Israel widened its offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon this morning, closing down the country's international airport, located in the Shiite suburbs in South Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold. Lebanese police reported the shells hit the runways and a road leading from the city. Scheduled flights were forced to divert to Cyprus.
I'm pretty sure that the Israelis targeted the airport to keep Hezbollah from flying its two Israeli hostages out of the country..perhaps to Syria or more likely Iran.
The IAF also bombed the harbor so no ships can get in or out, probably for the same reason.
Israel continues its retaliation for the attack on Israeli territory by hezbollah, which killed 8 Israeli soldiers, injured a number of civilians and left two wounded Israeli soldiers hostages in Hezbollah's hands.
The Israelis have been blasting bridges and roads in southern Lebanon since yesterday, and continue an offensive on the ground in South Lebanon. Another target of the IAF was the studios of Hezbollah's Al-Manar television station in Lebanon.
Hezbollah continues to shoot missiles at Israel.A Katyusha rocket hit Rosh Pina in the Galilee, and strikes on Nahariya killed 1 Israeli and left 20 wounded.
Katyushas also fell on this morning in Kfar Nasi in the Galilee and in Kibbutz Mahanayim.
This is going to get a lot bloodier before it ends.
ff,
ReplyDeletei understand that kofi annus is sending a UN team to the mid-east to mediate this event/action.
my question is:
are you going to be reporting on the child rape and extortion/shake-down that these representatives will of course be bringing with them? i am assuming of course that the three man team that kofi annus is sending is merely an advance/scout team for subsequent teams of child rapists to follow.
Hi Nazar,
ReplyDeleteLike your question about why we, as Americans, should care about what happens in East Africa, your question about Israel has an answer..that we as Americans should very much care what happens to Israel, out of pure, cold, calculating self-interest. I will address this in an article I will probably have up on the site today, and I'd be interested to see your reaction.
I'll also address your comment that 9/11 occurred because of US support for Israel as an ally. IMO, that is a gross misstatement. 9/11 and this war would have occurred if Israel didn't exist.
Hi Louie,
The reason the UN is sending a team to the Middle East is to safeguard Arab interests and act as a `human rights' watchdog to try and intimidate the Israelis, not to mediate a peaceful soluton. If that were the case, the UN could simply state that all aid to the Palestinian Authority would cease until Corporal Shalit was returned and the rocket attacks ended in the case of Gaza...and in the case of Hezbollah, a part of the Lebanese government, the UN could push for sanctions and a resoultion under Article two of its charter against Lebanon until the Israeli hostages were released.
You have to remember, Kofi Annan has publicly stated that Israel is `engaging in terrorism' and has also referred to Irael as `nothing but an expropriator of Arab land'.
The UN is not a neutral party.