7/25 Middle East Live Thread

Middle East Live Thread ^ | 7/25/06 | me

[BurbankKarl]

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice salutes a US Marine as she walks towards a helicopter upon her departure from Beirut after meeting with Lebanese officials.

[CDB]

22:37 Hezbollah official: Didn`t expect such strong response to capture of IDF soldiers (AP)

Give this guy the Darwin Award of the Century.

[AliVeritas]

US embassy put on terror alert
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1802891.cms

[jeffers]

There's a learning curve going into every new war. Bush and Rumsfeld were pretty sloppy at the beginning of OEF, but had much improved by the time OIF rolled around and I suspect the education continues as OIFII progresses.

The jury's still out on Olmert, we'll see if he has ths stones for this before too long goes by. At the most, two weeks should tell the tale.

[jhp]

"Israel can't make any mistakes that close to the border."

I think there are some elements in the IDF and the govt that are hoping their are "mistakes" that close to the border in order to draw Syria into the conflict so as to at least bloody Syria up a little as a payment for fueling this whole crisis with their meddling in Lebanon

[Mariner]

Neither the US or Israel would have any desire to occupy any part of Syria.

What could the regime lose, besides a few thousand men...they don't care about human life anyway.

However, they WOULD be able to maintain a stoic, proud face in their defeat. Right now they look like pussies. How could ANYONE throw in with them...I'm bettin' that Al Queda and Hizbollah are on the phone NOW calling them cowards and threatening to overturn their cowardly regimes:)

At least Jordan, Egypt and the Saudis have been talking the talk of "peace" and "restraint"...and have been fairly consistent. They have already been written off as sponsors by the Jihadi...but Syria and Iran!?!?!?!?

[jhp]

A drive up from Metula to the river cuts Southern Lebanon off from Syria, and puts the HEZ in an untenable position where they either run, or die in place without support.

Syra CANNOT stand against the Israeli Army or Air Force, which means a War of The Missles....

This is a credible threat the Syrians do have. Their missiles (medium and long range) can target anywhere in Israel and have some guidance capability and some of the warheads are likely wmd equipped

[mware]

You see this translated by jveritas?

In the day of 10 Mouharam before the coalition forces started the war on Iraq, 50 trucks for land transportation entered Syria on an intermittent convoy. I met some of the drivers and they did not know what they carried in these trucks. These trucks were loaded from an unknown location in Baghdad and was brought to the drivers and the Iraqi Intelligence was with them. Each time they crossed a certain distance, the Iraqi Intelligence stopped them and asked them what are they carrying and their answer was we do not know. And when these trucks arrived to Syria in the area of Deir Al Zour the drivers were taken out of their trucks and the Syrian Intelligence ride instead. These trucks were entered into large warehouses and when these trucks were emptied it was given back to the Iraqi drivers. And they were given a reward worth of 200 dollars for the safety of arrival. One of the drivers mentioned to me that this was second time they carry these secrets loads and the first time was 1 Mouharam.

I have a friend in Syria who works in a Syrian company as partner with a Syrian merchant. This person is an Iraqi ex-Consul in the Iraqi embassies and he resigned from the diplomatic circle and he has strong connection with the Iraqi Embassy in Syria and he knows all the Iraqi Intelligence and those knows that I work for the Iraqi opposition in Syria. I was visiting him daily during this period to find out the important news. When the trucks entered Syria I went to him and told him that Iraqi Weapons entered Syria so he said to me who told you that and I said to him I knew from my sources, and he told me to keep this confidential and not tell anyone because it indeed entered. Singature

7/13

Under translation and print

Moustafa Al Khaliye.

D.O.D only, 7/13

[jeffers]

Well, it'll free up some troops...and Israel's presence in occupied lands is a recognized thorn in the sides of the whole region. It taints everything.

It changes nothing, but once out, Israel can claim high ground when attacks continue, and at least at the state level, opportunity costs will tend to dry up radical funding.

[jhp]

which means a War of The Missles....

Seems to me they tried that a few years back.....

Not the Syrians that i'm aware of. Iran and Iraq played that game and Iraq tried that against Israel in 91', but as far as i know, at least since 73', there have not been any ballastic missile launches against Israel eminating from Syria

[tcrlaf]

perhaps..
But a WMD attack on Israel means the Walls of Jericho come tumbling down....

Not the desired result for a socialist dictatorship. I'm SURE they aren't as willing as President nutcase to meet thier 12 Virgins yet....

[Mariner]

My gut says they are cowards and pussies...and will do nothing until/unless they are assured of winning.

And that will never happen.

[jeffers]

Per Fox, one arrest in the Sunday I-65 sniper shootings, a 17 year old male, details to come in 30 minutes.

[jhp]

SAM sites in the Bekka are not the same as missile bases dispersed throughout Syria, the US sure didn't have much luck targeting SCUD launch facilities in GW1, don't really see Israel having much luck either against the Syrians if it came to that

[tcrlaf]

From another Thread:

Iran announces that tomorrow it will send the first group of "suicide bombers" to Lebanon
GAMLA: News and Views from Israel

YNET reports tonight that the Iranian news agency IRNA has announced (the item appears only in the Arabic language reports) that Tehran will begin sending on Wednesday, July 26, 2006 (after the afternoon prayers), the first groups of Iranian "suicide bombers" to fight the "Zionist enemy" in Lebanon.

This group, called "The Islamic Justice" will be the first of its kind sent on a mission since they were assembled in the last years.

According to this report, some 27 such bombers have already left tehran, and through Syria, have reached Lebanon. These reports say that the aim is not to hit the Israeli army, but rather to sow destruction inside Lebanon in order to begin a "war of chaos" which will bring about a war on Israel.

In Israel, according to YNET, whether this report is accurate or not, the IRNA announcement shows that Iran is deepening it's role in the Hizbollah, and in Lebanon in general.

[Peach]

Israel says it has killed the #2 Hezbollah leader.

[redgolum]

My gut tells me this isn't about a few missing soldiers, and that there is a reason that Hamas, Iran, Syria, and Hezbolah all got brave at the same time. They think that they can win.

Which makes me wonder if Iran or someone has a nuke.

[mware]

Got the number two man in Hezbolla according to report by Fox

[red meat conservative]

Here is a thought from red meat conservative

There are reports that Palestinian terrorists in Lebanon plan to join the fight alongside Hizbollah. Fatah's Al Aksa Martyrs Brigade, chaired by Mahmoud Abbas (who Condi Rice has met with today) announced that they have thousands of fighters who are ready to join the war. There are many "experts" that always say that Sunni and Shiite terrorists hate each other and will not work together, nor will secular and religous ones unite either. Well, Fatah and Hamas are religous Sunnis, Hizbollah is religous Shiite, and they are all based in secular Sunni Syria and backed by religous Shiites in Iran. Go figure!