[Reconstructed from Google Cache]

Here comes NATO.

NATO's expansion into southern Afghanistan will target drug warlords who are the root cause of growing violence, the force's commander said on Saturday.

NATO will embark on the biggest mission in its history on Monday when it takes over security from the U.S.-led coalition in six southern provinces, extending its authority to almost all of the country.

Related: In the "picture that speaks 1,000 category":

An Afghan girl holds her brother as they take a break from searching for items to recycle in Kabul July 29, 2006. REUTERS/Ahmad Masood, larger version here.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is now in Israel where she will attempt to sell Bush's new peace plan. From Reuters:

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in Jerusalem on Saturday for talks on ending the war in Lebanon as Israel signaled it would not demand the immediate disarming of Hizbollah as part of any deal. Accusing Rice of serving only Israel's interests, Hizbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah vowed more attacks on Israel's cities if it did not end an offensive launched after the guerrilla group captured two soldiers in a raid on July 12.

Israel rejected as unnecessary a United Nations plea for a three-day truce to aid civilians trapped by fighting as its forces pulled out of the Lebanese border town of Bint Jbeil, scene of fierce fighting in recent days.

Ned Lamont has issued a statement on the Israel-Lebanon conflict. He affirms his support for Israel and criticizes the Bush Administration for its ineffectiveness which he in large part ties to the war in Iraq.

At this critical time in the Middle East, I believe that when Israel's security is threatened, the United States must unambiguously stand with our ally to be sure that it is safe and secure. On this principle, Americans are united.

....Unlike previous administrations - Republican and Democratic - President Bush has embraced the wrong priorities in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. ...Let's be clear that Bush emphasized Iraq at the expense of an Israeli-Palestinian peace settlement, and we are reaping the consequences. Just think what the situation could have been if the United States had invested its power, prestige, and resources in a peace settlement. Instead we chose a failed war and stand virtually alone, paying a heavy price for a profoundly failed set of decisions.

His proposal:

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has embarked on her trip to the Middle East. To the surprise of many, her first stop was Beirut.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made a surprise stop in the besieged Lebanese capital today to try to prop up the government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and to reassure Arab allies who have become increasingly impatient with the Israeli bombardment, which has killed close to 400 people, mostly Lebanese civilians.....Besides Mr. Siniora, Ms. Rice was to meet with Shiite members of Lebanon's parliament who have close to ties to Hezbollah, the militant group that is Israel's target, aides said.

The Bush Administration doesn't want a cease-fire now. First, Hezbollah has to be taken down. Israel wants the return of its soldiers and the dismantling of Hezbolla before a cease-fire. Then, it says it may consider a peace-keeping force, something it always has opposed in the past.

Condi Rice is delaying her trip to the Middle East. A new U.S. plan emerges.

Officials said this week that they were at the beginning stages of a plan to encourage Saudi Arabia and Egypt to make the case to the Syrians that they must turn against Hezbollah. The effort begins Sunday afternoon in the Oval Office, where President Bush is scheduled to meet the Saudi foreign minister, Saud al-Faisal, and the chief of the Saudi national security council, Prince Bandar bin Sultan. Prince Bandar was the Saudi ambassador to Washington until late last year and often speaks of his deep connections to both the Bush family and Vice President Dick Cheney.

An anti-war video put to the music of Jackson Browne's Lives in the Balance. It even has his endorsement.

There are lives in the balance
There are people under fire
There are children at the cannons
And there is blood on the wire

In preparation for what may be a "large scale incursion" into Lebanon, Israel has called up reservists. Meanwhile, Hezbollah rockets continue to hit Haifa.

Correspondents in Jerusalem say it is understood the Israeli reservists being called up could fill in for troops in the West Bank and Gaza, releasing other soldiers to go up to the northern front. The move has widened speculation that Israel is preparing for a large ground offensive.

Israel is urging all civilians in Southern Lebanon to evacuate.

The call-up came as Israel dropped leaflets on southern Lebanon warning residents to immediately evacuate an area approximately 32km (20 miles) wide.

Earlier today Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reported that Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora criticized Hezbollah:

Saniora reportedly told Milan-based newspaper Corriere della Sera that the Shiite militia has been doing the bidding of Syria and Iran, and that it could only be disarmed with the help of the international community and once a cease-fire had been achieved in the current Middle East fighting.

"Hezbollah has become a state within a state. We know it well," Saniora was quoted as saying, for the first time leveling such an accusation against guerrillas that effectively control southern Lebanon. "It's not a mystery that Hezbollah answers to the political agendas of Tehran and Damascus," Saniora was quoted as saying. "The entire world must help us disarm Hezbollah. But first we need to reach a cease-fire."

But Saniora's office says he was misquoted and his words got lost in translation:

Continuing the discussion on Israel, Lebanon, Hezbollah and the U.S. from here and here.

The Wall St. Journal is offering a free middle east news tracker.

YouTube has video posts from Haifa and Beirut.

Like millions of other people this weekend, I've been trying to find some objective discussion of Israel and Lebanon. It's easier said than done. Here's Newsweek's latest, bringing Iran into the mix. Syria's in the middle of this too, there just wasn't room in my post title to include it.

Have at it, just remember all anti-semitic comments and those with profanity, personal attacks and name-calling will be deleted upon my return.

Update: Jewish bloggers are live-blogging the war.

Update: Pajamas Media is following every news development.

CBS reports that residents of Haifa in Israel have been ordered into bomb shelters due to bombings:

Residents of Haifa, Israel's third largest city and a major port, were ordered into bomb shelters as evening fell Friday, following rocket attacks throughout the day, even though Haifa is some 18 miles south of the border with Lebanon.

Residents were shocked when the first attacks hit Haifa Thursday: No guerrilla rocket had ever reached that far into Israel.

Iran weighs in:

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad warned Israel against extending its assault into Syria and said the Jewish state couldn't harm Iran, which also backs Hezbollah.

Israel today bombed and demolished the residence of Hezbollah chief Sheik Hassan Nasrallah. Here is the Sheik's response: