Israel intends to impose sea and air blockade on Lebanon

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/ShTickers.html ^ | 10:15

[Mom MD]

I think that happened when they bombed the airport earlier tonight.

[goldstategop]

Israel is making good on its pledge to turn the clock back for the Lebanese 20 years. They will stand to lose a lot if they soldiers are not returned to Israel safe and unharmed. And there are other addresses to send messages to also. Israel is not short on options.

(The Palestinian terrorist regime is the crisis and Israel's fist is the answer.)

[Sunsong]

From Captain’s Quarters:

>>> Egyptian ruler Hosni Mubarak blames Syria and Bashar Assad for scotching a deal last week that could have resolved the crisis in Gaza. Egypt had worked out a deal with Israel and Hamas to trade prisoners for abducted soldier Gilad Shalit, but "outside pressure" caused Hamas to renege at the last moment:<<<

>>>Syrian Vice President Farouk al-Sharaa denied his country had a role in either the Hamas or Hezbollah abductions. .. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak implicitly accused Damascus of wrecking his attempts to mediate a deal for the release of Cpt. Cpl. Gilad Shalit, snatched by Hamas-linked militants on June 25. <<<

>>>Hamas was subjected to "counter-pressures by other parties, which I don't want to name but which cut the road in front of the Egyptian mediation and led to the failure of the deal after it was about to be concluded," Mubarak told Cairo's Al-Ahram Al-Massai newspaper. <<<

>>>No one with any understanding of the sponsorship of Hamas and Hezbollah takes the Syrian demurral. Both Hamas and Hezbollah take order from Syria and Iran, and both have headquarters in Damascus. The Israelis and the Egyptians have both said that the Palestinian chapter of Hamas has never controlled the Shalit abduction, but that the terrorists responsible took orders from Khaled Mashaal. Mashaal himself has taken responsibility for the operation by setting forth the demands under which Shalit would be released. Mashaal is no more than Bashar Assad's sock puppet, and neither Hamas nor Hezbollah would dare take action against Israel without coordination from the Assad regime.<<<

>>>Egypt isn't fooled. They have pressured Assad from the beginning to put an end to the operation, but he has refused to do so. Syrian government officials have stated that Israel may wind up retaliating against them, and unless Hamas and Hezbollah return the abducted soldiers, that may happen soon. The IDF has already started hitting Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon and pushing troops back across the border in an effort to retrieve the soldiers taken today.<<<

>>>Olmert may decide that he has had enough of the proxy war waged against Israel by Assad and his creaking regime. A quick strike at the Syrian air force would leave Assad at the mercy of the Israelis, and having 135,000 US troops in Iraq would probably convince the Iranians to sit this one out, as long as we don't join in ourselves. The time may never be better to take the war on terror into one of the two hearts of the enemy -- Damascus.<<<

captain's quarters

[justa-hairyape]

Those hostages are about as hot as enriched uranium right now. Probably only a nutjob like the Iranian President would even handle them.

What worries me most is the logistics of the big map posted to this thread. Not too good for the U.S. coalition if the entire Arab World along with Iran, Syria and Lebanon ends up going to war against Israel.

[SwordofTruth]

i believe this is the start of a global war against islam...comments?

Kind of like fighting a global war against the spirit of Anti-Christ. One problem, it can't be done physically by humans, but spiritually only.

[Atlantic Bridge]

I do not buy any Israeli war against Syria either. Not in the current situation.

The old problem is that Israel has to deal with the bitter fact that the populations of all surrounding countries are hating them. That is not different in Syria or Lebanon. Therefore it is quite difficult to hold this area for such a small country like Israel, since the resistance (even after a gained war) will be powerful. The millitary and economic damage as a result to a occupation for the society of Israel would be simply horrible since it is going to cost rivers of blood n' money and it will be no solution of the key issue either.

This is the reason why Israel tries to withdraw from all arabic land if it is possible to them.

Therefore their millitary actions will be restricted to some punishment. As long as the general circumstances will not change it stays a difficult situation for Israel.

[watsonfellow]

Another interesting tidbit.

From today's Straits Times (Singapore)

"Prince's Home For Sale at 214M"
The Aspen vacation getaway of Saudi Arabia's Prince Bandar is up for sale. The asking price is US$135 million (S$214 million), which could set a US sales record....."

[justa-hairyape]

Thanks for the info. Things look like they are 'under control' for now. Keep a lookout for something else to potentially be meant as a trigger. Everyone is now currently looking AT the Middle East (except for the main US populace which is probably being shown MSM stories of how Israeli Air Strikes might be affecting Michael Jackson in Bahrain).

[Southack]

"Both Hamas and Hezbollah take order from Syria and Iran, and both have headquarters in Damascus."

This has been the case, historically...but kids can behave such as to draw their parents into fights; the kids don't always take orders, sometimes they act on their own.

In this case, captured Al Qaeda documents in Zarqawi's safe house said that Al Qaeda was in such bad shape in Iraq that it needed to trick the U.S. into going to war against Iran in order to reduce the pressure on Al Qaeda in Iraq.

Same goes for Al Qaeda forces in Kashmir trying to get Pakistan and India to go to war against each other.

Ditto here for Hamas and Hezbollah wanting Syria (even Iran!) to get dragged into a war with Israel.

Won't happen.

...and the Israeli blockade of Lebanon is the clever way to avoid the Al Qaeda/Hamas/Hezbollah trap while still punishing those responsible for taking the Israeli soldiers.

[Pro-Bush]

Hamas, Hezbollah, Kashmir & India all acting up in a big way in and around 7/11/06 - is it coordinated? Any thoughts?

[Southack]

"What worries me most is the logistics of the big map posted to this thread. Not too good for the U.S. coalition if the entire Arab World along with Iran, Syria and Lebanon ends up going to war against Israel."

An odd worry.

Few would be so reckless as to attempt to send their air or ground forces across Iraq to Israel. Few would risk U.S. and Israeli naval power. Few would willingly put their assets into target range for the IDF *and* the USAF. Few would send convoys on the Highway of Death, Part 2.

Take a deep breath. Things are going very well.

[justa-hairyape]

It is all occurring during the big G8 meeting when many of the world most powerful leaders will be present within Russia. Good thing they hired those Cossack's for internal security. Should be no problems at all.

[justa-hairyape]

Take a deep breath. Things are going very well.

I tend to agree, but then again. Just about everyone caught in a trap probably thought the same thing just before it sprung. In fact one should probably conclude that ones enemy has some type of plan that actually shows them winning in the end.

[tcrlaf]

Iran can't do much other than send MONEY, and some WMD's...

The way this is developing, I think the Israeli government has just had it...

HAMAS declared War on ISRAEL, not the other way around, and Iran pushed HEz to attack from the North to ease pressure on Gaza...

Arab bloggers are saying that it's OK to grab Israeli's, and that Israel has no right to attack for it!!
These people sound like American Liberals!!

[burzum]

Of greater significance is whether and/or who if anyone decides (dares?) declare war on Israel.

Don't forget that since the US doesn't have the communist threat of the USSR and the weakness of liberals in positions of power, the US is much more likely to come to Israel's aid that almost any period in history. Certainly Syria and Iran realize that the US is itching for a reason to take out their respective regimes. The only way that Syria or Iran would declare war on Israel, IMHO, is if they formed a large alliance with other countries to hold off the US.

[Michael81Dus]

Hello? My aunt and my uncle (architect) live near Beirut, they´re Christians!! I have been to Lebanon, not the entire country is "Hamas-land"!

[justa-hairyape]

Arab bloggers are saying that it's OK to grab Israeli's, and that Israel has no right to attack for it!! These people sound like American Liberals!!

Would Islamists stand for the U.S. kidnapping their clerics at will ?

[Southack]

"Hello? My aunt and my uncle (architect) live near Beirut, they´re Christians!! I have been to Lebanon, not the entire country is "Hamas-land"!"

Yes. Lots of good people in Lebanon...but not so many good ones in Southern Lebanon.

...And to blockade Southern Lebanon (Hezbollah's autonomous region) means to blockade all of Lebanon.

Lebanon has a cancer. This is not terminal (for many). The proper treatment, with a little pain, can cure it.