Q&A: Understanding the hostilities in the Middle East

BY MOHAMAD BAZZI | Newsday Middle East Correspondent

July 19, 2006

After seven days of Middle East fighting, is there a serious effort to find a diplomatic solution?

The United Nations is trying to broker a cease-fire between Israel and the Hezbollah militia based on the deployment of an international force within a 12-mile buffer zone in south Lebanon that would prevent the group from attacking across the border. Some proposals also call for the militant Shia group to turn over two abducted Israeli soldiers to the Lebanese government, which would negotiate their release with Israel. But so far, the United States is not pushing for a diplomatic solution, and there's little international pressure on Israel to accept a cease-fire.

Why did the fighting start?

Guerrillas from Hezbollah crossed Lebanon's border with Israel, abducted two Israeli soldiers and killed three others on July 12. Hezbollah leaders say they will return the soldiers only in exchange for three Lebanese prisoners being held in Israeli prisons. In response, Israel launched its most intense attack on Lebanon in 24 years (when Israeli forces invaded and occupied the Lebanese capital, Beirut). The Israeli offensive has killed more than 220 Lebanese - nearly all civilians - displaced thousands, and destroyed dozens of bridges and roads. Israel has also tried to choke off Lebanon, imposing a naval blockade and bombing Beirut's international airport. Hezbollah has fired more than 1,500 rockets and missiles at northern Israel, killing at least 12 civilians and injuring dozens.

What is being done for the 25,000 Americans caught in the fighting?

The United States began evacuating Americans yesterday, ferrying about 130 citizens from Beirut to the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. Today, U.S. officials plan to step up evacuation efforts to move more than 2,000 people to Cyprus.

What is being done for the 80,000 to the 100,000 Lebanese who have been displaced by the fighting?

The Lebanese government has done little for them, mostly Shias from south Lebanon and the southern suburbs of Beirut. They have taken shelter at schools and with relatives in other parts of Lebanon. Hezbollah and other Shia groups are providing them with food, water and medicine.

Are Syria and Iran really responsible for the actions of Hezbollah, as President George W. Bush asserts?

Syria and Iran, countries at odds with the United States, are longtime backers of Hezbollah. The group was founded in 1982 with funding and military support from Iran. Hezbollah leaders consider Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as their religious guide. Iran also provided some of the missiles it has been firing against Israel. Some of Hezbollah's weapons are believed to transit through Syria on their way from Iran. But it's unclear how closely the group coordinates its military and political strategies with Iran or Syria.

If Israel is militarily far superior to Hezbollah, why hasn't it been able to stop the rocketing of northern Israel?

Hezbollah has missiles with sophisticated firing systems that are being launched from mobile and hidden locations in southern Lebanon. Because it is a guerrilla group and not a traditional military, Hezbollah's forces don't have fixed targets - such as bases, artillery positions or airstrips - that Israel can destroy easily. The group also shelters its political and military locations in heavily populated areas.

Are Syria and Iran really responsible for the actions of Hezbollah, as President George W. Bush asserts?

Syria and Iran, countries at odds with the United States, are longtime backers of Hezbollah. The group was founded in 1982 with funding and military support from Iran. Hezbollah leaders consider Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as their religious guide. Iran also provided some of the missiles it has been firing against Israel. Some of Hezbollah's weapons are believed to transit through Syria on their way from Iran. But it's unclear how closely the group coordinates its military and political strategies with Iran or Syria.

If Israel is militarily far superior to Hezbollah, why hasn't it been able to stop the rocketing of northern Israel?

Hezbollah has missiles with sophisticated firing systems that are being launched from mobile and hidden locations in southern Lebanon. Because it is a guerrilla group and not a traditional military, Hezbollah's forces don't have fixed targets - such as bases, artillery positions or airstrips - that Israel can destroy easily. The group also shelters its political and military locations in heavily populated areas.