What You Would Expect

In accordance with the best British values, to say nothing of the God of Exodus and some other well-known comedies, Israel has launched airstrikes into Lebanon, killing the leader of Hezbollah along with some collateral damage. Britain's Minister for Wog-Bombing acknowledged the risk of escalation into something a bit more serious than forty-odd thousand Palestinians, while also taking care to note that any such escalation is "a matter for the Israelis." He also rather antisemitically observed that the "conflict serves no one," which is surely a blatant instance of Bibi-denial and therefore an insult to the Righteous State, the Six Million and the Jewish Chronicle. The Netanyahoo knows perfectly well that no restraints will be exerted upon him at this stage of the US electoral cycle, even in the unlikely eventuality of restraint being considered necessary in principle. Accordingly, His Majesty's Government is "making the preparations you'd expect," namely arranging to get British nationals out of Lebanon so as to minimise the number of real people cleansed alongside the ethnics. Levels of arms sales and hand-wringing will doubtless continue to be adjusted as circumstances develop.