Article

2005-11-24 Syria-Lebanon-Iran

US marines Locked in battle With Syrian Forces

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Posted by Omavilet Ebbatle7040 2005-11-24 17:54|| || Front Page|| [12 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 It is so difficult to express much enthusiasm over our troops entering into additional danger. Especially so on this day of national Thanksgiving. That America's guardian warriors have elected to undergo the peril of opening another front garners my highest respect and regard. Syria's constant meddling and fomenting of terrorist activity merits the harshest of punishment. I can only hope that our brave Marines are providing these treacherous Syrian maggots with a vivid lesson in what happens when they flaunt those who carry forward with the might of true moral authority.

Posted by Zenster 2005-11-24 18:17|| 2005-11-24 18:17|| Front Page Top

#2 No confirmation from other sources (but I hope its true).

Posted by phil_b 2005-11-24 18:31|| 2005-11-24 18:31|| Front Page Top

#3 If it's true, I still think that our forces should be going east, not west.

Posted by Mizzou Mafia 2005-11-24 18:59|| 2005-11-24 18:59|| Front Page Top

#4 mixed emotions. I truly want to see the source of most of the al anbar to baghdad terror exterminated. But we better be ready to stay the course once we go in.

Posted by anymouse">anymouse 2005-11-24 19:01|| 2005-11-24 19:01|| Front Page Top

#5 I really enjoy Debka and I often go to this very fine if sometimes perplexing website, but I would prefer to have confirmation of this by other mainstream sources, cf. the "false start" of OIF by the same Debka... bottom-rock credibility is not really their forte.

Posted by anonymous5089 2005-11-24 19:09|| 2005-11-24 19:09|| Front Page Top

#6 Agreed.

Posted by lotp 2005-11-24 19:21|| 2005-11-24 19:21|| Front Page Top

#7 I doubt the Marines would cross into another country, however deserving, without the White House first announcing it.

Posted by 49 pan">49 pan 2005-11-24 19:40|| 2005-11-24 19:40|| Front Page Top

#8 The White House may announce it after they return to Iraq. But it may come from Sec Rice not Bush or Rummy.

Posted by Mahou Sensei Negi-bozu 2005-11-24 20:16|| 2005-11-24 20:16|| Front Page Top

#9 We told the Syrians six months ago that we might be inclined to go on "hot pursuits" after baddies on their territory. All that surprises me is that the Syrian border guards ill-advisedly lit our guys up. I would have expected them to valiantly not look at the ebb and flow. Well, their bad.

Do not cry for the Marines going into Syria. They have been itching to go in there and kick some serious ass for a while now. I'm sure damn near all of them would swap their hot turkey dinner right now for a chance to do some serious hurt on the scumbags that they're chasing.

I also doubt that they don't intend a whole lot of prisoner takin' in the process, either. These Marines are likely in the "blood in the eye" mode, and fully intend to smite them "from Dan unto Beersheba".

The big question is what the Syrian army and paramilitaries are going to do, if anything.

Posted by Anonymoose 2005-11-24 20:22|| 2005-11-24 20:22|| Front Page Top

#10 Good luck, God bless, and Kick Ass!

Posted by Whiskey Mike 2005-11-24 20:31|| 2005-11-24 20:31|| Front Page Top

#11 What will Cindy Sheehan say?

Posted by Captain America 2005-11-24 21:21|| 2005-11-24 21:21|| Front Page Top

#12 I doubt the Marines would cross into another country, however deserving, without the White House first announcing it.

We have humans for soldiers not terminators. Watching their men take crap and casualties while Muhammod shuffles back across some 'line' will only last so long before someone says F_it and does a hot pursuit across the border. You really think the pols or administration wants an investigation which reveals that the men have been told to die and do nothing really to stop it. That'll create a backlash against the war bigger than Cindy could ever dream of.

Posted by Slolump Phush9589 2005-11-24 22:03|| 2005-11-24 22:03|| Front Page Top

#13 If this is true, and that's a big file, going west is the right direction, not east. Syria is rotten to the core, it's nearly ostracized in the international community, and Pencil-Neck doesn't have much of a natural power base other than his thug-cronies.

Whereas, Iran is one big, big, big place, and while we'd like to think that the young generation there is sympathetic to us, we don't know. The Iranians haven't been stupid and they haven't been asleep, so they've been figuring out what to do if we were to come across the border. It's not the kind of fight we want to have.

Knock over Syria, whether with a stiletto from the inside or with a war-hammer from the eastern border, and you solve a lot of problems. The various Paleo terrorist groups depending on Syria become at risk. The Lebanese breathe easier. The Israelis breathe easier. You consolidate a fair part of the Levant, and that's all to the good. As an added bonus, now the Iranians really are alone, and you've just brought them down in the world by whacking their client-state.

Plus the Saoodis become even more nervous.

It goes without saying, of course, that we'd have to be very careful and smart about world opinion, and we'd have to be very quick. Having some sort of government-in-exile or in waiting is a necessity, because we don't want a prolonged occupation and new insurgency.

Just some tryptophan-induced happy thoughts :-)

Posted by Steve White">Steve White 2005-11-24 22:07|| 2005-11-24 22:07|| Front Page Top

#14 Just some tryptophan-induced happy thoughts :-)

And happy thoughts they are.

Posted by Zenster 2005-11-24 22:16|| 2005-11-24 22:16|| Front Page Top

#15 The bad: this might increase the political pressure in Washington to withdraw from Iraq.

The good: the only way we win this war is to make it bigger. Our mistake in Vietnam was not relentlessly bombing the Ho Chi Minh trail. Giap told us that. Nixon called off the bombers because it went through a neutral country (which wasn't doing anything to stop the flow of munitions), and the hippies were revolting in the streets. Then the South Vietnamese and us lost.

The same thing will happen in Iraq too unless we take out Syria. Even the NYT printed a few days ago a sentence that stated that munitions flow through Syria, cold fact. We've got to knock over Bashar Assad, set up a friendly government, and let the Arabs figure out which way the wind is blowing.

If we take Syria down fast and hard enough it will be within the Congressional mandate to act in Iraq, under hot pursuit, and Congress could only whine for the two weeks it takes. Then we've already won.

As for Iran, it's got 75 million people and lots of mountainous territory, the Caspian Sea (escape hatch to Russia), and all kinds of headaches we don't need. If we get Iran to make Europe angry enough though they'll do Iran with us.

Posted by Those Wholurong9582 2005-11-24 22:22|| 2005-11-24 22:22|| Front Page Top

#16 One more thing.

God bless the U.S. Marines!

Posted by Those Wholurong9582 2005-11-24 22:24|| 2005-11-24 22:24|| Front Page Top

#17 I can't find ANYTHING ANYWHERE to back this up, lol.

One thing is certain, there's an ROE and it is being followed to a "T". Ain't no cowboy yayhoos in this Army, just rock-solid disciplined people of the first water. If the ROE sez they can rock 'n roll in hot pursuit, then they will if it serves their mission. But I seriously doubt this report without beaucoup corroboration.

Posted by .com 2005-11-24 23:25|| 2005-11-24 23:25|| Front Page Top

#18 No mention from Big Three or CNN or MSNBC or FNC yet here in Guam - China's Bird Flu probs, however, is getting clear footage of Chinese towns, cities, and rivers mired in glorious massive Commie enviro-incorrect pollution, trash heaps, ... and kiddies getting sick just by merely breathing in the air. Wid trash heaps like these, who needs Sino-Russian BioWar/Chemwar factories andor labs blowing themselves up!?

Posted by JosephMendiola 2005-11-24 23:25|| 2005-11-24 23:25|| Front Page Top

#19 I second Steve's comment.

We should go after Iran's client Syria first to isolate Iran. Sending significant numbers of troops ino Iran is likely to alienate the younger Iranians who otherwise look favorably on the US. Besides we do not have the troops to occupy that country, the current President is making the Mullah's look moderate by comparison and he may even be scaring the Europeans into a semi-coherrent Iran policy.

If Iran is isolated we can both pressure them and even possibly get them to cooperate with us. If you're willing to dream hard enough, it's possible to envision a day when the US and Iran are putting pressure on the Soddies and the Paks. Defeating Syria and Hezbollah is a necessary step towards this logical re-alignment.

I doubt Assad will make it to next Thanksgiving. His father was a lot better dictator than he is and had several advantages including Soviet backing and a first generation regime that was freshly purged.

I believe we've had some clashes with Syrian border guards in the past and this sounds similar. I do think the time might come when we ratchet the pressure up a notch on Assad by announcing that we will cross the border whenever we think he's harboring somebody we want. I would would think the Iraqi government would issue that ultimatum if we want to make it public.

I think the American public would strongly favor us going after enemy sanctuaries in Syria. There are precious few hippies left and Bush is not Nixon. The current poll numbers reflect biased reporting, weariness with the daily reports of IED and rocket attacks killing our people and poor communications by the White House. As noted, the press admits what Syria is doing and crossing the border to stop it is a way to break the daily cycle.

Posted by JAB 2005-11-24 23:27|| 2005-11-24 23:27|| Front Page Top

#20 Everyone should chill out if this is true we are not taking Syria down if so these reports would be of massive air raids across Syria.

This is border battles maybe a hot pursuit were either going in or out the SOF engadged Syrian regualars and had to call in backup. This will do many things tighten the screws so hard Bashir's skull just craked from pressure. This has been going on for awhile just sounds like the first time a engagement big enough to require some heavy fire power with Syrian regulars. Sounds good to me.

Posted by C-Low 2005-11-24 23:44|| 2005-11-24 23:44|| Front Page Top

#21 wow. Had to wipe off the keyboard after reading the headline. Great comments. It's almost midnight in DC, I can't wait to see what the official statements will be.

If true, it's not like we didn't see it coming one step at a time.

Posted by 2b 2005-11-24 23:47|| 2005-11-24 23:47|| Front Page Top

00:00 Zenster
23:56 Edward Yee
23:47 .com
23:47 2b
23:44 C-Low
23:39 Zenster
23:35 JosephMendiola
23:27 JAB
23:26 Zenster
23:25 JosephMendiola
23:25 .com
23:19 2b
23:18 .com
23:14 Zenster
23:12 .com
23:02 .com
23:02 Zenster
22:46 Laurence of the Rats
22:39 Zenster
22:34 Zenster
22:24 Those Wholurong9582
22:22 Those Wholurong9582
22:16 Zenster
22:07 Steve White