Posted on 02/29/2008 12:29:16 AM PST by maquiladora
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. Navy has moved the guided-missile destroyer USS Cole and other ships to the eastern Mediterranean Sea off Lebanon, Pentagon officials said Thursday.
(snip)
The destroyer and two support ships are close to Lebanon but out of visual range of the coast, Pentagon officials said.
Another six vessels, led by the amphibious assault ship USS Nassau, are close to Italy and steaming toward the other three, the officials said.
(Excerpt) Read more at edition.cnn.com ...
USS Cole
USS Nassau
USS Bulkeley
USS Ross
USS Ashland
USS Nashville
USS Philippine Sea
2 Navy tankers
(The submarine USS Albany is believed to be with the Nassau group.)
Ping
It’s beyond me why any movement of our ships, planes, troops is posted in open source (any open source).
Just saying...
It’s cheaper to pose then to act.
However, maybe that’s the point...the Middle East needs to know we’re serious.
You beat me to it in a way... I was thinking out loud and answering my own question/comment.
The USS Nassau group is part of a routine deployment. The news about the other ships was leaked to Reuters, AFP and AP at the same time yesterday, i.e. they want this to be public for a reason, its a show of force.
Okay, I really don’t understand why everyone is moving now.
Israel has taken bigger and more frequent hits than she is right now. What’s going on?
“...its a show of force.”
Thank you maquiladora.
ON THE INTERNET:
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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1969529/posts
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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=syria
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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1978126/posts
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GW won't be POTUS forever?
yitbos
Sometimes we WANT people to know. Its message sending and sometimes its to people you do not suspect. Trust me...if we did not want them to know they would not know and though the Med may seem small they would have trouble finding them too!
You may be right there.
Israel has taken bigger and more frequent hits than she is right now. What’s going on?I'm guessing when Israel hits Lebanon the poo hits the windmill so to speak. This is to keep Hizbollah from getting to happy.
I'm pretty sure there is stuff going on in the background that we don't know about. This is way too major a move just to act as a show of force for Lebanese domestic politics. There's some strange things about the deployment too. We'll just have to wait and see. It is very interesting though.
What??!! j/k
Yes, and thank you Ice-Flyer.
I agree.
IDF forces prepare for Gaza incursion
"Dozens of tanks, artillery battery positioned just north of Gaza to reinforce infantry, engineering corps forces already inside Strip ahead of possible large-scale ground operation. PM returns from Japan, updated on Grad, Qassam rocket attacks on Ashkelon"
yitbos
Well put.
Meanwhile, it seems Syria has opened backdoor channels to talk to Israel.
yitbos
When you think of Hezbollah and Hamas; think of Iran and Syria.
Ok this is actually quite serious. First of all, the Russians have 3 ships to the north at the Syrian port. Its something to consider.
Second, Israel is going to put the hurt on in Gaza.
Clearly, these ships are there as a deterrent to prevent Hezbullah from opening up a second front while Israel mops up Hamas in Gaza. But, Iran may have no choice. We (US, Israel, NATO to a degree) are going to systematically remove Iran’s chips from the ches board.
Israel is going to wipe out Hamas. In return, Iran almost has to activate Hezbullah to open fire. That is when the US will be ready to pound them, or Israel will pound them. If not, then Iran loses Hamas and is left only with Hezbullah, who will get pounded later.
The wildcard is Russia. But if we (or Israel) are on the road to attack Iran in the next year or two or 3, we/they need to remove Hamas and Hezbullah first so that they cannot open up new fronts in the war against Islamic terrorists and their supporters.
See my post above. Israel is on the move. I think our ships are there just as a deterrent but could come under fire from Hezbullah. In 2006 they fired a silkworm missile at an Israeli ship. Seems our ships may get into harms way if Hezbullah is activated when Israel enters Gaza, which it is almost likely to do. Iran/Hamas are goading them into doing it. Gotta act now while Israel is still strongest and before Hamas gets any more fortifications and advanced weaponry. Israel, nor the US, wants Hamas to get as weaponized as Hezbullah and Fatah wants them dead too.
Do you have a source for that?
Or more Al-Qaida who came through the Gaza/Egyptian border breech recently.
AQ infiltrates to Gaza, poof, largest rocket attack on Israel.
yitbos
AS usual Nutjawb and his terrorist cronies get very very silent right now, lots of terrorists walking around with umbrellas and hiding in basements of schools as usual.
Some of you probably know bits and pieces of what’s going on. But the more amenable Arab nations have been trying to talk Syria into compromising on the Lebanese presidential stand-off. Some buildup of military positions sponsored by Syria and Iran has also been noted.
"We are facing an American threat against Lebanon," Hezbollah legislator Hassan Fadlallah said. "It is clear this threat and intimidation will not affect us."
“Russia recently decided to reestablish its naval presence in the region at Tartus, Syria. In recent months, Syria has begun renovations at the port to facilitate the docking of large Russian Navy ships.”
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1202064573279&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
I’ll dig for more sources...
Actually from what I can find, I may have been mistaken - the 1 ship appear to have gone listing off to sea... I’ll search more later.
Thank you familyop for the ping and post.
You are right about that. Israel is going into Gaza that much seems sure. What will hezbullah do? It appears the US fleet is there to encourage them to do nothing.
whoa!
I think this is to deter Syria and/or Iran.
Hizballah continued building up its units in South Lebanon since the last round with Israel, BTW. Also, after the recent assassination of Imad Mughniyah (who was behind the bombing of our Marines in ‘83 in Lebanon), Syrian leaders and other Hizballah elements have issued threats.
IMO, the Navy movement is intended to be a demonstration without fire for the purpose of stability in Lebanon. The group will probably be there for at least a whole tour—maybe longer.
What's strange about it?
Not that I would know anything about such situations.
ping
Let’s hope the Cole get’s the first shot.
I was In Lebanon Last week... People are awaiting The naming of the President! Hezbollah is Now getting its ass Kicked in Kuwait...
Tartus is where the NK ship carrying nuke material landed 9/5, and last week where a Russian spy ship took on rough waters.. going for thread/link...
US ships and Israeli armor on the move ping. Barak’s lining up global political ducks. Syria, Iran and Hezb still stinging over Mugniyeh’s demise. Arab League, Syria’s “Who Killed Imad?” show, and maybe even a UN vote on Iran sanctions next week.
Had a single source report of Serb armor re-positioning last week, any updates on that?
I’ve wondered the same thing.
Yes and I’m with you on that, but in this instance; it seems a good thing to report on this open source item.
Israel is not "massing" at Gaza. Relatively small punishing force.
U.S. fleet off Lebanese coast. Egypt pissed at AQ and Hamas. Syria wants to talk. Hezbullah trying to influence new Lebanon pres selection.
Hezbullah sits this out while IDF find solution to AQ in Gaza. - - IMO.
Now, what will Israel do to Hezbullah, that is a better question. I don't know. One front at a time.
Russian rustbucket in Syria is . . . well, just that.
yitbos
Thank you for the links and post familyop.
I think the UN is also doing something ‘definitive’ over Hariri’s assassination next week.
There are some indications that may be the case.
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