Hezballah's launch pads

Dan Gillerman:

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Let me emphasize this indisputable fact: Israel's actions were in direct response to an act of war from Lebanon.

Although Israel holds the government of Lebanon responsible, it is concentrating its response carefully, mainly on Hezbollah strongholds, positions and infrastructure.

The hundreds of Katyusha rockets fired from Lebanon in the last few days demonstrate the magnitude of the immense arsenal of rockets and weapons that Hezbollah has amassed over the last few years, a danger we have repeatedly warned against.

Many of the long-range missiles that have hit Israeli towns - including Nahariya, Zefat, Rosh Pina and the port city of Haifa - were launched from private homes with families residing inside, where a special room was designated as a launching pad, with the family playing host to the missile. This is yet another example of the cynical and brutal way the Hezbollah organization uses civilians as human shields, with complete disregard for human life. . . .

Over the last 48 hours, more than 500 Katyushas and mortar shells were fired into the northern part of Israel, killing 2 civilians and wounding hundreds more, among them, women and children. Israeli civilians and eight Israeli soldiers have been killed. Hundreds have been wounded.

It is very important for the international community to understand that while Hezbollah executes this vicious terrorism, it is only the finger on the bloodstained, long-reaching arms of Syria and Iran. Hezbollah, together with Hamas, Syria and Iran, comprise the world's new and ominous Axis of Terror, an infamous club, the entry fee to which is the blood of innocents and the terrorizing of the entire world.

Membership to this club requires an unfathomable capacity for evil. The president of Iran has repeatedly denied the Holocaust, while gleefully preparing the next one. Many of the long-range missiles fired into Israel in recent days were Iranian missiles, made by the same regime that is now trying to possess nuclear weapons - this same regime that is funding Hezbollah to the sum of 100 million dollars a year.

Syria, another member of this club, is a well-known protector and financier of terrorist organizations, playing host to them in its capital, Damascus. The Syrian government, which still regards Lebanon as southern Syria, works ceaselessly to undermine all efforts toward a peaceful future in the region.

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Gillerman is the Israeli ambassador to the UN.