Israel Attacked by Lebanese Rockets

The article I found pertains to a recent attack on Israel by Lebanese militants that Lebanon claims are radicals not affiliated with the Lebanon armed forces. The rockets did not produce any casualties or injuries though an electric tower was believed to be damaged as a result of the attack. Israeli forces responded to the attacks with an artillery barrage which also was believed to end in no loss of life. Both exchanges seemed to have raised alarm within the countries and investigations are underway by UN officials to pinpoint who was responsible in instigating the initial unprovoked attack.

These attacks come at a discerning time when UN peace keeping forces have been dispatched to keep both Israel and Lebanon from directly combating each other. The attacks have seemingly raised tensions though both sides do appear to be compliant overall with peace keeping efforts.

It seems apparent that Lebanon, while condemning the attacks, shows little interest in finding the perpetrators responsible. Perhaps it can be implied by information in the article ("Lebanese security sources, who reported at least two outgoing missiles and 15 incoming Israeli shells, did not say who might have fired the rockets. Shalev also wrote to the UN that Lebanon's government is not doing enough to prevent the presence of armed groups and weapons south of the Litani River, as outlined in UN Resolution 1701.") that while the Lebanon government appears compliant with maintaining a cease fire with Israel, they are not particularly enthusiastic to find the culprits who are attacking their long time enemy, Israel, from within Lebanese borders. It may even be safe to speculate that the Lebanon’s government condones inadvertent attacks such as this that occur against Israel. In this instance, the Lebanese government can easily claim it wasn't responsible for the attacks and shift the blame to radical militants who are not affiliated with the government yet share some of its traditional dislike of Israel. On the contrary, the Lebanese government can be credited with attempting to prevent terrorist groups like Hezbolah from attacking Israel by dispatching Lebanese armed forces to hunt down those who possess such ambitions, though Israel claims Lebonon is not doing enough which is evident by the fact that the attacks continue to occur.

It seems apparent that one main reason there is so much tension in the middle east is because of cat and mouse games as well as blame games which are always occurring between the countries surrounding Israel. A radical group in a country will attack Israel, in this case by rocket strike, and the government that harbors the assailants will fail to pursue those responsible, deny any involvment or responsibility, but will condemn Israel for retaliating or invading the country in order to stop the assailants themselves. Until joint cooperation from the countries who harbor the assailants and those being victimized occurs, it seems these arbitrary acts of violence are bound to repeat.

Article Link:
Israel Condemns Lebanese Rocket Attacks

Additional Link related to previous rocket attacks on Israel:
Four Rockets Hit Negev