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| 7/8 |
| 2006/8/19-24 [Politics/Foreign/MiddleEast/Others] UID:44071 Activity:low |
8/18 The press asks, wasn't there supposed to be a ceasefire?
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20060819/D8JJJCK01.html
\_ Wasn't France supposed to supply 15000 soldiers?
\_ Lebanon committed 15k soldiers to the reason. I haven't heard
\_ Lebanon committed 15k soldiers to the region. I haven't heard
about a commitment from France yet. Looking.. Looks like
France's commitment was 200 troops.
\_ The press is packed with fools. They have no clue what is going
on and don't care. A cease fire doesn't mean fighting stops. It
is an agreement that fighting will stop so long as both sides
abide by agreements. One of them in this case is that Hezbollah
had to disarm (again). They aren't disarming, they are re-arming
for another round of attacks. They're already in violation of
multiple cease fire agreements. There is not and never was a
cease fire. 400 French troops aren't even a symbolic force. The
whole thing is a sick joke which is only delaying the next fight.
\_ ^press^White House
\_ The failures of the WH are well known because the press
harps on them. Not enough people harp on the failures of
the press.
\_ really? not enough people harp about the liberal media
and conservative news shows?
\_ no, not enough of the right people. it's all inside
the echo chamber. there is no national reporting or
discussion on the failures of the press because we
only have the press/media itself in a role to create
that sort of awareness. the typical vaguely informed
citizen has no clue because major media will never
admit to their own flaws. they don't even see them.
\_ How do 8 million blogs not count as "national
reporting"? -tom
\_ You're kidding right? 8 million blogs have
reported the Reuters/NYT/APNews fake photo
stories? When the fake photo story gets
investigated and reported as front page news,
is the top story on CNN and 60 minutes and 20/20
doing investigative reports lemme know. The
average citizen has absolutely no idea about that
or a zillion other failures of the press that have
happened and gone uninvestigated or even reported
by the media. Blogs? Really? Sheesh.
\_ The fake photo story simply isn't that big
a story. The stringer was deceptive,
Reuters wasn't paying attention, they
retracted it, big frickin' deal.
The average U.S. citizen has no interest in
understanding reality, anyway. If they did,
there are plenty of sources for them. -tom
\_ Make up your mind. First you say it is
so important that 8 million bloggers
covered it, now you say there was no story
at all, even though the LAT did cover it
and then say it is not the responsibility
of the media to get news out anyway but
up to the citizens to sort through your
8 million blogs and decide on their own
which are factual or not which implies we
don't need a traditional media at all.
Just give it up, you're all over the map.
\_ Way to put words into my mouth. Let me
try using small words for you:
\_ Ah yes, the personal attack. Good
show! I got totally schooled here!
1) The picture story is minor. Not
nothing, but minor.
\_ This is *your* opinion. The LAT
disagree. So do your 8 million
bloggers. You're ducking.
2) For any major stories involving
problems with the press, people
who care have plenty of sources
of information. -tom
\_ And here you weave and bob but still
add nothing to your non-points while
continuing to ignore what I said.
\_ a description of the operation
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/20/world/middleeast/20lebanon.html
\_ get a clue, no one is going to disarm Hezbollah. This entire
notion of disarming Hezbollah is nothing but wishful thinking from
US side. Remember, Hezbollah is a gurilla organization. Such
organization can *NOT* survive without population support.
Hezbollah is aware of this. This is why Hezbollah is distributing
aids and start recontruction of people's homes as soon as bombs
stop to fall. If one *REALLY* want to disarm Hezbollah, one would
*STRENGTHEN* the Lebanon central government instead of weaken it
by destroying all its infrastructures built in past 10+ years. |
| 7/8 |
|
| apnews.myway.com/article/20060819/D8JJJCK01.html Full Image BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) - Israeli commandos raided a Hezbollah stronghold deep inside Lebanon Saturday, sparking a fierce clash with militants that killed one Israeli. Lebanon called the raid a "flagrant violation" of the UN-brokered cease-fire, while Israel said it was aimed at disrupting arms shipments from Iran and Syria. Witnesses said Israeli missiles also destroyed a bridge during the raid in what would be the first such airstrike since the cease-fire took effect Monday, ending 34 days of warfare between the two sides. The fighting did not appear to be escalating, but it highlighted the fragility of the truce as the United Nations pleaded for nations to contribute to an international peacekeeping force due to patrol southern Lebanon. Lebanese Defense Minister Elias Murr threatened to halt the army's deployment in south Lebanon if the United Nations does not take up the issue of the raid. A stop to the deployment would deeply damage efforts to move in the UN force to strengthen the cease-fire. "If there are no clear answers forthcoming on this issue, I might be forced to recommend to the Cabinet early next week the halt of the army deployment in the south," Murr told reporters after a meeting with UN representatives. In Jerusalem, Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev defended the raid as a response to "a violation of the cease-fire." "The UN Security Council resolution on Lebanon is very explicit: It says that Hezbollah cannot use the cease-fire to rearm, to receive more missiles and more rockets from Syria and Iran. That was happening, and Israel acted to prevent that from happening," he said. Regev indicated Israel could conduct further raids until Lebanese and international troops take up positions to prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding its arsenal - a goal that the UN resolution sets as part of a long-term end to the conflict but does not immediately require. "If the Syrians and Iran continue to arm Hezbollah in violation of the resolution, Israel is entitled to act to defend the principle of the arms embargo," Regev said. "Once the Lebanese army and the international forces are active ... The first small contingent of reinforcements for the peacekeeping force - 49 French soldiers - landed Saturday in inflatable dinghies at the southern Lebanese coastal town of Naqoura, with 200 more expected next week. But Deputy UN Secretary-General Mark Malloch Brown said more countries need to step forward to fill out a vanguard of 3,500 soldiers that the UN wants on the ground by Aug. Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora called Saturday's commando raid a "flagrant violation" of the cease-fire, and said he would take the issue up with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Murr said the raid could spark Hezbollah retaliation, which in turn could lead to Israeli reprisals. He suggested Israel might be trying to provoke a response, so it could have an excuse to attack the Lebanese army. "We will not send the army to be prey in an Israeli trap," he said. Under the cease-fire terms, Israel has said it will conduct defensive operations if its troops are threatened. But the raid took place far from positions of Israeli troops in southern Lebanon. Such a bold operation suggested Israel was going after a major target - perhaps to rescue two Israeli soldiers snatched by Hezbollah on July 12, or to try to capture a senior guerrilla official to trade for the soldiers. Hezbollah has said it wants to exchange the two soldiers for Arab prisoners, but the cease-fire resolution demands Hezbollah unconditionally release the soldiers. The Israeli commandos were dropped by helicopter on a hill outside the village of Boudai west of Baalbek and apparently were seeking a guerrilla target in a nearby school, Lebanese security officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to release information to the media. Local media said Sheik Mohammed Yazbeck, a senior Hezbollah official in the Bekaa Valley and a member of the group's Shura council, may have been the target. Israel said the force completed its mission, with one officer killed and two soldiers wounded. Lebanese security officials said three guerrillas were killed and three were wounded. Hezbollah officials at the scene said the Israeli commandos brought two vehicles with them that they used to drive into Boudai. They identified themselves as the Lebanese army when intercepted by Hezbollah fighters in a field, but the guerrillas grew suspicious and gunfire erupted, according to the officials. Israeli helicopters fired missiles as the commandos withdrew and flew out of the area an hour later, they said. Witnesses saw bandages and syringes at the landing site outside Boudai, about 10 miles west of Baalbek and 15 miles west of the Syrian border. A bridge was destroyed bridge about 500 yards from the area in what witnesses said was an Israeli airstrike. The ancient town of Baalbek is the birthplace of the Iranian- and Syrian-backed Hezbollah. The area in the eastern Bekaa Valley, 60 miles north of the Israeli border, is a major guerrilla stronghold. Israel said that the building was a Hezbollah base, not a hospital, and that its soldiers captured five guerrilla fighters and killed 10 more before withdrawing. Under the cease-fire, some 15,000 Lebanese soldiers are to move into the south, backed by the beefed-up UN peacekeeping force known, as Israeli forces withdraw. Lebanon has said Hezbollah will not be allowed to show its weapons in public, but has not said whether it will try the more controversial step of disarming the guerrillas. The Lebanese army has deployed more than 1,500 soldiers in three sectors that Israeli forces have left, and the UN force - currently numbering 2,000 - has set up checkpoints and started patrolling the areas. So far, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Italy, France and Finland have promised troops. In an effort to encourage more countries to sign on, Annan said the peacekeeping force would not "wage war" on Israel, Lebanon or Hezbollah militants, addressing a key concern of many countries. Turkey's government said this week that during the Lebanon war it forced Syria-bound Iranian planes to land and be searched for rockets and other military equipment. The newspaper Hurriyet reported that two Iranian planes were forced to land at Diyarbakir airport on July 27 and Aug. Foreign Ministry deputy spokesman Murat Ozcelik said those were not the only planes forced to land. "We inspect Iranian planes upon any suspicion that they may be carrying any weapons," he said, but declined to give details. |
| www.nytimes.com/2006/08/20/world/middleeast/20lebanon.html Enlarge this Image Kevork Djansezian/Associated Press Hezbollah fighters with a comrade's coffin paused for a prayer on Saturday in a funeral procession near Beirut. Enlarge this Image Atef Safadi/European Pressphoto Agency Israeli soldiers marched back to Israel from southern Lebanon on Saturday. The New York Times Israeli commandos were dropped into Boudai under disguise. Israel and to prevent arms from being transported to Hezbollah from Iran and Syria." Any such resupply effort would itself violate the Security Council cease-fire resolution. The raid took place overnight under the cover of sonic booms from Israeli jets flying overhead, which occur often over Lebanon. But this time they masked the sound of helicopters bringing in the commando unit and two Humvee vehicles. Villagers said the soldiers were dressed in Lebanese Army uniforms. One Israeli special operations officer was killed and two commandos were wounded, one seriously, but an Israeli Army spokesman in Jerusalem said the "objectives had been attained in full." "They failed completely," said Sadiq Hamdi, 36, a scrap-iron dealer. "They were still on the road when the Hezbollah came upon them. They did not take 1 percent of what they were trying to do." The Israeli Army said it would continue such raids until "proper monitoring bodies are established on the Lebanese borders," another task for the United Nations forces in Lebanon. Lebanon's defense minister, Elias Murr, said that if Israel carried out any more raids, he would ask the cabinet to halt the Lebanese Army's deployment in the south. That deployment -- now being bolstered by United Nations peacekeeping forces -- is the cornerstone of the cease-fire, and ending it could end the delicate truce between Israel and Hezbollah that has held since Monday. Suleiman Chamas, 38, the mayor of this village about 10 miles west of Baalbek, gave the following account. The disguised commandos landed in the eastern foothills of the Mount Lebanon range, loaded into Humvees and drove east on a road called Ayoun Semman, where they encountered a roadblock guarded by local Hezbollah fighters. The commandos shouted in Arabic, "Peace be with you, we're one of yours," and tried to pass the roadblock without stopping. The commandos turned onto a dirt road, and a gun battle broke out, drawing more villagers. "The whole village came down, both those who could shoot and those who cannot," Mayor Chamas said. Fighter jets and helicopters fired rockets and, within about 40 minutes, evacuated the commandos, he said. Left behind were two fresh craters in the rich red Bekaa Valley soil, signs of casualties -- large bloodstains, syringes and surgical masks -- and what the villagers said was some kind of device to guide the helicopters. Yahya Ali, 30, wearing a red shirt and carrying an AK-47 assault rifle, was one of a number of villagers who said the Israeli commandos had been dressed like Lebanese soldiers. He said they had been wearing the mostly green woodland camouflage uniforms that are standard issue for the Lebanese Army, along with olive-green flak jackets and green helmets, also standard issue. Israeli soldiers wear a solid brownish uniform with brown body armor and helmets. Mr Ali said he could see the uniform clearly because in the rescue the helicopters and Humvees had bright lights turned on. The boldness of the raid during the truce suggested the Israelis might have had some major objective in mind, perhaps the rescue of their two captured comrades or the capture of a major Hezbollah figure. Boudai is the home village of Sheik Muhammad Yazbeck, a senior Hezbollah leader and member of the group's Shura Council. The Israeli Army later said it had not captured him and denied his capture was the objective, The Associated Press reported. The village was the scene of a funeral Friday for a Hezbollah guerrilla, Mahmoud Ahmed Asef, who had died fighting in Bint Jbail. In Israel, the Foreign Ministry spokesman, Mark Regev, said, "If the Syrians and the Iranians continue to arm Hezbollah in violation of the resolution, Israel is entitled to act to defend the principle of the arms embargo." But in a statement on the United Nations Web site, Mr Annan's spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, said the secretary general considered the raid a violation of the resolution and it followed "several air violations." Hours before the raid, Mr Annan appealed to Europe in particular to supply troops for the newly expanded United Nations force, which is supposed to grow to 15,000 from about 1,990 and help the Lebanese Army patrol southern Lebanon. The appeal, the raid and the alleged renewal of arms supplies also underscore the tenuous condition of the cease-fire, which seemed to conclude a 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah with an international commitment to exclude the Hezbollah militia from Lebanon south of the Litani River and to disarm it. Robert F Worth reported from Boudai for this article, and John Kifner from Beirut, Lebanon. |