Posted on 08/07/2006 3:43:15 PM PDT by DAVEY CROCKETT
Tehran & Damascus Move to Lebanon Lebanon-born Walid Phares is a senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. Author of the recent book Future Jihad, he was also one of the architects of 2004’s United Nations resolution 1559, which called for the disarming of Hezbollah. NRO editor Kathryn Lopez recently talked to Phares about what’s going on in the Mideast, what happened to the Cedar Revolution, and this war we’re all in.
Kathryn Jean Lopez: What is “Future Jihad”? Are we seeing it in the Mideast now?
Walid Phares: “Future Jihad,” which has already begun, refers to a new and potent form of Islamic terrorism, characterized by a Khumeinist-Baathist axis. These are the two trees of jihadism, so to speak — the Salafism and Wahabism embodied in al Qaeda and the sort of jihadism led by Iran and also including Syria, Hezbollah, and their allies in Lebanon.
The alliance has not been in entire agreement as to strategy. The al Qaeda branch began its “Future Jihad” in the 1990s; its efforts culminated on 9/11 and have continued explosively since then. The international “Salafists” aimed at the U.S. in the past decade in order to strengthen their jihads on various battlefields (Chechnya, India, Sudan, Algeria, Indonesia, Palestine, etc.). “Weaken the resolve of America,” their ideologues said, “and the jihadists would overwhelm all the regional battlefields.”
As I argue in Future Jihad, bin Laden and his colleagues miscalculated on the timing of the massive attack against the U.S. in 2001. While they wounded America, they didn’t kill its will to fight (as was the case, for instance, in the Madrid 3/11 attacks). I have heard many jihadi cadres online, and have seen al Jazeera commentators on television, offering hints of criticism about the timing. They were blaming al Qaeda for shooting its imagined “silver bullet” before insuring a strategic follow up. But bin Laden and Zawahiri believe 9/11 served them well, and has put a global mobilization into motion. Perhaps it has, but the U.S. counter strategy in the Middle East, chaotic as the region currently appears, has unleashed counter jihadi forces. The jury is still out as to the time factor: when these forces will begin to weaken the jihadists depends on our perseverance and the public understanding of the whole conflict.
The other “tree” of jihadism, with its roots in Iran, withheld fire after 9/11. They were content to watch the Salafists fight it out with the U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan and Iraq, not to mention within the West, as terror cells were hunted down. Ahmedinejad, Assad, and Nasrallah were analyzing how far the US would go, and how far the Sunnis and Salafis would go as well.
The fall of the Taliban and of the Baath in Iraq, however, changed Iran and Syria’s patient plans. The political changes in the neighborhood, regardless of their immediate instability, were strongly felt in Tehran and Damascus (but unfortunately not in the U.S., judging from the political debate here), and pushed the Khumeinists and the Syrian Baathists to enter the dance, but carefully. Assad opened his borders to the jihadists in an attempt to crumble the U.S. role in Iraq, while Iran articulated al Sadr’s ideology for Iraq’s Shiia majority.
A U.S.-led response came swiftly in 2004 with the voting of UNSCR 1559, smashing Syria’s role in Lebanon and forcing Assad to withdraw his troops by April 2005. In response, the “axis” prepared for a counter attack on the Lebanese battlefield by assassinating a number of the Cedar Revolution leaders, including MP Jebran Tueni. In short, the attacks by Hamas and Hezbollah and the kidnappings of soldiers were the tip of an offensive aimed at drawing attention away from Iran’s nuclear weapons programs and Syria’s assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Hariri. Hezbollah was awaiting its moment for revenge against the Cedar Revolution too.
What we see now is 1) a Syro-Iranian sponsored offensive aimed at all democracies in the region and fought in Lebanon; 2) Israel’s counter offensive (which it seems to have prepared earlier); and 3) an attempt by Hezbollah to take over or crumble the Lebanese government.
Lopez: So…did the Cedar Revolution fail?
Phares: Actually, it would be more accurate to say that the Cedar Revolution was failed. The masses in Lebanon responded courageously in March 2005 by putting 1.5 million people on the streets of Beirut. They did it without “no-fly-zones,” expeditionary forces, or any weapons at all, for that matter, and against the power of three regimes, Iran, Syria, and pro-Syrian Lebanon, in addition to Hezbollah terror. The “revolution” was for a time astoundingly successful; since then it has been horribly failed, and first of all by Lebanon’s politicians themselves. One of their leaders, General Michel Aoun, shifted his allegiances to Syria and signed a document with Hezbollah. Other politicians from the “March 14 Movement” then stopped the demonstrations, leaving them with the support of God knows what. They failed in removing the pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud and brought back a pro-Syrian politician to serve as a speaker of the house, Nabih Berri. Meanwhile, even as they were elected by the faithful Cedar Revolution masses, they engaged in a round table dialogue with Hezbollah, a clear trap set by Hassan Nasrallah: “Let’s talk about the future,” he said — with the implication, of course, that they forget about the Cedar Revolution and the militia’s disarming. While political leaders sat for months, enjoying the photo ops with Hassan Nasrallah, he was preparing his counter offensive, which he unleashed just a few days before the Security Council would discuss the future of Iran’s nuclear programs.
The Lebanese government of Prime Minister Seniora also abandoned the Cedar Revolution. His cabinet neither disarmed Hezbollah nor called on the U.N. to help in implementing UNSCR 1559. This omission is baffling. The government was given so much support by the international community and, more importantly, overwhelming popular support inside Lebanon: 80 percent of the people were hoping the Cedar Revolution-backed government would be the one to resume the liberation of the country. Now Hezbollah has an upper hand and the government is on the defensive.
The U.S. and its allies can be accused of certain shortcomings as well. While the speeches by the U.S. president, congressional leaders from both parties, Tony Blair, and Jacques Chirac were right on target regarding Lebanon, and while the U.S. and its counterparts on the Security Council were diligent in their follow up on the Hariri assassination and on implementing UNSCR 1559, there was no policy or plan to support the popular movement in Lebanon. Incredibly, while billions were spent on the war of ideas in the region, Lebanese NGOs that wanted to resume the struggle of the Cedar Revolution and fighting alone for this purpose were not taken seriously at various levels. Policy planners thought they were dealing with the “Cedar Revolution” when they were meeting Lebanon’s government and Lebanese politicians. The difference between the high level speeches on Lebanon and the laissez-faire approach from lower levels is amazing. Simply put, there was no policy on supporting the Cedar Revolution against the three regimes opposing it and the $400 million received by Hezbollah from Iran.
The Cedar Revolution was basically betrayed by its own politicians and is now essentially without a head. Nevertheless, as long as the international support remains, the Revolution will find its way and will face the dangers. The one and a half million ordinary citizens who braved all the dangers didn’t change their minds about Hezbollah’s terror. The resistance and counter-attack was to be expected. Unfortunately, thus far Iran, Syria, and Hezbollah have outmaneuvered the West and are at the throats of the Cedar Revolution. The international community must revise its plans, and, if it is strongly backed by the U.S. and its allies, including France, the situation can be salvaged. The good seeds are still inside the country.
More at link...
JCSLink JuSt Posted
August 4, 2006
Photo— President George W. Bush addresses the members of the press corps prior to the beginning of a national security briefing at the Pentagon, Aug. 14, 2006. The president was joined by Vice President Dick Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Gen. Peter Pace and other members of his national security team. DoD photo by Staff Sgt. D. Myles Cullen
Bush: U.S. Will Continue to Push Freedom
WASHINGTON, Aug. 14, 2006 – America will remain on the offensive against al Qaeda and nations that support terror groups, President Bush said here today. He said the United States’ “freedom agenda” will advance peace in the region. Story http://www.defenselink.mil/News/NewsArticle.aspx?id=454
Pace Focuses on Human Dimension of Iraq War
MOSUL, Iraq, Aug. 14, 2006 – Meeting with troops during visits to combat zones helps keep Marine Gen. Peter Pace focused and gives him “ground truth,” the general said during an interview here yesterday. Story http://www.defenselink.mil/News/NewsArticle.aspx?id=446
Iraqis Must Step Forward in Anbar Province, General Says
CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq, Aug. 13, 2006 – The Iraqi people must step forward and accept their freely elected government if there is to be peace in the country’s troubled Anbar province, the coalition’s commander in the region said here today. Story http://www.defenselink.mil/news/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=438
Pace Discusses U.S. Military Values, Sectarian Violence
BAGHDAD, Aug. 13, 2006 – Misdeeds by servicemembers in Iraq, while rare, give the world the wrong impression of what the U.S. military stands for, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said during a visit here yesterday. Story http://www.defenselink.mil/news/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=437
General Describes Effort to Stop Sectarian Violence in Baghdad
BAGHDAD, Aug. 12, 2006 – The coalition commander responsible for operations in the Iraqi capital is optimistic about what he has seen since operations to quell sectarian violence here started. Story http://www.defenselink.mil/news/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=436
Pace: Military Loss Impossible, But U.S. Will Is Vital for Success
BAGHDAD, Aug. 12, 2006 – The will of the United States is the only question in whether the nation’s effort in Iraq and Afghanistan will succeed, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said today. Story http://www.defenselink.mil/news/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=435
Iraqis Must Decide to End Sectarian Violence, Pace Says
BAGHDAD, Aug. 12, 2006 – The Iraqi people are the ones who must decide that sectarian violence must end, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said today. Story http://www.defenselink.mil/news/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=434
Volunteer Troop-Support Groups Honored at Pentagon Ceremony
WASHINGTON, Aug. 11, 2006 – A trio of organizations with a long history of military support recognized 12 volunteer groups today for their programs that contribute to servicemembers’ quality of life. Story http://www.defenselink.mil/news/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=432
Afghan Sergeant Major Shows Way Ahead for Fledgling Army
KABUL, Afghanistan, Aug. 11, 2006 – Foreign observers of the U.S. military often say what puts it above other militaries is the quality of the noncommissioned officer corps. Story http://www.defenselink.mil/news/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=429
Pace Urges Students to Study Coalition, Interagency Processes
WASHINGTON, Aug. 11, 2006 – The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff this week urged students at the National War College to examine ways to make interagency processes work better and to get to know international members of the school. Story http://www.defenselink.mil/news/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=426
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WELCOME TO IWPR'S IRAQI PRESS MONITOR, No. 515, August 15, 2006
Iraqi Press Monitor is intended to give readers a sense of what Iraqi
papers are reporting. Stories for the Iraqi Press Monitor are selected
and summarised by Ali Kadhim Marzook in Baghdad and Mariwan Hamarasheed
in Sulaimaniyah.
To access the Iraqi Press Monitor on the web, please go to:
http://iwpr.net/index.php?apc_state=henpicr&p=icr&s=m&o=-
Iran displays Holocaust cartoons
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4795709.stm
More
than 200 Holocaust cartoons from around the world are on display at
a museum in the Iranian capital, Tehran.
Organisers of the exhibition say they are testing the West's
commitment
to freedom of speech.
A competition to choose the drawings was announced in February,
in
response caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad published by European
newspapers.
Israel's Holocaust authority, Yad Vashem, criticised the
exhibition,
calling it a "flashing red light".
The drawings were chosen from nearly 1,200 entries received from
various
countries including the United States, Indonesia and Turkey.
One of the cartoons shows the Statue of Liberty holding a book on
the
Holocaust in one hand and giving a Nazi salute with the other.
Cartoon controversy
The Iran Cartoon Organisation and Hamshahri newspaper are putting
on the
exhibition.
Organiser Masoud Shojai said: "You see they allow the Prophet to
be
insulted. But when we talk about the Holocaust, they consider it so
holy that
they punish people for questioning it."
The publication of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad sparked
protests
around the world earlier this year.
One showed Muhammad, whose image is banned in Islam, as a
terrorist
bomber.
Yad Vashem said the display in "Iran, a nation that aspires to
nuclear
capabilities, and whose president has made genocidal statements against
Israel, is a flashing red light signalling danger not only to Israel,
but to
all enlightened nations".
Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad prompted international
criticism
last year by saying the Holocaust was a "myth" and that Israel should
be
"wiped off the map".
Special Dispatch-Iran & Syria
August 16, 2006
No. 1250
"We Have Reentered the Era of Victory Through Resistance": Iranian and
Syrian
Reactions to the Crisis - August 13-14
To view this Special Dispatch in HTML, visit:
http://www.memri.org/bin/opener_latest.cgi?ID=SD125006 .
The following are excerpts from the Syrian press and reactions by
Iranian
leaders to the crisis in the Middle East and to Security Council
Resolution
1701:
Syrian Reactions
*Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad: "Syria is Prepared for War"; "This
is a New
Stage in the History of the Nation"; "The Golan Will Be Liberated by
Syrian
Hands"
Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad told the Egyptian opposition weekly
Al-Usbu'
in an interview that the Golan Heights would be liberated by Syrian
hands, and
warned that Israel will pay a heavy price if it enters into war with
Syria:
"Syria has been prepared and ready since the first day of the war,
especially
since it understands the Israeli way of thinking. In addition, it has
followed
[Israeli] affairs consistently and with great attention since the rise
to
power of the previous [Israeli] Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. [Sharon's]
having
been elected by such a large majority meant that the Israeli people do
not
want peace, and it also meant that the option of resistance was the
basis for
dealing with the belligerent aspirations of Sharon and his government.
"We and the resistance [i.e. Hizbullah] read clearly [this state of
affairs,
and knew] that the day of confrontation was definitely approaching. The
current war is five years old, and there were widespread preparations
for this
day.
"The disagreement between us and others was how problematic the
resistance
would be. Some thought that there was no hope for the resistance to
make a
firm stand against satellites capable of detecting and following
everything
and thus of dealing a crushing blow to the resistance. But the course
of the
battles proved exactly the opposite." Al-Assad added that "the military
battle
was decided in favor of the resistance, and we need to win the
political
battle [as well]... To this day no one in American intelligence or
Israeli
intelligence knows what the true capabilities of the resistance [i.e.
Hizbullah] are..."
Turning to the changes that occurred in the Arab world during the war,
Al-Assad said: "Some believed that there is no alternative to the peace
that
they are trying to impose on the [Arab] nation, but the firm stance of
the
resistance and the change that is occurring in the Arab street - where
millions of youth are waving the banner of Hizbullah and the
resistance, have
proven that there is a new stage in the history of this nation..."
Al-Assad
added that "the role of the Arab intellectual is not to weep or to cry
over
the ruins, but rather his role is to present people with the culture
and the
ideology of the resistance..."
Further on in the interview, Al-Assad emphasized once again the
preparations
Syria has made to deal with any war that may come, and said that he is
"convinced that steps [towards] peace have fallen off, and that the
Golan
[Heights] will be liberated by Syrian hands." In reply to the question
of what
the expected results would be if Israel were to enter into a war
against
Syria, Al-Assad said: "If Israel acts with adventurism and enters into
a war
with Syria, this will be the beginning of a heavy price that it will
pay."(1)
*Editor of Government Syrian Daily: "Hizbullah has Won; This Victory is
the
Crowning Glory... of the Resistance"
Following U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, an editorial in the
Syrian
government daily Al-Thawra announced that Hizbullah's way had
triumphed:
"Intensive efforts were made in the U.N. and in capitals around the
world to
usurp [Hizbullah's] victory. But nobody can steal the fruits of this
victory
which is the crowning glory of the way of the resistance [i.e. of
Hizbullah].
"The legendary acts of bravery [performed] by the Lebanese resistance
amazed
everyone, and forced the Americans to make huge diplomatic efforts
aimed at
preventing these victories from being translated into a new political
reality.
These efforts, it turns out, focused on placing obstacles that would
prevent
[Hizbullah's] military victory from being crowned as a political
victory that
would be imposed on the region. This victory has buried the New Middle
East
[plan]...
"The resistance has won - its way, its conduct and its approach [have
won].
This victory ensures the dissemination of the culture [of resistance],
which
succeeded in Lebanon just as it succeeded in Palestine and Iraq, and is
bound
to become the [most] shining example for all [those on] the paths
towards
restoration of the Arab rights. This is a Lebanese and Arab victory
which
marks the beginning of a new [era] in handling the major Arab problems,
and at
the same time, it is a distinct Israeli downfall which has irreversibly
[refuted] the cliché about [Israel's] invincible army.
"The outcome [of the war] demonstrates that Syria's approach of
supporting the
resistance in Palestine and Lebanon bears excellent fruits, and there
is no
choice [but to acknowledge] that this approach, which has won thanks to
Hizbullah's victory, is further evidence for the validity of the Syrian
positions. Now is the time to start talking about the implementation of
all
U.N. resolutions regarding Israel and [its] withdrawal from the
occupied
territories... "(2)
*Grand Mufti of Syria: "Resistance Against Occupation and Aggression is
an
Islamic Duty and One of the Noblest Kinds of Jihad"
The Syrian government daily Teshreen printed the following statements
by Grand
Mufti of Syria Ahmad Badr Al-Din: "Syria chose the path of resistance,
sacrifice, martyrdom, confrontation, resolute stand and nobility, out
of its
belief - which is shared by both the government and the people [in
Syria] -
that this is the true way and the [only] way towards peace, [since]
peace
without strength will be nothing but surrender, humiliation, compliance
and
shame...
"Resistance against occupation is an Islamic duty and one of the
noblest kinds
of jihad. For Allah the Almighty said in the Koran: 'Go forth,
light-armed and
heavy-armed, and strive with your wealth and your lives in the way of
Allah!
[Koran 9:41].' [It is told that] one of the Prophet's companions once
came to
wage jihad for the sake of Allah, but his sons prevented him [from
joining the
fray] because he was lame. His sons [thought to] spare him the
hardships of
fighting, because the Koran says: 'There is no blame for the blind, nor
is
there blame for the lame, nor is there blame for the sick (that they go
not
forth to war) [Koran 48:17].' But this companion of the Prophet replied
confidently that Allah would grant [the believers] victory, [and said]:
'I
want to enter Paradise with my limp, and you will not deny me this
[privilege]...'
"Resistance stems from one's wish to drive back aggression, to drive
off the
occupier, and to restore sovereignty and honor. Consequently, [the
resistance]
needs no [permission in the form of a] fatwa issued by some individual
sitting
comfortably in an office somewhere..."(3)
*Syrian Minister of Expatriate Affairs Calls to Inculcate the Culture
of
Resistance in Future Generations
Syrian Minister of Expatriate Affairs Buthayna Sha'ban wrote in the
Syrian
government daily Teshreen: "The Arab peoples recovered sooner than the
[Arab]
officials from the pleasant surprise [that Hizbullah caused them by
defeating
Israel]. They adopted the courageous position of the resistance [i.e.
Hizbullah], and realized that humiliation and shame are not the
unavoidable
fate of the Arabs and Muslims... [They also realized] that the
[excellent]
performance and the resolute stand of the resistance - not only its
military
[success], but also its cultural, moral, ideological, political and
media
[success] - have roused the Arabs and the Muslims and have [taught
them] an
important truth: surrender means eradication of [one's] identity, honor
and
rights, [whereas] resisting the oppressive and dangerous aggression
through
action, learning, orderliness, transparency, and honesty is the only
[way to]
guarantee [our] continued existence in dignity and glory...
"The victory of the resistance over the enemy is not [only] a military
victory
but a political, moral and human victory - and that is why nations all
over
the world are endorsing it. All Arabs and Muslims should reinforce it
by
internalizing the literature, art, poetry, language, morality and
transparency
of the resistance. We must all work to inculcate these [values] in
future
generations, so that they will not know the taste of defeat and
shame..."(4)
*Teshreen: Resistance Should Be Taught "in the Home, in Schools, and in
[All
Parts of] Society"
A Teshreen editorial stated that "deep-rooted and comprehensive
resistance,
with all its military, political, cultural and media aspects, is [just]
as
effective as the various forms of military, political and economic
invasion.
There is no way to foil the [enemies'] plans [and to counter their]
invasions,
occupation, destruction and annihilation, except through sophisticated,
complex and comprehensive resistance, and by disseminating the culture
of
resistance through education in the home, in schools and in [all parts
of]
society...
"The heroic resistance has shown that the power of faith, the power of
will,
and sound preparation are effective deterrents against the enemy. In
the
future, [this deterrent] may intensify and develop, becoming a
comprehensive
national [pan-Arab] strategy. The legendary stand of the resistance,
the
extensive losses it caused the enemy, the profound shock it caused to
[the
enemy's] commanders, the resounding collapse of [the enemy's] combat
doctrine
and of the morale of its soldiers - all these restored the
self-confidence of
the Arab citizen and his sense of pride and honor. In the great
majority [of
us], they also planted the belief that defeat is not the Arabs'
[unavoidable]
fate, and that he who has faith, awareness, will-power and readiness to
become
a martyr can never be defeated."(5)
*Syrian Information Minister: "[We] Have Reentered the Era of Victory
Through
Resistance"
At a convention on "the significance and [various] aspects of the
victory
[achieved by] the Lebanese resistance," which was attended by editors
from the
Syrian media and by Lebanese officials, Syrian Information Minister
Muhsin
Bilal announced that the Arabs had reentered "the era of resistance":
"On July
12 [2006, the day Hizbullah kidnapped the two Israeli soldiers], the
Arab
region and the Arab people reentered the era of victory through
resistance...
The resistance [i.e. Hizbullah] managed to win the confrontation with
the
enemy through its legendary [fighting], which was unanimously
characterized,
by its allies and enemies [alike], as truly miraculous. Through its
resolute
stand and its heroic battles, the resistance managed to frustrate all
the
enemy's plans. It humiliated [the enemy's] war machine that [the enemy]
used
to tout as invincible, but which [collapsed] when faced by people whose
only
goal was to defend their homeland and their nation..."
Bilal added that "the courageous acts of the heroes of the resistance
in
Lebanon prove that Syria made the right choice in opting for resistance
and
for a resolute stand... This is the most effective way to restore [the
Arabs']
rights."(6)
Iranian Reactions to U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701
*Iranian President Ahmadinejad in a Telephone Conversation With Russian
President Putin
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad held a telephone conversation
with
Russian President Vladimir Putin on August 11, 2006, before the
adoption of
UNSCR 1701. During the conversation, Ahmadinejad said: "Every day that
the war
and the Zionist aggression against Hizbullah continues, the level of
rage of
the nations of the region, especially among the Muslim youth, greatly
heightens, and we are very concerned about a human explosion in the
region
that would be impossible to contain and would expand the dimensions of
the
crisis." Ahmadinejad emphasized the need for an immediate ceasefire in
Lebanon
and called on non-aligned countries to "adopt common measures" in order
to put
an end to "the Israeli massacre in Lebanon and Palestine."
Putin expressed distress at the escalation in the situation in the
region and
at the Western countries' opposition to Russia's proposal for a 72-hour
ceasefire in Lebanon. Putin also called for establishing regular and
frequent
contact between Tehran and Moscow in order to put an end to the war:
"We want
to establish contact and consultation between Iran and Russia in order
to
solve this issue..."(7)
*Iranian Foreign Minister Mottaki
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said during a visit to
Yemen that
"Security Council Resolution 1701 is completely one-sided and serves
the
interests of the Zionist regime... there are some corrections that need
to be
incorporated into the resolution. The opinions of the Lebanese public
and its
government need to be taken into account so that the resolution will be
acceptable to them."(8)
*Iranian Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar
Iranian Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar said that "the United
States
and Israel have failed to achieve their strategic goals in Lebanon,
thanks to
the Lebanese people's resistance and the preparedness of the countries
in the
region... If the U.S. had succeeded in realizing its wicked plan, not
only the
countries of the region, but all of Europe would have turned into new
U.S.
colonies." The defense minister added that Hizbullah is "a symbol of
the
nation's will... Hizbullah taught the Zionist regime, the U.S., and all
of the
governments and peoples of the region a lesson in honor and resistance.
The
fact that senior officials in the Zionist regime admitted that they
failed
when up against the national will of the Lebanese showed Washington and
Tel
Aviv once again that they had made a big mistake, and that the 'iron
fist'
policy is no longer effective."(9)
*Majlis Council for National Security and Foreign Policy Head 'Ala
Al-Din
Borujerdi
The head of the Majlis Council for National Security and Foreign
Policy, 'Ala
Al-Din Borujerdi, said that "following the continuing defeat of the
Zionist
regime in Lebanon, the Security Council resolution [1701] reflects also
the
political failure of [this] regime."
Borujerdi added that the resolution is different from the previous
resolution
proposed by the U.S. and France: "In effect, the U.S. was forced to
accept
many of the Lebanese government's requests and to back down from its
original
position." As for the negative aspects of the resolution, he said that
some of
the content and the legal issues were worded in a way that is favorable
to the
Israeli interest.
Borujerdi addressed Article 1 of the resolution, according to which
Hizbullah
is called upon to stop all of its military activities, whereas Israel
was
asked only to stop its military attacks, and said that "from a legal
perspective, the meaning of this is that Israel can continue its
attacks in
order to defend itself. Articles such as these prepare the ground for
the
Zionist regime to take advantage [of the situation]."
Borujerdi pointed to the recognition of Hizbullah as "a military and
political
reality" and said that this is "a positive point in the resolution":
"In the
resolution, Hizbullah is called on to stop its military activities...
On the
other hand, Israel also is called on to stop its attacks on Lebanon,
which is
important from the legal standpoint, and is considered a kind of
recognition
of Hizbullah's existence."
Borujerdi further pointed to "the withdrawal of the Zionist forces to
the
border as another positive point," and said: "The issue of the return
of
Lebanese captives is mentioned in the resolution, and this is
considered to be
a retreat on the part of the U.S. and the Zionist regime... Despite the
American attempt to include a reference to Chapter 7 of the U.N.
Charter
[which allows the U.N. to use force], they did not achieve this."(10)
*Iranian Majlis Representative Sa'id Abu-Taleb
Majlis member Sa'id Abu Taleb said of the Security Council resolution:
"This
was essentially an American-European resolution, aimed at saving face
for the
Zionist regime... The resolution will allow the Zionist regime to
remain in
Lebanon. There is no guarantee that the [Zionist] regime will withdraw
its
forces from the Shab'a Farms..."
He added that the resolution "guards the interests of the Zionist
regime, and
only a plan that guarantees a full withdrawal of the Zionist regime
from
Lebanese territory and an unconditional ceasefire will be acceptable...
The
U.N. peacekeeping forces need to be deployed in Israel [and not in
Lebanon],
since it is the one that started the war, and Hizbullah was only
defending
itself. The Zionist regime is the aggressor."(11)
Endnotes:
(1)Al-Usbu' (Egypt), August 14, 2006.
(2)Al-Thawra (Syria), August 13, 2006.
(3)Teshreen (Syria), August 13, 2006.
(4)Teshreen (Syria), August 14, 2006. The article also appeared the
same day
in the London Arabic-language daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat.
(5)Teshreen (Syria), August 14, 2006.
(6)Al-Thawra (Syria), August 14, 2006.
(7)Kayhan (Iran), August 13, 2006.
(8) IRNA (Iran), August 13, 2006.
(9)Kayhan (Iran), August 13, 2006.
(10) IRNA (Iran), August 12, 2006.
(11) IRNA (Iran), August 12, 2006.
Cuba's Communist Party vows revolution continues under Raul
Castro
Bomb threat briefly closes Farmington bank
DetNews.com - Detroit,MI,USA
The Chase Bank branch on Farmington Road, south of Grand River, was
shut
down for two hours today so Farmington Police could look for an alleged
bomb. ...
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060815/UPDATE/608150410
August 15, 2006 NYT
On the Ground
Hezbollah Fighters Limp Out Into the Light, Yet Manage a Bit of a
Swagger
By SABRINA TAVERNISE
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/15/world/middleeast/15hezbollah.html
KHIAM, Lebanon, Aug. 14 — For weeks, Israeli tanks, artillery and
airplanes pummeled this mountain village, Hezbollah’s easternmost base,
less than a mile from the Israeli border. For weeks, the fighters
remained.
Evidence of the fight is torn into the asphalt, punched into roofs,
scraped across building facades and hanging from windows without glass.
It is also visible in the trunk of a car (Kalashnikovs and beef
luncheon
meat) and in the buildings (rocket-propelled grenades).
When the thunder of the bombs stopped in this southern Lebanese town on
Monday morning, the fighters emerged from shrapnel-spattered buildings,
moving with the confidence of men who felt they had won.
Sometimes they bragged.
“It was a small group, but we defeated America and Israel, both of
them,” said a man driving a beat-up BMW and holding a walkie-talkie who
identified himself as Abu Haidar.
But mostly they were quiet, smiling and embracing one another,
evacuating their wounded, their footsteps crunching in the glass and
crumbled concrete.
continued...........................
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: Syrian President Assad: Israel has no right to defend itself
from
"resistance" attacks
Syrian President Assad Calls for Shifting Military Victory into
Political
Victory Tuesday, August 15, 2006 - 12:15 PM
www.sana.org/eng/21/2006/08/15/57835.htm
DAMASCUS, (SANA-Syrian News Agency)- President Bashar al-Assad on
Tuesday called
for shifting the military victory in Lebanon into a political gain,
saying that
the Lebanese resistance is a necessity.
President al-Assad was speaking at the opening of the 4th General
Conference of
the Syrian Journalists Union at Umayyad Palace for Conferences in
Damascus.
"Wisdom should be coupled with courage so that it can lead to necessary
stability, but when fear exists then false wise wisdom leads to defeat
and
humiliation." The President added.
"The Lebanese national resistance is a necessity in as much as it is
natural and
legal. its legality comes from the fact that Israeli aggression hasn't
stopped
since 2000 through semi-daily violations of its warplanes against
Lebanon's
airspace," President Assad said.
He pointed out that the latest battles in south Lebanon achieved direct
establishments to Lebanon, the greatness of which were that they
represented a
pan-Arab response to defeatist suggestions circulated in our region,
particularly following the invasion of Iraq.
President Assad underlined that the true battle has started now, and
"we have
to transform the military victory into political victory."
He said that resistance doesn't contradict peace as it and peace
constitute
part and parcel.
"If resistance men were adventurers, shall we say that Sultan Basha
al-Atrash ,
Ibrahim Hanano and Saad Zaghlol who fought French and British
occupation in
Syria and Egypt were adventurers," President Assad wondered.
"Whenever disorder happens they ask : why you involved us. each country
is
responsible for itself. they might say this to the resistance. but we
don't ask
anyone to fight on behalf of us," The President added.
He said that "Arab states should not adopt the vision of the enemy and
their
role should not be at the expense of our interests."
President Assad went on to say "if any one want to play a role for
his/her
internal reasons at the expense of our issues, this is not acceptable..
we will
not decide to display our issue for sale in the international market or
in any
other market."
He stressed that the Lebanese parties which want to disarm resistance
have
failed and their breakdown doesn't seem to be far away.
"UN Security Council has formed an international political lifting
machine for
those parties because there will not be a national lifting apparatus to
bear
them," President Assad said.
He added "They wanted an international lifting tool to attack the
resistance and
we saw them, before blood was dried, starting to talke about disarming
resistance but they failed and their breakdown doesn't seem to be far
away."
President Assad said that Israeli aggression on Lebanon was "an added
failure
for Israel and its alliances and masters..it has further consolidated
the
national forces which rallied around the resistance and strengthened
the culture
of resistance in the minds and hearts of millions of peoples in the
Arab and
Islamic region."
The President pointed out that it was abnormal and unacceptable that
the UN
Security Council resolution No. 1701 held the Lebanese national
resistance
responsible for what happened. "Israel and those who encouraged it as
well as
the 'May 17th Group' are held responsible. The aim of this resolution
is to
rescue Israel politically for what it has lost militarily."
The President added that UN Security Council was converted by the US
from a
council to protect security into a council to undermine it through
issuing a
resolution that meets Israeli demands and rescues it from its impasse
at the
expense of Lebanon.
"UNSC goes into the direction of interfering in the internal affairs of
countries and creating disorder, somebody says that UNSC is
ineffective, this is
untrue. It was ineffective when there was an international balance, but
now if
the Council was ineffective, the US didn't depend on it to fulfill acts
of harm
and damage in different regions of this world. the reality is that the
rest of
the world or the majority of the world became ineffective before UNSC,"
President Assad said.
He underlined that the national decision is always superior than any
other
international resolution even if this led to war or fighting.
" This is what we said during our latest communications with those who
contacted
us or met us, we were saying that any international resolution that
will be
issued under the 7th item or any other item, it will face two options :
non-implementation or destabilization when they attempt to implement it
by power
or to impose it on the region's counties, that is to say , out of the
Lebanese
consensus," the President went on.
He said "There is no relation between the war on Lebanon and the
capture of the
two Israeli soldiers. There was a pre-meditated plan to launch the war
on
Lebanon.and whoever doesn't see things this way has a confused vision.
"We ask the French official who was enthusiastic toward Syria, will he
demand an
international investigation committee to probe Qana massacre and and
the rest of
massacres as they rushed to investigate the assassination of Premier
Hariri,"
the President wondered.
He continued : "or the reason and motive is that the first accused is
Syria and
this is allowed and now the accused is Israel and this is banned. and
that Qana
children and the others are from the poor who don't deserve a look from
this
official.'
The President added "the new Middle East, as we understand and want, is
new with
the achievement of the resistance. new through clear exposition of the
stances
of powers..new through unveiling their conspiracies and masks in
unprecedented
way."
He said that "the peace process has failed and died as reported.what is
more
accurate is that Arabs are those who failed in the peace process
because they
didn't understand the meaning of the strategic option of peace.they
didn't
differentiate between the option of strategic peace and the only option
of
peace."
"We the Arabs, and during the peace process, chose the only-peace
option and
cancelled all other options.then we replaced the content of the
only-peace
option by the cheap or free peace.and in this regard we are supposed to
offer
everything to Israel and only get a little." President Assad said.
He underlined that the world will not pay attention to us, our
interest, feeling
and rights unless we are strong.
The President added "The natural way for achieving peace is
negotiations.but
when this way fails or doesn't exist then different forms of resistance
are the
substitute to restore the rights. Resistance isn't necessarily
restricted to
just armed resistance.but it's cultural, political and rejection in
different
ways."
The President said that Syrian Arab people dealt a blow to those who
wanted to
create a rift between Syria and Lebanon.
"You were great in recognizing the volume of conspiracy, and strong in
responding to it. in brief, you were the Arabism energetic heart with
what this
word bears of arising heat and a meaning increasing with power when we
liberate
the Golan with our hands and determination," President Assad told the
Syrian
people.
President Assad criticized some of the "western racist suggestions"
that are
still existent against Arabs like the "disproportionate response"
saying this
means if Israel responded with a certain amount, that means its
aggression is
accepted, and that means they are not against the aggression principle
but
rather its amount.
The president slammed out at the suggestion that "Israel has the right
to defend
itself" as a reaction due to the attack staged by the resistance
noting" had we
applied this through a math equation on the Palestinians, this would
mean they
had the right to react in a way they destroys or kills in Israel."
The president underlined the recent aggression was "premeditated" in
light of
three tracks, the first is the UNSC resolution 1559 and the
assassination of
President al-Hariri as well as pressures put on Syria, and the
resistance for
the subjugation.
He added the second track is the failure of the US occupation in Iraq,
and the
third is the burying of the peace process and transforming it into a
military
option as to overcome the Arabs and then exempt Israel from every
commitment
towards the Arabs.
He noted that before this tragic situation, resistance emerged in the
Arab arena
as the only solution to restore usurped rights.
President Assad said that Israel tried many times and is still trying
to become
part of the Great Middle East depending on a main idea that every Arab
generation to come will show more acceptance to Israel from the
previous ones
and therefore more compliance; then the issue is that of time which is
in
Israel's interests.
"What Israel should know is that every generation has more hatred
towards it
than the generation before. Hatred is not a good word. We don't hate
and we
don't encourage hatred but Israel did not leave room in our region
except for
hatred, "the president added.
English Bulletin
Subject: IMPORTANT - Red Cross Admits to Aiding Hizbullah Fighters
Importance: High
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1154525873520&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
The Jerusalem Post, August 15, 2006
Red Cross Admits to Aiding Wounded Hizbullah Fighters
By Michael Freund
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) provided medical care to Hizbullah terrorists wounded while fighting against Israel, the Jerusalem Post has learned.
"The moment a Hizbullah fighter is injured, he is considered a non-combatant, so we must take care of him," ICRC spokeswoman Carla Haddad told The Jerusalem Post by phone from Geneva. "We are a neutral intermediary and the ICRC has a mandate to intervene."
Haddad confirmed that ICRC personnel in southern Lebanon, working together with members of the Lebanese Red Cross, had offered medical assistance and other unspecified forms of relief to Hizbullah members hurt on the battlefield.
The Post contacted the ICRC after a photograph appeared in Thursday's New York Times depicting Red Cross workers assisting wounded members of Hizbullah to cross a makeshift bridge over the Litani River.
Citing the 1949 Geneva Conventions, Haddad said the ICRC "can come into any situation and assist civilians and non-combatants. The same treatment is given to both sides."
Asked if the ICRC would assist wounded Hizbullah fighters even if it meant they would then be able to return immediately to the battle or continue firing rockets at Israel, Haddad replied, "There is nothing wrong with assisting the war wounded."
Pressed to clarify if the organization would also provide aid to al-Qaida members wounded in clashes with US troops in Afghanistan, she momentarily hesitated before saying, "Yes, of course. We would assist non-combatants on both sides."
Contacted by the Post, Carol Miller, spokeswoman for the American Red Cross in Washington, defended the ICRC's policy, insisting it was required under international law.
"The Geneva Conventions and international humanitarian law protect non-combatants in armed conflict - the wounded, civilians, prisoners of war, medical personnel and humanitarian Red Cross workers," she said. "The ICRC is the guardian of the Geneva Conventions and operates as a neutral intermediary in armed conflict, providing protection and humanitarian assistance to non-combatants."
According to Miller, the ICRC makes no distinction between soldiers of a sovereign state and those belonging to a terrorist group.
"The characterization by one side of the other as terrorists," she said, "does not alter the fundamental protections of the Geneva Conventions and international humanitarian law. We do not takes sides in an armed conflict; we neither condemn nor support a side. The movement provides humanitarian assistance to vulnerable people in need, without regard to which side they may seem to be on or what they may be called."
The American Red Cross, Miller said, has thus far sent $500,000 to the ICRC for relief activities in Lebanon and an additional $80,000 has been raised.
She did not express any concern that the aid being provided might end up helping Hizbullah fighters. "Our neutrality is essential to our humanitarian action," she said.
UN agency praises Kazakh decision not to extradite refugee to
Uzbekistan
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=19518&Cr=Kazakh&Cr1=uzbek
15 August 2006 – The United Nations refugee agency today warmly
welcomed
a decision by Kazakhstan’s authorities not to extradite an Uzbek
refugee, despite a request from Uzbekistan, but instead to hand him
over
to the UN for immediate permanent resettlement with his family.
The decision comes less than a week after four Uzbek refugees and an
asylum seeker were sent back by neighbouring Kyrgyzstan, a move that
was
sharply criticized by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
which expressed grave fears for their safety. UNHCR said today it has
heard nothing about the five since their forced return.
“We particularly welcome the open and cooperative spirit in which this
case has been resolved, and the level of professionalism demonstrated
by
the Kazakh authorities in the process,” UNHCR spokesperson Jennifer
Pagonis told reporters in Geneva today.
The Uzbek refugee in Kazakhstan, who had been living in the country for
seven years with his family, was detained in late June following an
Uzbek extradition request. After a thorough review, UNHCR considered
the
claims against him groundless and that he was in need of international
protection and recognised him as a refugee.
“We feared his life would be in danger if he was returned to
Uzbekistan,” the spokesperson said. “The Kazakh authorities also
concluded the evidence upon which the extradition request was based was
insufficient and rejected the request.”
Last week’s forced return of the Uzbeks by Kyrgyzstan was a “serious
violation” of the 1951 Refugee Convention, Ms. Pagonis said, while
adding that the agency was reassured by Kazakhstan’s commitment to the
agreement as shown by today’s decision. The refugee was handed over to
the UNHCR in the city of Almaty.
“We see this as the result of a long-standing cooperation between UNHCR
and the government, aimed at strengthening Kazakhstan's capacity to
provide international refugee protection as set out in international
refugee law.”
http://www.homelandsecurityus.com/site/modules/news/articlephp?storyid=506
http://www.homelandsecurityus.com/site/modules/news/article.php?storyid=506
FBI: "DROP THE CHARGES"
Victim(s) Name: The Citizens of the United States of America
Osma Sabhi ABULHASSAN (L) Ali HOUSSAIKY (R)
Maruan Awad Muharab, 19; Adham Abdelhamid Othman, 22; and Louai
Abdelhamied
Othman, 23, (pictured L-R above)
*FBI:" No Evidence Activities Related to Terrorism," -Daniel Roberts,
special agent-in-charge, Detroit office
*FBI Statement in Opposition to their own Advisory/Bulletin
*Charges of "Racism, Religious Profiling;" Lawsuits Expected
15 August 2006:Every American who cares about the current state of
affairs
and the future of our country should be outraged today, as we are the
victims of the convoluted logic of political correctness at the hands
of the
United States Department of Justice. For the first time since 9/11, I
have
never been more convinced that we are going to lose the war against
Islamic
fascism if we continue our current course.
continued.................
it said that all he wanted to do was be left alone and to finish building the airplane that he was building from scratch...........
August 15, 2006 PM Anti-Terrorism News
Suicide bomb at Iraq party HQ kills 9, injures 36
http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/08/15/iraq.main/
Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah: The Disarmament of
Hizbullah Should Not Be Discussed Now
http://www.memri.org/bin/opener_latest.cgi?ID=SD125206
Police hold new suspect in UK planes bomb plot
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2316020
(British Terror Plot) Terror 'mastermind' Rashid Rauf faces swift
extradition from Pakistan
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2315050,00.html
(UK) Terrorists 'can just fly in from abroad to avoid new controls'
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2314994,00.html
(UK Airline Security) Runaway, 12, boards aircraft without passport
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2314993,00.html
(British Terror Plot) Charities probed for links with bomb plot
http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=1191362006
(Oregon) Reward Offered in Pipe Bomb Case
http://www.salem-news.com/articles/august152006/bomb_reward_81506.php
British Terror Plot Sparks Fierce Debate Over Aviation Security
http://voanews.com/english/2006-08-15-voa51.cfm
TSA Says Shoe X-Rays at Airports Can Detect Explosives, Despite
Security Report
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,208384,00.html
Iran, Syria praise Hezbollah, mock U.S.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060815/ap_on_re_mi_ea/mideast_iran___syria_1
French Interior minister: Terrorist threat high
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1154525881255&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Bangladesh court sentences three militants to death for deadly blasts -
Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh's (JMB)
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/subcontinent/2006/August/subcontinent_August583.xml§ion=subcontinent&col=
Israeli military sets timetable for Lebanon pullout
http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/08/15/mideast.main/index.html
Terror 'mastermind' faces swift extradition
The Times
August 16, 2006
Copyright 2006 Times Newspapers Ltd
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2315050,00.html
By Sean O'Neill, Stewart Tendler and Greg Hurst
BRITAIN is seeking the urgent extradition of Rashid Rauf, named by
Pakistan as the "key planner" of the alleged terrorist plot to blow up
transatlantic airliners in mid-flight.
The Times has learnt that officials at the British High Commission in
Islamabad have already taken the first steps to secure the return of Mr
Rauf, 25, who is from Birmingham. Scotland Yard officers have flown to
Islamabad and, if the extradition process moves quickly, will be on
hand to escort him on a private flight to Britain. The moves coincided
yesterday with the arrest of another suspect as the scope of Operation
Overt, the police inquiry into the alleged airline plot, continued to
widen. The latest arrest brings to 24 the number of people in custody at
three London police stations. At least one, Cosser Ali, 24, is female.
Scotland Yard will return to City of Westminster Magistrates' Court
today to seek further time to question the suspects arrested last
Thursday. The court can grant police up to 28 days before the suspects must be
charged or released.
This is the first time that the extended detention period has been
available to the Anti-Terrorist Branch. Senior officers are expected to use
it to its full extent before bringing charges.
In Pakistan, the authorities have indicated that they will look
favourably on any request to extradite Mr Rauf. He left for Pakistan in April
2002 after the murder of his uncle, Mohammed Saeed, 45. Mr Rauf's
brother, Tayib, 21, is one of more than 20 people arrested in anti-terrorist
raids last week in London, Birmingham and High Wycombe.
Britain has no formal extradition agreement with Pakistan but there are
international treaties and ad hoc arrangements under which Mr Rauf
could be returned.
Scotland Yard said that the new suspect was picked up in the Thames
Valley Constabulary area. Since the operation began a week ago tonight, 46
raids have been carried out on on business and residential premises.
The searches are so painstaking and extensive, involving almost every
specialist scenes-of-crime team in southern England, that 23 premises
are still being examined. The largest operation is continuing in an area
of woodland in High Wycombe where it has been reported that bomb-making
chemicals have been found.
Police have also seized 20 vehicles which are being subjected to
detailed forensic science examination. Police sources said that the process
of accumulating evidence from overseas and extracting information from
computer hard drives was extremely time-consuming.
Dozens of computers have been seized from suspects' homes and from
internet cafés that had been under surveillance for months before the
arrests.
Amjad Sarwar, the brother of one of those in custody, told Channel 4
News last night that his family had no connections with terrorism. He
said that his brother Assad had dropped out of university and become
devoutly religious.
Mr Sarwar said: "They have got it all wrong. He is an innocent guy. He
minds his own business; he's been helping the youth out considerably in
the area and he's got nothing to do with it. There is no way he could
have anything to do with terrorism."
The international dimension of the inquiry will be reflected this
morning when John Reid, the Home Secretary, briefs the French and German
interior ministers on its extent and progress. The Times has reported that
extensive inquiries are being made in Germany into alleged links
between a British suspect and a fugitive member of the Hamburg cell that
planned attacks in the US on September 11, 2001.
The first step in seeking Mr Rauf's return was the sending by the high
commission of a diplomatic request to the Pakistani Foreign Affairs
Ministry asking whether he was a British citizen or held dual nationality.
Tasnim Aslam, of the Foreign Ministry, said: "We do not have any
extradition treaty at the moment but yes, because he is a British national,
the possibility of his extradition remains there."
A spokeswoman for the Home Office said: "There is no current bilateral
extradition treaty with Pakistan. However, there are a number of
international conventions, such as the Convention for the Suppression of
Terrorist Bombings, that set up formal extradition arrangements for certain
types of criminal conduct."
Cease-fire solidifies after shaky start
Associated Press
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
By ODED BALILTY and SAM F. GHATTAS, Associated Press Writer
Hundreds of Israeli soldiers walked out of Lebanon on Tuesday - some
smiling broadly and pumping their fists, others weeping or carrying
wounded comrades - as a cease-fire with Hezbollah solidified after a shaky
start. The process was expected to accelerate over the coming days.
The international community looked to build a U.N. peacekeeping force
for south Lebanon, but it remained unclear how quickly such a force
could be deployed. The guerrillas' patrons, Syria and Iran, proclaimed that
Hezbollah won its fight with Israel - claims the Bush administration
dismissed as shameful blustering.
Many of the infantry soldiers smiled with joy as they crossed back into
Israel. Members of one unit carried a billowing Israeli flag. Some sang
a traditional Hebrew song with the lyric: "We brought peace to you."
Others wept as they returned to their country, exhausted by the fighting.
Some of the troops had been so disconnected from the news that they
asked if Israel had managed to free two soldiers whose capture by
Hezbollah on July 12 sparked the fighting. Israel had not. Several tanks headed
back into Israel as well, including one that had been damaged and was
being towed by a military bulldozer.
At times as they headed south, the soldiers crossed paths with Israeli
civilians traveling in the opposite direction, back to the homes they
abandoned weeks ago under Hezbollah rocket fire.
Areas of northern Israel that were turned into closed military zones
weeks ago were reopened to civilian traffic, and the tanks, bulldozers
and other heavy military vehicles that had lined the roads were gone. At
one main junction, teenage girls handed out flowers to returning
soldiers, thanking them for protecting their homes.
In the battered Israeli town of Kiryat Shemona, residents emerged from
grimy bomb shelters and began cleaning up the wreckage caused by more
than a month of Hezbollah rocket attacks.
The partial Israeli withdrawal came in preparation for a Lebanese troop
deployment across the Litani River, some 18 miles north of the Israeli
border. Lebanon's deployment was expected to begin Thursday and
eventually put its army in control of war-ravaged south Lebanon with the help
of U.N. peacekeepers, military officials on both sides of the conflict
said.
The United Nations hopes that 3,500 well-equipped troops can deploy to
Lebanon within two weeks as the vanguard of a robust U.N. peacekeeping
force to start the process of deploying the Lebanese army and
withdrawing Israeli troops, a senior U.N. peacekeeping official said Tuesday.
But Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Hedi Annabi stressed
that the Lebanese deployment and Israeli withdrawal can start even
sooner using the current 2,000-strong U.N. force "if the political will is
there."
The foreign ministers of Turkey, Pakistan, Malaysia and France were due
in the Lebanese capital Wednesday, and it was widely believed they
would work out details of assembling a 15,000-strong international force.
Indonesia and a dozen other countries also have expressed a willingness
to help.
That force would work with an equal number of Lebanese soldiers.
Together, they are expected to police the cease-fire that took hold Monday
and ended 34 days of brutal combat, Israeli airstrikes and Hezbollah
rocket barrages.
France, which was expected to lead the force, was demanding a clearer
U.N. mandate, including details on when the troops can use firepower.
France had not yet made any announcement of how many troops it plans to
send, holding up announcements of troop commitments from other
countries.
In the short term and before international forces arrive, the process
involves three armies on the ground and is complicated, given that the
Lebanese and Israeli armies do not have direct contact and a third and
central player - Hezbollah guerrillas - will not be involved.
The current U.N. observer force, known as UNIFIL, stationed permanently
in the 18-mile band of territory between the Litani and the Israeli
frontier, was to take up positions temporarily along the border.
The zone along the frontier would then be handed to Lebanese troops and
the bolstered UNIFIL force once all Israeli soldiers have withdrawn,
military officials on both sides of the conflict said. They spoke on
condition of anonymity because of the delicate nature of the operation.
"It will be a gradual withdrawal. ... It will take couple of days, even
up to one week," a UNIFIL officer told The Associated Press on
condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters.
"We agreed with the Lebanese army that it will start deploying as the
Israelis start withdrawing. It could be as early as Thursday, maybe a
slight delay," he said.
Those plans, however, depend on the Lebanese government's giving the
order for the army to move south of the Litani. The Cabinet has been
unable to meet on the issue since the cease-fire took hold because of deep
divisions over what should be done about Hezbollah's arms in the south.
The arrangement that appears to be coming together among Lebanese
politicians, military officials and Hezbollah would call not for the
disarmament of Hezbollah, but instead for the guerrillas to avoid carrying
weapons or using their heavily fortified bunkers to fire rockets. There
would be no requirement to move the weapons north of the Litani, for the
time being.
Israel's military officials made a first gesture at possible
post-conflict negotiations. It said it has 13 Hezbollah prisoners and the bodies
of dozens of guerrillas that could be offered in exchange for the two
captive soldiers.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army said its forces killed a senior Hezbollah
leader just before the U.N. cease-fire took effect. It identified the
guerrilla as Sajed Dawayer, the head of Hezbollah's special forces. A
Hezbollah official in the southern Lebanese port city of Sidon dismissed
the report as "baseless," saying he had not heard of a Hezbollah
military leader by that name.
Despite Israeli warnings that Lebanese refugees should avoid returning
south until international forces arrive, families packed in cars loaded
with salvaged possessions streamed back to learn what had become of
their homes and livelihoods. Many found near total destruction.
At least 15 more bodies were found in two villages near the border,
Ainata and Taibeh. The newly discovered victims raised to at least 809 the
number of people killed in Lebanon during the 34-day campaign, most of
them civilians. Israel suffered 157 dead - including 118 soldiers,
according to the Israeli military and government officials.
The Lebanese figures are assembled from police and security officials,
hospital workers, doctors and morgue attendants as well as witnesses
such as Associated Press reporters and photographers. The AP count is
considerably lower than that of the Lebanese government, which says 1,110
have been killed.
Children are particularly at risk in the aftermath of war, and the U.N.
Children's Fund is mounting a campaign to warn young Lebanese to stay
away from shiny, strange objects in the rubble. Lebanese authorities and
Hezbollah sent teams across south Lebanon to clear unexploded ordnance.
A 12-year-old girl was wounded when an object exploded in her village
east of Nabatiyeh.
Relief agencies struggled to move supplies to the south over bombed
roads and others clogged with traffic. U.N. officials said 24 U.N. trucks
took more than five hours to reach the port of Tyre from Sidon, a trip
that normally takes 45 minutes.
___
Balilty reported from Malikya, Israel. Ghattas reported from Beirut. AP
correspondent Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to
this report.
Copyright © 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Hezbollah’s Calls for Genocide
IsraPundit - Canada
... This would also apply to the Iranian president’s repeated calls and
to those of Iranian spiritual leader Ali Khamene’i. Such threats are
also forbidden ...
http://www.israpundit.com/2006/?p=2323
Notes:
* One of the suspects (as yet unnamed) was formerly a roommate of
Mahamed Atta, one of the suicide pilots in the 9/11 attacks, and the
reputed
ringleader of the Hamburg cell.
* Emails found on one of the computers seized during the raids details
where the funding for the plot cam from. One named source was a
Pakistani
"charity organization"
* a 25th suspect was arrested in the UK on Tuesday
http://www.theconservativevoice.com/article/17177.html
Al Qaeda Tied Directly to UK Terror Plot
August 15, 2006 01:02 PM EST
By Sher Zieve - The al-Qaeda terrorist organization has now been tied
directly to the UK terrorist plot to blow up at least 10 commercial
airliners in-flight. One of the arrested terrorist suspects is said to
have
been the former roommate of Mohamed Atta al-Sayed. Atta, an al-Qaeda
operative, was one of the masterminds and perpetrators of the 9/11
massacre.
Also released on Tuesday, is information that UK authorities discovered
emails on computers at some of the suspected Islamic terrorists'
locations,
which are expected to reveal other involved terrorist organizations.
The
emails are said to divulge where funding came from for the foiled plot.
One
named funding source is a Palestinian "charity organization". The 25th
suspect was arrested on Tuesday and authorities advise this was a
worldwide
plot.
Hundreds of Islamic terrorists are said to have been potentially
involved,
including those located in the US.
More hostages freed in Nigeria
News24 - South Africa
Lagos - Two Ukrainian and two Norwegian oil workers kidnapped a week
ago
in southern Nigeria were released on Tuesday, said police, the day
after
five other ...
http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/News/0,,2-11-1447_1983251,00.html
See all stories on this topic:
http://news.google.com/news?ie=utf8&oe=utf8&persist=1&hl=en&client=google&ncl=http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/News/0,,2-11-1447_1983251,00.html
Livni: It’s Not Over till the Hostages Are Returned
Arutz Sheva - Israel
(IsraelNN.com) Foreign Minister Tzipy Livni said Tuesday evening that
the
war will not be over until the kidnapped IDF soldiers are returned to
Israel by ...
http://www.israelnn.com/news.php3?id=110148
Volume 3, Issue 32 (August 15, 2006) | Download PDF Version
Liquid Explosive Training Manuals Easily Attainable on Jihadi Forums
By Abdul Hameed Bakier
In light of the information emerging from the foiled London attack, the terrorists involved in the operation planned on destroying commercial aircraft by mixing together explosive chemical substances while aboard the planes. The chemicals necessary to create such explosions are easily attainable. More concerning, however, is the fact that the technical information on how to create such explosives is accessible on many jihadi forums and websites. The most significant and frequently discussed subjects in the jihadi forums are topics pertinent to military tactics and how to create deadly explosives.
The website of al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade (http://www.kataebaqsa.org), for example, carries links to a colossal amount of data on creating explosives, part of a more extensive training document called "The Preparation Encyclopedia—All the Mujahid Needs." The training manual contains whole sections on topics such as:
- Types of explosives, mines, detonators, explosive engineering and electronics;
- Chemical and biological weapons;
- Nuclear weapons;
- How to make rockets;
- How to make silencers;
- Poisons.
The encyclopedia also includes informative topics on U.S. and British weaponry, radar jamming and regular military operations. Furthermore, some training materials are very well prepared with illustrative drawings and actual photos, especially in the explosives section.
Concerning the latest terrorist threat in London, a closer look at the chemicals section and what the terrorists are capable of and willing to do to elicit explosive substances could explain how and why this threat is very serious. In these training manuals, the jihadis are learning how to extract a wide range of explosive components from readily available material. Most of these chemicals are very hazardous, such as: hydrochloric acid, potassium permanganate, potassium cyanide, information on how to extract potassium from goat excrement, red mercury, sodium nitrite, hydrogen peroxide, ammonium nitrite, nitroglycerin and hexamine (which is a very combustible white crystalline sand-like solid or powder), in addition to other acids. In addition, the manual lists the ingredients for many types of explosives and how to mix them, in addition to diagrams that display different ways of packaging and transporting them.
To what extent do jihadis benefit from and try to utilize this knowledge? It is clear how useful these documents are to jihadis since many of them post inquiries in other forums requesting further explanation or information on the manufacturing of specific types of explosives. For example, one forum, called al-Bramj (http://www.bramjnet.com), explains to inquirers, in plain language and thorough details, how to make the highly explosive acetone peroxide as a main explosive charge and how to make a detonator from the same substance. The jihadi who posted the instructions was also aware of the precautionary details necessary when handling or mixing the components.
In the same context, Matiur Rehman, who apparently worked as an explosives instructor in al-Qaeda's camps, is allegedly one of the mentors of two of the suspects who plotted to blow up the jetliners, explaining to them, in detail, how to produce and use the explosive device (ABC News, August 9). If Rehman proves to be the mastermind and mentor of the suspected plotters, it appears that al-Qaeda operatives could be implementing the training found in the jihadi forums. Further corroboration of this hypothesis is the fact that the intended explosives appear to be analogous to those mentioned in the training manuals, and the confiscation, by British authorities, of materials related to the investigation from internet cafes in the United Kingdom.
Find this article at:
http://jamestown.org/terrorism/news/article.php?articleid=2370103
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