Easter Bomb Shows Syria Leaving Lebanon a Scorched Earth

Naharnet (Lebanon) ^ | March 27, 2005

[Stoat]

Easter Bomb Shows Syria Leaving Lebanon a Scorched Earth

 

A bomb blast set off huge fires in an industrial estate on Beirut's northeastern outskirts, killing two Indian janitors and injuring five other people in the third such attack in eight days. Opposition leaders said Syria was delivering on a threat to turn Lebanon into scorched earth before evacuating it.
Police said Sunday the dead Indians worked as janitors in a complex of printing presses at suburban Dikwaneh, where the bomb exploded Saturday night. But updated media reported quoted police officers on the scene as saying the final casualty toll including seven injured, but no dead.

Flames leapt from the printing presses compound to five adjacent buildings, including a lumbar yard. It took a dozen fire engines four hours to put down the blaze as ambulances with wailing sirens rushed the injured persons to hospitals.

Glass shards littered the streets and several cars were still smoldering in the streets as Easter Sunday dawned on the predominantly Christian-populated target of the latest bombing. Three other Asian janitors were killed and 14 people were wounded in the two previous attacks in New Jdeideh and Kaslik in Lebanon's Christian heartland north of Beirut.

"The Syrians have told us that they will turn Lebanon into scorched earth if they have to leave it. They are delivering," said Dikwaneh's Mayor Antoine Jbara, referring to a threat reportedly made by President Assad to ex-Premier Rafik Hariri before his Feb. 14 assassination, which exacerbated Syria's evacuation of Lebanon after 28 years of ruthless hegemony.

"They are purposely targeting Christian areas in their scorch earth campaign, hoping to provoke us into fighting our Muslim brethren, but we assure them civil warfare will never break out again. Hariri's blood has united us for ever," Jbara said.

"The Syrians will never again be able to bring us down to our knees. We tell loud and clear: 'we shall not kneel'," Jbara told reporters at the blazing scene in Dikwaneh.

As he spoke, Mount Lebanon police chief Maj. Gen. Sarkis Tadros said the blast was caused by a 25 kilogram (55 pound) bomb placed between a car and a furniture factory in the Bouchrieh industrial estate. It carved a crater one meter deep and three meters wide.

"They must love us -- we got it twice in a week," Mayor Gebara said, referring to last Saturday's explosion in the nearby predominantly Christian neighborhood of Jdeideh which falls within his municipal jurisdiction, too.(Naharnet-AP)

Beirut, Updated 27 Mar 05, 11:34

[Stoat]

"The Syrians have told us that they will turn Lebanon into scorched earth if they have to leave it. They are delivering," said Dikwaneh's Mayor Antoine Jbara, referring to a threat reportedly made by President Assad to ex-Premier Rafik Hariri before his Feb. 14 assassination, which exacerbated Syria's evacuation of Lebanon after 28 years of ruthless hegemony.

"They are purposely targeting Christian areas in their scorch earth campaign, hoping to provoke us into fighting our Muslim brethren, but we assure them civil warfare will never break out again. Hariri's blood has united us for ever," Jbara said.

"The Syrians will never again be able to bring us down to our knees. We tell loud and clear: 'we shall not kneel'," Jbara told reporters at the blazing scene in Dikwaneh."

 

I sincerely hope that we are providing all sorts of stealthy assistance to the brave people of Lebanon....these are people who we should be honored to have as good, lasting friends.

[DAC22]

For every Syrian bomb blast in Lebanon, there should be an "errant" Tomahawk cruise missile blowing up in Damascus

[Stoat]

For every Syrian bomb blast in Lebanon, there should be an "errant" Tomahawk cruise missile blowing up in Damascus

That sounds fine with me, and I certainly won't complain if a nuke-tipped Tomahawk 'accidentally' gets launched towards the Syrians either.

[winner3000]

The Lebanese will never forget the manner that the Syrians leave Lebanon. I hope they boycott everything Syrian.

[Paladin2]

The Lebanese should ask for some Isreali "advisors" and training on how to target and launch cruise missles (toward Damascus, but if the hit Iran, well who could help it>)>

[hosepipe]

Question; What could 25 A-10's do in 3 fifteen minute increments in the Bekaa Valley... in 75 sorties.?.

Answer; Give Damascus something to think about.. plus increase the quality of the Syrian gene pool immensely.. Call it a humanitarian gesture..

[Stoat]

 

Question; What could 25 A-10's do in 3 fifteen minute increments in the Bekaa Valley... in 75 sorties.?.

Answer; Give Damascus something to think about.. plus increase the quality of the Syrian gene pool immensely.. Call it a humanitarian gesture..

 

Question; What could 25 A-10's do in 3 fifteen minute increments in the Bekaa Valley... in 75 sorties.?.

Answer; Give Damascus something to think about.. plus increase the quality of the Syrian gene pool immensely.. Call it a humanitarian gesture..

[boris]

"Flames leapt from the printing presses compound to five adjacent buildings, including a lumbar yard."

Oh, my achin' back!

[McGavin999]

"They are purposely targeting Christian areas in their scorch earth campaign, hoping to provoke us into fighting our Muslim brethren, but we assure them civil warfare will never break out again. Hariri's blood has united us for ever," Jbara said.

This is the same thing they tried in Iraq. It didn't work there either.

[Larry Lucido]

HAL: Oh, I don't sit on park benches. They're very bad for the back.

ELAINE: Really?

HAL: I threw my back out about 15 years ago. Ever since I have been very careful. I only buy furniture in the ergonomics store.

ELAINE: Oh those places have the stupidest names. Like, uh, "Back in ", or "Good Vertibrations".

HAL: Not this one. It's called the "Lumbar Yard".

[Stoat]

"Flames leapt from the printing presses compound to five adjacent buildings, including a lumbar yard."

Oh, my achin' back!

hehe!  I caught that one too  :-)  But let's not razz the Lebanese too much on their spelling and grammar....I'm so darned happy that a Lebanese news site exists that provides English translations at all...once we nuke Damascus and the Lebanese build a nice big fence at the Syrian border such as what the Israelis have, then we can send in English tutors and help them polish their grammar  :-)

"Flames leapt from the printing presses compound to five adjacent buildings, including a lumbar yard."

Oh, my achin' back!

[hosepipe]

Nice chrome job..
I bet a few A-10's "purring" in the Bekaa Valley with an occasional "growl" would make Hezbollah sphincters snapping shut almost a audible here in Alaska..
ya think?..

[Stoat]

Nice chrome job..
I bet a few A-10's "purring" in the Bekaa Valley with an occasional "growl" would make Hezbollah sphincters snapping shut almost a audible here in Alaska..
ya think?..

hehe!  Yes, and I think that at that point any remaining terrorist scum will be running home to their ugly mothers and rethinking career options.  When faced with a JDAM

or a daisy cutter

the notion of dying for Allah may seem a whole lot less appealing than a nice quiet career as an accountant.

[winner3000]

The last thing the Lebanese need is anything that would fracture their newly found unity. Asking ANY help from Israel would undo all the good that has happened recently.

Based on recent history the Lebanese don't trust either of their neighbours, which is a healthy attitude to have for them to be united.