The trouble with Lebanon

HeXp£Øi±

HeXp£Øi±

Well-Known Member
My theory on lebanon...

Part of what i have believed for some time is that if we attack Iraq Lebanon(or Hesbollah based in lebanon) might begin attacking Israel on a daily. This would in turn force Israel to take drastic action against Lebanon which is armed primarily by Iran. I think it's a likely possability that because of Irans funding of muslim extremists in Lebanon Israel might also engage Iran in this conflict which might be the spark which inflames the entire middle east. Read these articles and this idea of an inflamed middle east becomes a little less obscure.

The Lebanese Army fired anti-aircraft guns at Israel Air Force jets on Sunday. It was the first time the Lebanese military has joined in the fire routinely directed at Israeli planes by Hezbollah.

No one was injured in the shooting, however, and the Israel Defense Forces believes the firing was a localized incident that does not reflect a change in Lebanese policy. Only if such incidents recurred would this be seen as a new development, a senior defense source said.

Though Hezbollah fires at Israeli planes frequently, often several times a week, army sources said that the Shi'ite militia's outdated anti-aircraft shells posed no threat to Israel's jets. However, the shell fragments sometimes fall on Israel's northern towns; and while there have as yet been no casualties, they have caused property damage.

Army sources said they believed the anti-aircraft fire was mainly Hezbollah's way of proving that it was still fighting, given the growing restrictions being imposed on it by Lebanon and Syria. Israel believes that Syria is currently trying to rein in Hezbollah in advance of the expected American attack on Iraq. Should this attack be delayed or canceled, however, Israeli officials say the northern border is likely to heat up again. ha'aretz
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/p...ontrassID=2&subContrassID=1&sbSubContrassID=0

Lebanese Leader: Bush a 'Mad Emperor'

An opposition member of Lebanon's Parliament says the true axis of evil is one of "oil and Jews," calling President George W. Bush a "mad emperor" and Prime Minister Tony Blair an "imperial servant" with a "peacock appearance."

The comments were part of an article published Monday in Lebanon's English-language paper, The Daily Star, and distributed by the Middle East Media Research Institute.

Like much of the Arab media in the Middle East, Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt also rejoiced in the Columbia shuttle tragedy, reveling in the death of Israeli astronaut Col. Ilan Ramon.

In talking about the Bush administration, Jumblatt also targeted National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, calling her "oil-colored."

Here are excerpts from the article in The Daily Star:

Walid Jumblatt lashed out Sunday against Western politicians and "the Jews," calling on Arab leaders to hold popular referendums before allowing in foreign troops for a war against Iraq.

The Progressive Socialist Party leader also said he felt "great joy" at Saturday's destruction of the United States space shuttle Columbia, because it carried an Israeli astronaut who had taken part in aggression against "Lebanon and Iraq."

"The true axis of evil that rules the world today is an axis of oil and Jews," Jumblatt said at his family home of Mukhtara, Chouf.

"The oil axis is present in most of the U.S. administration, beginning with its president, vice president and top advisers, including (Condoleezza) Rice, who is oil-colored, while the axis of Jews is present with Paul Wolfowitz, the leading hawk who is inciting (America) to occupy and destroy Iraq," he continued.

The Druze leader described U.S. President George W. Bush, while delivering his State of the Union address last week, as someone who "considers himself God's deputy on Earth, threatening and classifying the world (into different camps), and relying on his imperial power."

"'How dangerous emperors are when they go mad. � In the same axis we have the trustworthy servant, the imperial servant � pleased with himself and his idiotic laugh, his peacock appearance, none other than Tony Blair," Jumblatt said.

"Also joining this axis is the comprador Mussolini of the 21st century, the prime minister of Italy today, Silvio Berlusconi, who seems to want to renew the empire of the Caesars.

"To complete the picture, we have Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, the Spanish neo-rightist, whom I could term a progressive Franco," said Jumblatt. �

"And by the way, Aznar and Blair spend a lot of time in front of the mirror every morning, it seems, so that their hair is parted perfectly," said Jumblatt.

"'People who pay that much attention to their appearance are fascists by nature. Or they have psychological or sexual complexes. I think the best way to understand (them) would be to � read Freud," he said. �

"In answer to the post-Sept. 11 question in America of 'why do they hate us?' � I would have liked to have felt sorry for the space shuttle that was destroyed (Saturday) but my joy was great because one of those killed was an Israeli astronaut who had previously been part of the Jewish criminal army, particularly against Lebanon and Iraq," Jumblatt said, referring to Israeli Col. Ilan Ramon, who participated in the mission that bombed Iraq's Osirak nuclear reactor in 1981.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=30932

Hamas, Hezbollah urge Muslims to act if U.S.strikes Iraq
The leaders of two militant Muslim groups Friday condemned the United States for its determination to take on Iraq, and urged Muslims around the world to take action should war be launched against Iraq.

The founder of the Palestinian group Hamas urged Muslims to attack Western interests around the world, while the leader of Lebanon's militant Hezbollah organization warned the international community against cooperating with America in a war that would be a disaster for Iraq and urged Arabs to take up arms and fight at Iraq's side.

"It's a Crusaders' aggression, a Crusaders' war and an occupation," Sheikh Ahmed Yassin said of a possible U.S.-led military campaign.

"Muslims will have to threaten and strike Western interests, and hit them everywhere," Yassin wrote in an open letter.

"As they fight us, we have to fight them and as they threaten our interests, we have to threaten their interests," he said.

Hamas, a fundamentalist group on the U.S. government's list of terrorist organizations, has killed hundreds of people in suicide bombings in Israel during the current intifada.

But the group insists it only operates in Israel and in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and that it does not target Westerners.

Yassin, who brands the United States an enemy, called upon Muslims in the U.S. armed forces to disobey any order to attack Iraq.

"It is forbidden for them to participate in the killing of other Muslims," he said.

After Friday prayers in Gaza City, the wheelchair-bound Yassin led a rally against any U.S. war on Iraq over its alleged weapons of mass destruction.

Some 1,500 Palestinian demonstrators marched through the city, holding green Hamas flags and posters of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

Loudspeakers sounded a call for Iraqis to emulate Palestinian suicide bombers by donning explosives belts "to fight the invaders."

Palestinians hold regular rallies in Gaza Strip and the West Bank in support of Iraq, whose financial aid has boosted Saddam's image in the territories.

Yassin also called on Arabs and Muslims to boycott U.S. goods and "close their doors" against the United States and its allies and not to offer them assistance in the war against Iraq.

"Any regime that does that is a sinner," Yassin said in a copy of the letter obtained by Reuters.

A Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip, Mahmoud Zahar, said Thursday that his group is prepared and has the infrastructure to lead the Palestinian people after elections.

Asked if he thought Hamas was ready to lead the Palestinian people, Zahar said: "Absolutely. Hamas has an infrastructure, it has its cadres that can lead in all directions politically, financially, socially."

Nasrallah: War would produce 'millions' of victims
Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, the spiritual leader of Hezbollah, which Washington has labeled a terrorist organization, also said a war in Iraq would produce "millions" of Iraqi victims, including casualties and refugees.

"Nobody in the world under any title, form or pretext should offer any assistance to the Americans, even those opposed to [Iraqi President] Saddam Hussein," Nasrallah told thousands of supporters during a rally in a southern Beirut suburb to mark the 24th anniversary of Iran's Islamic revolution.

Nasrallah said a U.S.-led war against Iraq over its suspected mass destruction weapons program would be a "disaster" for ordinary Iraqis and should be averted "if only for humanitarian reasons."

Nasrallah said America wanted to wage war in a bid to control the Middle East, not to help Iraqi civilians or protect people in neighboring Gulf state Kuwait, which Iraqi forces occupied for seven months until U.S.-led forces liberated it during the 1991 Gulf War.

He also called for an Arab or Muslim conference to form a national reconciliation government in Baghdad and urged men throughout the region to defend Iraq in the event of war.

http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/260659.html

"If, in light of such Iraqi readiness for real and genuine national reconciliation, the United States insists on attacking Iraq, then... every able and mature adult should carry arms and fight the Americans in defense of Iraq," he said.

It seems very plausible imo.
 
Hezbollah to attack Israel during Iraq war

Hezbollah to attack Israel during Iraq war

Iranian-backed terrorist army prepares for major conflict
The Iranian-backed terrorist group Hezbollah, establishing a growing army in southern Lebanon, is planning to launch a major conflict with Israel just as the U.S. prepares to hit Iraq, reports a new intelligence bulletin edited by WorldNetDaily's Joseph Farah.

"As the United States mobilizes for war with Iraq, the Lebanese Hezbollah movement is preparing for a major conflict with Israel," reports Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin today in its debut appearance on the Internet as a subscription-based online intelligence resource.

Hezbollah is believed to have more than 4,000 trained soldiers in Lebanon and thousands of agents around the world. The insurgents are trained in the Bekaa Valley and Iran.

G2 Bulletin says this is not so much a terror network as it is an army.

"Hezbollah has been equipped with tanks, artillery, anti-aircraft guns and missiles – lots of missiles," it reports. "Israeli officials believe Hezbollah has about 10,000 short-range missiles and rockets that can strike much of Israel."

Israel is already on high alert in anticipation of a strike. Jerusalem not only fears Iraqi President Saddam Hussein will launch missiles armed with chemical or biological warheads at Israel in response to major air strikes or an invasion, but it also is preparing for the possibility of missile attacks from Hezbollah forces in Lebanon coinciding with an Iraq attack.

U.S. troops are in Israel now for exercises involving U.S.-made Patriot missiles, which have been upgraded with Israel's Arrow anti-missile system since the Persian Gulf War a decade ago.

School children have being instructed on use of gas masks during missile attacks. One Israeli newspaper published two pages of instructions recently on civil-defense procedures, including how and when to use syringes with anti-nerve gas antibodies. Israel has already inoculated emergency workers with the smallpox vaccine, and the general public is participating in a wider vaccination program.

U.S. forces are expected to begin their attack with a major air offensive directed largely at potential missile launch targets. Ground forces will lay siege to large cities, including Baghdad. G2 Bulletin predicts the first phase of the attack will begin the first week of March.

In 1991, Iraq fired 39 Scud missiles at Israel, which caused few casualties but great damage and fear.

All Iranian-sponsored terrorist groups, including Hezbollah, which is increasingly seen as more potent and more dangerous than Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network by many U.S. analysts, will be unleashed simultaneously on U.S. and allied targets around the world, according to WorldNetDaily intelligence sources.

Complicating the detection and prevention of such attacks, those sources say, is a breakdown in the National Security Agency's ability to collect information on activities in Iran.

While some officials in Washington have downplayed Shiite Iran's interest in "defending" Sunni Saddam Hussein's Iraq, the motivation for Tehran goes beyond the theological or an interest in preserving the current Baghdad regime, say the intelligence sources. For more than a decade, Iran and Iraq have backed many of the same anti-U.S. terror groups, including al-Qaida, because of their mutual interest in keeping U.S. military forces out of the Persian Gulf. Tehran also is wary U.S. forces might seek to destabilize its government, which is increasingly losing popular support.

A recent study leaked from Iran's Interior Ministry revealed nearly 90 percent of the public is dissatisfied with the present government. Of this total, 28 percent wants "fundamental" changes in the regime's structure, and 66 percent desires "gradual reforms." Less than 11 percent are satisfied with the status quo. Other private polls show an even greater degree of unhappiness with the government.

While the eroding popular support could lead to the fall of the regime, tottering governments often resort to risky and desperate measures to maintain their power, say intelligence analysts. Iran has invested a small fortune building terrorist networks for undermining other regimes. Now, some sources believe, Tehran will use those resources for propping up and protecting its own.

"Tehran is connected to nearly every major terror operative in the world," said one source. "Iran is just going to give a 'go' order to all of them at the same time."

U.S. intelligence agencies – particularly the NSA – are said to be extremely concerned about the role of Iran in the impending Iraq conflict.

In addition to approving terrorist strikes, there is also concern about the possibility of Iranian naval disruptions in the Persian Gulf.

Because the U.S. has lost many of its intelligence assets in Iran, no one is quite certain of the extent of Tehran's terrorist capabilities – but intelligence sources say it is dangerous to underestimate them.

"We don't know what Iran has got any more, and that's a major concern," said one source.

Israeli military officers have warned that Hezbollah, based in southern Lebanon, is just waiting for an opportunity to use missiles and other weapons from Syria and Iran to wreak havoc with the advent of the campaign against Iraq.

Perhaps the most dangerous component of Hezbollah's arsenal is its army of trained suicide bombers.

During the early stages of a U.S.-led attack on Iraq, Israeli population centers in Tel Aviv and elsewhere are expected to be targeted by Iraq's missiles – some of which are likely to be armed with chemical, biological or even nuclear warheads, say WorldNetDaily's U.S. military and intelligence sources.

Unlike the first Persian Gulf War, however, the U.S. is not demanding that Israel sit back and take the blows. Instead, the U.S. is fully anticipating an Israeli response to any attack that results in massive civilian casualties.

The missile attacks on Israel are expected during the air-war phase of the Iraq attack – before U.S. troops can occupy much of the country and secure or destroy hidden missile bases.

Israel has perhaps the most advanced missile defense system in the world, but it is not expected to be 100 percent effective against a barrage assault.

A growing number of U.S. military intelligence analysts believe Hussein has at least limited nuclear capabilities.

"When he is certain his time has come," said one, "he will launch his doomsday weapon. He wants to go down in history as the man who destroyed Israel."

U.S. military planners believe Iraq will target Israel early – before U.S. forces have a chance to destroy the regime's missiles. Destroying the oil wells will be Hussein's second priority, and using any remaining missiles on U.S. forces will be his third priority.

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=30964
 
Hezbollah to attack Israel during Iraq war
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"Look, to the east,what is that?" asks little Timmy.

"That's where Lebanon & Syrian once stood, Timmy" replied his dad.

"Wha' happened? It looks bad" Timmy retorted

"They had thie lunacy to piss off Israel" was dads response.
 
Hamas calls on muslims to attack u.s.

GAZA CITY [MENL] -- Hamas has issued its most specific warning to attack the United States.

Hamas leader Ahmed Yassin called on Muslims to attack U.S. nationals and Westerners amid any U.S.-led attack on Iraq. In a letter to Muslims, Yassin urged them to attack Western interests the moment the regime of President Saddam Hussein is struck.

"Muslims should threaten Western interests and strike them everywhere," Yassin said in the letter.

Hamas has led pro-Saddam rallies in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The Palestinian Authority has allowed the demonstrations, which included the burning of British, Israeli and U.S. flags.


http://www.menewsline.com/stories/2003/february/02_12_3.html
 
Hamas Vows Suicide Bombings to Avenge Killings

The Islamic militant group Hamas on Monday vowed "painful and thunderous attacks" in Israel to avenge the deaths of six operatives killed by an explosion and feted at a mass funeral. About 100,000 mourners, including hundreds of militants shooting in the air, thronged through Gaza City in the memorial for the six. Hamas officials said they were killed when a remote-controlled glider they were working on blew up on Sunday.

Hamas said the glider was detonated by an Israel military drone flying over the area. The Israeli army declined comment.

"It was a booby-trapped dummy. The Zionists managed to kill those heroes but they will never escape punishment. There will be more martyrdom operations (suicide attacks) inside the Zionist entity," senior Hamas leader Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi told mourners through a loudspeaker.

Before the blast, Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz vowed "to strike hard at our enemy Hamas." Tightened security has curbed suicide attacks in Israel in the past few months of a Palestinian uprising for statehood launched in September 2000.

MILITANTS VOW REVENGE

Mourners shouted "revenge, revenge" and masked Hamas gunmen looked grim as they carried the bodies of the six on stretchers around four km (2.5 miles) to Gaza City's Martyrs Cemetery.

"We will not rest and our eyes will see no sleep before we avenge the deaths of our brothers," said one militant, clutching an M-16 assault rifle. Other Hamas men wept silently.

Vows of revenge sounding through loudspeakers also came from activists of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an armed spinoff of Palestinian President Yasser Arafat (news - web sites)'s Fatah (news - web sites) faction, and the less influential Islamic Jihad.

The three groups have led militant violence against Israel in the uprising for independence in Gaza and the West Bank.

As the bodies were brought for burial, women wailed and ululated. "Allahu Akbar (God is greatest)!" they cried. "Death for Israel and for the collaborators."

Gaza City stores closed down for a day of mourning. "I think a bombing attack inside Israel is just a question of time now," said one store owner. "Israel has done its best to provoke Hamas and all Palestinians."

Mourners urged Hamas to fire rockets and mortar bombs into Jewish settlements and Israel -- tactics that have provoked harsh Israeli retaliation including raids and house demolitions.

Rantissi said the death of the six members of Hamas's Izz el-Deen al-Qassam military wing was a "big loss" but one that would only increase their determination to fight Israel.

Among the dead were relatives of Hamas men killed in militant attacks on Jewish settlements in Gaza.

They included Nidal Farhat, a senior activist on Israel's most-wanted list and a brother of Mohammad Farhat, who killed five Israelis in a settlement raid before he was shot dead.


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Geezus! That's a lot of reading up there. I'm going to have to come back later for most of that.

Maybe we should disarm Isreal and Lebanon too eh?
 
You know what? The only US interests in the middle East are Israel, which is constantly under attack anyway, and oil, of which we only import around 10% from the region, which we can make up just by importing oil from Mexico and, if needs be, Russia. Europe and Japan are much more reliant on the Middle East than the US ever was. :shrug:

What should we (the US) do to solve the problem?

Pull out. Every soldier, sailor, airman, and marine. Every boat, tank, aircraft, and rifle. Not isolationism, mind you, but common sense. Don't want us to 'interfere'? Fine. Just don't ask for our help when the shit hits the fan.
 
Syria signals new deployment in lebanon

NICOSIA [MENL] -- Syria plans to again redeploy its military in neighboring Lebanon and could withdraw up to 4,000 soldiers from the country.

Officials said the details of the redeployment were discussed on Tuesday during military cooperation talks between Lebanese and Syrian commanders in Beirut. A joint delegation of Lebanese and Syrian commanders also briefed Lebanese President Emile Lahoud of the Syrian deployment plans.

"Talks during both meetings dealt with cooperation and coordination between the two armies including redeployment of some Syrian army units serving in Lebanon according to the defensive and security requirements," the official Syrian news agency SANA said.

The agency did not provide details of the deployment, but officials said up to 4,000 troops would be withdrawn from the northern area of Batroun. This is the second time in less than three years that Syria has announced a redeployment of forces in Lebanon.
http://www.menewsline.com/stories/2003/february/02_20_2.html
 
See, Gato...a lot of people feel that way, and to some extent it's well grounded, because they surely don't appreciate us there....

when I say "they"..I mean the muslim world. Of course the Israelis do....that's obvious...but every other country pretty much despises us....

They really do. Oh sure, we talk about our allies in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait....Jordan to some extent...

...oh, and Turkey, which no one can figure out if it's Europe or middle eastern....

But the fact is that we have no allies there. They have ONE thing...oil...and they are paid handsomely for it. This is an interesting dynamic too...

WE export a lot of oil to Japan, in particular. In fact, we COULD be self sufficient quite easily , as you mentioned, and in even simpler fashion by simply NOT exporting any oil...but Japan pays MUCH higher prices when it deals directly with the Arabs than this ocuntry does, because we are the single largest buyer of their ONE product...even though as you mention it is a relatively small portion of our consumption....it's actually 15%, but thats spiltting hairs..

...so why NOT just take our marbles and leave?

Because to do so would devastate the region. The only reason there is some representation of humanity there is because they have an outlet for their ONE product. Were it not for oil they'd all be camping out in the desert in shabby tents with skinny camels and NO money...and they'd be the bickering clan oriented savages they were before the world had a use for oil....

...and if we pulled out now, that's what they'd revert to...only now they have guns, rockets, and maybe even some crude nuclear devices....

so you see....it sounds nice on the surface...just leaving...but it's not practical. If we took their largest source of funds out of the picture you can bet they'd consider that they have nothing to lose by stepping up the violence against anyone or any country that doesn't share their faith....

remember...these people actually believe they can be "martyred" by killing "infidels", dying themselves in the process ...that's anyone who refutes Islam, btw....or anyone who just ISN'T a Muslim....

....any of that make sense?

MADrin
 
Hamas seeks closer ties and funding with Iran
During the past year, the radical Islamic organization Hamas has been forced to seek closer ties with Iran in order to compensate for a loss in funding from other sources.

Intelligence sources describe the intensifying links between Iran and Hamas as "significantly increased," particularly the frequency of visits to Tehran by leading members of the organization.

Following the September 11 terror attacks in the United States, there has been increasing pressure on traditional pools of funds in the United States and Arab countries.

The pressure exercised by Washington on Saudi Arabia, a major source of funding for Hamas, has not brought about the desired results and the flow of money continues. However, a serious blow has been dealt to the money-trail from the U.S. and the attack the Bush administration has initiated against Islamic and Palestinian charities based in the United States.

The American decision to initiate an offensive is a direct result of the terror attack of September 11. For example, Israel had tried to persuade the administration to shut down the Holy Land Fund, an Islamic charity based in Texas, for more than three and a half years, with no success.

Last January, President George W. Bush ordered the closing of the fund, which received as much as 15 percent of the cost of a purchase from major retailers, as a contribution from buyers who wished make a donation. The fund's Jerusalem office was closed as early as 1997.

Brigadier General Yehiam Sason, who until recently headed the counter-terrorism headquarters at the Prime Minister's Office, said "tens of millions of dollars" were pumped into the territories "but still it is very tough to block all the gaps."
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/265282.html
 
...so why NOT just take our marbles and leave?

Because to do so would devastate the region. The only reason there is some representation of humanity there is because they have an outlet for their ONE product. Were it not for oil they'd all be camping out in the desert in shabby tents with skinny camels and NO money...and they'd be the bickering clan oriented savages they were before the world had a use for oil....

...and if we pulled out now, that's what they'd revert to...only now they have guns, rockets, and maybe even some crude nuclear devices....

so you see....it sounds nice on the surface...just leaving...but it's not practical. If we took their largest source of funds out of the picture you can bet they'd consider that they have nothing to lose by stepping up the violence against anyone or any country that doesn't share their faith....
Click to expand...

Although MADrin it's starting to sound like a better idea all the time. I'm almost to the point where i want to just say fuckit and pull out entirely. Even to lose all that oil. Let the Arab world do as it will. If they decide to attack Israel let them and see what happens. Maybe millions of Arabs need to die to realize they need to change.
 
The Syrian Diversion

Syria is widely publicizing its withdrawal of Syrian troops from northern Lebanon. News from Beirut indicates that Syria is to making a substantial withdrawal from north Lebanon, the Lebanese army said last Tuesday. The redeployment was agreed upon at a meeting of the Lebanese Syrian military committee last Tuesday, the Lebanese army command said in a statement. This surprise move is bound to please Lebanese critics of Syria, mainly the opposition who have called for Syria to withdraw its troops from the country.

A Lebanese newspaper, the Daily Star, reported that it was unclear last week if the Syrian troops in north Lebanon would return to Syria or be redeployed to the Bekaa Valley of eastern Lebanon, near the Syrian border. A Lebanese military source said that the plan states that some 4,000 Syrian troops will leave Lebanon. He explained that the operation was to start as of last Wednesday, especially in the al-Batroun area to the north of Lebanon, and was to continue for five days. Arab News reported on February 21, 2003 that in a statement last Wednesday the Lebanese army announced the pullout operation, but did not specify if the withdrawn forces would be redeployed in other areas in Lebanon or return back to Syria. The statement gave no figures for the redeployment, but said it should be completed "within five days."

The present Syrian withdrawal is one of many and typically means only a redeployment of troops in Lebanon for political reasons only. The present pseudo-withdrawal follows precedent and, while the Lebanese media touts the Taef Agreement as a reason for the withdrawal, they ignore that the agreement delineated Syrian withdrawal about ten years ago, without the slightest attempt by Syria to withdraw in the interim.

Unfolding events paint another story of deceit, involving an attempt by Syria to whitewash their strong support of terror, domination of Lebanon, and full cooperation with Iraq, extending to assisting Iraq in hiding their banned weapons away from the eyes of the United Nations inspectors.

Even this past Friday, February 21, 2003, curious events were afoot in Lebanon: all UN employees working in Lebanon received emergency orders not to cross the Litani River south under any circumstances, unless a specific order was received.

Why?

We have received reports from our operatives in Lebanon and Syria that the Syrian controlled Sunni fundamentalists are planning on attacking Christian villages and acting as if Syria is not involved. Of course, the Sunni fundamentalists do nothing without approval from Syria and its master Iran, again leading to confusion as to Syrian motivation. The plan, as revealed by our intelligence sources, is to present the facade of Syrian non-involvement with Sunni fundamentalists, in order to free them from their terrorist contacts and cater to US needs for potential Arab allies in the portending war on Iraq. Our sources report that Syria is willing to sacrifice some Sunni fundamentalists so that they can proceed with their plan to make themselves necessary for peace in Lebanon, all the while continuing their terrorist activities. Indeed, Hizballah operatives are considering striking US interests and Christian political figures in East Beirut when the war in Iraq begins.

Our sources report that Syria is preparing future massacres between the Sunni fundamentalists and Christian communities in northern Lebanon. What senior Lebanese security officials know to be the truth and are denying to the press and to the Christian public, is that Syria has been for the last two months supplying the Sunni fundamentalist groups in northern Lebanon with weapon and rockets, particularly in the Akkar region. Verifying this information have been credible reports coming from the Sunni fundamentalists that they plan to attack Christian villages in northern Lebanon as a retaliation for the US strike on Iraq. Supporting this information are verified reports of trucks loaded with weapons and ammunition that have been unloading all night long at different mosques in northern Lebanon.

Daily intelligence reports coming from Lebanon indicate serious preparations by Sunni Salafist groups, including Lebanese and Palestinian military organizations in northern Lebanon, to attack Christian areas and the Christian Lebanese army positions, considered by them to be US allies. The Patriarch of Lebanon received warnings and threats not to travel to the United States in March, as his visit to the US will be considered a hostile move by the Islamic world. Cardinal Sfeir, due to fear of negative local repercussions, thus canceled his US itinerary.

The Syrians are preparing a dangerous Sunni infrastructure inside the Lebanese army through many manipulated Sunnis, all bin Laden sympathizers, who are under orders to target northern Christian villages in Akkar . They are moving units during the night using local Sunni deputy’s cars, with "immunity" against search and moving "wanted" elements and munitions to strategic positions.

Furthermore, the Syrian regime and its Lebanese puppet are harboring, protecting and arming most terrorist and criminal organizations wanted in the international arena, ranging from al-Qaida to Ousbat al-Ansar, Jund el-Shams, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, PFLP, PFLP-GC, DFLP, and the Sunni Tawhid. We have counted more than three hundred Salafist Islamic schools in Tripoli and Akkar .They have a huge financial backbone, and their religious leaders, their sheikhs, are in every mosque, creating a cohesive military sub-group and giving instructions through religious fatwa to fight the infidels, meaning the Americans, Zionists and Christians. Their speeches indicate they are going to move during the Iraq conflict and expect a significant backup from other supporters of Iraq and through terrorist activities directed against the West.

Syria is moving fast inside Lebanon with its plan to create religious strife during the developments in Iraq. Syria knows that after the Saddam regime will be vanished in Iraq, it will be the next target of the West, as a major terror-supporting nation, with a commensurate Syrian regime change seen as necessary for the stabilization of the Levant. This may come about by international pressure or by a military strike against its troops, proxies and the Hizballah, along with all the terror groups headquartered in Damascus.

However, by creating chaos in northern Lebanon, Syria wants to demonstrate to the international community that its military presence in Lebanon is a stabilizing factor for the country and that if it leaves, civil war will break out again. A Lebanese presidential statement delivered by Emile Lahoud, a Syrian marionette, praised the role played by Syrian troops in "restoring stability and peace in Lebanon and in helping to reunite and rebuild the Lebanese army," which split along sectarian lines during the civil war.

The Lebanese Foundation for Peace warns the Syrian government that it will be held accountable for any massacre in northern Lebanon. We are warning the Presidential Palace in Beirut: enough of your lies to the public, as the real situation is moving along with an alarming and dangerous momentum.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/article.php3?id=2029
 
Syria discreetly pulls 4,000 troops from Lebanon

Tension-reducing moves may have link to an Iraq war

Beirut -- Syria has quietly pulled about 4,000 of its soldiers out of Lebanon in the past week, substantially reducing its 27-year troop presence in the country and sending a signal of moderation to the United States.

The withdrawal from isolated barracks, bases and checkpoints throughout northern Lebanon cuts Syria's troop level in the country to about 16,000 -- fewer than half the number of soldiers it maintained only a few years ago.

The partial pullout is the most significant step in a recent series of moves by Damascus to reduce tension within Lebanon, a strategic rearguard of the Syrian government that is viewed by many in Washington and Israel as a potential flash point if the United States invades Iraq.

"The Syrians are very intelligent in the timing of their steps," said Gen. Elias Farhat, spokesman for the Lebanese military. "You can consider the troop redeployment a message for the Lebanese people and the U.S. government."

In the past several months, the Syrians also have reined in Hezbollah, the radical Shiite Muslim militia in southern Lebanon that is considered a dangerous international terrorist group by the Bush administration. And Syria has carried out a series of discreet negotiations with U.S. diplomats to iron out problems.

"The Syrians have been working with Hezbollah and the Lebanese Army to clear out the south and prevent anything from happening with Israel," said a Western diplomat in Beirut who closely follows the military situation.

Syria's quiet moves come amid speculation within the Bush administration and in Israel that a U.S. war with Iraq could cause a "second front" to be opened across the Lebanon-Israel border, possibly drawing Syria into the fighting and setting off a wide-scale Mideast conflagration.

Most observers say their worst fear is not that Hezbollah would itself start such fighting by firing across the Israeli border, but that small Sunni Muslim radical groups -- especially among the 400,000 Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, some of whom sympathize with Osama bin Laden -- could sneak some potshots across the border in the hopes of prompting an Israeli overreaction.

"It's strange but true -- they're doing everything they can to keep the radical Sunni groups out of there," the Western diplomat said of Syria's motives. "If there's any conflict with Israel, they want to own it, and they think now is not the time for that. We think they have it under control."

These views, which are echoed by many diplomats and security officials in Beirut, sharply contrast with recent reports in the Israeli press citing Israeli military and intelligence sources as saying that Syria has helped transfer Iraqi weapons to Hezbollah and has helped al Qaeda terrorists gain a foothold in southern Lebanon.

Lebanese and Syrian officials insist that the Israeli claims were fabricated and that Hezbollah has no need for Iraqi missiles since it already has Iranian-supplied Katyusha missiles, which can reach about 13 miles.

During the 1975-90 civil war, Lebanon was one of the world's bloodiest and most byzantine conflicts, yet has largely dropped out of the headlines since then. Syrian troops entered Lebanon in 1976 to try to stop the bloody, chaotic fighting between rival factions. Despite a 1990 peace accord that called for the withdrawal of Syrian troops, the Lebanese government has agreed to allow the Syrians to remain.

By nearly all accounts, Syria exerts a huge yet secretive influence over Lebanese internal affairs. Syrian officials rarely make public comments on Lebanon, and the two nations' relations are so tight that they don't even have embassies in each other's capitals. Instead, relations are directed by a little-known body of top officials of the two countries, the Syrian-Lebanese Higher Council.

In an interview with The Chronicle, Nasri Khory, the Lebanese secretary- general of the council, said the remaining 16,000 Syrian troops will stay in Lebanon for the foreseeable future. "If there is war with Iraq, that will complicate the situation further," he said. "The Sunnis were moderate before, but now it will be more difficult to control some groups, and the Syrian presence is needed to help guarantee stability."

Officials of the U.N. peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, whose 2,000 soldiers act as a trip-wire to prevent a resumption of war with Israel, largely agree with that assessment.

"There's no doubt that there's very heavy Syrian influence on the fact that the border has been quiet for months," said Timur Goksel, the chief civilian official of the peacekeepers. "I feel very confident that the Syrians, the state of Lebanon and Hezbollah are trying to prevent a so-called second front, " said Goksel, who has been with the peacekeepers in Lebanon since 1979.

"What we don't know is how the Israelis would react," said the Western diplomat. "There have been very subtle, narrow rules for cross-border conflict -- exactly where Hezbollah can shoot its mortars and how the Israelis can react. If someone radically breaks those rules, and especially in the context of an Iraq war in which the Israelis are hyper-tense, would Sharon show restraint, or would he go overboard and attack Hezbollah and the Syrians?"

The Syrian presence is sharply criticized by some Lebanese, especially politicians from the country's Christian population, about one-quarter of the population. Many of these critics say they hope that if the United States topples Saddam Hussein and installs a pro-American government, Syria's one- party state will be forced to pull out of Lebanon altogether in an attempt to stay in power.

"Syria is very afraid that it could lose the last card in its hands against the Americans and Israel -- Hezbollah and Lebanon," said Gebran Tueni, publisher of An-Nahar, a center-right newspaper that largely reflects the viewpoints of the nation's Christians. "If there is a new government in Iraq, Syria's role in Lebanon could really change."

"Syria is trying to be on the safe side of the Americans, hoping that Washington will give Lebanon like a gift to Syria after the (Iraq) war," said Faris Soaed, a Christian opposition member of Parliament. "But this is not likely, and Syria will probably have to give up even more to the United States.

It will have to give up Hezbollah -- or Lebanon altogether.''

Yet other politicians and analysts say that the historical, social and economic ties between Syria and Lebanon are so strong -- and Lebanon's factional divisions are so dangerous -- that Syria will probably continue its dominant role.

These ties range from booming trade relations to the hundreds of thousands of illegal Syrian laborers who occupy the lowest rungs of Lebanon's workforce, such as street vendors and construction workers. Every weekend, crowds of Syrians come to Beirut to shop for high-end imported goods, and similar numbers of Lebanese go to Damascus to stock up on low-cost food and other products.

"There's no question that Lebanese would still be fighting each other if it weren't for the Syrian troops," said Adnan Arakji, a member of Parliament from the bloc of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. "But we really are two nations but only one people, and it's unrealistic to think that we can be separated."
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/03/02/MN158137.DTL
 
Hizbullah fires anti-aircraft shells over Israel border (UPDATE)

Hizbullah fires anti-aircraft shells over Israel border (UPDATE)

Hizbullah fired several anti-aircraft shells over the Western edge of the Israel-Lebanon border Tuesday night.

The shells were fired in response to IAF activity in the area, reports Israel Radio.

Sources in the IDF's northern command said the firing of the shells is a Hizbullah provocation and that the IDF is not interested in an escalation on the northern border.

The shells exploded over Israeli territory.
There were no reports of injuries or damage.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/A/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1047963521040
 
Israel Warns it Could Strike Syrian Targets in Future

Jerusalem - Israel has threatened Syria after Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon fired anti-aircraft shells that killed an Israeli teenager.

But it said it hoped to ease tension through diplomacy.

Israeli Deputy Defence Minister Zeev Boim said yesterday Israel held Syria responsible for Hezbollah's actions.

"Syria is definitely the umbilical cord from which Hezbollah feeds," he said. "If there is escalation from their side, there will definitely be a clear military response from Israel."

The death of the 16-year-old in the Israeli border town of Shlomi on Sunday was the first fatality from Hezbollah shelling since Israel withdrew its forces from Lebanon in May 2000 after a 22-year occupation, amid daily attacks by the group.

In the Lebanese capital, Hezbollah threatened renewed anti-aircraft fire if Israeli aircraft entered Lebanese airspace again. Boim said Israeli flights wIsraeli warplanes bombed an anti-aircraft battery on the southern Lebanon village in retaliation for the Shlomi shelling. Warplanes later flew over Beirut, breaking the sound barrier.

Israel called the air raids a "warning signal" and Boim appeared to signal Israel did not for now plan further military action.

Tension has risen on the border since Hezbollah fired rockets and mortars at an Israeli post on Friday.

The flare-up followed a vow by a Hezbollah leader to retaliate for the killing of an operative in a car bombing in Beirut, which he blamed on Israel. Israel has denied complicity in the attack. - Reuters

http://www.thestar.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=132&fArticleId=206308
 
Re: Israel Warns it Could Strike Syrian Targets in Future

Ugh, Hex, didn't you get the word? Israel starts everything ;)
 
Re: Israel Israel lodges additional complaint with UN on Hezbollah fire

By Uri Ash and Aluf Benn, Haaretz Correspondents, Haaretz Service and Agencies



Israel lodged a new complaint with UN
Secretary-General Kofi Annan and with the
President of the Security Council on the Hezbollah
attacks on the northern border, Israel Radio
reported Tuesday.
Israel's criticism is being
pointed at Syria, who's
ambassador is serving as the
current president of the
Security Council. The complaint
says a twisted reality has been
created in which the country in
charge of peace and security in
its role at the Security
Council is the one violating

them.

Israeli representatives told Israel Radio that
there is no demand at this point for the
council to convene a meeting to discuss the
matter.

Meanwhile, Lebanon filed a complaint with the
five permanent members of the council on
Israel's airforce planes violating its
airspace.

The United States on Monday called on Israel,
Lebanon and Syria to exercise restraint
following recent attacks by Hezbollah
guerrillas near the Israel-Lebanon border, in
which an Israeli teenager was killed.

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell conveyed
the message in a telephone call to Foreign
Minister Silvan Shalom after Israel said it
held Syria and Hezbollah patron Iran
responsible for attacks by the Shi'ite group.

The IDF Northern Command on Monday morning began
reinforcing its artillery units along the
Israel-Lebanon border, granting the military a
greater range of fire into Lebanese territory.


This is the first reinforcement of artillery in
the north since a confrontation with Hezbollah
in April 2002.

"We have been in contact with the Israelis...
and with the other parties, with Lebanon and
Syria, urging them to exercise maximum
restraint in order to avoid further
escalation," State Department spokesman Philip
Reeker told reporters.

"The points that I [have] made are the points
that the secretary shared with Foreign Minister
Shalom. We think it's important that we have
maximum restraint exercised by the parties and
avoid any further escalation," he added.

Following the death of 16-year-old Haviv Dadon
in the Hezbollah shelling in Shlomi on Sunday,
Israel announced that it intended to refrain
from a harsh response to attacks by the group,
in order to prevent unnecessary escalation of
tensions on the northern border.

Meanwhile, the German and Spanish foreign
ministers have told Israel that they have
demanded from Syria that it rein in Hezbollah,
Israel Radio reported Monday.

According to the report, Spanish Foreign
Minister Ana Palacio informed Jerusalem that
she had spoken to Syrian President Bashar Assad
about the seriousness of any continuation of
attacks on Israel from Lebanese territory.

There was total quiet along the entire border on
Monday . Hezbollah activists, who escaped from
their positions Monday in anticipation of a
massive Israeli response after it became known
the youth was killed and others were
wounded, returned to their positions. Hezbollah
deputy secretary-general Naim Qassam and other
senior officials in the organization said
Hezbollah is not interested in a broad conflict
with Israel. Ministers in the Lebanese
government said the same.

Israel too, dropped the saber-rattling tone
adopted by the army just 24 hours earlier. One
minister said that "the entire story in the
north should be taken in its proper proportion.
For a long time it's been quieter there than
elsewhere in the country."

The defense establishment believes the lowered
tone is the result of American pressure on
Syria and Lebanon, but the IDF is maintaining a
relatively high level of alert on the border.
An artillery battery was deployed in the
western sector of border yesterday, days after
another one was deployed on the Golan Heights
but the moves appeared to be declarative, meant
to make clear that Israel would respond harshly
to any further attacks on its citizenry by
Hezbollah.




Israel's criticism is being
pointed at Syria, who's
ambassador is serving as the
current president of the
Security Council. The complaint
says a twisted reality has been
created in which the country in
charge of peace and security in
its role at the Security
Council is the one violating

them.

Israeli representatives told Israel Radio that
there is no demand at this point for the
council to convene a meeting to discuss the
matter.

Meanwhile, Lebanon filed a complaint with the
five permanent members of the council on
Israel's airforce planes violating its
airspace.

The United States on Monday called on Israel,
Lebanon and Syria to exercise restraint
following recent attacks by Hezbollah
guerrillas near the Israel-Lebanon border, in
which an Israeli teenager was killed.

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell conveyed
the message in a telephone call to Foreign
Minister Silvan Shalom after Israel said it
held Syria and Hezbollah patron Iran
responsible for attacks by the Shi'ite group.

The IDF Northern Command on Monday morning began
reinforcing its artillery units along the
Israel-Lebanon border, granting the military a
greater range of fire into Lebanese territory.


This is the first reinforcement of artillery in
the north since a confrontation with Hezbollah
in April 2002.

"We have been in contact with the Israelis...
and with the other parties, with Lebanon and
Syria, urging them to exercise maximum
restraint in order to avoid further
escalation," State Department spokesman Philip
Reeker told reporters.

"The points that I [have] made are the points
that the secretary shared with Foreign Minister
Shalom. We think it's important that we have
maximum restraint exercised by the parties and
avoid any further escalation," he added.

Following the death of 16-year-old Haviv Dadon
in the Hezbollah shelling in Shlomi on Sunday,
Israel announced that it intended to refrain
from a harsh response to attacks by the group,
in order to prevent unnecessary escalation of
tensions on the northern border.

Meanwhile, the German and Spanish foreign
ministers have told Israel that they have
demanded from Syria that it rein in Hezbollah,
Israel Radio reported Monday.

According to the report, Spanish Foreign
Minister Ana Palacio informed Jerusalem that
she had spoken to Syrian President Bashar Assad
about the seriousness of any continuation of
attacks on Israel from Lebanese territory.

There was total quiet along the entire border on
Monday . Hezbollah activists, who escaped from
their positions Monday in anticipation of a
massive Israeli response after it became known
the youth was killed and others were
wounded, returned to their positions. Hezbollah
deputy secretary-general Naim Qassam and other
senior officials in the organization said
Hezbollah is not interested in a broad conflict
with Israel. Ministers in the Lebanese
government said the same.

Israel too, dropped the saber-rattling tone
adopted by the army just 24 hours earlier. One
minister said that "the entire story in the
north should be taken in its proper proportion.
For a long time it's been quieter there than
elsewhere in the country."

The defense establishment believes the lowered
tone is the result of American pressure on
Syria and Lebanon, but the IDF is maintaining a
relatively high level of alert on the border.
An artillery battery was deployed in the
western sector of border yesterday, days after
another one was deployed on the Golan Heights
but the moves appeared to be declarative, meant
to make clear that Israel would respond harshly
to any further attacks on its citizenry by
Hezbollah.

http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/328651.html
 
Re: Israel Israel lodges additional complaint with UN on Hezbollah fire

Of course Gonz. They're the evil oppresors of the eastern world.
 
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