Keep an eye on Hezbollah

When I watched Joe Biden last week flip on Israel like a guest on the Jerry Springer Show, I was immediately concerned. Islamic paramilitary groups like Hamas and Hezbollah feed on weakness, and perceived tension between Israel and the United States certainly qualifies. Sure enough this week we see Hamas organizing large scale violent protests of the Jewish state, and while the IDF is knee deep in an uprising I would be very weary of Iran's proxy on the northern border. The last time Hezbollah conducted a major paramilitary operation in Northern Israel was in the aftermath of Ariel Sharon falling into a coma. In 2006 Hamas started hostilities with Israel, and they were soon followed by their northern allies.

If Hezbollah sees an opportunity, there is an increased probability of them escalating hostilities with Israel. History suggests that the most likely scenarios are 1) begin frequent rocket fire at Haifa, 2) conduct an operation over the border to abduct an Israeli soldier, 3) deploy suicide bombers. What is the current status of the Syrian army? I seriously doubt that Syria would want to declare open war against Israel, but it does remain a remote possibility and Hezbollah does receive a lot of support from Damascus. If they ever intend to conquer the Golan Heights, they will not be able to do that by proxy.

I think tonight I will buy a bottle of Israeli wine to go with my supper. Make a small financial donation to the Holy land.

"You cannot simultaneously prevent and prepare for war"

-Albert Einstein