IDF Conquers Hizbullah Strongholds, Continues Onward

Arutz Sheva ^ | July 23, 2006 | Ezra HaLevi

[ml/nj]

IDF Conquers Hizbullah Strongholds, Continues Onward

By Ezra HaLevi

IDF forces conquered Hizbullah strongholds, destroyed missiles batteries and located missile caches inside a mosque over the weekend and early Sunday.

IDF forces took a ridge overlooking the Hizbullah stronghold of Bint J’bail Sunday. The village is northwest of Maroun A-Ras, the site of heavy battles, which was conquered over the Sabbath.

Maroun A-Ras was taken by IDF ground troops Saturday after days of fierce battles in the area. The Hizbullah bunkers in, around and below the village have all been raided and the IDF has now stationed troops in the village. Security forces in the area report they found scores of Katyusha shells, missile storage rooms and missile-launchers concealed in the village's mosque.

In addition to all residents of Lebanon living south of the Litani Rover, members of ten additional villages from which rockets have been fired were warned to evacuate their homes by 7 PM Saturday, ahead of IAF air strikes.

The Sayed al-Zahra facility in Sidon, run by a Hizbullah associated Islamic leader, was directly hit. This was the first time a target was hit in Sidon. Beirut was also hit early Sunday morning, with Hizbullah’s strongholds south of the city bearing the brunt of IAF bombs. A Hizbullah compound in Baal Beck was also struck, and the nearby Nabi Sheet.

Over the weekend, air strikes in Lebanon destroyed a building described as “Hizbullah Headquarters,” a half-dozen missile launchers, communications lines and a cache of long-range missiles, anti-tank missiles and guns. Several television broadcast facilities were also hit, presumably due to their complicity in broadcasting Hizbullah's Al-Manar television channel.

More than 1,800 targets have been hit by Israel's Air Force since the beginning of the Reengagement War.

Chief of Staff Dan Halutz said the air strikes will continue as long as they have to. "It takes time to hit at terrorism," he told reporters Friday. "We will fight terror wherever it is, because if we do not fight it, it will fight us - if we don't reach it, it will reach us."

Halutz added that Hizbullah has made a practice of using mosques to hide their Katyusha missile launchers.

Thousands of Israelis received their Tzav Shmoneh emergency call-up orders Thursday evening. Most will be taking the place of members of the standing army who will be headed into Lebanon in what the IDF brass is calling a limited ground invasion. As a result, in addition to the two million Israelis who spent this past Sabbath away from their northern homes or in bomb shelters, thousands more made due without their fathers and sons.

Responding to the extensive coverage of recent IDF casualities in both the print and televised media, IDF Commander of the North Maj.-Gen. Udi Adam urged Israelis to refrain from shedding tears for the fallen until the war is won.

"We have to change our way of thinking," he said. "Human life is important but we are at war and it costs human lives. We won't count the dead at present, only at the end. We'll cry for the dead and will encourage their brothers in arms. There are more places like Meron A-Ras, and unfortunately we'll have to reach them."

Asked the common question voiced by Israel's media - whether the IDF will become "bogged down in the Lebanese mud" - Maj.-Gen. Adam urged Israelis to exercise patience. "This is not a short story," he warned, "but it will not be never-ending either."

Meanwhile, in his weekly radio address, US President George W. Bush reassured those concerned that US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's upcoming visit is intended to pressure Israel that Rice would "make it clear that resolving the crisis demands confronting the terrorist group that launched the attacks and the nations that support it."

Bush, referring to Syria and Iran, added: "Their actions threaten the entire Middle East and stand in the way of resolving the current crisis and bringing lasting peace to this troubled region."

MK Zahava Gal-On (Meretz), who is advocating immediate negotiations with Hizbullah, responded to Bush's statements that forcing an early cease-fire would not be prudent, saying, "We must not turn the IDF soldiers into Bush's cannon fodder."

[ml/nj]

I've added some bolding here. It has been my regular contention here that mosques should be viewed as military installations. This is why.

And it is why our military strategy should be "A mosque a minute, until we're done."

ML/NJ

[NY Attitude]

Go Israel! Get it done.

[highlander_UW]

Mosque is just Arabic for "holy ammo dump".

[zarf]

WWJKD?

[Southack]

"missile caches inside a mosque"

'Radical Islam' no longer worships Allah so much as they worship arms.

[petercooper]

"We will fight terror wherever it is, because if we do not fight it, it will fight us - if we don't reach it, it will reach us."

[marron]

"We have to change our way of thinking," he said. "Human life is important but we are at war and it costs human lives. We won't count the dead at present, only at the end. We'll cry for the dead and will encourage their brothers in arms. There are more places like Meron A-Ras, and unfortunately we'll have to reach them."

This is spoken by someone who knows he's at war.

[backhoe]

Something we in America need to be thinking about.

A snippet?

http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/011961.php

Why we must monitor mosques

In "Mosque Matters: Maybe we’d tackle the tough issues if we got that we’re at war," Michael Ledeen at National Review argues for what I have been arguing for for years: that we must monitor American mosques.It’s interesting that British jihadis came to Queens to recruit Americans — and no doubt some of them, fully trained in slaughter, have returned to these shores — but the important thing is the mosque. Because there’s always a mosque, as my Italian friend Magdi Allam has been repeating for several years. Not all mosques are jihadi, but all jihadis come from a mosque. Posted by Robert at 08:45 PM | Comments (40)  "...better to give up some freedom than lose it all under sharia law. What use is freedom and civil liberty if your either dead or enslaved?"

More: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1052520/posts?page=926#926

[observer5]

So its pretty clear now.... just bomb all teh mosques and you get rid of 98% of all missiles.

[MizSterious]

I'm sure Shep Smith will report this as "Israel running back with its tail between its legs." I've heard him say that several times, including once this morning, even though the Israeli tactics at present is to go in, kick some Hezboallah, clean out weapons, go back, and repeat as necessary.

As for the mosques, I can only wish we would be as "insensitive" as the Israelis--wonder what we'd find in some of ours?

[MizSterious]

"...better to give up some freedom than lose it all under sharia law. What use is freedom and civil liberty if your either dead or enslaved?"

Someone (Robert?) just wrote my own thoughts even better than I could. So tempting to borrow this (or part of it) for my tagline.

[brain bleeds red]

Imagine if weapons were stashed in Christian churches...

[NY Attitude]

I may be naive, but where can one find a law/statute or other regulation that forbids the search of property that belongs to a religious organization that is engaged in hostilities against the United States?

[MizSterious]

As far as I know, only in the "Book of PC Rules of Engagement." (There must be one out there somewhere.)

[Mr Ramsbotham]

A mosque is an edifice built by human hands. It's not the reposing-place of God.

[romanesq]

After safely clearing the area, the IDF detonated the multitude of munitions and missiles onsite in order to ensure the safety of everyone.

Now that would just be the best way to end another day.

[backhoe]

Someone (Robert?) just wrote my own thoughts even better than I could. So tempting to borrow this (or part of it) for my tagline.

I bet he'd be flattered- but it is actually from the "comments" section of his blog:

We may have to lose some of our own freedoms to do something about this problem. I say better to give up some freedom than lose it all under sharia law. What use is freedom and civil liberty if your either dead or enslaved?

Tedious I know,,but when will the west take off it's gloves?Posted by: Gramfan at June 23, 2006 08:57 PM

hattip: Gramfan

That last link- the posting time- will take you there.

[NRA2BFree]

Thank God that Israel is destroying them. They better keep right on going. When they are done with Hezbollah, they better go after Hamas. The only thing those demons understand is death, and I think we ought to give it to ALL of them.

[river rat]

".....they found scores of Katyusha shells, missile storage rooms and missile-launchers concealed in the village's mosque."

Religion of peace, my ass.
"Holy Mosque", my ass.
International Sanctuary in places of "worship", my ass.

Mosques around the world, MUST be considered as potential terrorist arsenals, headquarters and indoctrination centers.

Permits to build Mosques in the "Free World", should be denied until it can be shown they will NOT be used as centers of aggression against the community.

Mosques may begin to experience a period of "high risk" if this bull-squat becomes commonplace outside the Middle East...

Those prayer towers will act as excellent chimneys.

Semper Fi