losses Lebanon has incurred so far was put at more than five billion dollars because of Israel's criminal operation. Almost one thousand Lebanese fallen martyrs due to the Israeli attack.
Israel moved its war machinery to attack Lebanon after Hezbollah kidnapped two Israeli soldiers in south Lebanon.
The question is: does the arrest of two soldiers worth the destruction of the whole country and killing of its people and residents? As a matter of fact, Israel has been waiting proper time to launch this criminal act to strike at Hezbollah that forced Israeli troops to go back home from south Lebanon and inflicted heavy losses on them.
Lebanon is a peace-loving state which has been exhausted by civil wars in the eighties and at the time Lebanon began to recover its infrastructure and improve economy thanks to the relations of its late Prime Minister Rafiq al-Hariri who was assassinated in February 2005.
At the time Lebanon began to flourish, Israel made a pretext of the kidnapping of the two soldiers by Hezbollah and strongly bombarded vital residential areas and the bases of Hezbollah.
The international community moved slowly in a bid to enable Israel to finish the job. Israel has announced as well that it sought to attack Iran which supports both Hezbollah and Syria, as they blessed the attack by Hezbollah against Israel with rockets.
But the result is that it is Lebanon which will pay for it and that the whole operation would be reflected on the region as a whole and the peace process in the Middle East as well which was described by Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa as "dead" and that Israel buried this peace process through its criminal acts.
In another development, Hamas movement has kidnapped an Israeli soldier in Gaza Strip and started negotiations with the Israeli side to trade the kidnapped soldier with the release of hundreds of Palestinians in Israeli jails.
Negotiations were about to work out after President Mubarak interfered and had talks with both sides the Palestinians and Israelis till the Hezbollah's kidnap of the two soldiers was made to turn everything upside down and to give Israel feeble pretext to let go of its military machinery to attack Lebanon and Palestinians.
President Mubarak continued with his efforts and contacts with the various influential parties in the world, the United States, France, European and Arab states for an immediate ceasefire and to stop the bloodletting and pave the road for dialogue to get out of this predicament.
In fact, the strategic dialogue by Egypt and the United States which took place recently in Washington dealt with means to contain this conflict, reach a ceasefire and give a chance to diplomatic efforts for containing the situation.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is to visit the Middle East during the few days to come and Foreign Minister of France visited Lebanon Friday and earlier French Prime Minister visited as well Lebanon for the same purpose.
Yemen called for holding an Arab emergency summit to deal with the situation and the Arab countries have approved so far to attend this summit.
International and Arab efforts are being exerted to contain the situation but Israel kept stressing that its military operations against Lebanon would continue for one more week, alleging that it would liquidate Hezbollah and force the Lebanese government to kick out Hezbollah of its territories.
Israel is continuing with its designs with the support of the United States, while world major powers called for a ceasefire but however stressing the right of Israel to defend itself against the attack of Hezbollah. In fact, it is the Lebanese who would pay for it out of their stability and economy.
Hassan Nassrallah stressed that he will continue with attacking Israel with rockets and that there are surprises he kept. Nassrallah insisted as well on the exchange of prisoners by the two soldiers through indirect negotiations.
We wonder, is it all mere slogans falling in the area of psychological warfare or there is really surprises? In the final analysis, it is the Lebanese people who would finally pay for; the assassination of Lebanon!!
Abdallah Hassan
Akhbar Al Youm
July 22, 2006