Lebanon pulled into war with Islamic State group

BEIRUT —

With all eyes on the Islamic State group's onslaught in Iraq and Syria, a less conspicuous but potentially just as explosive front line with the extremists is emerging in Lebanon, where Lebanese soldiers and Shiite Hezbollah guerrillas are increasingly pulled into deadly fighting with the Sunni militants along the country's border with Syria.

The U.S. has been speeding up delivery of small ammunition to shore up Lebanon's army, but recent cross-border attacks and beheading of Lebanese soldiers by Islamic State fighters — and the defection of four others to the extremists — has sent shockwaves across this Mediterranean country, eliciting fear of a potential slide into the kind of militant, sectarian violence

Lebanon pulled into war with Islamic State group

So how bad it this latest incursion?
Bad enough.

The Islamic State group threat first came to Lebanon in August, two months after the group's summer blitz in which it seized large swaths of territory in Iraq and Syria. In a surprise attack, Islamic State group and Nusra Front militants crossed over from Syria and overran the predominantly Sunni Lebanese border town of Arsal, hitting Lebanese army positions and killing nearly 20 soldiers.

After weeklong clashes, the militants pulled back to mountain caves near Syria's border, taking more than 20 Lebanese soldiers and policemen with them.

Islamic State fighters have since beheaded two Lebanese soldiers. Nusra Front militants have shot dead a third.

ISIS does not hold ground in Lebanon like they do in Syria or Iraq... they do have outposts in the mountains along Lebanon's remote eastern border... from there they launch daily attacks.

Paradoxically, it has brought Hezbollah closer to Christians and other Lebanese minorities through their shared fear of the Sunni militants. But the Lebanese Shiite group is hated by most Lebanese Sunnis, many of whom refer to Hezbollah as the "Party of Satan"

I've never really understood all these different factions But it seems like ISIS is the one common enemy that can finally bring all these traditionally rival groups together... but don't look for any of these guys to ask the US for help.
Hezbollah fighters have sided with Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces... Bashar in a long time Hezbollah supporter, making ISIS a common foe... And a common foe does make for strange bedfellows

An enemy of my enemy is my friend. Let the sparks fly.

Interesting. I suppose that Lebanon is situated in the Levant, so it would be logical for ISIS to look at attacking this area.

But Israel also sits within the Levant, I guess they're not dumb enough to take them on just yet. Or will they leave Israel alone, just like that other so called terror organisation, you know the one with so many different spellings.

Interesting sectarian warfare going on there isn't it? Which demonstrates it's all about which version of Islam is the most maniacal.

a reply to: skunkape23

Yeah... and Israel is going to wink at the US if we start providing Hezbollah with air support...

Truth... this is all getting so complicated with all these different groups... we need to make everyone wear name tags... no wait... we can make then all wear different head bans like the Crip's and Bloods... that way we know who to shoot at.

a reply to: HardCorps

The U.S. has been speeding up delivery of small ammunition…

Theres your sign…

a reply to: intrptr

Officially all that ammo is going to shore up the Lebanon's army... but Hezbollah and the army are so tangled together in this fight.... Of course the other thing all these groups have in common, is they hate us, America, as much as they hate each other.

It just never stops, does it? Well if Lebanon is involved now will it stop some people from calling for boots on the ground? My Lord, I sure hope so.

a reply to: aboutface

I think we have no choice but to put boots on the ground... devil in the details kind of dealy-o though.

By that I mean we should let the locals fight this battle, but we should have some special forces type component embedded in those units... to provide them with Intel and the ability to call in air support, lase targets for those sorties...

I don't see how we can not do it... but we can and should limit our guy's risk too.

a reply to: HardCorps

Officially all that ammo is going to shore up the Lebanon's army…

Officially I don't think they care where al that ammo goes. As long as it is used to kill some people.

Imagine shipping a bunch of guns and ammo, heavy weapons even to Chicago for one gang sect to kill another…

what kind of reflection is that upon the government that does this? Imagine further if some foreign nation were shipping that stuff to US demographics that had the highest murder rates per capita.

Sorry Hard Corps you know how I roll. I am anti war and as anti intervention. Them, us, anywhere.

a reply to: skunkape23

I was going to say that. And ISIS is everyone's enemy, it's therefor fair everyone joins together to eradicate the extremist group.

isn't that the way it's always been over in the middle east.
they fight amongst themselves, until they get a common enemy.
then team up and fight that enemy until they defeat them how everlong that takes.
then they go back to fighting amongst themselves again.

kinda sounds like brothers don't it.