7/16 Middle East Live Thread

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1666163/posts ^ | 7/16/06 | me

[BurbankKarl]

09:19 MDA: More than 20 people hurt in Katyusha rocket strike in Haifa (Channel 2)

09:16 Residents of Acre, Haifa and its suburbs told to enter bomb shelters (Israel Radio)

09:15 Tenth Katyusha rocket lands in Haifa (Israel Radio)

09:15 Explosions heard in Rosh Hanikra (Israel Radio)

09:11 Katyusha rockets hit Acre and suburbs around Haifa Bay (Channel 2)

09:06 Report: Three to five explosion heard in central Haifa (Israel Radio)

08:47 Chirac: Forces threatening Lebanon`s security, sovereignty must be stopped (AP)

08:41 Sgt. Tal Amgar killed on Navy ship to be buried 16.00 Sun. at Ashdod cemetery (Itim)

08:39 Chirac calls for `show of moderation` in Lebanon, says cease-fire needed (Reuters)

08:37 IDF denies report of air raid on power station south of Beirut (Haaretz)

08:36 Hezbollah says it fought off attempt by IDF ground forces to cross Lebanese border (AP)

08:35 Bush urges Israel `to be mindful of the consequences` of its military actions (AP)

08:19 Jewish man arrested after threatening to stab Palestinians in J`lem`s Old City (Itim)

08:15 Al Manar: Nasrallah to give an interview later Sunday to prove he`s well (Israel Radio)

[johniegrad]

"The Israelis were yesterday trumpeting the fact that the missile was made in Iran as proof of Iran's involvement in the Lebanon war. This was odd reasoning. Since almost all the missiles used to kill the civilians of Lebanon over the past four days were made in Seattle, Duluth and Miami in the United States, their use already suggests to millions of Lebanese that America is behind the bombardment of their country."

I work in Duluth. Let me guarantee you that there are no missiles being built in Duluth (Minnesota anyway).

[mystery-ak]

Bookmark (to mow lawn in 101 deg. heat index)



Man, I need to mow my grass too...heat index is 105.....any volunteers?...

[GoldwaterChick]

"...Is anyone in the world dumber than Juan Williams?..."

Gee, I thought we were the only ones who thought that. :)
He is dumber than a rock.

Have you noticed how every so often Brit really nails Juan when he says something especially stupid? It's a tribute to what a gentleman Brit is that he is able to keep his cool. He probably wants to reach out and grab Juan by his throat and beat him over the head with some limp spaghetti. Another reason why we never listen to NPR!

[TexKat]

AFP - Sun Jul 16, 3:22 PM ET Smoke from an Israeli air raid on a Hezbollah position in the Ouzai neighborhood of Beirut. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said that the United States is readying plans to evacuate thousands of its citizens trapped in Lebanon, under attack from Israel since Hezbollah militants captured two Israeli soldiers.(AFP/Hosam Chebaro)

US readies plans to evacuate citizens stranded in Lebanon

Sun Jul 16, 12:23 PM ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Washington was making plans to evacuate thousands of its citizens trapped in Lebanon, which has been under attack from Israel since Hezbollah militants captured two Israeli soldiers.

"In terms of what the United States government might do to assist its citizens in Lebanon, we are laying the groundwork (for evacuations) should the conditions permit to help those people get out," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told the Fox television network Sunday.

"We will see if all 25,000 American citizens want to leave," he said.

The spokesman added: "Our embassy is working hand-in-hand with the US military, which plays a huge important role in any of these types of situations, to make sure we have all of the equipment, the plans and personnel in place in order to help folks out."

The US State Department on its website in Beirut wrote that advance security and planning teams are already on the ground in Lebanon to help plan for a mass exodus of US nationals.

"The US Department of State continues to work with the US Department of Defense on a plan to help American citizens depart Lebanon," according to the website.

"To assist with the planning of this operation, planning and security assessment teams arrived via helicopter at the US Embassy in Awkar, July 16th, at approximately 3:00 pm.

"The arrival of the teams is an important first step in facilitating the safe departure of Americans who want to leave Lebanon," the State Department announced, urging US citizens to make their presence in the country known to US officials to facilitate evacuation efforts.

"The Department of State continues to work around the clock to ensure the safety and well-being of its citizens," the website notice said.

[jhp]

Not shocked at all. Now I would be shocked if Olmert actually ordered boots on the ground in Southern Lebanon and the Bekka Valley.

[fatima]

We are praying mfccinsd,fatima

[SE Mom]

I couldn't resist:)

[RasterMaster]

Or SHEMP Smith, as the Great One would say.

[SFConservative]

US plans $A280m jet fuel sale to Israel

$280 million, I presume

No, $210M US = $280 Australian.

[txrangerette]

From what I've seen so far, Bush and most likely Cheney and Rummy are looking at this situation in somewhat of a "non-state department-like" way.

They understand that Hezbollah is a terrible threat and Israel must take them down as far as they can. A ceasefire would just allow Israel's sworn deadly enemies to get stronger and stronger than they already are. This position is going to take guts and the State Dept. types are going to go nuts.

I believe Condi is doing exactly what the President told her to do in no uncertain terms. Left entirely to herself, I don't know (meaning I truly don't know one way or the other) that she would be this strong on the point. But you heard the President from the bully pulpit. And so far he's sticking to it.

Condi's got no choice, but Bush enemies in the government will probably start leaking and doing all they can to undermine Bush and Israel.

[petercooper]

Surely they know how to fashion diapers out of towels.

[mfccinsd]

Have you ever been in a flat over there? That's about all most have space for unfortunately :-( And food wise, many shop daily as with electricity typically on 4 hours/off 4 hours and things not keeping with the heat, unfortunately it's just a very different world.

[prairiebreeze]

A senior IDF officer disclosed on Saturday that Hezbullah has been hiding a large quantity of long-range rockets in specially-designed rooms built in houses in Southern Lebanon villages, operating under the assumption that the Israeli army will have difficulty in locating them and that it would prefer not to harm villages.

(No surprise to anybody here, but a sampling of the stories on that Jewish blogspot link.)

[bvw]

Agree as to conclusions, not as to why.

[petercooper]

thanks

[wildcatf4f3]

Amazing how TINY our Navy is

[Alas Babylon!]

No. Not Blitzer. That was Peter Arnett and Bernie Shaw in Baghdad.

[TexKat]

Only the beginning, warns Nasrallah

Sunday 16 July 2006, 20:21 Makka Time, 17:21 GMT

Nasrallah showed determination to continue to fight Israel

The leader of the Lebanese movement Hezbollah has warned that the current confrontation with Israel was only the beginning.

"We will continue. We still have a lot more and we are just at the beginning," Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah said on Sunday in a taped address on Al-Manar television.

"We promise them surprises in (any) confrontation," he said a few hours after a Hezbollah rocket killed eight people in the northern Israeli city of Haifa.

"We will use all means. As long as the enemy has no limits, we will have no limits."

'Fighting for Muslims'

Nasrallah said his fighters are "longing" to fight Israeli forces in any ground invasion as he urged Arabs and Muslims worldwide to support Hezbollah, saying it is fighting Israel on their behalf.

"The peoples of the Arab and Islamic world have a historic opportunity to score a defeat against the Zionist enemy ... We are providing the example," he said.

It was Nasrallah's first television appearance since Israeli air strikes destroyed his headquarters in Beirut's southern suburbs on Saturday.

Nasrallah's predecessor, Abbas al-Musawi, was killed in a 1992 Israeli air strike along with his wife and three-year-old daughter.

The five-day old fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has killed at least 120 Lebanese civilians and has dealt a heavy blow to Lebanon's infrastructure, especially in the south.

But Nasrallah sought to boost the morale of his supporters.


"We are still in our full strength and power. We choose the time and place (for the battle). We still manage our affairs in an accurate manner," he said.


http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/485E6121-DDD8-4494-BADE-7A4D70EBB0DB.htm

[Luke21]

Golda was a great one. She was from the great tradition of "take no prisoners" Israeli leadership. David Ben-Gurion and Moshe Dayan come to mind. So was Menachem Begin.

Israel was losing that war, and she was not going to lose. Israel would have nuked Cairo and Damascus if need be.

President Nixon, hounded by the dogs in the press and the full might of the left, made a great decision. He would defend Israel at the risk of nuclear war. No one gave him any credit for it, and the press did all they could to discredit him.

Around 1975, people started writing novels about the very scenario that had just taken place, as if it were fiction.

[mystery-ak]

What happened to the Putin presser?