America 1982-Chapter 624 - 140 May God bless you_2

Hearing the other party’s answer, Dennis sighed with relief, followed Marvin’s footsteps, and said with a relieved smile, "Then I’m relieved. To die of shame—good thing I don’t know what shame means."

Watching Dennis and his adjutant get into the car and leave, Robert jumped down from the front of the vehicle, straightened his hat, and said with a malicious smirk as he watched the car drive away:

"May God bless you, West Point elite. It’s about time you saw the true fighting strength of the United State America military."

...

Nakoura was once the largest city in southern Lebanon, but after Israel’s invasion of Lebanon in 1978, it was incorporated into their territory. Though deterred by the response from the United Nations and the United State America from officially marking this territory on world maps, Israel declared it a peace buffer zone. The increasing number of Israelis and the decreasing Lebanese presence in the region, however, was indisputable.

The United Nations peacekeeping forces stationed their headquarters here to ensure they could intervene promptly should any conflict arise between the warring parties.

Nakoura nominally remained Lebanese property, but the government in power was not the pro-Syria government; it was the Lahad Armed Organization in southern Lebanon, supported by Israel. This Lahad regime then formally requested Israel’s military presence, giving Israel a legitimate reason to station troops in Nakoura.

So, when you see Lebanese soldiers and Israel Defense Forces standing together in harmony on the streets, don’t assume Lebanon and Israel have truly embraced peace. It’s a facade, akin to South Korean soldiers being chummy with the United State America military on the Korean Peninsula.

The Lahad regime is Lebanese armed forces propped up by Israel, seen as the most legitimate and rightful Lebanese authority in the eyes of Israel.

As Marvin drove, he briefed Dennis on Nakoura’s complicated environment.

In this place, there are Lahad Armed forces, Israel Defense Forces, Hezbollah characterized as terrorists, several small Syrian-aligned southern militias, Lebanese national defense capabilities, and more militarized forces. You can also find Lebanese civilians who might become terrorists by choice, or United Nations peacekeeping forces who might become terrorists unwillingly.

"Wait a second, I can understand the locals voluntarily or involuntarily becoming terrorists, but peacekeeping forces becoming terrorists unwittingly? Is that like the Irish Republican Army and the British Army living on the same base, accusing each other in daily life, and then the British taking the opportunity to shoot the Irish during combat, further framing them as terrorists?" Dennis interrupted Marvin with confusion upon hearing the explanation.

Marvin gestured for Dennis to look at the buildings and ruins around the barely serviceable road they were driving on: "This area falls within the Peacekeeping Blue Zone, where intense cannon fire should not occur under normal circumstances. But look around us? There are more craters from shelling than on the moon. When peacekeepers are labeled as terrorists, that’s at the whim of Israel and Lahad. Two months ago, Lahad bombarded a peacekeeper base with mortars, shredding eight Nepali peacekeepers like rag dolls—two died on the spot, and the rest were left with limbs lost and facial scars more frightful than Freddy’s. After the incident, the Israel Defense Forces and Lahad claimed they had intelligence about Hezbollah terrorists in the area and blamed the peacekeepers for wandering about and setting up bases everywhere, asking why they couldn’t stay put at the peacekeeping headquarters in Nakoura."

Dennis looked around as Marvin suggested: "When a mistake is made, the first reaction isn’t to admit it but to quickly pin the blame on the other side. I thought this was a secret strictly kept within West Point. So, did the Israeli commanders study at West Point and pick up the techniques that the instructors taught us on the sly?"

"Last year, over a hundred Lebanese refugees, mostly women and children, ran to a peacekeeper base seeking shelter. Following protocol, the peacekeepers temporarily accommodated them using a watchpost. Then Israel bombarded that post, injuring four peacekeepers and killing more than forty refugees. Afterwards, Israel steadfastly claimed that the base was harboring terrorists, accusing the peacekeepers of providing shelter to terrorists," Marvin continued to speak while maneuvering the steering wheel and heading toward a blue and white building on the side of the road:

"In the Nakoura region, be aware that Israelis despise United Nations workers and foreign nationals, as they believe the UN hinders their ability to strike against Lebanese terrorists and thinks the UN will compel Israel to surrender occupied land. Some extreme Israelis will even kill inconvenient peacekeepers or UN personnel. Conversely, the Lebanese public likes UN workers because they provide the most basic order to Nakoura, minimize the threat of all-out war as much as possible, and bring medical and food aid. However, the Lebanese do not have a liking for Americans and French because they believe the Israeli invasion was supported by the United State America and dislike the French due to the brash activities of the Foreign Legion in the vicinity; they lack any semblance of military honor, are crude in their actions, and sometimes, to achieve their goals, will kill civilians just like Israel and Lahad."

The SUV pulled up in front of the building, and Marvin opened the door and jumped out of the car: "We’ve arrived. This is the location for the ’Brave Ones’. It’s also situated within the Peacekeeping Blue Zone, generally quite safe."