Posted on 08/06/2006 5:29:55 PM PDT by Shermy
The Israel Defense Forces plan to ramp up their offensive in Lebanon in response to Sunday's rocket attacks on northern Israel, which killed three civilians in Haifa and 12 reservists near Kfar Giladi.
A senior General Staff officer told Haaretz that for the first time since the fighting began, Israel plans to attack strategic infrastructure targets and symbols of the Lebanese government.
Other than bombing the Beirut airport to prevent arms transfers to Hezbollah, Israel has hitherto not targeted Lebanon's infrastructure, insisting that it is only at war with Hezbollah, not with the Lebanese government or people.
However, the officer said, "we are now in a process of renewed escalation. We will continue hitting everything that moves in Hezbollah - but we will also hit strategic civilian infrastructure."
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Amir Peretz will meet with senior defense officials this morning to discuss the continuation of the operation.
... ...
If Hezbollah has not ceased its fire by this weekend, they added, the IDF will recommend an additional significant expansion of the operation, including the conquest of most of Lebanon south of the Litani River, including the area around Tyre, and a significant increase in air strikes on infrastructure targets. "It could be that at the end of the story, Lebanon will be dark for a few years," said one.
... ...
(Excerpt) Read more at haaretz.com ...
"It could be that at the end of the story, Lebanon will be dark for a few years," said one.
Either Israel expands into Southern Lebanon, permanently, or the war continues. I believe the crusades were the proper model for this, more so than just democratization.
What does that accomplish? I would suggest that IDF hit military targets, and take ground to interdict new missile launchers from coming in some time in the future. What I am just pounding the keyboard.
Hezbollah and the civilian infrastructure are quite intermingled.
I don't favor mass civilian slaughter as an attempt to reduce morale, and in fact it does not work; it enhances morale. It is also immoral. Count me out. I don't favor Israel sinking to the moral level of the criminal gangs who seek to destroy it.
Torie, they said civilian INFRASTRUCTURE, not civilians.
(Go Israel, Go! Slap 'Em Down Hezbullies.)
Never realized you were 'in' old boy.
L
I wouldn't be in favor of destroying any more infrastructure in Lebanon.
We just won an historic battle in Lebanon by getting the Lebanese to kick the Syrians out (with a little help from us) and join the democratic world.
Hezbollah would have been next in several years after the Lebanese get more on their feet. I would hate it if Hezbollah and Iran and Syria caused this situation only so that the clock gets turned back in Lebanon.
I think the only solution now is for Israel to go full bore into southern Lebanon and push Hezbollah out (will be large casualities.)
But at the same time, the US needs to send a message to Iran and Syria by bombing their military infrastructure back into the stone age (or at least, their WMD infrastructure.)
Iran has got to pay a price for this because so far it looks like they are getting away with it scot-free while at the same time taking the world's attention off thier nuclear program.
OK, they bomb it at night or something. What does that have to do with reining in the missile launchers, which is what this game is all about?
Go baby, GO!
I think it should be Damascus that's dark.
L
Sounds good to me. And while you're at it, close off the northern border between Syria and Lebanon.
Not a bad counter punch. LOL.
Yes, it's the same infrastructure.
Still, it is past time to hold the State of Lebanon responsible. It is complicit in this attack.
And, it has an Army of 50,000.
Time for them to choose sides officially and with force. Not choosing is a choice for Hezbollah.
"Either Israel expands into Southern Lebanon, permanently, or the war continues."
This is Olmert looking to be a big man in place of invading, beating up on the Lebanese. A very, very stupid move if it comes.
Olmert is weak, has acted with weakness, and bombing Lebanon into the "dark age" or whatever is the act of a weak man. He has little land to trade. Propaganda victory for Hezbollah, even arguably, a military victory for Hezbollah.
Hope Rice gets Olmert on the phone and tells him to stop this.
Hezbollah likes to set up their rockets launchers in heavily populated areas, they also use the civilian infrastructure for all their military needs.
So what's your recommendation, Einstein?
Israel waited quite a while to do this, essentially waiting until they had no choice.
With Lebanon "dark", perhaps other populations in the region will "get the joke". In any case, it's awful hard to fight a war when you don't have power, water, food or supply lines.
They are. They're hitting launch sites, arsenals, command centers, and military resupply routes. Aren't those fair targets in a war?
Whose fault is it that Hezbollah decided to co-locate military targets with hospitals, schools, and apartment buildings?
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