Posted on 08/01/2006 2:48:27 PM PDT by mojito
Lebanese army and security officials said Tuesday night that a major IDF operation was underway against suspected Hizbullah positions near Baalbeek in eastern Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, with one officer saying the IAF presence in the air above the ancient city was "unprecedented."
The operation began with at least five rapid air strikes.
"The extreme, unprecedented number of aircraft indicates the possibility that the Israelis are planning to land troops, but we cannot yet confirm that," said one security official.
Flares held aloft by parachutes lighted the night sky to a daytime brilliance, the official said.
Hizbullah's al-Manar television said IAF helicopters were taking heavy guerrilla fire but had not landed any commandos.
Israeli helicopters also attacked a target 15 kilometers west of Baalbek, starting a huge fire, witnesses said.
Earlier Tuesday, the IAF struck three Hizbullah bunkers in the western zone of southern Lebanon.
Warplanes also hit Hizbullah fighters battling with soldiers near the border as the guerrillas fired mortars into Israel.
I see. I'm in the 'shell' cleanup business and propellants are rarely an issue--they're gone and scattered by the time a shell comes to my attention and we worry about armed fuzes. Didn't think of the propellants issue.
they are firing on the enemy from reports...The IDF is known for its mobility. I have no fear that this force will be trapped behind enemy lines...
I think you are spot on. Possession of that stuff means money and power. Why give it away, especially when some of it might end up in Chechyna?
And yet the bigger question is, if they find them, how many on DU will say Rumsfeld, Rice and Bush put them there.
ping
When is the key.
If there are WMD then that must be the first priority. Hezbollah would not hesitate to use them if they could. It would not surprise me if Syria were not allowing them to be used until the US is out of Iraq or until Iran gets nukes. Using WMD before then would bolster the case for going into Iraq, druve up support for Bush, and thwart all of the heretofore efforts of the radical Islamists and their allies in the media and congress.
Furthermore, due to the extreme sensitivity of the mission, Russian diplomats were probably part of the convoy to provide diplomatic cover.
Fifteen kilometers west of Baalbak is coming very close to the (undelimited) Lebanon border with Syria.
I don't think the Middle East would let Russians have them. I think they would go to either Syria or Iran or could be split among both.
update on action:
Lebanese: Abduction of senior Hizbulllah member foiled
Lebanese army officials say special IDF forces fail in attempt to kidnap Hizbullah High Council member Sheikh Muhammad Yazbek from hospital near Baalbek; gun battles reported at scene
Roee Nahmias and AP
Lebanese army and security officials said early Wednesday that special IDF forces attempted to kidnap Sheikh Muhammad Yazbek, a member of Hizbullah’s High Council and one of 12 senior organization members, near Baalbek in the west Bekaa Valley.
According to reports, the operation began with at least six rapid air strikes, after which IAF choppers attempted to land ground forces in the city’s western sector.
A Lebanese army outpost in the town of Shlifa, west of Baalbek, was also attacked.
The Lebanese officials estimated that the IDF forces planned to kidnap the sheikh from the Dar el-Hichma hospital, located north of Baalbek; Yazbek was reportedly surrounded by other senior Hizbullah members.
Current reports say the kidnapping attempt failed and gun battles are taking place at the scene.
Flares held aloft by parachutes lighted the night sky to a daytime brilliance, a Lebanese official said.
It was also reported that Israeli jet fighters attacked targets in the city of Hermel, 75 miles north of the Israeli border in the Bekaa Valley, and Hizbullah said it attacked an IDF outpost in the Shebaa Farms on the border.
Meanwhile, Al-Manar aired images of what it said was “booty” left behind by IDF forces near Kila in south Lebanon. The photos released were of two-way radios, shoes, canteens, and other military equipment. It is not clear when the photos were taken.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3284959,00.html
Sorry randog, I had the explosion fifteen klicks EAST of Baalbak. That really would have caused bladder problems in Damascus.
another update:
Hizbullah: We’ve surrounded IDF troops that landed next to Baalbeck
A spokesperson for Hizbullah said operatives of the terror organization had surrounding IDF troops that landed south of Baalbeck in the Bekaa Valley.
Hizbullah's Al-Manar TV station reported that exchanges of fire had erupted in the area. (AFP)
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3284958,00.html
The Lebanese officials estimated that the IDF forces planned to kidnap the sheikh from the Dar el-Hichma hospital
Does anyone in the MSM wonder want the hell this guy was doing in a hospital????
come on guys and girls of the press ask the tough questions
Agree on your analysis, WMD are not the focus at all. Syria does nothing, their ground forces are in tatters, their air force non-existent. Their bluff has been called. Hez will scatter and use human shields is the worst problem.
Even if accurate, this report may not be complete...after all, you cannot kidnap a dead body.
Bagdad Bob has surfaced.
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