The Wire

The death of four United Nations observers in Lebanon this week has severely dented any chance of a quick fix to the ongoing violence in the Middle East. But was the attack a tragic mistake or a calculated move on Israel’s part to make sure the fighting continues? Theories are growing that Israel wants to take the current fighting beyond Lebanon; to Syria and Iran—the countries providing support to Hezbollah. Political analyst Dr Ilan Pappe from Israel’s Haifa University says the Israeli military have been waiting for this opportunity for years, while British journalist Patrick Seale says the current fighting needs to be looked at in a bigger context.