Fool's Victory

A fragile peace has taken hold over southern Lebanon and northern Israel. More than 1 million refugees are cautiously returning to their homes. Nearly 1,000 people have been slaughtered in the conflict, and damage to property is sure to cost hundreds of millions of dollars to repair.

History will never forget that Hezbollah, backed by Syria and Iran, started this conflict. Hezbollah has played the role of war-mongering pests, while Israel has been the stern victims of Hezbollah's murderous antics. Meanwhhile, the Lebanese people have suffered immensely. They have endured the most casualties, and it is their communities which have been leveled by Israeli artillery.

The goal of Hezbollah and Iran is to wipe Israel off the map. The goal of Israel is to defend itself against the aggression of it's jihadi neighbors, who are hell-bent on terrorizing civilians. Clearly, Israel accomplished their objectives of defending their borders and punishing Hezbollah for the initial attack on Israel.

But who is claiming victory? Said lunatic Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: "Those who said our army is unbreakable and undefeatable (Israel) and (vowed to) create major destruction within 30 days were defeated against the power of the young people. And these young people managed to raise the flags of victory across Lebanon."

Said Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah: "We are today before a strategic, historic victory, without exaggeration. We emerged from the battle with our heads high, and our enemy is the one who is defeated."

Iran and Hezbollah pretend to support Lebanon in their "struggle" against Israel. But the recent conflict has made it clear Ahmadinejad and Nasrallah care nothing for Lebanese civilians if they think 900 dead and widespread destruction in Lebanon constitutes victory. Let's hope the people of Lebanon wake up to the fact that Hezbollah and Iran are cancers, whose presence and influence must be eliminated.