Altalena update:

"Although there was brief fighting between Irgun and Haganah over the Altalena, including three KIA, the fighting quickly stopped because both Begin and ben-Gurion ultimately sought the same goal - a free state of Israel.

But Lebanon's government and Hezbollah share no such uniting bonds. Hezbollah is devoted to the destruction of Israel as a Jewish state. Moreover, Hezbollah is a Lebanese political party as well as a militia. Its members are mostly Lebanese.

If Lebanon's government does choose to take on Hezbollah (which I doubt) it surely realizes the result will truly be civil war."