Israeli troops enter Lebanon amid kidnap reports

Israel launched air strikes and sent troops and tanks into southern Lebanon Wednesday, after Hezbollah television said its guerrillas had abducted two Israeli soldiers along the border.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert described the Hezbollah attacks as an "act of war" by Lebanon and promised a "very painful and far-reaching" response, The Associated Press reported.

Hezbollah is demanding a prisoner exchange for the soldiers' release. In a later claim on its television network, Hezbollah said it had "destroyed" an Israeli tank crossing into southern Lebanon. The fate of the tank crew was not known.

This is going to get interesting. If the Israelis decide to flatten Hezbollah and take out Hamas in the process, the best thing the Bush Administration can do is keep its big mouth shut. Fat chance of that happening.