On June 25, Palestinian Hamas members tunnelled into Israel, killing two soldiers and abducting another. The focus then switched to Lebanon where Hezbullah, the Iranian-inspired 'Party of God', crossed the Israeli border on July 12 and abducted two soldiers. When the Israelis went in hot pursuit, Hezbullah destroyed one of their tanks with a mine and fired on the tank's would-be rescuers - killing eight Israeli soldiers. Hezbullah's leader, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, appeared on television to say that if Israel chose confrontation "we are ready". Experience during its 18-year occupation of Lebanon (from 1982 until 2000) convinced Israel that it should never again be dragged into being an occupying force, which proved costly in terms of casualties.
展开▼
