Israel's militia pledge

There has been a dangerous escalation and renewal of Israeli air and ground bombardment of many villages in southern Lebanon. These coincided with Monday's meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Antoine Lahd, commander of the traitor SLA (South Lebanese Army).

Netanyahu said after the meeting that "Israel will not abandon its allies, and their interests will be part of Israel's policies."

This means a determination to maintain the occupation of southern Lebanon and provide all the forces necessary for continued aggression, terrorist operations and savage crimes endangering civilian lives.

Israel is trying to disturb Lebanon's security and threaten its national safety. Its goal is to obstruct Lebanon's peaceful march to prove to the world that it prefers security, calm and peace.

Israel also seeks to prevent Lebanon from recovering from its destructive war years because it plans to control the country. Such a policy has ended in failure before, but Netanyahu's government does not want to learn from previous lessons and harsh past experience. His government, after disrupting peace and security in Lebanon through its agents, committed cowardly terrorist operations against civilians north of Beirut and in Damascus.

After its terrorist policies were revealed, Israel is now spreading an atmosphere of war in southern Lebanon by reinforcing its positions to frighten Lebanon and place the Middle East on a barrel of gunpowder.

Israel is no longer able to hide its blind and rancorous anti- peace policy and it is greatly mistaken if it thinks that its terrorist and provocative measures will limit the growing role of Lebanon's resistance movement.

-- Tishrine, Damascus