7/15 Middle East Live Thread

7/14 Middle East Live Thread ^ | 7/16/06 | Various

[Solson]

I thought this could be a new thread for today. BurbankKarl's thread did well yesterday.

[jeffers]

Lizarde wrote:
While it is none of my business, I would really like to know what the Israeli strategy is for bombing and
hitting various targets - I would like their target list - LOL. Seriously does anyone have an overall picture
of their operations?



Stratfor projected yesterday two IDF incursions into S, Lebanon, one early to occupy and suppress missile launch baskets, and the second on a wider front to protect flanks.

Objective two will be to close off escape routes for their captured soldiers, and all along the way israel needs to keep a credible minimum force opposing Syrian troops aligned facing the Golan.

Targets of opportunity in Gaza continue to receive attention as well.

These objectives are open source, if you wish to analyze how you would support such operations using IAF assets privately, please do not post such...speculation...until you see it in an open source first.

I don't think it unsafe to say that there is a rhythm to these kinds of things, and that I don't expect significant deviation from standard military practices, at least not until Israels (alleged so far) 72 hour ultimatum to Syria, set to expire (if accurately reported) Monday evening/Tuesday morning EDT.

[ARealMothersSonForever]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060715/ap_on_re_mi_ea/mideast_fighting_arabs

[RDTF]

MSNBC just showed that injured bloody baby

[BurbankKarl]

That whole subject is a touchy situation....you dont even want Americans queueing in lines for busses for a ride to the airport or beach....

Any large group of Americans is a target.

[tcrlaf]

Without a Dangerous and threatening Saddam, The Arab league CANNOT come to an agreement on what to do...

Even the Saudi's have condemned HEZ...

The BUSH DOCTRINE is working...
I just hope the Libs are too stupid to see it, and keep on keepin' on thru November....

[sofaman]

"The current round of Hezbollah-Israeli fighting erupted Wednesday after the guerrillas crossed an international border into a sovereign nation and attacked an Israeli military patrol inside Israel, killing eight soldiers and (capturing) abducting two others."

There...fixed the biased and intentionally misleading statement.

[southland]

ping

[theophilusscribe]

Initial assessment of C-802 missile engagment against IDF Saar 5 AAW vessel.
07/15/2006 2:01:02 PM EDT
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1666289/posts
FR Exclusive | July 15, 2006 | Jeff Head
On July 14th the IDF's best anti-air defense vessel was mission killed by a strike from shore off the Beruit, Lebannon coast. It appears that the vessel was hit by a guided missile, launched either by Iranian trained Hezbollah, or by Iranian Guards themselves operating out of Lebannon. Land-launched Chinese anti-shipping missile, C-802 The missile was apparently a Chinese-made C-802 which is a sub sonic surface to surface anti-shipping missile. The Iranians have purchased a lot of these from China, and is working with N. Korea to improve the design. The missile is capable of a sea-skimming approach, and reportedly...

Dear bretheren, the war with Israel is over (letter to Pali-Arabs from the Arab world)
07/15/2006 1:54:26 PM EDT · 3 replies · 159+ views
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1666284/posts
The Business Online.com ^ | 7/16/2006 | Youssef Ibrahim
AS Israel enters the third week of an incursion into the same Gaza Strip it voluntarily evacuated a few months ago, a sense of reality among Arabs is spreading through commentary by Arab pundits, letters to the editor, and political talk shows on Arabic language TV networks. The new views are stunning both in their maturity and in their realism. The best way I can think of to convey them is in the form of a letter to the Palestinian Arabs from their Arab friends: Dear Palestinian Arab brethren: The war with Israel is over. You have lost. Surrender and...

Iran - Ahmadinejad says Israel uses the same methods as Hitler
07/15/2006 1:37:57 PM EDT · 8 replies · 161+ views
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1666276/posts
AFP via Babelfish translation | July 15, 2006
ALARM - Ahmadinejad affirms that Israel uses the same methods as Hitler TEHERAN - the president Iranian ultraconservator Mahmoud Ahmadinejad affirmed Saturday which Israel used the same methods as Adolf Hitler, in its offensive against Hezbollah Lebanese and in the Gaza Strip.

[sofaman]

"20:39 Spanish PM says Mideast fighting could fuel radical Islam (AP)"

Note to Spanish PM: Not if they're dead...

[Old_Mil]

According to CNN, the IAF is coming under fire from Lebanese Army AA units. It sounds like Lebanon still hasn't gotten the message about disassociating themselves from Hez.

[TomGuy]

Lebanese PM demands ceasefire

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora called on Saturday for an immediate ceasefire, saying Israeli attacks had turned Lebanon into a disaster area in need of international aid.

[Well, duh!]

[TexKat]

Israeli resident on Tzfat (Safed) hold shrapnel from rocket that hit the northern city. A woman and her grandson were killed elsewhere in the city. (AP)

Rocket barrage hits Tiberias, lower Galilee; two killed, scores injured

Four Katyusha rockets landed in the Galilee resort city of Tiberias, located 35 kilometers (20 miles) from the Lebanese border, on Saturday. Additional rockets landed further east and north -- in Kfar Hitim, Evron, and Abu Snan. Channel Tiwo reported that more than 60 people suffered shock and three light injuries from shrapnel.

Rockets also landed Saturday in Carmiel, Hatzor Haglilit, Peki'in, Safed, Nahariya, and Moshav Ben-Ami, in the western Galilee.

Two rockets hit empty homes in Carmiel and Safed. Another landed near Carmiel College, causing a brushfire.

Friday a woman and her 5-year-old grandson were killed and four others were injured when a Katyusha rocket slammed into a home in Moshav Meron. They had come to Meron from Nahariya, hoping to reach a safer area.

[DCPatriot]

One would think that it should be possible to detect where the missle launches are taking place in Lebanon and/or Syria...perhaps by orbiting cameras.

Why aren't these technology application possibilities being utilized?

Or...am I watching too many movies lately?

[Arizona Carolyn]

Looks like someone is going to have to take control of AlSadr to keep violence from swelling back up in Iraq due to this war between Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah.

Thousands of Iraqis demonstrated Saturday in the Shiite district of Sadr City in Baghdad and the southeastern cities of Kut and Amarah, praising the leaders of Hezbollah and denouncing Israel, and the United States, for Israeli attacks on Lebanon

[browardchad]

Looks like few in the Muslim world wish to salute Tehran.

And it looks like more than a few, particularly the Saudis, are aware of the threat Iran and her sock puppets represent to their regimes.

As always, it's useless to expect that these regimes would actually do something about Iran and her proxies, other than leaving the dirty work to Israel and the U.S., while condemning both.

[Txsleuth]

Thanks deffie...you are great to provide that.

[SE Mom]

The Saudi foreign minister appeared to be leading a camp of ministers criticizing the guerrilla group's actions, calling them "unexpected, inappropriate and irresponsible acts."

"These acts will pull the whole region back to years ago, and we cannot simply accept them," Saudi al-Faisal told his counterparts.

Supporting his stance were representatives of Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Iraq, the Palestinian Authority, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, delegates said on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks.

---

The above quote from the AP report on today's Arab League meeting is remarkable in itself- but STUNNING with this included " the Palestinian Authority"....

How can this be? Hamas hands are JUST as dirty in this as Hizbullah's are...

[bnelson44]

We do not have the capability of stopping short range missiles. The duration of flight is simply too short.

If they are lucky, the Patriot batteries will get some missiles if they are lobbed a long distance (like to Tel Aviv). But they probably will not vaporize the warhead and it will fall down someplace.

[jeffers]

So far, all the reports concerning Israel's 72 hour deadline to Syria that I have seen have traced back to a single point source in one Arab publication.

Until I see independeant corroboration, I have to keep this in mind, but also attach a question mark to it. If accurate, I expect it to expire late Monday/early Tuesday on the NA east coast.