Middle East erupts

[tw]

Originally Posted by Brianna

I read in the paper today that the bunkers Hezbollah are hiding in must have taken YEARS to build. That's an interesting bit of information. This doesn't bode well at all.

It only says something relavent if you believe anything military will solve the problem. Cheney believes that (which is why he did not do his job in 1992). Bunkers only mean more jews may die in the invasion. That would be a good thing because then the losses on both sides might be high enough to address the only purpose of war.

[Undertoad]

Here is a very fine backgrounder on the entire situation.

Bunkers only mean more jews may die in the invasion.

I'm sure you meant to say "Zionists" or "Israelis".

[MaggieL]

Originally Posted by Undertoad

Here is a very fine backgrounder on the entire situation.

Nice.
Money quote for the Internet crowd:

Meanwhile Hezbollah and its allies both in the region and in the West are and will be waging the mother of all propaganda wars. The task assigned to the propagandists is to stop military operations so that Hezbollah survives and to stop international intervention so that the Lebanese Government collapses. A war of images, photos, mudding, Internet, and media will explode in all directions. Operatives helping Hezbollah, including many with Christian names, will be waging an indiscriminate propaganda offensive against Lebanese, Arab, Western and obviously Israeli figures to spread confusion and psychological collapse in the international community. Objective: Obstruct the implementation of UNSCR 1559, trash the March 14 movement, criticize the Arab Government, and incite for Jihadi violence.

"World War III will be a guerilla information war with no division between civilian and military participation." --Marshall McLuhan

[Undertoad]

Hizballah understands that completely, and puts on a show for the cameras.

Howard Kurtz/Nic Robertson on "Reliable Sources"

KURTZ: To what extent do you feel like you're being used to put up the pictures that they want -- obviously, it's terrible that so many civilians have been killed -- without any ability, as you just outlined, to verify, because -- to verify Hezbollah's role, because this is a fighting force that is known to blend in among the civilian population and keep some of its weapons there?

ROBERTSON: Absolutely. And I think as we try and do our job, which is go out and see what's happened to the best of our ability, clearly, in that environment, in the southern suburbs of Beirut that Hezbollah controls, the only way we can get into those areas is with a Hezbollah escort. And absolutely, when you hear their claims they have to come with -- with a -- more than a grain of salt, that you have to put in some journalistic integrity. That you have to point out to the audience and let them know that this was a guided tour by Hezbollah press officials along with security, that it was a very rushed affair.

KURTZ: Right.

ROBERTSON: That there wasn't time to go and look through those buildings. The audience has to know the conditions of that tour. But again, if we didn't get all -- or we could not get access to those areas without Hezbollah compliance, they control those areas.

KURTZ: Right.

ROBERTSON: And I think to bring the audience the full picture of what's happening in Beirut, you have to go into those southern suburbs.

KURTZ: All right.

ROBERTSON: Because that's where the vast majority of bombs were falling.

KURTZ: I understand.

ROBERTSON: Again, they come with a health warning that we cannot vouch for everything that Hezbollah is saying. And I think the audience is sophisticated enough to appreciate that, Howard.

Let us be sophisticated.

[Undertoad]

Hezbollah is basically the only force in Lebanon defending Lebanon from Israeli attacks. You may not believe it. But your isolated perspective does not matter. Only matters is what those locals believe.

They believed that H was an effective defensive force last month, but surely they do not believe it now.

[9th Engineer]

Do you really think that an organization that launches aggressive attacks such as the recent rocket bombings exists to protect Lebanon from 'Israeli attacks'??? OF COURSE ISRAEL IS GOING TO ATTACK!!! It's like hiring a bodyguard and telling him to puch random people in the face. Terrorist organization or not they are still the active trouble maker right now.

[JayMcGee]

mmmmm..... I see the IDF have widened their horizons....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/mid...st/5215366.stm

[MaggieL]

Originally Posted by JayMcGee

mmmmm..... I see the IDF have widened their horizons....

As Jay continues to prove the McLuhan quote in the other thread.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Here's one for you to chew on, Jay.

[MaggieL]

Mentioning Seymour Hersh is probably a good way to trigger another tw epic. :-)

[Spexxvet]

It sounds as though some of you think that Israel is/was/will be militarily offensive toward Lebanon. Israel has given up territory voluntarily and consolidated. Are you saying that they now want to annex some of Lebanon? I can see where they want Hizb'allah away from their border, since Hizb'allah's goal is to anhilate Israel. But to attack in order to gain territory? I don't know about that....

[xoxoxoBruce]

The only reason they want to be in South Lebanon is so Hizb'allah won't be.

[BrianR]

I have a question.

Maybe I've missed a news report, but where in the hell are the terrorists getting so many hundreds of rockets, plus the hardware to launch them? I know they don't need a sophisticated launch platform but some kind of launcher is needed.

I think Israel would be better off cutting the supply lines and letting the terrorists wither from starvation and acute weapon shortages rather than trying to track down wach and every one and blast him/her from the air.

Sometimes, I hate being out of touch.

Brian

[Happy Monkey]

China and Russia, probably. Via Iran and Syria I expect.

[jaguar]

The missile that hit the frigate was a radar guided, Iranian made variant of the Chinese 'silkworm' missile although there are some reports it was a newer also Chinese designed YJ-82. Most the of the rockets appear to come from Iran and are based on Chinese, Russian or DPRK variant designs. The most common, a soviet designed truck-mounted multi-rocket launcher dates back to WW2.