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Southerners sick of taking the brunt
Brave Sir Robin Gunmen on border âfired rockets and then ran away leaving us to face Israelâ
Nidal Yassin is an angry and bitter man. âI blame everyone,â he said. âFirst of all I blame the government. They must take responsibility here ⊠If Israel fires a rocket into Syria, why does the game have to be played here? We have been played enough in Lebanon. If some party wants to send a political message to Israel, they should not write it in the blood of children.â
| "Go do that spit someplace else..." |
Yassin has more reason than most southerners to dread and resent the prospect of a fresh bout of violence along the ever-volatile frontier with Israel. Early Tuesday morning, a short-range 107mm Katyusha rocket struck a bedroom window sill on the first floor of Yassinâs house on the edge of Houla. The blast, which tore gaping holes in the plaster walls of the room, killed his nephew Ali, 5, and badly wounded Aliâs twin brother Ahmed. The rocket was one of at least three fired toward the border by unidentified persons from the vicinity of Shaqra, 2 kilometers to the southwest.
| Hezbollah said it wasn't them. They lie just to keep in practice, but it could also have been some of the nutcases from Ein el-Hellhole... |
Friday, Yassin sat outside the front of his house receiving a stream of villagers paying condolences. Sitting glum-faced and sipping tiny cups of coffee, the mourners listened as Yassin grew increasingly angry. âBefore, there was a war,â he said, referring to Israelâs 22-year occupation of the South. âWe were ready to give up our lives for this land ⊠But then we were told the war was over and we celebrated. Now some military men came and fired rockets and then ran away leaving us to face Israel. We have paid more than enough (in the conflict against Israel). If they shoot from our side, it (the retaliation) comes to us. If they shoot from their side, it comes to us. The government should not leave security in the hands of Hezbollah, Amal, or any militia. We must have the army here.â
| Except that Hezbollah, Amal, and other militias would try to beat them up... |
Hezbollah denied all knowledge of that incident and an earlier cross-border shooting near Kfar Kila in which an Israel soldier was killed. A senior security source told The Daily Star that Hezbollahâs fighters were still manning their frontier observation posts when the violence began Monday night. Hezbollah usually abandons its positions prior to bursts of violence along the border in anticipation of Israeli retaliation.
| That's what leads me to think it was heroes from Ein el-Hellhole... |
All was quiet along the Lebanon-Israel border Friday. The Joint Security Force of military police and Internal Security Forces has increased its checkpoints in the area. A smiling Hezbollah fighter accompanied visitors around Sheikh Abbad hill opposite the massive Israeli border compound. The flags of Hizbullah, Israel and the United Nations snapped next to each other in the breeze. On the Shebaa Farms front line above Kfar Shuba, a lone eagle floated on the thermals, dipping and soaring above the jagged limestone outcrops and sun-bleached grass. But the apparent tranquillity may not last. âThe rules of engagement are changing,â the security source said, citing Israelâs bombing of two Hezbollah positions in August and September as the first move by Israel to change the tactical status quo along the border.
| "There is no cause. Only effect..." |
âHezbollahâs under a lot of pressure  strong military pressure and strong political pressure,â the source said. Hezbollah is moving to adapt to the new reality, however. It has removed its 57mm anti-aircraft (AA) guns from their former static positions, often in abandoned outposts belonging to the former occupation forces and easy targets for the Israeli Air Force. âHezbollahâs AA guns are now completely mobile, fired from the back of trucks. They no longer have fixed AA positions.â
| "Now, rather than being merely inaccurate, they're completely inaccurate..." |
The source added that the precedent set by Israelâs air strike on Syria is âvery dangerous for the whole region, not just the South.â
| "I mean, we are in for it!" |
âIf Syria doesnât get anything from the UN Security Council then it will be under pressure to do something else,â the source said. âA strong declaration from the Security Council could calm things down. But I donât see that happening.â
| So they'll do the dumbest thing they can think of. Or they'll fold, which'll be bad for The Boy President... |
Posted by: Fred Pruitt 2003-10-12 |
