Iran Plans to Dominate the Middle East

• Since the 1982 Lebanon War, the United Nations has repeatedly demanded that all foreign forces leave Lebanese territory as the prerequisite for the pacification of the volatile Israel-Lebanon border. Israel's withdrawal to what the UN called the "blue line" in 2000 was recognized by Secretary-General Kofi Annan as a full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory. His ruling was confirmed by the UN Security Council on July 27, 2000, in Resolution 1310.



• In 2002, Lebanese media reported the arrival of Iranian Revolutionary Guards to train Hizballah in the use of Fajr 3 and Fajr 5 medium-range missiles with a range of 45 miles, deployed in southern Lebanon and aimed at Israel's northern cities. So in return for Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon, it acquired a more powerful Hizballah, with Iranian forces also taking up positions directly on its borders.



• After the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri by Syrian agents in 2005 and the "Cedar Revolution" that followed, the UN Security Council called again "for the disbanding and disarmament of all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias," and repeated its call to the Lebanese government "to ensure its effective authority throughout the south, including the deployment of Lebanese armed forces." The UN Security Council wanted the Lebanese Army sitting on the Israeli-Lebanese border - not Hizballah. Had UN resolutions on Lebanon been implemented, there would be no Hizballah rockets raining on Israeli civilians in Haifa, Nahariya, Safed, and Tiberias.



• What should be the aims of the entire Western alliance - including Israel - in the current conflict? The chief goals are full implementation of UN Security Council resolutions that call for dismantling Hizballah and the deployment of the Lebanese Army along the Israeli-Lebanon border instead. Second, the removal of all Iranian forces and equipment from Lebanese territory, along with any lingering Syrian presence.



• Israel must protect its civilians from ongoing missile attacks, whether from Lebanon or the Gaza Strip. The first duty of any government is the defense of its citizens. Primary responsibility for what is happening rests squarely with Iran and its local proxies.