7 Killed in Israel by rockets of Hezbollah
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Hizbollah guerrillas killed seven people in Israel in a rocket barrage on Thursday despite an intensive Israeli ground and air campaign to wipe them out, as world powers struggled to end the 23-day-old war. Ah yes, the old 7 were killed despite the Joooos best efforts to keep civilian casualties to zero argument. In the lead paragraph, no less.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said the war had killed 900 people in Lebanon and wounded 3,000, with a third of the casualties children under 12 (Wonder why that is? Care to explain there, Hezbollah?). He said a million Lebanese, a quarter of the population, had been displaced and infrastructure devastated. The Reuters tally of Lebanon deaths is at least 683. Color me shocked, the Roooters body count is less than Lebanon's? Guess they're eating crow over that whole 50-60 dead in Qana, when it was only 28 (even though I do grieve each of those 28 personally).
Hizbollah has continued to unleash rockets despite Israeli assertions that the guerrilla group has been dealt a heavy blow by the war. On Wednesday, a record barrage of 231 missiles killed one person and wounded scores. Boy, the Hezzies are the most accurate muzzie rocket launchers ever. Methinks even "apes and pigs" could do "better."
Sixty-five Israelis have been killed in the conflict, including 39 soldiers, two of whom died in fighting on Thursday. A Lebanese security source said 80 Hizbollah fighters had been killed so far -- well below the Israeli estimate of 300-400. So, Hezbollah has now launched hundreds (if not 1,000+) of rockets, and killed 26 Israeli civilians? What a quagmire. Not to mention that I lean toward believing Israel's count of Hezzie deaders. I mean a lot of those so-called "civilians" in Lebanon are probably Hezzie gun-toters or at least supporters/suppliers.
The United States, France and Britain hope for a U.N. Security Council resolution within a week that would call for a truce and maybe strengthen existing U.N. peacekeepers until a more robust force can be formed, U.N. officials said. I like the word "maybe" in that sentence.
"I'm now hopeful we will have such a resolution down very shortly and agreed within the next few days," British Prime Minister Tony Blair said. "The purpose of that will be to bring about an immediate ceasefire and then put in place the conditions for the international force to come in."
But splits between the United States and France, a possible leader of the new force, over the timing of a ceasefire have complicated diplomatic efforts to end the fighting.
France's U.N. ambassador said he was less confident that a Security Council resolution could be adopted within days.
"Yesterday morning I was confident that we could have a resolution adopted in the coming days, but by the end of the day I was less confident," Jean-Marc de la Sabliere said. So, France is now in on the good cop/bad cop routine while Israel wipes the Hezzies off the map? Good Lord, what's wrong with this world?
Posted by: BA 2006-08-03 |