War games becoming all too real

Sunday Herald ^ | Mar. 9, 2003 | Sunday Herald

[JohnathanRGalt]

War games becoming all too real

While Hezbollah's young supporters pick off virtual Israelis in a bloody new video game, the simmering conflict in the Lebanon looks set to escalate as soon as Iraq is attacked, reports Alasdair Soussi in Beirut
 
THE slogan on the outside of the packaging says it all: 'Be a partner in the victory. Fight, resist and destroy your enemy in the game of force.'

This is the latest technological development by Lebanon's Islamic resistance group, Hezbollah: a computer game that allows players to take the part of its fighters during military operations against Israeli soldiers . Special Force, a product of the 'Hezbollah Central Internet Bureau', hit the shelves late last month, after taking some two years to develop. Each stage of the game was inspired by actual Hezbollah operations. Everything is based on real-life battles that took place before Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000 -- even down to the number of Israeli soldiers that players face.

Special Force also offers a training mode where enthusiasts can fine-tune their shooting skills. Israeli premier Ariel Sharon will probably not be too surprised to learn that he is one of the targets on the practice range, along with several other Israeli political figures.

Thousands of copies of Special Force have reportedly been sold in Lebanon -- and Syria, Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain are also distributing what bureau official Mahmoud Rayya calls a 'unique gaming experience [for the] trigger-happy.'

He adds: 'This game is resisting the Israeli occupation through the media ... In a way, Special Force offers a mental and personal training for those who play it, allowing them to feel that they are in the shoes of resistance fighters.' It will not be surprising if it leads to a glut of willing young recruits.

Meanwhile, in the real world -- amid the very real danger of bullets and bombs -- Hezbollah has been a huge topic of intrigue in recent months. Sporadic fighting has broken out across the Blue Line -- the UN-drawn border that separates southern Lebanon and northern Israel -- and it threatens to escalate into something much more serious. Like two gunfighters at high noon, fingers poised ominously over their revolvers, Hezbollah and Israel have been watching each other's every move, right down to the tiniest twitch .

When Israeli fighter jets simulated 'dive-bomb' attacks on certain areas of southern Lebanon early last month, Hezbollah forces joined with gunmen in Lebanon's largest Palestinian refugee camp -- Ain al-Hilweh, in the southern port city of Sidon -- to respond with a burst of automatic gunfire.

Hezbollah -- which has a reported 10,000 rockets along the border, some with a range of 45 miles -- was seen by many as instrumental in Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon almost three years ago. Its fighters fought a bloody guerrilla battle with Israeli soldiers for 18 years in the south, raining down rockets on Israel's northern villages, before Israel finally retreated behind its frontier wire.

Now the Syrian and Iranian-backed resistance group is continuing its 'liberation war' over a small area of disputed land -- the Sheba farms -- seized by Israel from neighbouring Syria during the 1967 Arab war but claimed by Hezbollah as Lebanese territory.

The group's position within the Lebanese political framework continues to be one of the most complex issues surrounding the country. Many ordinary Lebanese, specifically those in the south, continue to see Hezbollah as a worthy protector against what is regarded as continued Israeli aggression. The Lebanese government, on the other hand, has had to tread carefully over recent years, realising, among other things, the influence that Syria (which still keeps thousands of troops stationed in Lebanon) has over the group.

After Israel's withdrawal in May 2000, pressure mounted on the Lebanese government from the US to try and help calm the situation along the Blue Line -- an appeal that has had relatively modest success .

Still eager to form a major force in Middle East politics (Hezbollah also has several MPs in the Lebanese parliament), the resistance group has not been shy to voice its opposition to any US-led invasion of Iraq and to warn Israel against taking advantage of a war in the Gulf by launching an attack on Lebanon.

Speaking recently during a remembrance service for former Hezbollah leader Abbas Musawi, in a village in the central Bekaa region, Hezbollah secretary-general Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said: 'If the Israelis think of launching an attack against Lebanon, let it be known that those fighters who defeated them two years ago are still eager for battle and for confrontation.'

Announcing the extent to which he would resist any Israeli threat, he referred to the use of suicide attacks: 'The suicide weapon is one of the toughest weapons the Arabs have, and the US has found an answer to every weapon except this one.'

What Hezbollah might actually attempt to do in the event of an Iraqi war is unclear, though the possibility of an unprovoked attack on Israel looks questionable. Each side says the other is preparing to launch an offensive under the cover of a Gulf conflict, and the delicacy of the situation along the border will be tested to extremes should a US-led force invade Baghdad.

While the United Nations desperately tries to keep the peace between the two sides, it is clear that any false moves by either party could result in another regional flare-up. Nasrallah has been mentally preparing his supporters for what he calls 'US psychological warfare' -- which he believes will manifest itself as a targeting of Arabs as Washington gears up for an assault on Iraq.

'We don't have the military might nor the media outlets to face that which the US is planning on using against us,' he said during a ceremony at a Hezbollah stronghold. 'But our strength is derived by a strong belief in an ever-watchful God.'

Meanwhile, as thousands of gamers throughout the Arab and Islamic world cynically pick off Israeli soldiers from the comfort of their own homes, the tensions that occupy much of the Middle East look set to deepen. This, however, could not be further from a game -- and the price that might be paid is the ultimate one.

[JohnathanRGalt]

_______________________________________________ 
A live Conversation with Andy at Rackspace, Thursday, Mar.13, 2003
______________
Andy: Hi this is Andy at Rackspace. What brings you to our site today. You may contact one of our Fanatical Support persons at 1-800-961-4454 or in London, UK at +44-20-8897-4693
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JohnathanRGalt: I heard that Rackspace is the host of several sites of Hezbullah -- the terrorist group in Lebanon.
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Andy: I am not aware of that.
______________
JohnathanRGalt: I'm looking up some URLs for you, hold on -
   http://www.nasrollah.org  
  Here's a write-up on it. http://www.weisburd.net/haganah/viewAllInfo.php?site=34
______________
Andy: I will pass it on to our legal dept.
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JohnathanRGalt: Also, I just did a ARIN Whois for Hezbullah's Technology group -- the phone number is the same as Rackspace's:

OrgName: Rackspace.com
Address: 112 E. Pecan St., Suite 600
City: San Antonio, TX 78205 US
AbuseName: Abuse Desk
AbusePhone: +1-210-892-4000
AbuseEmail: abuse@rackspace.com
-------------------------
OrgName: Hadeelnet
Address: Haret Herik-El Abyad St. Mondo Mozart Bld.
Address: Beirut, LB
TechName: Cymitar Technology Group, Inc.
TechPhone: +1-210-892-4000
TechEmail: hostmaster@cymitar.net

NOTE: the phone number for Hezbullah's Cymitar Technology Group, Inc. -- It is the same as RackSpace's ABUSE line!  Cymitar.net redirects to Rackspace as well. -- Are you owned by Hezbullah?
______________
Andy: NO!
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JohnathanRGalt: Thanks -- I didn't think so. However, Hezbullah just put out a new video game.  They are using a site you host to market the game: http://www.specialforce.net

---

Hizbollah's new computer game is designed to simulate the experience of military operations on Israeli soldiers; "real battles that humiliated the Zionist enemy, giving it a lesson. . ."

According to an article in Lebanon’s Daily Star, the game was developed over a span of two years by the Hizbollah Central Internet Bureau, whose intentions were to create a game that reversed the scenarios depicted in U.S. computer games in which Americans are the heroes and Arabs are the enemies.

"I saw the children playing the game of the invincible American hero, who’s never out of ammunition and continually wins. I asked one of the children, did you like the game? He replied yes, but I wish I were playing as an Arab Moslem fighting the Jews as the Islamic Resistance did in Lebanon! After that, he left to the alleys of Beirut roaming with heroes of the Islamic Resistance."

Mahmoud Rayya, an official from the Hizbollah bureau, stated in an interview with the Daily Star that it was their top officials who made the decision to produce the game. They believe that resistance to the Israelis not only occurred through military operations but through media as well.  They hope that the game would introduce resistance to young people, and that it will offer "a mental and personal training for those who play it, allowing them to feel that they are in the shoes of the resistance fighters."

This foray into a new medium parallels the efforts to indoctrinate the young male demographic by the white supremacist group National Alliance, which introduced 'Ethnic Cleansing' a year ago.
http://www.natvan.com/cgi-bin/webc.cgi/st_prod.html?p_prodid=724&p_catid=22&sid=4YRKcz0lN7gzCr2

(these pictures are hot-linked to the site -- they may not appear if the site disappears)

		Hezbullah - Islamic Resistance War Media
Killing a Jew with the nightvision scope.
Direct hit on a helicopter can also increase your score.

_______________________________________________ 
Rackspace
rackspace acceptable use policies
abuse@rackspace.com
Annalie Drusch, Rackspace Media Contact

Rackspace Managed Hosting
112 East Pecan, Suite 600
San Antonio, TX 78205
Phone: 210-892-4000
FAX: 210-892-4329

_______________________________________________ 
Terror_Web:  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Terror_Web/

[JohnathanRGalt]

Jehadi website ping: (let me know if you want on or off)

[Darksheare]

Interesting.
Rackspace seems to be owned by Hezbullah.
Wonder if they know that or are lying.

[Sabretooth]

Wow, those graphics are ass-tacular.
Textures look uninspired and repeat too much.

I seriously doubt an apache would fly low enough for someone to blast it with an RPG. Let the jizzbolates keep on thinking that though as their cars are blown away by hellfires launched 3 miles away.

Fools.

[Sabretooth]

I like this part from the games website:

This is a 3D state-of-the-art designed game. For proper functioning you must have the following descriptions at minimum:




WINDOWS 98 / ME / 2000 / XP
Pentium II 233
128MB RAM
32MB VGA 3D Accelerator
16BIT SOUND CARD
8X CDROM
MOUSE
KEYBOARD
DIRECTX VER 8

A 233 huh? Doesnt sound too state of the art to me. The minimum for most REAL games these days is 800+ MHz.

What does this use, the Doom engine or something?

[lavaroise]

the game of force

No one wins that game, force is force and brave people are certainly not its friends....

[Pentagram]

Interesting!!

[Cindy]

On The Net ... HIZBOLLAH.org - HIZBOLLAH's Web Site

[JohnathanRGalt]

So, first message I saw at the support site Java pop-up communcator was: What brings you to our site today. You may contact one of our Fanatical Support persons at 1-800-961-4454 ... and I wondered -- 'how fanatical can Hezbullah be?'

[lavaroise]

and I wondered -- 'how fanatical can Hezbullah be?'

Can you say the ashish of the assassins? These people must be running on one wild weed.