You have commented 339 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
Submit your comments on this article
Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Hezbollah claims of combat successes become less and less believable
2006-08-03
If Hezbollah-run media are to be believed, then 35 Israel Defense Forces soldiers were killed or wounded in Ayta a-Shab , militants downed an Israeli helicopter and destroyed a house in which IDF soldiers were hiding, and IDF troops are always hit in the back because they are running away.

“It's not clear what incident, if any, the report was referring to... He repeated that an Israeli ship had been hit, but said no pictures were broadcast because visibility was poor...”
All these statements are baseless because - despite the impression Hezbollah has made for straight talk - credibility is not its strong suit. Hezbollah's reports have become less and less believable in recent days. On Monday, Al-Manar television - the central component of Hezbollah's well-oiled media empire - reported that the organization had destroyed an Israeli ship off the coast of Tyre, which had some 50 sailors aboard - a charge the IDF dismissed completely.

It's not clear what incident, if any, the report was referring to, and the Arab world has been asking questions. Al-Arabiya television asked Mahmoud Kamati, a member of the Hezbollah political bureau, about the Hezbollah claim and he repeated that an Israeli ship had been hit, but said no pictures were broadcast because visibility was poor.
Posted by:Fred

#11  same brown shirts
Posted by: Frank G   2006-08-03 20:25  

#10  Arabs also have a tendency to make sweeping and, to Western ears, ridiculous statements - almost as though by just claiming something it will manifest itself as reality with no additional effort on the Arab's part. It's more what they want it to be than what it actually is.

Leftists indulge in the same behaviour.

In fact, if you sit back and look at the two groups, you'd find LOTS of similarities.
Posted by: Ptah   2006-08-03 20:07  

#9  almost as though by just claiming something it will manifest itself as reality with no additional effort on the Arab's part. It's more what they want it to be than what it actually is.


Somebodys been to my Seminar!
Posted by: Tony Robbins   2006-08-03 11:52  

#8  On the flip side, Israel knows what it's losses are, and as they become aware of the outragous disinformation of the enemy, they would naturally suffer boosted morale and even laugh out loud.
So, how can the Hezbs bring joy to the enemy ? Braggadocious bullcrap to cover their misery. This is a tactical error on Hezbs part.
Posted by: wxjames   2006-08-03 11:41  

#7  This actually doesn't surprise me. Notions of honor and face are very tightly intertwined over there, and so Hezbollah has to make these kinds of pronouncements - even when it's clear that they violate reality. Arabs also have a tendency to make sweeping and, to Western ears, ridiculous statements - almost as though by just claiming something it will manifest itself as reality with no additional effort on the Arab's part. It's more what they want it to be than what it actually is.

It's a different way of thinking, one that is very alien to our logical, (generally) reality-based Western minds. It's also very funny once you understand it. Trouble is, the media doesn't - so they report these things as though they're facts (which, ironically enough, almost makes it into reality into today's world - until that pesky thing known as the truth comes along . . .)
Posted by: The Doctor   2006-08-03 08:50  

#6  I actually lay this at the feet of the MSM too. They wouldn't "hype" these numbers unless they know it'll hit the NY Slimes and then the world. Much like the immediate stories of Qana, which said 50-60 Lebanese were killed in that house, when the real number is more like mid-20's and, of that, they were basically ALL kept hostage there by Hezbollah. If it bleeds, it leads, and the MSM never really checks the numbers.
Posted by: BA   2006-08-03 08:36  

#5  There are three kinds of people in this world--those that can count and those that can't count. Hezzies must fall in the latter category.
Posted by: Whaling Unomoger7693   2006-08-03 07:31  

#4  "Why are all these assholes such liars?"

It's in the Koran.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles   2006-08-03 07:28  

#3  Why are all these assholes such liars? Every freakin one of them from Irant to Lebanon
Posted by: Captain America   2006-08-03 02:38  

#2  It doesn't matter. The Arab world feeds off of these stories. It's effective use of the media.
Posted by: gromky   2006-08-03 02:13  

#1  Didn't Arab news media do this once before in Iraq? Unless they are asking some questions, Arabs are about to get bitten a second time by the same dog.
Posted by: gorb   2006-08-03 00:22  

00:00