The alleged "US support" to Lebanon during the war

Al-Manar

"10/10/2007 Right after the capture of the two Israeli soldiers in July 2006, US president George W. Bush came up with the initiative to back Israel by holding Hezbollah responsible, and gave Israel the right to launch its war "because it's a sovereign nation that has the right to defend itself."

On his visit to the US, the head of the Future parliamentary bloc and key February 14 figure MP Saad Hariri criticized what he called "Syrian and Iranian money" in Lebanon and praised Washington for "defending Lebanon during the 2006 Israeli aggression against Lebanon."

However, one of the aspects of the US support to Lebanon was revealed by more than one Israeli and US sources. A new Israeli book that was published recently under the title "Detainees in Lebanon", revealed that the decision to go to war against Lebanon was coordinated with the Americans. The book says US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had called up Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert before the latter began the security cabinet session in which the decision of war was taken.

The Israeli Daily Yediot Aharonot also said that Israel had requested the US administration eight weeks to crush Hezbollah, on condition that Washington gives Tel Aviv political cover to thwart all international initiatives for a ceasefire. After deliberating with his National Security advisers and senior Pentagon officials, Bush Okayed the Israeli request in a secret letter. Bush gave Israel weeks and months to finish the job. Based on the request, Washington refused all calls for a ceasefire, even for humanitarian aids. Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, described what was happening in Lebanon as the ***** of the new Middle East.

Moreover, the US Ambassador to the UN John Bolton admitted in an interview with Yediot Aharonot that the US had kept Israel from stopping the war so as to crush Hezbollah. Washington did not only back Israel politically. When the Israeli army and airforce ran out of ammunition, the US established an air bridge and even compensated to shortage with smart bombs, cluster bombs and bunker buster bombs, like those used to destroy residential buildings in Beirut's southern suburb. "