What is going on?

It seems clear to me, a mere girl on the street, that things in the Middle East are not all they seem. It may appear, on the surface, that Israel are fighting against Hezbollah (and killing hundreds of innocent Lebanese in the process). On closer examination, it becomes apparent that although the fighters themselves originate from their host countries the weapons do not. Israeli people may be fighting Lebanese extremists, but it is American weapons which are trying to outdo their Iranian supplied counterparts.

What I am struggling to comprehend is what exactly this tells us. Are the US encouraging Israel to antagonize Hezbollah in the hope that Iran steps in and bingo they have an excuse to invade the bigger fish? Or do they truly believe that randomly firing missiles into Lebanon & killing hundreds of children will convince Hezbollah to pack up their weapons and go?

It is blatantly clear that Israel’s actions are never going to achieve their stated aim. So why are they doing it? Either they are stupid or they are lying about their motive.

The IRA were not persuaded to disarm by retaliatory violence. Ultimately they lost their homeland support and looked increasingly isolated. Israel’s actions appear to be doing exactly the opposite, they are in fact ramping up support for the extremists. So WHY are they causing this unforgivable death and destruction?

UPDATE: