Hezbollah uses Christian villages as shields in missile attacks

Washington DC, Aug. 03, 2006 (CNA) - Recent reports indicate that Hezbollah is using Christian villages to shield its attacks against Israel.

According to Christian Solidarity International, Hezbollah is hiding among civilian populations, mostly in southern Lebanese towns, such as Ain Ebel, Rmeish, Alma Alshaab.

Launching attacks behind human shields is in violation of the Geneva Convention's provision for the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts, which prohibits the use of civilians as military shields.

This is not a new strategy for Hezbollah. Col. Charbel Barka, a former South Lebanese Army commander, says Hezbollah is repeating what it did in attacks against Israel in 1996.

A Christian from the village of Ain Ebel, who requested to remain nameless for fear of a reprisal from Hezbollah, reported that he found Hezbollah fighters setting up a launcher on his rooftop. Hezbollah fighters ignored his pleas to stop and fired the missiles. He immediately gathered his family and fled his home, which was bombed 15 minutes later by an Israeli air strike.

Hezbollah has also attempted to stop Christians from fleeing their villages. According to Christian Solidarity International, on July 28, Hezbollah fighters fired upon several Christians fleeing Rmeish with their families, wounding two.

Sami El-Khoury, president of the World Maronite Union, adds that media reports about Christian support for Hezbollah are inaccurate.

"Contrary to Western press reports, indicating high percentages of Christian support for Hezbollah, 90 percent of Christians, 80 percent of Sunni and 40 percent of Shiites in Lebanon oppose Hezbollah," El-Khoury told Christian Solidarity International.

Christian Solidarity International has called for the United Nations to establish a politically independent commission to investigate Hezbollah's contravention of international law. The group has also urged the UN Security Council to deploy immediately an international force in Lebanon to facilitate a ceasefire, to stop the flow of arms from Syria to Hezbollah, and to assist the Lebanese government in fulfilling its obligation to disarm Hezbollah.

Hezbollah has been the ruling power in the south since Israel withdrew from Lebanon six years ago. Christian villages suffer from extensive neglect of infrastructure under Hezbollah rule. Once the majority, the Christian population in Lebanon has declined to under 40 percent due to pressures by Islamic militias supported by Iran and Syria.

Thanks for your thoughts, Jeff. Very good ones, I'd say.

I have to agree. If we don't mobilize and get on a war footing here, it will mean (at least to me) that the gummint does not intend to inform and educate the people in the timely manner it should.

It also tells me our gummint is willing to accept a devastating first strike if it thinks it needs more of a reason to mobilize the country. And that is scary.

If we take a first strike, who really knows what the extent of it will be? If a city, or maybe several are hit, it will be pretty difficult to mobilize. An uninformed and unprepared population will be a population in panic and chaos, not knowing where or where the next hit will be.

Now really is the time to act pre-emptively. We already know the intentions of our enemies. I say take out those who threaten us -- on the foreign fields as well as domestically. Even then, we may have to contend with the enemy already inserted here, but it won't go easy for them if we're mobilized.

Of course, this would require a very narrow definition of who the enemy really is.

WWIII started in 1979, Jeff.

It's been going on pretty much ever since.

Mark my words there's going to be a reckoning with these 'people' sooner or later. My preference is for sooner as I don't want my son to have to either fight this one himself, or worse yet, live in dhimmitude.

This psycho in Iran is itching for a confrontation and I personally think that he didn't pick August 22nd out of a hat. I'm watching for something big to happen on or about that date.

Just today the Iranians came out and admitted supplying the Hizzies with long range missiles.

It's not widely known but Hizbollah isn't your run of the mill terrorist organization. It's part and parcel of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. They train the Hizzies, they arm them, they give them logistical support, and just recently we've learned that they've actually manned some of the weapons fired at Israel. Those are no crap Acts Of War and I think we and Israel ignore that at our peril.

It's way past time we take the gloves off and reduce a few assets of the sponsoring States to rubble. I mean leave it so no stone stands upoon another. I think a few Syrian military bases would be fine places to start. If the Iranians make a move do the same to them.

Let the world press and the UN be damned. This is a war of national survival and anyone who doesn't see that is either blind, stupid, or complicit.

And don't be fooled by all that 'we're overextended' garbage. We're maybe using 3 or 4 percent of our nations combat capability. If we wished to we could reduce the military capabilities of both Iran and Syria to dust in about 6 weeks using nothing but conventional means.

As Lucius Accius put it long ago: "Let them hate so long as they fear."

You are so right my friend.

We're maybe using 3 or 4 percent of our nations combat capability. If we wished to we could reduce the military capabilities of both Iran and Syria to dust in about 6 weeks using nothing but conventional means.

But in the end, the only military capability we really have is that capability which we will actually use.

It's time to start using a whole lot more of it...a whole lot more...to make it apparant that we have the will to survive, and the will to crush anyone who would threaten that survival.

Those JIhadists and their enclaves must be treated to such will as a message to other, even more dangerous forces that are gathering and marshalling their strength now, with a willingnness to crush them in the same way should the need arise. Our enemies MUST recognize this...otherwise we will invite them to test what they view as anything but the type of terrible resolve we developed in World War II.

I fear, lest we develop and show that same terrible resolve very soon, that we are going to be hit very hard and the cost then will be measured in tens of thousand of American ciovilian lives.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1677634/posts?page=97#97

I believe this would significantly improve our strategic position in the War on Terror.

We should destroy the Iranian oil industry. By Bombing all oil transportation facilities, pipelines, storage tanks, tanker trucks, rolling stock, refinery’s etc… we can cripple the funding of numerous terrorist organizations, Hezbollah, Hama’s, Sadr’s militia, Syria, as well as make it more difficult for Iran to buy missiles and such from North Korea, China, and Russia.
It would remove Iran’s threat that if we attack they will shut off the oil. Making the threat ridiculous and demonstrating that they are a single product state and without oil, and no other product that the world wants, they are nothing. Additionally, by declaring that we will destroy any reconstituting oil industry as long as the Mullacracy remains in charge, we can focus the Iranian’s blame for the situation, on the Theocracy and their support of Terrorism.
This will also bring home to all the other oil producing countries like Venezuela, Libya, Saudi Arabia, the Gulf States, etc… that they are very vulnerable to the same tactic.
In addition, this will gain us time for the Iraqi’s to stand on their own, and free up troops we would need if we have to go into Iran, North Korea or somewhere else.
Sure the price of gas will rise, but this will also demonstrate to the world that the USA is not in Iraq for the Oil, and the onus can be shifted on to the Democrats for not allowing more domestic production.
“It’s not the control of the spice but the power to destroy the spice that is the real power.”
It has recently been said that the nuclear production facilities in Iran are so deep underground that we can’t reach them with conventional weapons. Perhaps so, but maybe we can starve those facilities of funds. Nuclear weapons are terribly expensive to build, and if Iran now needs all its money to repair vital life supporting infrastructure, it may have to slow or stop its attempt to build an atomic bomb.
Finally, Iran is a state sponsor of Terrorists, it must be punished, and it must be seen to be punished. Iran’s continued sponsorship of terror is a slap in America’s and President Bush’s face, and it must be answered.
The following was written in response to an objection I received about having to pay more for fuel if this strategy was followed.
I think you are overly concerned about the economic considerations, and not concerned enough about the need to prosecute the War on Terror to the utmost.
1. The US has a full Strategic Petroleum Reserve of 700 million Barrels, and we aren't the only nation with an SPR. What good is it if you never use it? The average price paid on that 700 million barrels was $27, so the nation would actually make a profit selling it now.
2. The only reason the US isn't energy independent now is because of political factors. 2 Trillion Barrels of oil in oil shale (see www.oiltechinc.com). Any organic matter can be turned into fuel (see www.powerenergy.com). The US would and should be using much more Nuclear power if it wasn't for the Ecofreaks. There are also many areas in the US that are now off limits to drilling. All it takes is the political will to develop all of these. Higher fuel prices will provide that political pressure.
3. Iran is using diplomatic processes, just like the Nazi's before them. Talking is a waste of our time.
4. Iran subsidizes gas at $.10 a gallon, so by destroying the Iranian oil industry not only do we instantly remove 20% of their GDP. We put them all on foot, and in the dark.
5. The mullahs want to take their world back to the 7th century, we should assist them.

97 posted on 08/05/2006 12:32:27 AM EDT by Eagle74 (From time to time the tree of liberty must be watered with the blood of tyrants and patriots)

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.