Background and updates concerning what's been happening in Israel and Lebanon are explained in Q&A form. For you who'd like to understand the issues more (some of the questions are "What was the genesis of this round of fighting?" "Why is Israel bombing Lebanon?" and "How is Hizbullah connected to Syria and Iran?") here's the short feature dated July 19 and provided by The Christian Science Monitor --Q&A: Behind the Israel-Hizbullah crisis
The current crisis in the Middle East involves a constellation of players. Hizbullah is tied to Iran and Syria; the Lebanese militant group shares common cause with the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Israel is committed to protecting itself and wants to see its soldiers returned. The US wants Hizbullah disarmed and supports the Lebanese government, which is now facing a destabilizing barrage of Israeli bombs. The Monitor's Dan Murphy looks at all sides of the escalating conflict.
What was the genesis of this round of fighting?
Before dawn on June 25, an eight-man team of Palestinian militants tied to Hamas, the Islamist party that now controls the Palestinian Authority after a January electoral victory, entered Israel through a half-mile long tunnel under the border and attacked an Israeli Army post, killing two soldiers and capturing 19-year-old Cpl. Gilad Shalit.
The next day Hamas demanded the release of Palestinians from Israeli prisons in exchange for Corporal Shalit.
Read the rest here
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