The sickening downward spiral of violence in the Middle East continues. Last week, Hezbollah, the militant Shiite Muslim group, opened a second front against Israel by launching a border attack from southern Lebanon. The action appeared to copy an earlier raid by Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.
The kidnapping of an Israeli soldier in the earlier raid had triggered an Israeli offensive that raised tensions to new levels. The Hezbollah attack could provoke a wider war. Steps must be taken to return prisoners, ease tensions and provide some footing, however tenuous, for talks.
On Wednesday, in what Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert called "an act of war," Hezbollah fighters launched a series of rockets at Israeli villages near the Lebanese border. They then sneaked across the border, attacked Israeli soldiers, killing three, and took two hostages. Olmert sent troops across the border to rescue the captives, the first such incursion into Lebanon since Israel withdrew its forces from there six years ago. Four more Israeli soldiers were killed when their armored vehicle hit a mine; another was killed in a firefight.