To the Editor:

Re "Find a Better Way," (July 24):  Bob Herbert is in effect calling on Israel not to defend itself against the unprovoked attacks of terrorist organization Hezbollah.    
 
Israel is not engaged in "wanton killing of babies and children," it is doing what any sovereign nation would do to root out weapons raining down on its cities and towns. Hezbollah has built up a huge infrastructure in Lebanon, amassed some 13,000 missiles (which, if left in place, could easily be adapted to carry non-conventional chemical or biological weapons) and embedded all of this in the heart of a large civilian population -- a common tactic of terrorist groups. 
    
Where was Mr. Herbert's voice during all the years when Hezbollah was building up its arsenal and clearly stating its complete rejection of Israel's right to exist? What did the world community do to see that Lebanon implemented UN Resolution 1559, which demands the dismantling of Hezbollah and which holds Lebanon hostage? The threat, not only to Israel but to Lebanon and the region, was enormous. Now it is left to Israel to deal with it.
  
So, it is fair to ask: Where does morality lie -- on the side of those who did nothing for years and who condemn Israel for protecting its people -- or with Israel, which while fighting a sinister and powerful terrorist group still tries to avoid civilian casualties even in the face of terrorists who hide themselves and their missiles in the midst of their own civilian countrymen?