Hezbollah's Puppet Master

Iran has asserted itself into the Mideast by enodorsing Hezbollah's brazen cross-border attacks and abductions. Once again we find that Iran is indeed the root of all evil. The Guardian Unlimited reports,

Iranian officials often say that places with the greatest troubles offer their country the best opportunities. And now, the war in Lebanon could make Iran an even more important player in the Islamic world even as its militant Shiite Arab client, Hezbollah, gets pounded by Israel.

"Iran sees itself more than just the moral father of Hezbollah. Iran seeks to become a major force across the region as a counterbalance to America and Israel," said Ahmad Bakhshaiesh, a professor of political studies at Tehran's Azadi University. "Lebanon is part of this plan," he said.

But many analysts in Iran and abroad believe Tehran remains firmly at the helm of all important Hezbollah decisions, including the cross-border attack last week that touched off the worst fighting in 24 years.

"Hezbollah simply would not have taken the brazen steps to create murder and mayhem without the assent - if not the actual steering - from Tehran," said Lawrence Haas, an expert on Hezbollah at the Georgetown Public Policy Institute in Washington.

It cannot be any clearer. Hezbollah is funded, supplied, directed and trained by Iran. It is fighting Iran's war against the Jews by proxy. It also conveniently distracts world attention from their rapidly advancing nuclear program. Israel's measures against Hezbollah should include Iran in their considerations. Without substantial cost to the Islamic Republic, there is nothing to deter them from future attempts to destabilize the region.

For Iran, the only thing worse than not being talked about, is being talked about.