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)

[Pox]

No, Olmert is losing his nerve, IMO. He's looking for the easiest possible way to stop the offensive without losing face and his job.

He's had little choice but to allow the IDF to bomb Lebanon due to circumstances, but I'm of the opinion he's still a pussy and doesn't have the spine to follow all the way through with a full assault on hezbollah.

This "development" seems to be another sign that he's incapable of taking this offensive the distance, IMO.

The deaths in Haifa should have been enough to insure a ground offensive into southern Lebanon at least, but who knows what the Israeli government is thinking currently.

At this point, I would have assumed that a full out ground offensive would be under way. I know it takes time for logistics to satisfy the demands of such a plan, but it still seems to me that Olmert and Peretz are simply relying on air strikes as a 'show of force' that will stop the attacks, which of course is unlikely to happen.

This 'restrained' BS needs to stop, IMO.

[prairiebreeze]

thanks for the transcription.

Stay united and firm Israel!!

[InterceptPoint]

Olmert is already "backing down". Prior to today, they were insisting that hezbollah be disarmed and they be removed from the southern Lebanon border, and their 2 troops be released in order to stop the Israeli assault.

As of this morning, according to CNN and Fox, Israel sent conditions to the Lebanese government via Italy, and the Israeli conditions to stop the assault is release the 2 kidnapped troops, and hezbollah must be removed from the southern Lebanese border.

No more demand that UN 1559 be carried out.

The conditions are tough enough when you know that the government of Lebanon is unable to meet them.

UN 1559 cannot be enforced by Lebanon. Nor can they remove Hezbollah from their southern border. So it will be up the the Israelis to do it for them and this will require the continuing bombardment of Hezbollah in Beirut, in the Bekka Valley and in Southern Lebanon and the destruction of key elements of the Lebanese infrastructure.

[mewzilla]

Bill Kristol has gone barking mad.

Fallout from this?

[AlexW]

"But also picked up the Jews = Nazis comment.
Has she previously commented on her own / other Lebanese opinions regarding hizbola and/or Israel?"

I have known her for over a year, but have never discussed politics. She is Lebanese and works as a graphic designer.

She is obviously frightened and considers any airplanes
dropping bombs as Nazis.
Note that she said that they are helpless as a country and that they have no power to get rid of hizbola.

[jarhead64]

According to the JPost, an IDF Division with APCs is headed North right now.

[Pox]

That's what the bombings are supposed to be for, but the backing down of the Israeli government on their demand that UN resolution 1559 be implemented prior to the offensive being stopped has caused me to personally question the resolve of the current Israeli government.

In reality, if they want to insure that the rocket launchings are permanently (at least over the 'short term') halted, a ground offensive is the only way to go about accomplishing that. The air strikes should be prepping for a ground attack, but the ground attack pretty much should have already commenced, IMO. There certainly could be circumstances that I'm unaware of that is causing a delay in an eventual ground assault, but this backtracking by the Israeli government of it's demands that need to be met for the offensive to be halted seems to me to be a sign of 'weakness'.

Then again, it could simply be that the Israeli government has concluded that there is no chance that UN resolution 1559 will be implemented without a full scale regional conflict that would bring in Syria and likely Iran, and that may be why they have backed off of that demand.

It's going to be a shame if they go back to the status quo, IMO.

[DooDahhhh]

That was my first thought of the day. Why are the Americans over there??? Why would American college students be getting an education over there? What would they possibly have that we do not??

[stopem]

If Hezbollah manages to score a hit on a refinery it will get even worse:

"Hizbullah announced Sunday morning on its al-Manar television station that it fired Raad-type rockets at Haifa. Eight people were killed and dozens injured in Haifa following the rocket attacks."

"The terror group said it would not hesitate to attack the oil refineries in Haifa."

[jhp]

No, Olmert is losing his nerve, IMO. He's looking for the easiest possible way to stop the offensive without losing face and his job.

He's had little choice but to allow the IDF to bomb Lebanon due to circumstances, but I'm of the opinion he's still a pussy and doesn't have the spine to follow all the way through with a full assault on hezbollah.

This "development" seems to be another sign that he's incapable of taking this offensive the distance, IMO.

The deaths in Haifa should have been enough to insure a ground offensive into southern Lebanon at least, but who knows what the Israeli government is thinking currently.

At this point, I would have assumed that a full out ground offensive would be under way. I know it takes time for logistics to satisfy the demands of such a plan, but it still seems to me that Olmert and Peretz are simply relying on air strikes as a 'show of force' that will stop the attacks, which of course is unlikely to happen.

This 'restrained' BS needs to stop, IMO.

Couldn't have said it better myself. I bet there is some serious internal strife going on between the IDF and the Olmert govt.

[Pox]

I've heard armor is being massed in the N/NE of Israel, and that was after the deaths in Haifa today. The IDF is getting ready for what they believe is necessary, but will the Israeli government let them go in and clean house?

[Pox]

Air strikes won't accomplish everything, a ground assault is pretty much called for in this situation, IMO.

Destroying the Lebanese infrastructure is only so useful to the IDF.

The question is, will the Israeli government actually follow through with the necessary actions to stop hezbollah from launching rockets into Israel.

[goldstategop]

They won't. Israel has realized Lebanon is too weak to impose its will on Hezbollah and Israel will have to step up to the job of taking care of its own security. If Lebanon had a functioning government, there would have been no war happening in the first place. That is the whole point to "Operation Just Rewards." Israel has to eliminate the Hezbollah presence near its border and keep them from coming back.

(Go Israel Go! Slap 'em down Hezbullies.)

[Da Mav]

Meanwhile the NY Times is posting blatant Syrian propaganda.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/16/world/middleeast/16syria.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

The headline gives you an idea of the a flavor of the piece
Spirits Are High in Syria’s Capital as Leaders Openly Show Support for Hezbollah