7/29 Middle East Live Thread

Middle East Live Thread ^ | 7/29/06 | BurbankKarl

[BurbankKarl]

Israeli soldiers rest at an artillery position in northern Israel, next to the Lebanese border, Friday July 28, 2006.

Updates

IDF soldier seriously injured in Bint Jbeil (09:14 , 07.29.06)

IDF hits over 60 Hizbullah targets (09:11 , 07.29.06)

Solana confident UN will push for international force in Southern Lebanon (08:28 , 07.29.06)

Annan plans meeting for potential contributors to international force for Lebanon (07:58 , 07.29.06)

Japan ground troops to mark official end to Iraq mission (07:23 , 07.29.06)

Bint Jbeil battle: 6 Soldiers lightly to moderately injured (05:28 , 07.29.06)

Moscow pushes Iran to respond to incentives deal (05:10 , 07.29.06)

Canada winding down Lebanon evacuation (05:08 , 07.29.06)

Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades group says killed Yakir settler (05:06 , 07.29.06)

Bush apologizes to Blair over failure to declare planes carried missiles for Israel (05:02 , 07.29.06)

IAF strikes 60 targets in Lebanon (04:58 , 07.29.06)

1 dead, 5 hurt in Seattle Jewish center shooting

[Txsleuth]

Dang...I heard Cindy Sheehan was going to Jordan for a peace something or other....sounds like Israel have their own Cindy Sheehans.

[BurbankKarl]

If it is a "draw", the terrorists win.

[Tree of Liberty]

I have no idea about the mood if Israeli's beyond increadibly high support for the war, but if Olmert gets any more wobbly, I hope the public hands him his ass.

[don-o]

"We'll try to figure out what the truth is.."

What a concept. LOL!!

[SE Mom]

No words right now.

I'm not understanding any of this..

[RDTF]

I wonder what mother Sheehan thinks when she sees her buddy Chavez hugging AJ from Iran

[redgolum]

Bit late in on this one.

self ping

[Fitzcarraldo]

20:41 Al-Jazeera: IAF hit targets on Syria-Lebanon border (Channel 10)

20:34 Venezuela`s Chavez and Iran`s Ahmedinejad pledge mutual support in Tehran (AP)

20:10 Police step up security at Seattle synagogues and mosques (Reuters)

20:06 3,000 people demonstrate in Bern, Switzerland against Israeli attacks in Lebanon (AP)

19:52 Rice says hopes deal on main conditions for ceasefire to be outlined by Tues. (Reuters)

19:45 5 Katyusha rockets land in open areas in vicinity of Rosh Pina; no injuries (Haaretz)

19:38 French FM criticizes Israel`s rejection of a three-day truce with Hezbollah (AP)

[redgolum]

Ah nuts.

Looks like (unless this is PR) Israel lost.

[casino66]

SNAFU

[jhp]

I believe that Olmert feels hamstrung by Iranian and Syrian rockets pointed at Dimona and other Israeli nuclear facilities.

I'd hate to think an Israeli leader believes this to be strategic deterrent. One can hardly compare the Syrian/Iranian aresenals equivalent to Israel's 200-400 deliverable nuclear warheads. No doubt an Iranian/Syrian missile barrage would hurt, but losing this war in the long term may hurt worse.

[don-o]

Sheehan thinks when she sees her buddy Chavez hugging AJ from Iran

"Sheehan" & "think" in the same sentence? I am afraid my computer is gonna melt! Please be more careful.

Thanks.

[Fitzcarraldo]

[source: hezebola site

http://lebanonhezbollah.com/?lang=en&state=showbody_news&key=&row_id=227

Saturday 29/07/2006 Time: 02:52 [

Hezbollah Can`t be Defeated, Says UN Force Chief

nited Nations peacekeepers fear that the Israeli Army intends to raze entire villages in south Lebanon after encountering stiffer resistance from Hezbollah guerrillas than initially expected.

With Israeli forces pulling back from a key Lebanese border town after several days of bloody fighting, UNIFIL`s top commander says that Hezbollah cannot be defeated militarily.

`A military victory will never be possible,` Major General Alain Pellegrini, the commander of UNIFIL, the acronym of the UN peacekeeping force deployed in south Lebanon, told The Times in an interview.

He said that only a political solution can resolve the crisis, adding that after more than two weeks of heavy fighting, the Lebanese group is `still strong`. Israeli troops have withdrawn from Bint Jbeil, the largest Shia town in the border district, after heavy street clashes against well-entrenched Hezbollah fighters caused high casualties.

The town was under heavy shellfire today in what UN officers suspect is a plan to force the last civilians to flee prior to destroying the town completely and killing any remaining Hezbollah fighters.

`I think the Israelis are contemplating flattening villages down to the last house,` Richard Morczynski, Unfil`s political officer, said.

Unfil estimates there are between 800 to 1,000 Hezbollah combatants deployed throughout the south, operating in groups numbering as few as 12 to 15.

They have ready access to weapons and ammunition and have retained their channels of communication, speaking in code over walkie-talkies.

`Sometime they use radio frequencies that are the same as ours and we can hear them talk,` Mr Morczynski said. `They say `This is brother 13. We are going to carry out operation seven. Hope you are all safe`.`

He said that Hezbollah is showing little sign of weakening despite the intensity of the Israeli onslaught. `They are mobile, dedicated and willing to act. When there`s shelling, they`re not scared. They`re not sitting in bunkers,` he said.

The Israeli military estimates th at as many as 100 Hezbollah fighters are holed up in Bint Jbeil, a straggly hill town of narrow streets suited to the Lebanese Shia group`s style of hit-and-run operations.

[RDTF]

hah! So true.
But I still wonder if the maroon sees it any clearer

[RDTF]

Is it me or does the translator on Fox make the guy sound even creepier? lmao

[La Enchiladita]

14:18 French foreign minister criticizes Israel`s rejection of 72-hour truce (AP)

News flash!!

[InterceptPoint]

This supports wildcats assertion that security is tantamount. And even Americans are now conditioned to require safety and security. If one is to conduct the freedom experiment with the two year old put into the wilderness with all of its danger and potential; then one could draw more solid conclusions. IMHO

Of course security is tantamount but so what? That's true for any living thing.

My point was that freedom is a natural desire of human beings. If it is less important than security that doesn't change the argument. Given the choice human beings select the maximum freedom given adequate security. Right now the worlds best security is being provided by the worlds strongest Democracy: The United States of America. That is not a coincidence, it is cause and effect. Maximize freedom and you maximize security.

[Tree of Liberty]

Dioma could potentially be hit by Katusha's from the West Bank (about 19 miles distant), but is about 135 miles south of Lebanon. The farthest the currently known missiles from Hezbollah can go is about 35 miles.

[Txsleuth]

Earlier...before that breaking news I posted about..

I heard some new Fox chickie give a report about the UN peacekeepers that were there...and she said that the reason they were there was because ISRAEL had violated the boundry at the Lebanon border...and had encroached into Lebanon..and the UN peacekeepers had to take care of THEM!!!

The report made it sound like this was somthing that had been happening for a while..

Did you or anyone else here hear that report???

[Pepper777]

"" Yes, UNIFIL was but apparently they just were 'holding coats' while Hezbullah built up its weapons cache.""

The fact that UNIFIL didn't inform anyone of the all the Hezzie activity, leaves little doubt of whose side they are on. It takes heavy equipment to build those fortified bunkers, especially the one built under the mosque, if we are to believe a recent ynet article.

I hope our leaders will once and for all disregard anything the United Nations says or does. Yesterday a talk show host from Israel was a guest on one of my local talk radio shows.

The host who broadcast daily from Israel, said he did a study for Israeli government of what the UN actually does with their time. During his investigation, he discovered the UN spends 1/3 of their time coming up with accusations against Israel. With all the horrible things going on in the world, such as the Sudan and etc, the UN is focused on destroying Israel. Talk about an outrage~~!!!!

The Israeli radio host also pointed out that Israel is only 50 miles wide. Not sure of the length, but it's probably not much more than 100 miles. Amazing how much hate and anger is directed at such a tiny piece of land. Even more outrageous is the possibility of yet another land grab from Israel for so called peace. What a joke.

The UN is clearly against Israel and America. Perhaps the value of remaining in the UN, is to see and hear what the bad guys are planning. Kerry wanted our military to be under the control of the UN. May God help us if that insanity ever came to pass. Hopefully the demos will wake up and realize their love affair with the UN has been nothing but ridiculous.

Thanks for reminding me of the UNIFIL. They probably not only held coats, but maybe even did some shoveling of dirt. grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr Sorry for the long rant.