We hold the Lebanese government and the Syrian government responsible for any violation of these quite obvious rules of the game of sovereignty. In the past, Israel has responded to cross-border attacks by sending war planes to bomb Lebanese infrastructure and other targets. The attacks and the measured responses were familiar to both sides. Syria has 35-thousand soldiers in Lebanon and is considered the major power broker in the country. Those Syrian soldiers are expected to be added to Israel's target list.
Analysts say Syria also is facing a new political reality.
Syria's support for Hezbollah guerrillas attacking Israel in the former occupation zone gave it a crucial card to play in the now-stalled peace talks with the Jewish state. Today, heavily armed Israeli soldiers and Hezbollah guerrillas are literally eyeball to eyeball across the border. Israeli soldiers are defending Israeli citizens from their own backyard. After the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon, the border has become a potential powder keg. And, if violence erupts, no one is sure how it will end.