The Saudis Are Less Than Pleased

I would not recommend reading Asharq al-Awsat's English site, because -- despite being flush with Saudi petro-dollars -- they seemingly have not thought to invest in a talented Arabic-to-English translator. Nevertheless, the pan-Arab daily is run by Saudi prince Salman bin Abdul Aziz, the half-brother of King Abdullah, so it's a fair bet that it's editorial line does not stray far from the Saudi government's.

And Asharq al-Awsat has done the journalistic equivalent of bursting an aneurysm in the past few days over Lebanon. Greatest hits include Hezbollah: The End Of A Legend, The Holocaust Of The Resistance, Hezbollah: The Defeat Of Victory, and Hezbollah...The Ugliest Picture. Yes, this has all been published in the past 72 hours.

Okay, so that is the response in print. What will be the response on the ground?