Defending Lebanon

CNN lets slip just who is under attack

Does Lebanon have a right to defend itself after all?

In a little departure from the usual triumphal analysis of Israeli military tactics that are standard fare on the US news channels, Anderson Cooper 360 carried last night this report from the ``other side'' by correspondent Michael Ware:

COOPER: ...CNN's Michael Ware broke the news today that there may be other groups or at least supporters of one other group who have joined the fight against Israel along the side of Hezbollah.

Michael Ware joins me now.

Michael, what do we know? What group is this? Who are these people?

MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, what's emerging, Anderson, is that Hezbollah are not the only Lebanese to have taken up arms against the Israeli Defense Force in Southern Lebanon. From just ordinary villages picking up weapons to defend their homes, to members of political parties.

Members of political parties are joining the fight. We've seen today from the political party of the speaker of parliament, Nabih Berri, saying that they have been involved in every major battle so far in this war.

There's speculation as to whether this is organized or whether this is being done ad hoc on a village by village basis. However, it's clear that Lebanese themselves have joined into this fight. Not necessarily with Hezbollah, but certainly alongside.

COOPER: Michael, what are the implications of this for the Lebanese government? I mean, if you have supporters from this group, Amal, joining in the fight, what does that bode for the Lebanese government?

WARE: Well, what defense analysts here, even Lebanese army generals and senior officers, say is that essentially the army's incapable of defending Lebanon. Particularly against the most sophisticated conventional army in the region, being the Israeli Defense Force.

So by and large they've contracted out the defense of the country to Hezbollah. So what we're seeing here is that very much the government, its weaknesses are being more and more exposed. So this is going to be much more difficult for the government to get a handle upon. And it's going to be much more difficult for the Lebanese army to step into this breach.

But don't forget, this is also the political currency of Lebanon. The constituency of the speaker of parliament, Nabih Berri, his party, the Amal movement, comes from Southern Lebanon. If their local supporters do not see their -- their leaders helping protect them against the invasion, then they will definitely lose traction.

COOPER: Michael Ware reporting from Beirut, some troubling developments. Appreciate that, Michael. We'll check in with you tomorrow, as well.

All right. When we come back we'll talk to retired Brigadier General James "Spider" Marks about the fighting on the ground right now in South Lebanon, said to be intense. We'll have the latest information when we return live from the Lebanese-Israel border. Stay with us. [emphasis added]

Well, Cooper (holding fort on the Israeli side) does find the defense of Lebanon a ``troubling'' development, especially the evident widespread support amongst the disparate Lebanese population for what is viewed as Hezbollah's heroism.

Seems like owners of the US media should be perceiving language sympathetic to Lebanon as a bit too much to be telling the American public. Let's keep watching and see if the memo comes down from on high at CNN to stop presenting crazy notions about the ``defense of Lebanon''.