Half of Lebanese Army Is Pro-Hizballah

The IDF knows that even if it gets the week or so it believes it needs to largely dismantle Hizbullah, and the Lebanese army ultimately deploys in the south, the picture will still be far from cloudless. It is estimated that up to 50 percent of that Lebanese army is pro-Hizbullah in orientation - so, to some extent, Lebanon would be formalizing Hizbullah's presence on Israel's doorstep again. Were pro-Hizbullah forces in that army to open fire on Israel, however, the new policy in Israel would again be to hold the sovereign government in Beirut directly responsible. And direct responsibility can carry a heavy price.