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American marines enter lebanon

Israeli planes blasted Beirut and ground troops battled Hezbollah in south Lebanon seeking to batter the militant Islamic group in the hours before fighting stopped. Hezbollah hit back with its heaviest rocket barrage of the war on northern Israel.



The guns were supposed to fall silent at 1 p.m., according to the UN, ending a month of combat that has killed more than 900 people.



But implementation of the hard-won agreement already was in question Sunday night when the Lebanese Cabinet indefinitely postponed a crucial meeting dealing with plans to send 15,000 soldiers to police Hezbollah's stronghold in southern Lebanon.



Lebanese media reported that the Cabinet, which approved the cease-fire plan unanimously Saturday, was sharply divided over demands that Hezbollah surrender its weapons in the south. That disagreement was believed to have led to the cancellation of Sunday's meeting.



The deployment of the Lebanese army along Israel's border, with an equal number of U.N. peacekeepers, was a cornerstone of the cease-fire resolution passed Friday by the UN Security Council. The forces are supposed to keep Hezbollah fighters out of an 18-mile-wide zone between the border and Lebanon's Litani River.



In the final hours before the planned start of the cease-fire, fighting escalated dramatically.

 

Lebanon, Israel even Hizbollah wanted to give peace a chance to have a good pause after all the fighting and hopefully it hold.

Nikkei is by 65 points (Singapore time: 09:00) 

 

and oso withthis , it is telling sign that what ever happened, it is not not going to derail into a big big war in middle East, that was another reason DOW  is singing for d 2nd days with a following up help from Bernanke, the FED chief. maybe Monday another all green.

 

At least gor now and in near future, USA has indeed pressured Israel to said we not going to battle or war with Iran or Syrian, that is why oil px drop to a low of US72

 

newmoon,

Certainly the current war in the ME does not bode well for the stock market in general......

However, if you read the reports, US marines are in Lebanon soley to evacuate their citizens. Currently only about 40 marines have landed. So, at the moment,  do not think this will be interpreted as an act of aggression by the host country or its Muslim neighbours.

 

USA invovement in this explosive middle east conflict could possibly complicate matters and heighten tension-no peace time dividend to support bull market in stocks but oil market could be come turbulent.