Once again Lebanon falls victim to the wars of others on its territory. The Israeli aggression brutally targets Lebanon's children, families and infrastructure. The aggression is the result of the Jewish State's blindness. It has laid down for its armed forces a strategy of devastation without knowing where it wants to go.

As for Hezbollah, it has risked making Lebanon a hostage to Syria and Iran, whether it meant to or not. The question today is: where is Hezbollah taking Lebanon? Unfortunately, it has lost the good will of France, the only Western country that had recommended a dialogue with it, and which had undertaken the task of convincing others to include it in the domestic political game.

France refused to include Hezbollah on the European terror list because it considered it a resistance movement that would transform itself into an important political movement after the occupied Lebanese territories were liberated. What is Hezbollah's strategy, now that this recent venture has brought the disaster of massacres, destruction and ruin to Lebanon? Is it to offer Lebanon up as a gift to its allies?

France's policy has changed during this crisis. This became clear in the position adopted by President Jacques Chirac during his press conference in Russia. He insisted on the implementation of Resolution 1559 and the disarmament of the militias as soon as possible. Chirac stressed that no country should yield its authority over a part of its territory to militias acting under the direction of foreign powers.

What has Lebanon done to deserve being the victim of Iran and Syria's conflict with the West? Why should the Lebanese people be the victim of a war it can do without? The Lebanese had looked forward to a quiet summer for themselves and for the holiday-makers who help the economy flourish. Why did Hezbollah lead them into this trap? Of all those who have fought Israel, Hezbollah is the last that needs to be told that Israel does not care in the least for any Arab country. Israel will continue to oppress the Palestinian people and kill its children. Israel is ruthless in its use of force.

The US administration and the Western States call for the deployment of the Lebanese army over all Lebanon and for the support of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora. How do they think this can happen? Israel is shelling and destroying everything, including the barracks of the Lebanese army, and nobody knows why. How can the US administration claim that it wants to support the Siniora government, while it allows its Israeli ally to shell and destroy the infrastructure that was built by the martyred former prime minister, Rafik al-Hariri.

Supporting the Siniora government demands a decisive international decision to pressure Israel to end its barbaric attack. For the sake of comparison, does anyone genuinely believe that Washington really supported Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas? Everyone knows that this support was illusory and that it led to Hamas' coming to power. What is obvious is that Washington's support for Siniora is of the same kind. The US administration could, if it wanted, prevent Israel from destroying Lebanon. Even Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice asked her Israeli counterpart about Israel's reason for destroying Lebanon. But President George Bush considers that this is Israel's right to self-defense. Does he not understand that destroying Lebanon and its infrastructure and ruining its economy will lead to the fall of the Siniora government, and that this in turn will hand Lebanon over once again to Emile Lahud and, through him, to Syria and Lebanon?

What is immediately required is stopping the Israeli killing machine and salvaging what can be saved from the wreckage. Also needed is finding a fundamental solution based on the speedy implementation of Resolution 1559. It is hoped that diplomatic attempts will lead to a positive result, and that the Arab world will make up for its harmful absence by moving quickly to counter attempts to place Lebanon simultaneously at the mercy of Israel, Iran and Syria.