With regard to the Israeli regime's allegations to the effect that Iranian troops are in Lebanon, I would like to categorically deny these baseless allegations, which were made to further escalate tensions in the region.

The Zionist regime intends to portray itself as the innocent side and escalate tensions in the Middle East by spreading such false and misleading reports.

We believe that the Israeli regime faces a self-made crisis and besides lying in global isolation, is entangled with a serious crisis domestically due to its failed policies.

When Palestinians voted for Hamas in free and fair parliamentary elections earlier this year to ensure a better future for themselves and their children, political observers predicted that Israel would confront the development due to the progressive stances of the resistance group.

Recent incidents demonstrate that those observers were right. Soon after the election, most western powers cut off financial aid to the Palestinians and some froze their overseas bank accounts.

This time around Israeli rulers became desperate and ordered some of the most unprecedented bomb and rocket attacks on south Lebanon and Beirut. The attacks from land, air and sea have damaged Beirut's international airport, some of its ports on the Mediterranean Sea that link Lebanon to the outside world and destroyed 20 kilometres of the key Damascus-Beirut Highway.

In the past five days Israel has used weapons to kill more than 80 Lebanese civilians, destroy bridges, roads, power plants and other key infrastructure targets.

It seems that Israel has interpreted the international atmosphere in relation to Iran's nuclear programme on the one hand, and Iran and Syria's support for Hezbollah on the other, as offering it full authority to pressure Lebanon and force it to disarm Hezbollah on the basis of UN Security Council Resolution 1559.

The truth is that although Israel has been exerting tremendous military pressure on Lebanon, such tactics help consolidate Hezbollah's popularity and influence among Lebanese people. It also shows that the well-organised and dedicated group is the only force that can resist the Israeli enemy and threaten the illegal Jewish settlements with its long-range missiles.

The Hezbollah in Lebanon is not just a resistance movement but a line of thinking that the tired people of Lebanon have chosen to confront Israel and its aggression.

What Tel Aviv tries to ignore is that it cannot eliminate the cause of fighting the Zionist occupation in Palestine and Lebanon by resorting to military action.

When talking about terrorism we must not forget that Israel is a clear example of government sponsored terrorism and it cannot hide its brutal treatment of civilians in Palestine and Lebanon behind self-defence and war on terrorism.

Palestine and Lebanon are integral parts of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) and full members and observers of OIC like Thailand are aware of this reality.

Mohsen Pakaein

Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Thailand

Bangkok

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Strike on Lebanon a needed response to fanatical regimes

Re: "Israelis suspect that attack on Lebanon may be part of a larger conspiracy", Letters, July 17.

In attempting to justify the aggressive actions of Hezbollah and place all the blame on Israel, Gershon Giladi forgot to mention a few points not in favour of his argument.

The United Nations has ordered the Lebanese government to disarm Hezbollah and to send the Lebanese Army into southern Lebanon to keep the peace in that region and to prevent Hezbollah from shelling Israel. Lebanon has not done so even though Israel pulled out of southern Lebanon some six years ago.

The truth is once again Muslim fanatics who want to destroy Israel have hijacked peace and started a war.

Israel does not want or need a puppet government in Lebanon; merely one that controls its territory and will live in peace with its neighbours. No clever arguments on the part of people like Giladi can change the facts.

Dean Barrett

Bangkok

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Tel Aviv's actions clear case of state-sponsored terrorism

Re: "Explaining Israel's actions in Lebanon", Opinion, July 16.

In his column Yael Rubinstein writes: "A moment of truth is rapidly approaching for all those in the region and the international community who seek peace and stability for the Middle East. The terrorists are the enemies of peace and they are on the attack. It is time for the defenders of peace to fight back. It is time to say 'enough'."

Yes it is time to say "enough" to Israel's state-sponsored terrorism!

Well past time. Israel's attacks on the civilian infrastructure in Gaza and Beirut are clearly war crimes.

The neo-con axis with its twin poles in Tel Aviv and Washington DC has reduced Iraq to a wasteland and now seeks to do the same to Gaza, Lebanon, and to Syria and Iran as well.

We can stand by with our hands in our pockets as we have for the past four decades, we can let the neo-cons in Tel Aviv and Washington burn our world. Or we can stop them before they finally do succeed in launching World War III.

It is long past time to stand up to the far-right wing in power in Israel and the United States of America.

We must stand up to them in order to end their perpetual war in defence of Israeli greed in the Middle East, to reconcile and atone worldwide with people of all religions and persuasions.

If we do not stand up to them now, we will allow the neo-cons to continue to sow their seeds of confrontation, death and destruction throughout the world.

John Francis Lee

Chiang Rai

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PM's resignation would be a boon for financial markets

Re: "Elections 'will be held on Oct 15' ", News, July 16.

This guy never ceases to amaze me. How can "personal" letters secretly sent and never disclosed to the public either here or in the countries of destination until they were exposed help to restore foreign investors' confidence?

On the contrary, if restoring the confidence of foreign investors is the top national objective, I think the best way of achieving it would be to force Thaksin to resign.

When he announced his "absence" from office a few months ago, the Thai stock market jumped more than five points. Foreign investment would surely pour back in if a crony-ridden government is swept away.

Incidentally, could The Nation do some research and tell us whether Richard Nixon ever wrote to Leonid Brezhnev or Chou En-lai complaining about the Watergate investigations as a threat to US democracy and free enterprise?

Natika Chairat

Songkhla

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Election Commission and premier have lost legitimacy

Re: "Thaksin, EC again told to quit", News, July 17.

It may be easier said than done. In his weekly Saturday radio address to the nation, embattled caretaker PM Thaksin Shinawatra made yet another plea for "national reconciliation" and proposed once again the re-submission of the draft Royal Decree for His Majesty the King's signature, which calls for a new general election on October 15. Thaksin's monologue on that day was met with a predictable response from all concerned who seemed to be telling him to "get lost".

Thaksin himself does not know what kind of fate is awaiting him and his Thai Rak Thai Party cohorts, nor do his opponents from the Democrat Party when the Constitution Court deliberates on whether or not one or both of them had acted in violation of election laws.

A draft decree for another election will serve no useful purpose.

The Election Commission as it is presently constituted has lost all legitimacy as being an independent body where impartiality must be the norm.

And yet the holders of that office continue to cling tenaciously to power and expect perhaps also to supervise the next election unless the courts think otherwise before then.

But there is no telling which way the courts will decide.

One thing is for sure, though, and it is that caretaker prime minister Thaksin cannot have his cake and eat it too.

While the EC is already unacceptable, Thaksin, who is the root cause of this great national divide, is undeniably even more unacceptable to a vast segment of people from all walks of life, not to mention his political opponents and those in the People's Alliance for Democracy.

Therefore I say that there is a choice. caretaker PM Thaksin can stay but he must get rid of the present EC, which is generally believed to be under his influence.

Or he can keep the present EC, but Thaksin must stay out and promise not to return to politics after the next general election is conducted.

The Thai Rak Thai Party may return to power via the ballot box if it wins the election but Thaksin should not.

He may stay in the background, and if this is the course he takes I am sure people will find it a less bitter pill to swallow.

After all, politics is a matter of give and take, no more and no less.

So, prime minister, let us see your courage.

One way or the other, a lot of people will be happier with your decision which will level the playing field.

Politics will be taken out of the street and the voters will return to the voting booth.

Prachyadavi Tavedikul

Bangkok