US may seize Arab airports by force to attack Iraq: report

matt drudge ^ | 8/12/2002 | drudge report

[TLBSHOW]

US may seize Arab airports by force to attack Iraq: report

Mon Aug 12 2002 14:19:02 ET

BEIRUT, Aug. 12 (Xinhua)--Lebanon received a report from diplomatic sources saying that the United States would seize by force several airports in Arab states when it launches a war against Iraq, the An Nahar newspaper reported on Monday.

The report said that US President George W. Bush would unleash the military offensive in January 2003 as he has to wait the outcome of the midterm elections of the Congress in November. ``Bush prefers to have Arab support for his war to remove Iraqi president Saddam Hussein and the US forces would have facilities in several neighboring Arab airports,'' the report said.

''At any rate,'' it stressed, ``once zero hour comes, Bush will give the orders to use Arab airports by force for the military operation against Iraq if the need arises.'' Bush argued that without the US interference, the Arab countries, the Arab League and the UN Security Council would not have been able to oust the invading Iraqi troops from Kuwait in the 1991 Gulf War.

Meanwhile, the report revealed that the Bush administration has allowed Israel to strike back in the upcoming confrontation against Iraq if the Arab country fires Scud missiles at Israel like it did in 1991.

The report suggested that the Arab world should take the US war preparations against Iraq ``very seriously'' and recommended a diplomatic offensive by Lebanon to consolidate Pan-Arab camp.

Developing...

[lexington minuteman 1775]

Heard today on some news channel that Saddam has moved his goverment to bunkers.So good info or psyop stuff.IF this keeps him buried and underground going nuts trying to figgure what we are going to do.We can wear him down some before we do whatever the heck it is we are going to do.

[Sabertooth]

That's it! Nobody hated Nazi Germany or Stalinist Russia, because they were feared. Lets follow in their footsteps!

The United States of America is not analogous to Nazi Germany or Stalinist Russia. Your reasoning is tortured.

We are a moral nation, not hell-bent on conquest. Those who hate us do so not because we are brutal, but because we have been too restrained in dealing with their past attacks on us. They are would-be bullies and wanna-be tyrants, who have far more in common with Hitler and Stalin than we do. They have the luxury of hating us and plotting against us, precisely because they do not fear us.

[Jhoffa_]

You suggested they would strike with NBC weapons.

I think any strike is a strategic mistake. It's definately defensible from a moral standpoint, no question..

But I don't think it's necessarily beneficial.

Remember, there are still going to be allot of muslim militants left even after Saddam is wrenched from power. Israel is a tiny country with allot of internal strife.

Let them sit it out and let us do the lifting and take the heat. Saddam IS leaving, for sure.. and that's that with regard to Iraq.

They will be allot closer to having a friend next door than an enemy if they just suck it up and sit it out.

[Jhoffa_]

Why are you blowing your stack and attacking people over a piece of propaganda.. ?

(And furthermore, it's BAD propaganda as far as the US is concerned.. )

[Dog Gone]

This story could be part of a psy-ops campaign. I rather doubt it, because I can come up with a better motive for a Lebanese newspaper running it. But the constant drumbeat of stories regarding US intentions and plans has to be driving the Iraqis nuts.

That's a good thing unless they go so nuts that they do something with their chem/bio weapons before we have a chance to take them out.

[dennisw]

Watch your language jerk!!!

[Principled]

No one wants a regional wide conflict when dealing with Saddam (cept' the Muslims.. they would LOVE it.)

I agree. Indeed this is what I wanted to connote. I was in a hurry though, it's li'l Principled's bedtime.

[Nexus]

If Iraq strikes Israel with NBC Scuds, I just don't see them holding back. When 1000's of Jews (and Arabs, for that matter) are dead after such a strike, Israel will go in and personally see to it that all the missles/labs are eliminated as quickly as possible.

[Timesink]

Drudge! You're losing it, kiddo. This sounds straight from the Debka Magic Machine of News.

Is that anything like the George Michael Sports Machine?

[andy_card]

We are a moral nation

Not if we've decided to rule by fear.

I have no problem with swift, retributive justice. But we should remember never to let rule-by-fear become our primary M.O. We need to use the old carrot-and-a-stick method, by rewarding our friends and punishing our enemies. That makes people want to befriend us. But scaring everybody just makes them want to kill us.

[Jhoffa_]

I was in a hurry though, it's li'l Principled's bedtime.

He's gonna be a FReeper, right?

[lexington minuteman 1775]

well if that horrible scenario unfolds, you can bet the countries that have been opposed to us going in there will be going through CYA snydrome and say.Man you should have gone in sooner.BWHAHAHAHAHA!

You know when i read that post on FEMA planning housing for millions of folks i realize that most Americans have no clue of what could happen here and its really sad

[Principled]

He's gonna be a FReeper, right?

She already is! Notice my frequent typos prior to 7:30 pm est? That's her. She loooooves to hit daddy's keyboard!

[Jhoffa_]

I guess we have to dissagree.

My feeling is that we can draw all the heat, all the jihaders and take all the blame, with our guy's and our hardware while both us and what's left of Israel share in the profit.

That's mo.

[APBaer]

"Americans grabbing everything in sight.. Jews (SHREEK!) helping them! Oh MY! What would Allah say?"

Big sale on Delancey Street next week?

[Jhoffa_]

Great!

I am still trying to rip mine from Stalins (and their mothers) political grasp!

[Nexus]

Let's just hope Saddam doesn't go there.

[Sabertooth]

Not if we've decided to rule by fear.

Who said anything about ruling? You really ought to slow down.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

You missed my point entirely. But don't worry about asking for a clarification, it's much better to act like a liberal at DU.

[Don Joe]

"If I recall correctly, pride was to go before the Fall."

You don't recall correctly. (Presuming that you were trying to recall the Bible verse that begins with pride and ends with fall.)

Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall, but that's immaterial to the topic at hand, namely your implied suggestion that "It doesn't matter if the whole world hates us" is an expression of pride.

It's not. It's a simple statement of fact. The flip side of it is the realization of what we would need to become if our goal was to have the world not hate us.

And that's something only a fool would wish upon his country.

So, you might want to dig into your Strongs, Youngs, or Crudens to see what the Bible has to say about foolish people and what befalls them.