Proxy war

Middle East | Bush administration blinks as Hezbollah brokers its street fight into a political victory in Lebanon | Jill Nelson

The White House went to great lengths to refute reports in the Jerusalem Post of a Bush plan to attack Iran. But it made no attempt to deny that the United States is preparing to send more military aid to Beirut—aid meant to bolster Lebanese security forces while weakening Hezbollah and its principal backers—Syria and Iran.

Diplomatically, however, the Bush administration stood down May 21, when a deal to end the country's stalemate left Hezbollah with veto power over Lebanon's Western-backed government. That means the militant group is virtually free to build up its weapons, including rockets aimed at Israel.

U.S. support for the Lebanese Armed Forces may be too little too late as it works to regain control of areas won by Shiite-aligned militias and Hezbollah during a week of clashes with pro-government forces across Lebanon.