Posted on 07/15/2006 12:02:18 PM PDT by weegie
Defence Secretary Des Browne has given orders for HMS Illustrious and HMS Bulwark to "make ready" for operations off Lebanon. The pair will depart as soon as necessary, possibly within 24 hours.
No order for evacuating UK citizens has yet been given, but ministers and defence staff are considering a plan to evacuate those trapped in Lebanon.
It comes as Israel has stepped up its strikes in Lebanon after Hezbollah militants seized two Israeli soldiers.
HMS Illustrious is currently in Gibraltar and HMS Bullwark is close to Spain.
The decision whether to proceed with an evacuation plan has not yet been taken and no orders have been given.
The Foreign Office has urged British citizens to keep a low profile and warned against travelling there.
Meetings on the evacuation plan are taking place at the Ministry of Defence.
An MoD spokeswoman said the two ships had been given "no specific tasking", but added: "As you would expect we are monitoring the situation closely and are engaging in prudent contingency planning."
"As part of this HMS Illustrious and HMS Bulwark will shortly head towards the region," she said.
You are so right.
"Defence Secretary Des Browne has given orders for HMS Illustrious and HMS Bulwark to "make ready" for operations off Lebanon. The pair will depart as soon as necessary, possibly within 24 hours."
Ping! Could it be the preparatory phase of military attacks against Israel, familyop?
"British, French, Italian and Norwegian media (including the most conservative of them) have been insinuating that military forces should occupy Israel to restrain it."
"Defence Secretary Des Browne has given orders for HMS Illustrious and HMS Bulwark to "make ready" for operations off Lebanon. The pair will depart as soon as necessary, possibly within 24 hours."
Ping! Could it be the preparatory phase of military attacks against Israel, familyop? The "British, French, Italian and Norwegian media (including the most conservative of them) have been insinuating that military forces should occupy Israel to restrain it." you mentioned on another thread?
After considering alternatives, I think they'll get with IDF on security before going in. That would have the best chance for success at getting many refugees safely home.
After the ships are back in their home ports, publicized fantasies of restraining Israel with NATO movements will again intensify.
The UK is going to try to rescue 20,000 of its citizens from Lebanon. The French also have about 20,000 citizens there. After they've collected a few of their adventurers pretending to be Lawrence of Arabia, they'll return to their respective countries. The denizens of one of the two countries will resume tossing insults across the English Channel at the other (and to us about the other), and the other will continue to ignore (and snub) the first. Neither of the nations has enough "power showers" or interest in frequent bathing, BTW.
...related.
Europeans begin Lebanon evacuation
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1666152/posts
Yup - That'll teach those Lebanese Christians
How about the HMS Revenge, another cool one.
"Could it be the preparatory phase of military attacks against Israel, familyop"
Could be. Then they'll attack New Zealand and Australia afterwards.
Most of them will be either employees of Western Corporations or be of Lebanese (mainly Christian) extraction visting family. The biggest danger I ever faced in Beirut was in trying to avoid monumental hangovers due to the quality of the nightlife.
Hardly "Lawrence of Arabia" country.
Its nice that Beirut recovered, but what sort of people think that they have a real country when they have "foreign" troops operating there? And why did they think they could escape the consequences of letting these forces wage war from their soil? They made their bed...
But it would be nice if we dumped the Lebanon war and went for Syria and Iran. Of course, then we'd hear about how the Syrians and Iranians are not blame, but the fault lies with their respective governments.
We need to get over this stuff about excusing people, because they have evil governments.
" but what sort of people think that they have a real country when they have "foreign" troops operating there?"
South Koreans? Germans? Turks? Afghani's?
"We need to get over this stuff about excusing people, because they have evil governments."
Yup it's the Lebanese children's fault. And it was your fault for everything that Clinton did in the name of America we disagree with.
Sorry, I am being deliberatly obtuse and am baiting in my replies above (did ya bite?) - but the real point is that Lebanon is even more complex than Iraq. 40% of Lebanese are actually Christian. Like Iraq, it has been a country where people who have the courage of their convictions to stand up to the political status quo seem to 'disappear'. You may well want to make war with Lebanese, Iranians, and Syrians because that makes everything neater. Me? My battles with Jihadi's where-ever they are.
Don't recall the Lebanese worrying much about Israeli children.
And it IS my fault for whatever Clinton did - I may have voted against him, but he was still my President. I'll resent it like hell if I get attacked for his sins, but I won't complain about the "fairness" of it.
Afghanistan is not a real country - its a collection of mutually hostile tribes that hate outsiders even more than than hate each other.
Germans and South Koreans are hosting foreign troops but they aren't "operating" there - no attacks are being launch from their countries.
Making war on the Jihadis is like making war on the Nazis, but not the Germans. The populace you're trying to distinguish them from are the folks that hide, feed, fund and equip them.
"Sorry, I am being deliberatly obtuse and am baiting in my replies above (did ya bite?)"
I'll take that last post as a massive yes!
Despite the label, I didn't notice anything obtuse about it. Most of it sounded like stuff we hear or read in the media every day.
Sometimes we allow complexity to get the way of doing things. We tangle ourselves up in details that have nothing to do with the goal. The less on of the Gordian knot should never be forgotten.
Lebanon, whatever its virtues, is host to Hezbollah, and Israel has been attacked by them from Lebanese soil. Since Lebanon is technically a sovereign nation, they are responsible for these acts, and must suffer the consequences.
" Since Lebanon is technically a sovereign nation, they are responsible for these acts, and must suffer the consequences."
[again, devils advocate - bite if you want].
So how come you aint bombing the crap out of the UK home of Richard Reid the shoe bomber?
I'll bite.
'Cause, if the UK knew about him, they'd have arrested him. After we arrested him, the UK assisted in the investigation. They didn't hide him, or allow him to hide, or try to conceal evidence. They didn't arm him or allow him to openly bear arms. Can't say that about Lebanon, can you?
;) You can't.
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