7/14: Middle East Live Thread

7/15/06 | me

[BurbankKarl]

Israeli gunners cover their ears as an artillery piece fires into southern Lebanon from a position on the border near Kiryat Shmona, northern Israel, Friday, July 14, 2006.

[conservative in nyc]

The rumor/news that Col. Hunt had become Hillary!'s military advisor was posted by FReeper anita on the Sunday Morning Talk Show Thread 26 March 2006:

Here 's this Sunday's Media Nuggets

--Snip--

###### Col. David Hunt (Fox military analyst) is the new military advisor to Hillary Clinton.

--Snip--

There was no link included in anita's original post, and I haven't found this rumor/news anywhere else on the Internet with my Google search.

I've pinged anita in case she can shed any more light on the issue.

[BurbankKarl]

I wonder if the South Koreans are getting the connection to the rocket attacks....arent they on the receiving end if North Korea decides to attack? Does NK have rocket or artillery. I suppose artillery would be worse if it is more accurate.

[Shelayne]

Yep, me too.

You didn't actually think I would go to bed without doing a little research first, ha! I just cannot leave these things till morning.

I am thinking this was just a rumor because he had become quite the "Negative Nellie". But that is only my opinion.

OK, NOW I am going to bed. This time. Really.

Lifting Israel in my prayers tonight.

[umbagi]

Report: Israel gives Syria ultimatum

London-based Arabic language newspaper Al-Hayat says Israel gave Syria 72 hours to stop Hizbullah’s activity, bring about release of kidnapped IDF troops.

[BurbankKarl]

Israeli Channel 1 showing the morning attacks....more rocket impacts.

Did Al Hayat say when Israel gave them the ultimatum?

[BurbankKarl]

U.S., Russia agree to fight terrorism

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060715/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush;_ylt=AhltEPJ59iJT3TfeiUDkmLWs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3OTB1amhuBHNlYwNtdHM-

[BurbankKarl]

A Lebanese man escapes from a gasoline station after it was hit by an Israeli air strike in Saida, south Lebanon, July 15, 2006. Israeli aircraft pounded areas in south, east and northern Lebanon on Saturday, a day after Hizbollah's chief declared an open war against the Jewish state following the bombardment of his stronghold in Beirut

[Howlin]

Where are you watching that, BK?

[nopardons]

bttt

[umbagi]

Did Al Hayat say when Israel gave them the ultimatum?

Not that I've seen, but I think it's fairly recently, from the dateline and a statement in the article that says the information about the ultimatum was released "Saturday."

[BurbankKarl]

see 977

[BunnySlippers]

Someone provided this link. Several stations, one in English:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1666124/posts

[BurbankKarl]

Ohmigosh...SFGate actually has a Helen Thomas Podcast on the Middle East....

[Howlin]

I'm almost afraid to look; I'm scared I might see a mushroom cloud.

[SunkenCiv]

Freep Telegraph (U.K.) poll on Israel using force ^
Posted by SeafoodGumbo
On News/Activism 07/14/2006
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1665912/posts

[Rte66]

That story says a civilian merchant ship of "unknown registry" and that survivors were rescued by an Israeli ship.

The story I saw was quoting an Israeli military person who said the civilian ship was Egyptian and that the Egyptian survivors were rescued by an "unnamed" ship.

[BurbankKarl]

I heard it was an Egyptian Cruise Ship, and passengers were picked up by another ship...

[defenderSD]

Yes, North Korea has a huge amount of artillery dug into fortified installations not far from the DMZ. I forget the exact number, but they have the ability to fire something like 500,000 artillery shells per hour into the Seoul area. It's this gun held to the head of South Korea that has kept the NK criminal family in business for 50+ years. If South Korea had an undeveloped region near the border, a security buffer zone, then NK couldn't hit SK so hard with artillery and NK wouldn't be so bold with their nuclear research, counterfeiting, drug dealing, kidnappings, and other criminal activity.

Short of nuking NK, I think that to win a war with NK the US and South Korea would have to evacuate the entire Seoul metro area and move everybody 40 miles south of the DMZ. Then we'd have to line up a huge bomber force and pound NK's artillery with large bunker-buster bombs in big numbers very quickly before NK could destroy Seoul. It would be difficult to do this without using tactical nukes, and there you see why there have been no military strikes on North Korea.

If you're interested, this subject is covered in great detail, along with many other astounding facts, in the book Rouge State by William C. Triplett. After reading that book, my view is North Korea is an axis of evil all by itself.

[BurbankKarl]

that is some interesting information....thanks. Did you see all those N Korea pictures some Russian posted and was linked here on FR?

[jeffers]

"London-based Arabic language newspaper Al-Hayat says Israel gave Syria 72 hours to stop
Hizbullahs activity, bring about release of kidnapped IDF troops."


...or else Israel may strike targets Syria (added from article).



If accurate, that's a big deal.

Remember early reports are often wrong, and we only have an Arab source for this.

If true, then I agree Israel will be hitting Syria by Monday, Iran will be involved almost instantly, and unless Iran exercises extreme restraint, America will be at war due to attacks on Coalition troops in Iraq, within a week, maybe much sooner.

In this article. Bush is quoted as stopping one tiny step short of saying that Iran and Syria engineered this whole situation, but he does not resolve a critical question, "Does the Axis of Evil plan to go big, or just make some noise to get off lightly in the UNSC?"

Stay tuned...this is trending in an escalating direction.