(1) Hizbollah blames Israel for that attack, although Israel denies it.

(2) The Israelis claimed that a Hizbollah fighter was in the ambulance.

(3) Israel's offensive against Hizbollah therefore offers Washington an opportunity to eliminate a powerful anti-imperialist force that has close links with Iran.

(4) Only Iran, for whom Syria is a priceless Arab ally, and Hizbollah, the Lebanese Shia movement Damascus sponsors, have real cause for alarm.

(5) In holding on to his bargaining chips to the very end, he was able to build tactical alliances with Iran, on the one hand, and with the Hizbollah, the violent Shiite movement, on the other.

(6) There is a large Lebanese diaspora in Canada which must include some Hizbollah supporters.

(7) The result of Lebanon's general election, in which the moderate, pro-Western parties defeated the radical, Iran-backed Hizbollah Islamic group, has been attributed to the "Obama effect".

(8) The Israel Defence Forces said the air raid was aimed at disrupting the shipment of weapons to Hizbollah guerrillas from Syria and Iran.