VOL. XXXII

NO. 44

7-AUGUST-1989

The Middle East Situation

Israel's kidnapping of a Hizbollah leader and two colleagues from southLebanon without informing the Americans beforehand looked at first like a cowboyoperation that went badly wrong when one of the groups associated with Hizbollahclaimed to have killed an American hostage and a second group threatened toexecute another American hostage unless Israel returned the detainees - but thisexplanation only holds water if it is assumed that the...