Israel invades Lebanon after new capturing of soldiers

[Proteus_MST]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
Why wouldn't you have expected such a move from Saudi Arabia? Sunnis generally don't like Shi'ite rebels. Especially when it means screwing up Lebanon again for no gain. The Saudis are smart enough to realize this is an attempt by Hezbollah to weaken the Lebanese government and get Syria back in.

I would have expected Saudi Arabia to not even give any comments on Hizbollah and the situation in Lebanon. But you are right, I hadn´t taken into account that it might be a Sunni/Shia-thing.

[Arrian]

Now that's more like it:

Report: Israel destroys Hezbollah HQ 40 minutes ago



Israeli warplanes Friday destroyed the building housing the headquarters of Hezbollah guerrillas in southern Beirut, the group's TV station reported.

It did not report any casualties.

Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah and the top leadership of the group have offices and residences in the high-security area, but they were likely to have been on the move during the Israeli offensive.

Smoke rose from the Haret Hreik neighborhood late afternoon, after four huge explosions shook the capital. They were followed minutes later by a fifth blast.

Earlier Friday, Israeli warplanes renewed attacks on the southern suburbs, targeting a Hezbollah radio station and starting a fire in a building, but its broadcasts continued.

Israeli aircraft pounded the neighborhood overnight, destroying overpasses and punching large holes in an intersection.

Why not make this the first response, though?'

-Arrian

[Az]

One would think that a prosperous, Syria-free Lebanon would be a good, valuable thing for Israel, and that they might think for oh, one second, before blowing the country's infrastructure to bits. But no.

Dude, this isn't nearly "blowing a country's infrastructure to bits"....

[Chemical Ollie]

My give a f*** about Israel vs the neighbours was broken ages ago, you can only read the old testament to understand that the problems in that region will never solve as long as people don't go atheist/secular. That's why I rarely enter discussions on the topic, as I don't support any of the sides.

But my question to the current situation is: How can the saving of two soldiers motivate the killing of hundreds of innocent civilians and the destruction of essential civilian infrastrucure?

[SlowwHand]

Oh bull****. That is the lamest anti-religion attempt I've ever seen. That's saying something, because all of the attempts are lame.

[Chemical Ollie]

Originally posted by SlowwHand
Oh bull****. That is the lamest anti-religion attempt I've ever seen. That's saying something, because all of the attempts are lame.

So what's your suggestion on how to make Israel and it's neighburs live in peace?

[Arrian]

ANALYSIS: Helpless Lebanese pay the price for their weakness

By Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz Correspondent

Of all the targets that Israel hit Thursday, as detailed by Lebanese television stations, it seems that shutting down the Beirut airport and the seaports was the harshest blow. "The feeling of siege from both air and sea makes us feel like the Palestinians," said one Lebanese citizen.

But it is hard to predict to what extent these strike, along with the attacks on bridges and power stations and the civilian deaths, will change the behavior of the Lebanese or, more importantly, how much power ordinary citizens have to influence their government to pressure Hezbollah.

"It seems now that Israel is acting out of a desire for revenge and punishment," a Lebanese analyst told Haaretz via email. "After Hassan Nasrallah said at his press conference that he doesn't want to drag Lebanon into war, Israel wants to show him and Lebanon that Nasrallah is more dangerous than Lebanon imagines. But you must understand that there are huge swathes of Lebanon that understand the extent of the Hezbollah danger, but are helpless. Don't expect citizens to demonstrate outside government buildings tomorrow and demand that the state disarm Hezbollah. Washington, France and the UN tried through Resolution 1559 and failed, and you want a weak government that has not yet really begun to govern to succeed? We can do nothing right now but wait, and maybe you will disarm Hezbollah."




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That is also the message that slain Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri's son Saad sent to Jordan's King Abdullah and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, both of whom sought to use their good relations with Israel to curb the military attack.

The message that Israel was trying to send to Lebanon's government and citizens seems unclear. On one hand, the Lebanese hear that the Israeli government does not plan to allow Hezbollah to return to its positions in southern Lebanon. That is too tough a mission for the Lebanese government, so people wonder what Israel wants and why it is attacking targets that are not related to the positions in the south, like the Beirut-Damascus highway or the airport.

On the other hand, Israel warned the Lebanese government that it holds it wholly responsible both for the attack and for the fate of the abducted soldiers. Here again, the Lebanese government has no idea what it is supposed to do - go to war against Hezbollah? "Of course, this government can't go to war against Hezbollah, and can't and wouldn't recruit Syria to rein in Hezbollah," said the Lebanese analyst.

This is because there has been an almost complete disconnect between the Lebanese government and Syria ever since the Hariri assassination and Syria's withdrawal from Lebanon. Moreover, Syria is not dissatisfied with the heavy price that Prime Minister Fuad Siniora's government is paying, or with the fact that there are no more appeals from Beirut to Damascus to curb Hezbollah. Syria is now free to claim that without it, there is no Lebanese government that can bring order and quiet to Lebanon.

That was also the gist of criticism uttered Thursday by Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, who said that Syria wants to exploit this war to rehabilitate its power centers in Lebanon. The result is that though Israel holds the Lebanese government responsible, there is really no address in Lebanon that can assume that responsibility.

The only thing that the Lebanese government, and particularly Saad Hariri, can do is hold a series of meetings with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and French President Jacques Chirac to get them to restrain Israel, or at least limit its attacks to ones that will show the Lebanese that the target is Hezbollah, and not all of Lebanon. The only diplomatic development Thursday was the beginning of back-channel talks among Arabs aimed at recruiting international pressure against Israel.

Inside Lebanon, the usual indecision continues. Along with condemning Israel, should they also come out against Hezbollah? No clear voice has yet spoken.

Good article.

-Arrian

[SlowwHand]

I don't know how, but Israel, Bush, and Blair must be to blame on this, too.
Yep. Jews and democracy cause all the problems.

7 killed in mosque bombing in Baghdad

06:39 AM CDT on Friday, July 14, 2006

Associated Press


BAGHDAD, Iraq - A bomb struck a Sunni mosque in Baghdad after Friday prayers, killing seven people and wounding five, while mortars barraged a Shiite mosque north of the capital, leaving five wounded.

The attack on the Sunni mosque occurred as worshippers were leaving religious services in northern Baghdad, police Lt. Mohammed Khayoun said, giving the casualty toll. He said the bomb was planted near the door.

Earlier Friday, five mortar rounds fell near the Shiite Imam al-Hussein mosque in Balad Ruz, 45 miles northeast of Baghdad, wounding five, provincial police said.

Elsewhere in the capital, gunmen killed a taxi driver in a drive-by shooting in the volatile Dora neighborhood of southern Baghdad, police said.

Gunmen also opened fire on a bus in western Baghdad, wounding three passengers, police Lt. Mutaz Salaheddin said.

A policeman was shot to death in front of his home in the northern city of Mosul, Col. Abdul-Karim al-Jibouri said.

The violence in the capital came despite a weekly four-hour driving ban starting at 11 a.m. to prevent car bombs that have frequently targeted Friday prayers, the main Islamic weekly religious services.

[Az]

So I guess it's ok by you guys that we recapture Southern Lebanon?

*scratches head*

[muxec]

But my question to the current situation is: How can the saving of two soldiers motivate the killing of hundreds of innocent civilians and the destruction of essential civilian infrastrucure?

The main goal of the entire operation is to enrorce UN Resolution 1559.

[Arrian]

I have no say, but I'd say that's a bad idea. Beat the **** out of Hezbollah targets for a bit and then negotiate with the non-Hez bits of the Lebanese government in conjunction with the foreign powers that be for some sort of acceptable solution.

Not that I'm overly optimistic.

-Arrian

[Imran Siddiqui]

Originally posted by Proteus_MST
I would have expected Saudi Arabia to not even give any comments on Hizbollah and the situation in Lebanon. But you are right, I hadn´t taken into account that it might be a Sunni/Shia-thing.

And of course and anti-Iran thing comes into play. The Arab countries aren't fans of Iranian anything ever since the Iranians tried to rile up the populations to overthrow them after the Revolution.

[Ninot]

I wish this whole bloody thing would just stop. My Born-Again friend is bouncing off the walls quoting Revelations

[Az]

I have no say, but I'd say that's a bad idea. Beat the **** out of Hezbollah targets for a bit and then negotiate with the non-Hez bits of the Lebanese government in conjunction with the foreign powers that be for some sort of acceptable solution.

lol! So as everyone knows too well, some sort of aerial attack on Hizbullah, that won't destroy it's chain of command or really hurt it, and then negotiation with self-admittedly powerless elements to do something?


top notch...

[Arrian]

You have a better idea? I didn't say I had the ANSWER, nor did I claim to be an expert. WTF?

Incidently, I didn't say limit ops to aerial bombardment.

I was thinking that maybe southern lebanon could be controlled by a UN peacekeeping mission.

-Arrian