SYRIA HAS REARMED HEZBOLLAH TO THE TEETH

Ross: Syria Should Pay a Price for Rearming Hizbullah - Jeff Barak
Dennis Ross, the former senior American Middle East peace negotiator, said in an interview that "Syria has rearmed Hizbullah to the teeth - there should be a price to pay for that," pointing out that the Bush administration had failed to implement its own Syria Accountability Act. He said the U.S. and Europe should aim to "squeeze the Syrian economy" and use a policy of "sticks before carrots" in its dealings with Damascus.

Ross also said that the West had to ratchet up the sanctions against Iran to stop its nuclear program. "We have slow-motion diplomacy matched against their fast-paced nuclear development," he said, arguing that Europe was not applying enough economic pressure "to get the attention of the Iranian leadership." (Ynet News)

Buildup in Lebanon - Editorial
It has been nearly a year since Hizbullah staged an unprovoked raid from southern Lebanon into Israel, killing eight soldiers, abducting two others and triggering a 34-day war in which 1,200 Lebanese and 160 Israelis died. A UN report last week reported evidence of rearmament by Hizbullah as well as by extremist Palestinian factions and of shipments of heavy weapons across the Syrian-Lebanese border. It said that the Lebanese government had reported seizing a truckload of weapons belonging to Hizbullah, including Russian Grad rockets, and that the Lebanese army had observed four truck carriers bearing eight missile launchers across the border last month.

The report notes Israel's claim that "the transfer of sophisticated weaponry by Syria and Iran across the Lebanese-Syrian border, including long-range rockets (with a range of 250 miles)...[and] anti-tank and anti-aircraft systems, occurs on a weekly basis." And it says, "Hizbullah armed elements are alleged to be constructing new facilities in the Bekaa Valley, including command and control centers, rocket launching capabilities and conducting military training exercises."

When Resolution 1701 was adopted, Israel urged the Security Council to deploy international forces or monitors along the Lebanese-Syrian border to prevent such weapons deliveries. The council refused. The result is that Syria and Hizbullah once again are positioned to rain missiles on Israeli cities. (Washington Post)