| Submit your comments on this article |
| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Beirut airport under attack |
| 2006-07-13 |
| ISRAELI warplanes today bombed runways at Beirut's Rafiq Hariri International Airport, which was then closed to traffic, a Lebanese aeronautic source said. Witnesses said there were at least two raids on an eastern runway while Lebanese anti-aircraft batteries frantically fired at the invading planes. The bombing of the airport, recently named after former premier Hariri who was assassinated in February 2005, came after nearly 24 hours of Israeli bombardments, up to then concentrated on bridges linking south Lebanon with the rest of the country. The military action started after the capture of two Israeli soldiers by the Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah movement in a border operation. The Hezbollah raid on an army patrol on the volatile border was branded an "act of war" by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who moved quickly to authorise an "aggressive and harsh" Israeli response. At least eight Israeli soldiers, along with a Hezbollah fighter, two Lebanese civilians and a Lebanese soldier have been killed in the deadliest 24 hours of fighting since Israel ended its 22-year occupation of south Lebanon six years ago. Israeli helicopters carried out three successive dawn raids north of the port city of Tyre in southern Lebanon, police said, without immediately mentioning whether there were victims. A Lebanese soldier was killed overnight when Israeli war planes took out a bridge south of Beirut. The White House held Syria and Iran responsible for the flare-up, as world powers urgently appealed for restraint. Hezbollah, or the Party of God, whose militia was instrumental in forcing Israeli troops out of Lebanon in May 2000, said it was demanding the release of Arab prisoners in return for the soldiers. "They will only return home through indirect negotiations and an exchange of prisoners," Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah said, saying the abduction was aimed at drawing international attention to the plight of "thousands of Lebanese, Palestinian and Arab detainees." But Mr Olmert insisted there would be no negotiations. "This was an act of war without any provocation on the sovereign territory... of the state of Israel," said Mr Olmert, facing the most serious test of his leadership since his government took office in May. Israeli fighter jets, gunboats and artillery pounded Lebanon, hitting Hezbollah targets and about 10 bridges, cutting off the highway linking Beirut to the south. After an emergency meeting, the Israeli cabinet gave the green light to unspecified retaliatory action against Lebanon, which has been mired in its own political crisis since the murder of ex-premier Rafiq Hariri in 2005 and is still rebuilding after the devastating 1975-1990 civil war. "Israel must respond with the necessary severity to this act of aggression... Israel will respond aggressively and harshly to those who carried out, and are responsible for, today's action," a cabinet statement said. Army chief Dan Halutz vowed on Israeli television to "take Lebanon back 20 years." Israel has already called up a rapid-reaction force of 6000 troops headed for the northern border, where many residents were heading for bunkers to escape mortars and Katyusha rockets fired by Hezbollah at the Jewish state. The Lebanese government - which includes a Hezbollah minister - denied any involvement in the Hezbollah action and demanded an urgent UN Security Council meeting. Prime Minister Fuad Siniora also called up a host of world leaders "to ask them to help Lebanon in the face of the aggression and in order to contain the situation." Yemen also called for an emergency meeting of the 22-member Arab League. The White House, which considers Hezbollah a terrorist outfit, condemned the capture of the soldiers and pointed the finger at Israel's two main foes, Iran and Syria, which both bankroll the fundamentalist Shiite movement. "We call for the immediate and unconditional release of the two soldiers. We also hold Syria and Iran, which directly support Hezbollah, responsible for this attack and for the ensuing violence," said national security spokesman Frederick Jones. Washington also defended Israel's ground incursion into Lebanon -- the first since the 2000 pullout, saying its chief Middle East ally was entitled to defend itself against "terrorist" attacks. UN chief Kofi Annan urged all sides to show restraint and to protect civilians. Lebanese police said two civilians and a soldier were killed and 26 people wounded in Israeli reprisal attacks. |
| Posted by:phil_b |
| #19 As for oil prices, they are set in Dallas and there will be little more than a short spike even if Iranians sabotage their own fields. And if they do that, they can forget about Iranian sovereignty over them. If you believe the bit about oil prices, you're even more into fantasy about Energy Policy than the average American is. We currently import 60% of our oil, and are in no position to set prices in the producing companies, many of which have their oil production facilities run by state-owned oil companies. |
| Posted by: Phil 2006-07-13 14:33 |
| #18 Anginens Threreng8133 from what info I have the Israeli tank (singular) that was hit when crossed the border about two hours after the initial attack; the land mines were only about 100m from the border basically, the first few hours Hizb benefitted aided by some pretty careless work by IDF reservists |
| Posted by: mhw 2006-07-13 13:21 |
| #17 From CNN: "Israel also said it has information that the guerrillas who captured the soldiers are trying to transfer them to Iran, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said, according to The Associated Press." If true, another act of war by the State of Iran. We may well see a nuclear war this year. Islamofascists will be on the receiving end, along with millions of innocents. Guess who will be blamed? |
| Posted by: Kalle (kafir forever) 2006-07-13 12:27 |
| #16 AT8133 you are on to an important point. Iran's only hope of victory, and stated goal, is to provoke a global conflagration while they try to destroy Israel. It's a tenuous hope, but it's their only one given their pathetic ideology (apart from seeing the American people elect traitors to rule both the executive and legislative branches). I'd say watch Southern Iraq in the next few days. Then watch terrorist attacks on infrastructure points across the world. If they think they can keep the US military busy elsewhere, they'll have an opportunity to go after israel with WMDs. Once they unleash Hamas and Hizbullah, what other levers do they have? a Syrian return to Lebanon, Sadrists in Iraq, and global terrorist attacks. Then all they have left are nukes, if they have them. Since they've pushed Hizbullah into action, there's no stepping back for Iran. My estimate is that however insane the mullahs are, they do make plans and do love death, the mass-murder kind of death. Given all of the above, I hope coalition forces are ready and willing. To utterly crush Iran and Syria. We've been in Iraq for 3 years. Time for the next major campaign in WW IV. |
| Posted by: Kalle (kafir forever) 2006-07-13 12:10 |
| #15 along with a Hezbollah fighter, two Lebanese civilians and a Lebanese soldier Oh come now, with the amount of damage Isreal is doing the casualties of Hezbollah HAS to be higher. I think they're just hiding the dead before anyone can add them to the corpse count. |
| Posted by: Charles 2006-07-13 11:40 |
| #14 Daniel: Iranian leaders have spoken about "400 critical points" where US global security is vulnerable. You may not know this, but Iranians were caught photographing the Panama Canal, last week. The White House would have a huge database on this Homeland threat. Bush didn't have a Homeland pretext for liberating Iraq. Iran's genocidal tyrants have furnished him with one. He also has the fact of Persian brutalization of Azeris, Kurds, Balochis, Arabs and religious minorities. Now he has Hizbollah (read: Iran) subversion of his Road Map, on which to hang a pretext. After G8, Ahmadinejad will start sending some of his "40,000" registered "martyr" terrorists against Israel. Then, something decisive and of long term effect will happen. As for oil prices, they are set in Dallas and there will be little more than a short spike even if Iranians sabotage their own fields. And if they do that, they can forget about Iranian sovereignty over them Did you think that the "pre-emptive" war doctrine was just rhetoric? |
| Posted by: Anginens Threreng8133 2006-07-13 11:14 |
| #13 The Indian Wars killed about 45,000 Native Americans. I'm afraid Israel will soon have to kill more Iranians than that to get their point across. |
| Posted by: Darrell 2006-07-13 08:55 |
| #12 Folks, stop talking about beating this enemy, piecemeal, and start talking about annihilating them wholesale. I have a sad feeling we're all going to understand the Indian Wars a lot better in the next ten years or so. |
| Posted by: Rob Crawford 2006-07-13 07:48 |
| #11 I guarantee some general told Olmert this and he didn't listen. |
| Posted by: djohn66 2006-07-13 07:29 |
| #10 NS, you have a point there. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2006-07-13 07:22 |
| #9 Not to justify arab actions, but Olmert invited this by acting like such a milquetoast in Gaza. He should have smacked them down harder and then Hezhbollah might not have been so brazen. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2006-07-13 07:19 |
| #8 I look forward to the eventual dismantlement of Lebanon's infrastructure. Like I said earlier, I had no idea Olmert had it in him. I figured he was a sheep in sheep's clothing. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2006-07-13 02:32 |
| #7 Many believe that the consequences of Hezbullah attacks may be the fuse to cause the Islamic explosion promised by Ahmedinejad, if the Israelis do not stop their massacres against Palestinians. blah, blah - we all know he planned to light the fuse anyway. |
| Posted by: 2b 2006-07-13 02:25 |
| #6 I have been trying to get details of the Hizbollah attack/kidnapping. A Hizbollah supporter from Iraq, posted the following on a forum. "This morning, Wednesday 12.07.06, Hezbullah ambushed an Israeli military convoy on the Lebanese border killing three Israelis and taken two others as prisoners. When the Israelis rushed with their tanks, huge road-side bombs exploded destroying two tanks and killing an additional four Israeli soldiers. This attack was preceded by at least 30 missiles fired at Israel command and control posts. Hezbullah seems to launch its operation in support of the besieged Palestinians in Gaza whom are being killed, point blank, by Israeli Tank fires. In his news conference this afternoon, Sheikh Nassurallah hinted of the need to exchange prisoners and announced his readiness to confront Israel if Olmert choses to escalate. Many believe that the consequences of Hezbullah attacks may be the fuse to cause the Islamic explosion promised by Ahmedinejad, if the Israelis do not stop their massacres against Palestinians. Let Condoleeza play her fiddle (Piano) while the Middle East (Rome) is burning. Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Palestine and now Lebanon are united in fighting the USraeli crusaders. Let the USraeli agressors be victims for a change." ----------------------- I don't like using enemy sources, but this sounds credible. The IDF did lose a tank, and a powerful planted bomb (not an IED) could do it. A co-ordinated attack by overwhelming forces, could halt a convoy and enable attackers to kill or capture soldiers. And use of diversion by the terrorists could have delayed counter-attack concentration. Folks, stop talking about beating this enemy, piecemeal, and start talking about annihilating them wholesale. Without mullah leadership and jihad ideology, Muslims would abandon Islam when they learn of its utter worthlessness in advancing humanity. It is us v them; now or never. Diplomacy can't trump sharia; total war can remove the Muslims ability to make terror. |
| Posted by: Anginens Threreng8133 2006-07-13 01:55 |
| #5 djohn66, Israelis are just waiting for Baby Sad Ass to feel lucky, punk, even a minute casus belli. |
| Posted by: twobyfour 2006-07-13 01:36 |
| #4 Three things should happen: - inflict major losses to Hizbullah, and clear -- completely -- a 20km area North of the Lebanese border; bomb anything moving in that area over the next 20 years - inflict major infrastructure losses to Lebanon -- weekly until they kick Hizbullah out of government and disarm its militia - topple the Syrian government, because of their support for Hamas and Hizbullah The USA should actively participate in the 3rd aspect, and veto all UN upcoming pro-Islamist resolutions. |
| Posted by: Kalle (kafir forever) 2006-07-13 01:29 |
| #3 I think Israelis should go full bore and take out Damascus too. |
| Posted by: djohn66 2006-07-13 01:10 |
| #2 UN chief Kofi Annan urged all sides to show restraint and to protect civilians. where the hell are the NYC muggers when you NEED ONE! |
| Posted by: RD 2006-07-13 01:03 |
| #1 The islamic hive mind must absolutely be devoid of the concept of cause and effect. Attacks on Isreal are like poking a nest of killer bees but the Arabs and tribalist peoples who are islamic almost to exclusion do not understand this or ever learn it. If Isreal says it will set Lebanon back 20 years count on it being 40. Count on the US of A pulling a China in the UNSC as well. It's totally justified. Baby Asswad better take to sleeping in a different bunker every night too. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2006-07-13 00:58 |