Israel Bombs Beirut Airport

[CoLawman]

This just in..........Israel Bombs Beirut International Airport.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13823680/

Any thoughts on what Syria and Iran will do in response?

[dedeppm]

If they have any semblance of common sense, I would expect them to do absolutely nothing. Any course of action they could take would probably result in yet another ass-stomping by the IDF, if history is any indication.

[The Reaper]

If they have any semblance of common sense, I would expect them to do absolutely nothing. Any course of action they could take would probably result in yet another ass-stomping by the IDF, if history is any indication.

The Iranians are not next door, and I would expect them to continue with their rhetotic and support of Hezbollah.

The Syrians are, and will likely keep anything they do low profile.

Just my .02, YMMV.

TR

[mconrad]

Don't worry. Kofi Annan is sending a three man peace keeping team. :rolleyes:

[HOLLiS]

If they have any semblance of common sense, I would expect them to do absolutely nothing. Any course of action they could take would probably result in yet another ass-stomping by the IDF, if history is any indication.


I think the Terrorist have figured they have a good plan, not to engage Israel on a direct military scale, but to use terrorism and world opinion coupled with the Islamic block in the UN to just constantly bleed Israel. There are a lot of people who believe this is a "Two State" problem and that Israel is as much to blame as the PA. IMHO the Arab will not be happy until Israel is at the bottom of the Mediterranean. As long as a "Two State" solution is pushed, terrorism will continue against Israel.

[dedeppm]

This is exactly what is taking place at the UN, actually. A bloc of Muslim states on the new human rights council have passed a resolution criticizing Israel's treatment of the poor Palestinians. The same resolution, of course, makes absolutely no mention of the HR abuses being carried out by Hamas and Hizbollah. It is this kind of situation the US was trying to head off a few years back when we pushed for a new regime, when it came to light that human rights stalwarts like the Sudan were eligible for chairmanship of the council. Looks like the new one's every bit as broken as the old one though. Oh that crazy United Nations, what will they think of next? :rolleyes:

[NousDefionsDoc]

Don't worry. Kofi Annan is sending a three man peace keeping team. :rolleyes:
Somebody requested Refugee Rape?

[Books]

Just a couple quick questions. . . are there any predominantly Muslim countries that have good human rights records? By what measure is one gauged before one is placed on a human rights council? Just curious. If all Islamic countries acted like Sweden, I doubt the world would be in half the trouble it is. My .02.

Seriously though, which countries specifically are arguing for the PA?

Books

[dedeppm]

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1150885889961&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

New UN rights body targets Israel
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
GENEVA

The new UN Human Rights Council voted Friday to make a review of alleged human rights abuses by Israel a permanent feature of every council session.

The resolution, which was sponsored by Islamic countries, was passed by a vote of 29-12, with five abstentions. It effectively revives a practice of the UN's dissolved Human Rights Commission, which also reviewed alleged Israeli abuses every time it met.

Israel protested Friday's vote, calling it a perpetuation of "the old infamous habits" of the widely discredited commission.

The resolution requires UN investigators to report at each council session "on the Israeli human rights violations in occupied Palestine."

The resolution also said the council "decides to undertake substantive consideration of the human rights violations and implications of the Israeli occupation of Palestine and other occupied Arab territories at its next session and to incorporate that issue in its following sessions."

One of the United States' main criticisms of the 53-nation Human Rights Commission that was replaced this year by the council was that it spent one week of its annual six-week session criticizing Israel and made other frequent attacks on the Jewish state.

"Voting in favor of this draft resolution will lead you directly to the old infamous habits of the commission," Israeli Ambassador Itzhak Levanon told the council. "Voting yes essentially means that no lessons have been drawn. It means that there is no fresh beginning."

Besides Arab and other Muslim countries, "yes" votes were cast by African nations, Brazil, China, Cuba, Ecuador, Guatemala, India, Mexico, the Philippines, Russia and Sri Lanka. Canada and European Union members on the council voted against it.

The United States is not a member of the council and, like Israel, was unable to vote.

The council has two more sessions this year, starting in September and December.

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Good reaction to the article: http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1150885927318&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

[Books]

Thanks Dedeppm for the info.

Yet again, despite my best intentions, I learned something new.

Books.

[.]

DEBKAfile Exclusive: In response to Iranian re-supplies to Hizballah, a US arms airlift began running to Israel Saturday, July 22

July 23, 2006, 3:32 PM (GMT+02:00)

It is carrying fresh stock of bombs, missiles and spare parts for Israeli Air Force aircraft and helicopters. Giant Galaxy C141 transports have been landing, unloading and taking off at short intervals.

DEBKAfile adds: The American airlift to Israel follows the air corridor Iran opened to replenish Hizballah’s stocks on Wednesday, July 19, landing supplies at Syria’s Abu Ad Duhur military airfield north of Homs. The deliveries for Hizballah include large quantities of new missiles, including the long-range Zelzal and Fajr 3 and Fajr 5 missiles, Katyusha rockets, anti-tank and anti-air missiles sent out from the RG HQ in Bandar Abbas on the Persian Gulf. Some of these missiles can reach Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

Thursday, July 21, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards commander Brig.-Gen Yahya Rahim Safavi (picture) assumed command of the Lebanon war from Hizballah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah. RG forward command posts are operating out of Iranian embassies in Beirut and Damascus. Syria has placed its army, Scud

missiles and air force in a state of preparedness.

[EX-Gold Falcon]

IDF first shelled and then bombed a UN observation post killing 4 UN Peacekeepers on weds night.

Shades of the USS Liberty?


Travis

[NousDefionsDoc]

IDF first shelled and then bombed a UN observation post killing 4 UN Peacekeepers on weds night.

Shades of the USS Liberty?


Travis
Better check the news, there have been updates...

[EX-Gold Falcon]

Better check the news, there have been updates...

Just looked on MSNBC, Fox, BBC, even Guardian are not reporting anything new on this story so far. Though Oz is pulling their 12 remaining soldiers.

Which outlet has a breaking story?


Travis

P.S. my original point was the comparision, nothing more. That in itself is food for thought.

[Jack Moroney (RIP)]

Which outlet has a breaking story?

FOX radio was carrying two stories. One in which one of Canada's MG(ret) McKenzie reported receiving an e-mail from one of the Canadian troops at the OP that the Hezbollah folks were using the OP site for cover and trying to draw fire by Israeli troops. Also being reported was the same troop sending an e-mail stating that they were drawing fire from Hezbollah and not Israel but that report was a little murky in the details. Hezbollah is working a good psyop campaign with casualties inflicted by Israel by ensuring that Israel has not much of a choice but to engage "non-hostile" sites to eliminate the threat.

[EX-Gold Falcon]

FOX radio was carrying two stories. One in which one of Canada's MG(ret) McKenzie reported receiving an e-mail from one of the Canadian troops at the OP that the Hezbollah folks were using the OP site for cover and trying to draw fire by Israeli troops. Also being reported was the same troop sending an e-mail stating that they were drawing fire from Hezbollah and not Israel but that report was a little murky in the details. Hezbollah is working a good psyop campaign with casualties inflicted by Israel by ensuring that Israel has not much of a choice but to engage "non-hostile" sites to eliminate the threat.

Having been listening to the radio, but interesting.

If that is the case, I wonder why the IDF let themselves be led down the gardenpath. Granted the Isrealis rarely let public opinion sway their course, but hitting a well established UN compound seem ludicrious.....


Travis

[Jack Moroney (RIP)]

Having been listening to the radio, but interesting.

If that is the case, I wonder why the IDF let themselves be led down the gardenpath. Granted the Isrealis rarely let public opinion sway their course, but hitting a well established UN compound seem ludicrious.....


Travis
It does from this distance, but when you are pinned down and losing folks it seems the right thing to do. Auch, if you let the bad guys know that you are willing to play by the rules of public opinion then they are going to keep on hamstringing your ability to react/act to what ever they want to do. Keep in mind that if there was fire coming from that sight, screw public opinion, you are legally justified by the Law of Land Warfare in taking it out.

[EX-Gold Falcon]

From BBC.uk

How UN Lebanon post was bombed

There was fierce fighting in the Khiam area for six hours.

Details of the circumstances in which the Israeli air force bombed a United Nations observation post in south Lebanon, killing four UN peacekeepers have begun to emerge.
According to diplomats familiar with the UN's initial report into the incident, the post in the town of Khiam was hit by precision-guided munition, says the BBC's Paul Adams in Jerusalem.

The report says there was fierce fighting in the area for about six hours before the post was hit, during which time UN personnel contacted the Israel military 10 times, urging them to stop firing.

Our correspondent says the UN claims that after each call, it was assured the firing would stop.

Six warning calls

A preliminary UN report said 17 bombardments landed within one kilometre of the post, and 12 artillery rounds hit within 150 metres of the structure - four of them being direct hits.

After this, the post was hit by a precision-guided weapon from an Israeli aircraft.

The Irish foreign ministry said one of its officers in the UN's Unifil peacekeeping force in south Lebanon, placed six warning calls to the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) prior to the attack.

"On six separate occasions he was in contact with the Israelis to warn them that their bombardment was endangering the lives of UN staff in South Lebanon," Reuters news agency quoted an unnamed foreign office spokesman as saying.

"He warned: 'You have to address this problem or lives may be lost'," the spokesman said.

The Associated Press news agency named the officer as Lt Col John Molloy.

The bomb which killed the unarmed peacekeepers - Canadian, Austrian, Finnish and Chinese soldiers - hit the building and shelter of the observation post, near the eastern end of the Lebanese-Israeli border, UN spokesman Milos Struger said.

Israel has launched an investigation.

The UN post was on high ground, in an area once occupied by Israel.

Area suppression via arty is one thing, but guided munitions?

Hopefully more info is forthcoming, because even for the IDF, this has got to be pushing it. Well except for the Liberty....


Travis

[Cincinnatus]

A Canadian officer was quoted, IIRC, on "Little Green Footballs", saying they had received a phone call from the Canadian peace keeper saying that Hezhollah fighters were within three meters of his position. (I'll search for the link in a minute and will post it if I find it.) With all respect to the deceased, I'm not certain that Israel has anything to apologize for.

I know that I have shot "no shoot" targets in shoot houses and that was just under the stress of competition or not wanting to look bad in front of the class. In the heat of battle, this seems a regrettable, but entirely understandable error.

Oooops! Got several details wrong. My apologies.

"Retired Canadian Major General Lewis Mackenzie was interviewed on CBC radio, and had some very interesting news about the UN observer post hit by Israeli shells; the Canadian peacekeeper killed there had previously emailed Mackenzie telling him that Hizballah was using their post as cover."

We received emails from him a few days ago, and he was describing the fact that he was taking fire within, in one case, three meters of his position for tactical necessity, not being targeted. Now that’s veiled speech in the military. What he was telling us was Hezbollah soldiers were all over his position and the IDF were targeting them. And that’s a favorite trick by people who don’t have representation in the UN. They use the UN as shields knowing that they can’t be punished for it.

The italicized quote is, I believe, what Mackenzie said in the interview. I guess one has to question how likely it is that a peacekeeper would be sending emails to Mackenzie and weigh that against the likelihood that Mackenzie would fabricate the report. Hard to know what to believe sometimes.

Ahhh! Forgot to post the link;

http://www.littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/weblog.php

On my browser this piece is about an inch down the guide bar.

[NousDefionsDoc]

The email one. It broke yesterday.

[2VP]

here is the entire email in question:

(1) Currently, there are several nationalities that are here on the patrol base with me. I am serving with an Australian, Chinese, Finnish, Austrian, and Irish Officers. They come from various different backgrounds, levels of experience and services (Army, Navy and Air Force) from within their militaries.

(2) I have been here for nine months of a one-year tour of duty. Since I have arrived here in Lebanon, this current incident is the fourth I have seen and by far the most spectacular and intensive.


The first was 21 Nov 05, when the Hezbollah tried to capture IDF soldiers from an IDF observation position overlooking the Wazzani river near the town of Ghajjar on the Blue Line. This action was unsuccessful and resulted in the deaths of the Hezbollah raiding force.

On 01 Feb 06, a young shepherd boy was Killed by an IDF patrol near an abandon goat farm called Bastarra. Hassan Nasrallah (note: Hezbollah's leader) vowed that there would be consequences to this action. Team Sierra was tasked on 2 Feb 06, to assist in the investigation of the incident, and we sent one team to do so while the other team conducted its normal mobile patrolling activities.

On 03 Feb 06, a limited engagement took place initiated by the Hezbollah on several of the IDF defensive positions located in occupied Lebanon.

Then on 28 May, the Islamic Jihad (PLO) fired rockets from South Lebanon, into Israel, which elicited an immediate aerial bombardment of positions near our patrol base and in the Bekka valley.
(3) Our Team's normal operational activities are to plan, and execute daily vehicle and foot patrols of the Blue Line area within our area of responsibility. Unfortunately, with the current artillery and aerial bombing campaign being carried out by the IDF/IAF, it is not safe or prudent for us to conduct normal patrol activities. Currently, we are observing and reporting on all activities in our area of responsibility, with specific attention to activities along the Blue Line, which is clearly visible from our hilltop position.

(4) Team Sierra is currently observing both IDF/IAF and Hezbollah military clashes from our vantage point which has a commanding view of the IDF positions on the Golan mountains to our east and the IDF positions along the Blue Line to our south, as well as, most of the Hezbollah static positions in and around our patrol Base. It appears that the lion's share of fighting between the IDF and Hezbollah has taken place in our area. On the night of 16 July, at 2125 hrs, a large firefight broke out between the Hezbollah and the IDF near a village called Majidyye and lasted for one hour and 40 minutes.

(5) Based on the intensity and volatility of this current situation and the unpredictability of both sides (Hezbollah and Israel), and given the operational tempo of the Hezbollah and the IDF, we are not safe to venture out to conduct our normal patrol activities. We have now switched to Observation Post Duties and are observing any and all violations as they occur.

This is all the information of a non-tactical nature that I can provide you. I cannot give you any info on Hezbollah position, proximity or the amount of or types of sorties the IAF is currently flying. Suffice to say that the activity levels and operational tempo of both parties is currently very high and continuous, with short breaks or pauses. Please understand the nature of my job here is to be impartial and to report violations from both sides without bias. As an Unarmed Military Observer, this is my raison d'etre.

What I can tell you is this: we have on a daily basis had numerous occasions where our position has come under direct or indirect fire from both artillery and aerial bombing. The closest artillery has landed within 2 meters of our position and the closest 1000 lb aerial bomb has landed 100 meters from our patrol base. This has not been deliberate targeting, but has rather been due to tactical necessity.

I thank you for the opportunity to provide you with some information from the front lines here in south Lebanon.

Maj Hess-von Kruedener

[Cincinnatus]

In light of the Israeli attack that killed the fifty plus civilians, mostly children, the following is worth reading and considering.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,,19955774-5007220,00.html