Israel Matzav

Petraeus pays surprise visit to Lebanon

General David Petraeus, the top US military commander in Iraq and soon to be the head of the United States central command, paid a surprise visit to Lebanon on Wednesday to meet with the country's leaders. The visit was unannounced.

The American commander, whose visit was unannounced, met with President Michel Suleiman, himself a former army chief, and the two discussed U.S. assistance to the Lebanese army, including equipment and training, according to a statement from Suleiman's office.

...

Petraeus, who was accompanied by a U.S. military delegation, also held a meeting at the Defense Ministry with acting army commander Maj. Gen. Shawki al-Masri. The general later met with [Prime Minister Fouad] Saniora for more than an hour.

U.S. military aid to Lebanon has included sport utility vehicles, police cars, some ammunition and other equipment.

The four-star general is due to leave his post in Baghdad in September to assume his new job as head of the U.S. Central Command, responsible for conducting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Given events in Lebanon over the last month or two, one has to wonder why now. DEBKA thinks it knows what Petraeus is doing there.

DEBKAfile’s military sources report that he came to check out the strategic ramifications of Hizballah’s seizure on behalf of Syria and Iran of two strategic Lebanese peaks, Mt. Sannine and Mt. Barukh. Petraeus also sought the exact import of the Lebanese government’s policy decision of Aug. 4, to let Hizballah stay armed (in violation of UN Security Council resolutions) and continue its war against Israel.

Those sources stress that American intervention in Lebanon closes the door once again on the prospect of Israeli action against this new threat - in the same way as Washington vetoed effective action against Iran’s development of a nuclear bomb and the buildup of Hamas’ war machine in Gaza.

The first paragraph makes sense to me, but I don't think the second paragraph is necessarily correct. The fact that Petraeus went to check out the situation doesn't necessarily mean that Israel is precluded from acting. The immediate threat is to Israel, and it is highly likely that Hezbullah will provide a provocation to which we can react in the very near future.

What's more disturbing is that no warnings to Lebanon were issued and that US aid to Lebanon - which increased fivefold in 2007 - seems destined to continue despite the new reality. One has to wonder why the US is continuing to support the Siniora government in light of its collusion with Hezbullah.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 5:37 PM