Caught between competing goals in Lebanon, US stays on the sidelines

After weeks of intensive diplomacy aimed at securing a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah militants, the United States has settled on an altogether different approach: let the unfolding conflict in Lebanon play out. For the U.S. the Israeli campaign could bring at least two benefits. First, weakening Hezbollah could curb Tehran's influence in the region and lower the threat to Israel and to U.S. forces. Washington also believes that military pressure could force Hezbollah to put down arms and pave the way for the election of a new government in Lebanon that would oust the powerful militia movement, which has been a significant player in Lebanon for decades. Jonathan Lord, a former Pentagon official now with the Center for a New American Security in Washington, said that would be hard to achieve (Read more at Reuters).