Via Bloomberg News:
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert blamed Lebanon for a Hezbollah attack on Israel he said was “war-like’’ and called for a “painful and far-reaching’’ response. Israeli troops entered Lebanon, the daily Haaretz reported, as an army spokeswoman said a call-up of reservists was on the agenda.
The military action came after the armed Hezbollah group said on its Web site it captured two Israeli soldiers. The army said there was a “heavy suspicion’’ that two soldiers were abducted. An army spokeswoman, speaking anonymously, declined to comment on any military ground operations in Lebanon.
Olmert called an emergency cabinet meeting for later today to decide on further military action in Lebanon. “The murderous attack this morning was not a terrorist act, it was a war-like act by the state of Lebanon against Israel in its sovereign territory,’’ he said at a press conference in Jerusalem.
The escalation in the north threatened wider Mideast military confrontation 15 days into Israel’s incursion into the Gaza Strip to win the release of an Israeli soldier abducted on June 25 and to halt Palestinian rocket attacks on southern Israel.
Olmert said that the Hezbollah attack would be responded to in “an unequivocal manner that will be very painful and far- reaching against those who initiated it.’’
For what it’s worth, Debka reports that the IDF knew the Hezbollah attack was coming but couldn’t stop it:
Preparations for the Hizballah kidnap operation were sighted well in advance at its border positions. The attack did not therefore come as a surprise. Nonetheless the first IDF probe conducted after the attack found that a Hizballah commando unit transferred from its Baalbek base had managed to infiltrate the northern border, lie in wait for two Israeli Hammer jeeps patrolling the border, and blow them up at around 0900 a.m., injuring 6 soldiers, three critically.
Writes Allah at Hot Air:
IDF ground troops have crossed the border into southern Lebanon to search for the two. Debka says they’re encountering roadside bombs and missile forces, and alleges that special forces have been airdropped by helicopter into Beirut to intercept the kidnappers before they can find a secure hiding place. Meanwhile, infantry units and armored reserves are being called up.
But here’s the really interesting part, via Ynet:
Hizbullah even had a concrete offer, which binds the two kidnapping affairs – in the north and in the south: A release of the three kidnapped soldiers, including Corporal Gilad Shalit, in exchange for the release of thousands of prisoners, including Lebanese prisoners who are still held by Israel.
Either Hezbollah’s blowing smoke or they’re coordinating with Hamas  yet another example of Shiite and Sunni terrorists working hand in hand towards a common cause. Both organizations rely heavily on Syria for logistical support as well, a fact which is very much on the minds of the Israeli government:
From the IDF’s perspective, the entire “northern front,†as it is called in Israel, is involved up to its neck in the kidnapped soldier affair. Once and again Jerusalem has blamed senior Hamas members in Damascus for planning the abduction and have pointed a finger at Syrian President Bashar Assad, including launching aerial flights by IAF warplanes over his palace.
Is this it for Assad? One more fly-by for the IAF, but this time for keeps?
As for Gilad Shalit, he’s still alive according to the Arab newspaper al-Hayat, which has details about the conditions under which he’s being held.
I don’t think it should come as any surprise at this point that the impossibility of Shiite/Sunni collaboration is and has been a useful fiction—one similar to the useful fiction that secular states such as Hussein’s Iraq would never collaborate with Islamists, providing them plausible deniability, but only because many western elites have bought into the fiction (see also: the “political wing” of Hezbollah)
To paraphrase Sam Johnson, nothing so focuses the minds of these erstwhile “warring” factions as the prospect of a hanging—particularly when the rope is made of Semtex and the lynched are Jews (who are often “hanged” for the sin of riding a bus or frequenting a pizzeria or mall; that is, for have the temerity to exist).
Lebanon’s PM Fuad Senyora “called the United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan and asked him to ‘prevent the escalation in the aggression of Israel toward the Lebanon.’
“Senyora called on the international community to help victims of the Israeli bombing.”
And Kofi Annan—friend to the weak, slayer of the Zionist Devil—obliges. As is his wont. Because constraining Israel’s response to attacks against its sovereignty is one of the only successes the UN can lay claim to.
But Israel has the right to protect itself, and attacks from Hezbollah (funded by Syria and Iran)—who are part of the Lebanese government and who control Southern Lebanon—can therefore be construed as acts of war, not just acts of terrorism, though the official US State Department stance at this time is that these are terrorist acts.
Still, writes Darleen Click:
This is where “diplomacy” must consist of Israel unequivocally stating to the Islamists “release the prisoners in good condition and unconditionally or massive bombing starting at your capitals begins in 72 hours.” Then do it. The thugs understand nothing else.
Israel is the frontline of dar ul Harb that dar ul Islam wants to wipe out with as much fervor as Hitler wanted the Rhineland.
Why are there any questions left in this regard?
Well, because of the nuance, Darleen. International opinion and all that. The diplomatic path having proven so successful for Israel over the years.
****
Blogs of War, PJM, and Michelle Malkin have nice roundups. See also, Polipundit and Kesher Talk.
Hasn’t Lebanon learned not to mess with them?
Guess not.
This is a dicey situation. At this point, Israel appears to have no choice but to get aggressive and retaliatory. Hezbollah (I’m not convinced this was a Lebanese offensive) seems to be deliberately provoking the Israelis. And of course Sunnis and Shia would work together when it’s in their interest. And good luck getting those thousands of prisoners back, guys!
“Hama Rules”
That street goes two ways.
That’s all I’m saying.
I feel your rage.
Well, diplomacy hasn’t done Israel much good over the years, OTOH, I can’t count the times I’ve heard the Israelis say, since 1987, “Now we’re really going to get serious!” and it never really stops.
>> Hezbollah (I’m not convinced this was a Lebanese offensive) seems to be deliberately provoking the Israelis. <<
Yes, of course.
I don’t think the govt of Lebanon has anything to do with it. Olmert is speaking this way, I think, because it was a military-style op directed against soldiers.
Of course Israel can retaliate in various ways, and, probably will. The problem is that any retaliation is just going to be bad PR for Israel, etc. etc. Don’t forget that H & H are doing this on purpose: they want this to escalate. That can only mean that any retaliation will be expected, and will have no political clout vis-a-vis H & H (it will of course be emotionally satisfying to observers, but this is not entertainment.)
Well, being kidnapped and murdered by Hezbollah is still less likely than being secreted to Gitmo and losing your civil rights, which we are losing everyday because of domestic wiretapping and George “Crotch” is a murderer who has killed almost 3000 soldiers.
You chickenhawks support Bush’s War. You are murdering our poor troops. And all of it because Israel should not be in Gaza or the Golan or the US in Baghdad, Ramadi or Hit.
When are you guys going to learn? We have more important things to worry about than one or two soldiers doing what undoubtedly they do; atrocities are common in every war like YOUR babykillers in Haditha or YOUR gangrapists at Tailhook.
You guys worry about a few tragic cases while millions suffer without healcare. Truly sad.
Well, I guess the roadmap ain’t gonna work. Have we gotten around to recognizing that yet?
Olmert has been exceeding my expectations of him. His policy of unilaterally drawing Israel’s borders tells the rest of Arab nation that the Palestinian ruse has ultimately failed and that they’re about to inherit themselves a nasty problem: The Palestinians.
Ahmadingytard’s rhetoric is now translating into military action that can be directly attributed, at least in part, to the Iranian government, through the Syrian and Lebenese governments.
It’s on, kids.
I’m glad I’m not the Chinless Opthamologist today.
tw: leave
Oy. Am Yisrael Chai!
International opinion, at least as expressed through the UN, has and will always go against Israel. If they are even considering what the worlds opinion will be, then they have already admitted defeat. Their actions seem to indicate otherwise. It seems as if they are preparing for war. Finally.
The Palestinian ”Balance of Fear” madness is spreading into Lebanon.
I believe Big Lizards mentioned this, Hamas and Hezbullah terrorism is the symptom, the disease is centered in Syria and Iran.
Escalation is the last thing that Hezbollah, Hamas, Syria or any other Arab state wants since they’ve seen time and time again that they cannot stand up to Israel in open confrontration.
Why wasn’t it obvious to some of you that last year as Israel forcibly evicted its own settlers that it was removing the last barrier (except political) towards large scale military operations?
The only question here is how will the Egyptians and Iranians respond?
I don’t know of any rights I’ve lost because President Bush is taking prudent steps to protect us from the islamists.
That Leftists can support the scumbags who assault civilization says a lot about their morals, or lack therof.
For news about Israel go to:
http://www.ArutzSheva.com
To help the Israelis removed from Gaza, most of whom are unemployed and in need:
http://www.katifund.org/eng/index.html
http://www.lemaanachai.org/GKdonate.asp
If you are a Jew, it’s self-interest. If you are a Christian, you know what The Carpenter Boss instructed his employees to do with their income. Generosity is its own blessing.
Sorry to butt in here, but I am writing a post at my blog at the Houston Chronicle on the Jeff/Dr. Frisch thing and I have e-mailed Jeff and haven’t heard from him (he usually e-mails me right back, so I am wondering if he is getting them or just overwhelmed with e-mails)
Anyway, Jeff, if you read this tell me where you were a professor? Was it the Univ. or Colorado? I want to include that in the article.
Does anyone here know?
Thanks!!!
Mutiple fouls on the commenter impersonating a lefty.
1) Five yards for failure to misspell enough words.
2) Five yards for failing to work Halliburton in somewhere.
3) Five yards for proper punctuation.
4) Ten yards for failing to work either Cheney or Rove into the diatribe.
5) Ten yards for failure to CAPITALIZE and use unnecessary exclamation points.
6) Fifteen yards and loss of down for not working Neo-cons, Joos, and/or Chimpy into rant.
1) everyday because of domestic wiretapping and George “Crotch†is a murderer who has killed almost 3000 soldiers
2) You are murdering our poor troops
3) And all of it because Israel should not be in Gaza or the Golan or the US in Baghdad, Ramadi or Hit
4) atrocities are common in every war like YOUR babykillers in Haditha or YOUR gangrapists at Tailhook
5) You guys worry about a few tragic cases while millions suffer without healcare
Yep, truly sad. It is truly sad that everything is somebody elses fault and anyone that doesn’t agree with you is at fault.
Yep, I do believe your thinking is truly sad.
atrocities are common in every war like YOUR babykillers in Haditha or YOUR gangrapists at Tailhook.
Tell us how you support the troops again?
Chickenhawk indeed. As you are so against everything the U.S. military has done in the GWoT, surely will you sign yourself up for the humanshield brigade? Chickendove?
This one might be a parody, but with the left every thing has become a parody.
Linked from Old War Dogs >> Lebanon steps in it big time.
corvan:
It is getting really hard to tell sometimes, isn’t it?
Lefty McPasterson
“Crotch” How so very cute…..
Last time genitalia words were used here, someone lost their job
Well, I’m sorry that I left the sister-humping behind in the Deep South and actually concentrated on school. I’m sure if you wingnuts actually graduated third grade, you’d agree with me.
But things are what they are. And all I get to hear are the vapid comebacks about the Jews even though Rev. Graham and his Christoban are on your side and the Jewry vote as a block on MY side.
But at a site where the patron saint is a self-loathing Space-Jooo that rubs paste on his nipples and cock-punches his dancing rodents, I am not surprised.
Indeed, Lefty…. Go fight us evildoers! Because going to fight those “Imperialist Invaders” ™ is SO much more effective than spreading your tripe across the internet. I’ll be sure and mourn your passing.
Fucking twatwaffle… go rub some salve on Dr. Deb’s aching piehole.
Oh…. hello, all. First time poster.
Dewclaw
TEMPUS EDAX RERUM
Time.. the Devourer of all Things.
~Ovid~
Christoban?
A place with no speed limit where Jesus tests his water walking sandals?
Sister-humping?
Bastard, how did you find out????????
– At what point will we be forced to carry the NeoLibs from the meeting hall, kicking and screaming, for the safety of themslves and others…
– If you’re unfortunate enough to be a Liberal these days, in the “soft Marxist” sense, your future is grim to say the least….
JPS,
Hard to tell? It’s impossible to tell.
That’s because you guys are sexually repressed. Didn’t you ever watch Meet the Fockers? The Right might as well be locked up in Max Security in Rikers Island.
You are all latent homosexuals and get conjugal visits only twice a year.
Lefty, you get points for effort – it’s really apparent how hard you’re trying. But all us minions is owned, bought and paid for by Jeffy (the Jew) and his alter-ego, Witheld.
So, unless you want to match the quality of your results to the quality of your efforts, I’m afraid you’re gonna be pretty much ignored.
I don’t believe in violence. I am working to attain total spiritual creaminess, away from the chewey nougat that is conservative “thought”.
“You are all latent homosexuals and get conjugal visits only twice a year.”
Geneva convention says quarterly. Doesn’t it?
The nougat part sounds sort of like Actus.
Pity points?
Dewclaw
See, this was promising… and then you followed with
This’s just lame.
C’mon, man, more cowbell!
It ain’t hard out there for a troll, I’ll say that. Never was.
I know who Lefty McP is, but I’m not going to “out” him. Wouldn’t want Fitzy comin’ after me.
Jeez, am I the only one who routinely “mouseovers” the nicks of “new” commenters?
My concern is that this is all Iran’s game:
1. Get Israel back in Gaza and Lebanon.
2. Get Israel fighting Syria.
3. Stir up trouble at the Egyptian border.
4. Once Israel has troops outside it’s border in 3 different countries, Iran calls some kind of Islamic conference, and offers to take care of the Zionist entity once and for all.
5. ???
6. Prophet!
jdm,
Witheld….ahhh, yes.
I am so jonesing for some irregular verbification!
Does this make me an addict, or just another unworthy sub-minion grovelling for table scraps?
What the hell?
Lefty, you complete jackass, Israeli soldiers were in Israel as were Pentagon employees in DC (which is actusland, a little east, west, north and south of the USA).
Jeff, we need smarter trolls.
I think I disagree with Darleen. The soldiers are headless already, and the enemy doesn’t deserve even a token 72 hour warning. After an act of war, smite at will and without warning.
As for nuance, there is no peace to preserve.
If Lebanon wants out of this mess, they need to isolate the Hezballah crazies: seal the southern Line of Control, and let the Israelis know that thy’ve done so. Deny passage to retreating Hezb units – and let Israel crush them.
SB: door
closed
Yes.
There’s something eerily familiar in the Left talking points these days, that very well could be confused by things you might have heard listening to a radio in Berlin in the 30’s…
Then again, he did start out as head of the “National Socialist” movement, so maybe it’s more than just a coincidence.
7. Tehran and Damascus becomes very large radioactive smoking craters.
Given the current global tensions; I actually cashed in my 401k, money market, and mutual fund investments the other day. I got a reverse mortgage on the house, bought a Ferrari, and plan to spend spend spend until it’s all gone. I figure even at an MC Hammer-ish pace, the total of my liquid assets should allow me to live unemployed, like royalty, for at least a year. Which, I gravely admit, is probably a longer time period than it will take for nuclear war to break out on all fronts. But hey; eat, drink, and be merry right? Or is that smoke ‘em if ya got ‘em? Meh, maybe a little of both.
I almost believed lefty was for real, but the lack of misspelled words and then when he said spiritual creaminess were the hat tip that he is a leftist impostor. Izzat you Zombie?
Hmmm. Either Lefty’s alter ego just responded to him (sock-puppetry) or Lefty’s impersonating a minion.
Well, we do need better trolls nowadays. I’m going to have to pick a fight with one of you guys.
Big Bang Hunter, you are ugly and your momma dresses you funny. More, you are like really really old–unless you happen to be really really young–but in any case, no one will EVER love you.
So there. Discuss amongst yourselves. Hatemail to my yahoo account.
International opinion, at least as expressed through the UN, has and will always go against Israel. If they are even considering what the worlds opinion will be, then they have already admitted defeat. Their actions seem to indicate otherwise. It seems as if they are preparing for war. Finally.
I thought that this was H&Hs way to ramp up their war against Israel and gain public opinion points(read political). Should this not escalate they will have. Israel has acted out of proportion to the crime commited. However I think you are right. The next step is to place a SB on Assads dining room table and launch a few at the Ayitollahs. Egypt will do absolutely nothing, but talk.
Lefty has got to be shining us on. Nobody can be that stuck in the 60s.
Jeez, am I the only one who routinely “mouseovers†the nicks of “new†commenters?
I don’t do it as a rule, but often enough. I didn’t recognize it at first. And even then wouldn’t it be easy to fake it? Still, there was something “playful” about it all.
Okay, now I’m sure he’s a parody…
Pretty sure…
Verc,
You switch-hitting now?
Learned, our learned liberal left.
God, if only that were true…
A la carte:
Hezbollah and Hamas may have little to lose by setting Israel up to fight Syria, especially if Syria has received unusual weapons in the last, oh three or four years from … some hypothetical neighboring country. Furthermore, the question of where H&H’s support really comes from these days, may be worth considering. Iran may be looking to increase its influence over H&H and within Syria.
Getting Syria beat up by Bob Dylan’s “neighborhood bully” might serve Iran’s middle-term interests.
What’s the latest on Syria’s present influence over the Lebanese regime?
shank,
I’ll keep my 401K, thanks for the investment advice. But can I drive it?
On second thought, can you pick it up in Germany, and let me drive it?
Because my daughter’s Ford was pretty much flat out at 95…
And it’s not like you’ll have much to live for anyway.
Damn… I wasted the word “twatwaffle” on an impersonator.
Agreed… otherwise the would have acted during Israels re-entry into Gaza.
Verc, you SOB.
But I mean that in the best possible way.
Asshole (that too).
And yes, McGehee, I’ll not make that mistake again.
Bravo Lefty McPasterson! I’m in love with your style of prose. I laughed, I cried, I sat in bewildered puzzlement trying to discern whether you are serious or a parody.
Please enlighten us further on your view of the world and our collective shortcomings. Let’s say I’m against gay marraige, what do you say to that? I also think that Israel should cordone off an area from their border goint out ten miles and reduce it to a parking lot through the use of carpet bombing followed quickly by a fleet of bulldozers. The lead bulldozer should be the one with little pieces of Rachel Corrie still stuck in it’s gears.
One other thing: What the hell is a Space-Joo?
PS: I did a touchdown dance in my living room when I found out Zarqawi was dead and then spent the next three days in an alchoholic stupor to celebrate. On the other hand I was not really all that upset when I heard “Hadji Girl” or about any of the other alleged atrocities commited by our soldiers. I have confidence the military will do the right thing and punish the small number of criminals within our military.
Try the Peace Park Memorial Museum in Hiroshima. It’ll make a believer out of you.
Oops, posted before I read McGehee’s post.
Had me going for a second. That says alot about the left’s discourse these days.
Verc, you should take that act on the road to some leftblogs—but don’t use your regular addy.
I can almost guarantee you’ll pass as a local.
…until you start talking about creamy vs. nougat…
1. “twatwaffle†– Uh, I like it, but ….
2. “Space Joo”? How many ‘o’s? Isn’t that Superman?
3. “Debbie does Phallus” – is that a movie?
Hell… that part made more sense than half the stuff on Dr. Deb’s site, or most of the other looney lefts rantings for that matter.
Even if you are too new to know who “hankinson” is, you shoulda at least been suspicious at this point.
I was gonna make that point about the mouseover, McGeehee, but I decided to wait for a little more fun instead. And really, I’m glad I didn’t miss “self-loathing Space-Jooo”.
Verc, you forgot that he cuts glass with the nipples. Bad Jarhead!! No napalm!!
MarkD- if you want the Ferrari look for it at your local repossession auction in the fall of ‘08; I’ll have defaulted on it by then.
Of course, what good is a convertible during nuclear winter? Hey, at least it’ll be cheap.
Lefty is just your garden-variety encased meat product ground fresh daily by the contemporary academic sausage machine: Lefty McLefterson’s All-American Baloney. Comes in three flavors: Self-loathing, Anti-American and Anti-Semitic. Length: 2 inches. Content: Chicken meat, brain by-products–most Noam Chomsky’s brain–snips, snails and 70s tales, red herring. Dietary fiber: Less than 0%. Colored with FD&C Red No. 5. Warning: May contain nut products.
Dewclaw: twatwaffle? That’s original.
OK, we agree… our three soldiers for your entire country not being turned extra crispy.
A VERY dangerous game…
Yesterday, December 7, 1941, a day that will live in infamy, units of the Imperial Japanese Navy attacked Pearl Harbor.
I have insructed our Ambassador in Tokyo to deliver a harsh note to Premier Tojo, and to institute a claim in the Japanese Small Claims Court for damages. The Japanese will not be invited to the Rose Parade.
My bad.
But you just know somebody would have gone overboard in responding to “Lefty” and it would have made another Sadly, Blow! compilation post.
Or worse, Actus would have come along and started agreeing with him. <shudder>
Well, I would ask why? If it is over some religious objection, there is little I could do about that. But if there is a religious injunction against gay marriage, there does exist a religious penalty against sex during menstruation as well. If you want to be literal about the Bible, we can go there. I bet you’ll say uncle before I do.
So why? But also, in civilized discourse as we practice on the left on such vaunted sites as DKos and DU–which you guys wouldn’t know from the hole in you pants–there is a thing called threadjacking. So maybe another thread.
For those who are wondering if Lefty is a parody, don’t feel too bad: When Deb first starting posting here, I thought she was just making it up as she went along.
twatwaffle
To be completely honest, I didn’t originate the term. A very dear friend on an EZBoard used this term on a very annoying boardtroll once… the rest is history.
I do have copyright reprinting permission, though. (thanks Meadbh!)
No one has ever really defined the term… I’ll leave it to the imagination.
TW- “various”
Various flavors of moonbats fall into the “twatwaffle” catagory.
Verc: Okay, you got me. Uncle.
But I must say, you’re getting extremely good at imitating the left. Perhaps, too good.
upchuck posted at LGF yesterday:
Have you seen Iraq The Model—July 8th–Singing out of the Flock? Many, many Iraqi comments taking the side of Israel against the Palis. It is outstanding, I am stunned…And pleased. – http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=21478#c0117
…
Look what many Iraqis are saying, surrounded by Arab neighbors who ignored the mass graves and took Saddam’s blook money, with Americans “occupying” their country:
“Our hearts go out to the family of the Israeli soldier who was kidnapped by some Palestinian group. We share your suffering and we fully support anything you do to free your missing soldier”
Hassan al-Shami: Baghdad/Iraq.
“I wonder how much time and blood it will take until Arabs and Muslims realize that the world is not the property of their ancestors and that God is not a trademark of their minds and that terror is a dead-end that leads only to more destruction.
Israel is a civilized country defending herself from barbaric savages whose minds are made of stone…minds that do not want to believe they are living in the 21st century.
What’s happening to the Palestinians despite its cruelty is going to be a good lesson for them to learn they must clear their community off the hateful fundamentalist terror mentality…[Quranic verse] “God will not change people until they change what’s within themselves”…but, will you change?!!”
Abu Ayoub al-Iraqi.
“To answer Mr. Jihad (the Palestinian from Jordan) and his advice for Iraqis: Iraqis are singing outside the Arab flock for one reason which is that they distinguish the truth from the Arab illusions. Only 13 years ago Iraqis used to speak like the rest of Arabs; equipped with the illusions of the “Zionist conspiracy” created by Islamists and pan-nationalists. But Iraqis now have discovered the bitter truth. Who is murdering Iraqis on daily basis?? Who is prolonging the stay of foreign troops? That’s the terrorists coming from Arab and Islamic countries!!
Israel doesn’t want to become the “Great Israel” because Israelis are only several millions in this world…
We are people with long history that we are proud of and we possess enough education and awareness, so long live the new Iraq and let Israel live as our neighbor. I’d love to say that I wish Israel could rule the entire region; better than any Arab government except for the Iraqi”
An Iraqi in exile: Asia.
“I just want to say that I stand in admiration and respect for the nation that wouldn’t mind destroying the world for the sake of her sons’ safety; a nation that doesn’t care about the consequences for their operations in Gaza as long as the soldier is still kidnapped and has to be set free.
Let Arabs and Muslims learn how human life is highly valued in all non-Arab, non-Muslim countries”
Hassan al-Shami: Baghdad/Iraq.
“From following the participations I am gaining more faith in the maturity of thinking of my Iraqi brothers.
Thank God.
And to Olmert I say: Go forward and abolish the fountains of terror in Gaza”
A free Iraqi: Baghdad.
More: http://iraqthemodel.blogspot.com/2006/07/singing-out-of-flock.html
Yea.. what Ahem said.
TEMPUS EDAX RERUM
Time.. the Devourer of all Things.
~Ovid~
Well, sombody dropped ‘Mad Troll Disease’ here the other night. Unfortunatley, it wasn’t entirely original, but it’s good enough to propagate. So’s twatwaffle.
Hamas is closely aligned with Syria. While Syria goes to bed with Hezbollah when it can, Hezbollah is married to Iran, not Syria. Syria has never be able to control the Bekah valley and Hezbollah in the south even when they owned Lebanon.
The jihadi strategy is not to escalate this into a broader regional conflict where IAF planes start smacking Damacus and Beirut (and possibly Tehran if they miscalculate badly enough). It’s the time honored and proven strategy of engaging on two fronts. Hezbollah’s intent is to spread the Israeli forces and take heat off Hamas. The possible downside is big though. The strategy’s success depends on anticipating the type of tactical response the Israelis will launch. Artillary duels along the two borders and Israeli ground excursions make for great victim press. A full press Israeli attack that includes deep strikes by the IAF isn’t so hot. There will be a highly touted effort to get the UN to restrain or at least limit the Israeli response on that score. It is, howver, a downside the terrorists have managed before.
The increased risk of the downside this time around is that it’s now nearly impossible to deny coordination between the leadership of the two terrorist groups which puts Damacus and Tehran deep in the mix and increases the risk of an Israeli body blow response. That’s where the US position comes from. The US has their own strategy. The US is still buying time for the increasing stabilization of Iraq to reach the point where enough troops are freed up for the next phase in the WoT to go smoothly. The US could do so now, but would prefer to wait a bit longer. So the US is stressing the terrorist angle rather than the terrorist enabling regimes angle. The Israelis know all this. They know damn well that Lebanon itself is not the issue.
The Israelis calling up their reserves will cause Hezbollah and Hamas to back down immediately. It may be the Israelis haven’t yet done so because they don’t want them to back down. They may want Hezbollah in particular to go far enough to provide enough muting to the inevitable international condemnation if Israel retaliates hard enough to permanently change the tactical landscape in their north (make no mistake, the north is where the real danger to Israel lies, not the bankrupt and suicidal Palistinian polity).
It’s Mid-East chess as usual. Hard to say how it will play out this time. My money is that the Israelis will restrain themselves until the US is better positioned to support them directly both diplomatically and this time militarily in bringing down Assad’s house and scourging the Iranians out of the Bekah valley good and proper.
Verc …. You know me so well… What was it that gave me away……
…..
…..
…Ok…..it was the cowbell polishing thing wasn’t it…. and maybe the Podjors….My cover is forever blown… I’ve been “outed”… sigh
I wonder if um, what his name, Senator Cut-n-run, was right. Maybe we should redeploy our forces “just over the horizon.” Damascus is over the horizon isn’t it? Hey, we could do a meet-up with the IDF! Get our eyes checked-n-everything.
SB: inside
joke
Ah, shit, cover is blown for good.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
There is truth in this.
“Neighborhood Bully been driven out of every land;
He’s one or the other, an exiled man.”
“He took out a bomb factory, and nobody was glad;
The bombs were meant for him, he was supposed to feel bad.”
But when has the “jihadi strategy” shown to be sound or well thought out? Just look at the PA walking away from the Oslo Accords when they got most if not all they were asking for… only to sentence the Palestinians to years of uneeded misery. I can’t see the jihadists having a whole lot of forsight. Their history has shown them to be more like opportunistic rats… scurrying around and accomplishing little.
Agreed….
L. is so McPast. No union card-carrying evil henchman would ever refer to a dancing Dasypus as a “rodent”. Xenarthus and Rodentia are Orders apart.
Xenarthus is like:
This
Rodentia is like:
That
h/t Great Mencken’s Ghost: http://www.geocities.com/slayerdaddy/union.html
Holy crap, that’s a scary looking albino ferret.
– Careful now… The ‘dillo is reading this….
A few government buildings levelled in Tehran, with a warning the oilfields could be next, is the only salutary measure available to defang their Hizbollah proxies. Consider the example of Gaddafi.
An Israeli war with only Hizbollah is precisely what their masters want, as it leaves them safely buffered from any consequences. No more proxy wars, dammit!
Can’t find the source, but I seem to remember a common-sense quote about war: “An attack from a state is an attack by a state.” Either Lebanon takes control of its borders and the forces within them, or it surrenders the right to protest when someone else does. If Lebanon isn’t complicit, it’s negligent.
I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. Bad PR for a pariah state? How could it get worse? What, will some country call for its nuclear destruction?
Political clout with H & H? Demonstrably, over decades, the only kind of political clout that they (and all of their predecessors, descendants, associates, sponsors, host states, allies, fellow travellers, water carriers, etc.) understand is the kind that comes from violence.
No more ‘political clout’. They’re the enemies of civilization. Kill them.
…”History records the radioactive no-mans land that once was Damascas, as we continue the History Channel special, “Hesbullah, the reckless years”….
Bad Jarhead!! No napalm!!
That’s darn funny.
Its sad enough (give me pause) because of I’m held in such high reguard by a bunch of cockslapping pastetasters. (No offents.) To whit: HELLO!!!?!?!?!?! I’m progessive.
But relly the cruelest cut of it is conflated with an ego of “Jeffy” himslef. No, no, no, a thousand.
I’m just Witheld. (Usually. Accept on the Frodo/Sam slash fanfic newsgroups where sometimes I’m go by my penname: Clytemnestra Furrytoes.)
Hey Bashar Al-Assad… Those 72 virgins ain’t going to want you with your johnson lit up like a very tiny (rumour has it, anyway)lightsabre….
(the dueling condom scene from SOB comes to mind)
Clytemnestra Furrytoes? !! (That was a fresh can of Coke there…)
You’re right, Withheld, no one should be taking your name in vain.
Very disappointing Lefty. I was so hoping for another round of laugh out loud leftist talking points wrapped around gut busting personal attacks. Yet all I got for my troubles was a reasoned response to my made up position and a slap on the wrist for threadjacking. Honestly, you really slipped out of character there Verc. I don’t think there is a chance in hell Lefty would have been able to resist simultaneously accusing me of being a closeted homosexual and a homophobe. I’m certain there would also have been some mention of Count Cockula as well.
I guess I’ll just go back to wondering exactly wha the fuck Hamas, Hezballah, Syria and Iran have planned. Either they’ve gone completely bonkers and feel like getting their ass spanked by Israel again or………
What!? Why???
We get precious little pie around here as it is, and the armadillo never dances.
The least we should be able to count on is an offent every now and then.
Witheld, I’m reporting you to the Geneva Convention.
Big Bang Hunter,
If I offended the -dillo, let me clarify the difference more biologically:
Xenarthra is defined by a lumbar bone that stiffens the spine, as in, showing some backbone.
Rodentia is defined by dentition specialized for gnawing, as in, ankle-biting.
You know how I love to see a drunken, cooze-chasing, dancing Dasypus! Or was that just a hallucination induced by licking paste off my nipples?
– No one should take anything in the vien… Just say no too fur…..
>>I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. Bad PR for a pariah state? How could it get worse?<<
Actually, not to be hard-hearted about this, but the H agression in the North has muted the coverage of Pali collateral damage in the South. For example, early this morning all I heard about on the radio were the deaths of 7 Pali kids (no doubt strategically placed) as collateral damage to a botched assassination attempt, but once the Lebanon story broke, that was it.
I agree that one can construe attack from as a de facto attack by: the problem is, if an attack is caused by ‘negligence’ it is more often caused by a nation’s lack of control over its own space, and invading such a space then means that the invader needs to take control of said space, with all that that entails, otherwise the exercise is pointless. But occupations take time, cost money, and lives. That’s why Israel left Lebanon in the first place.
Can the PR be worse for Israel? Sure. Divestment and boycotts are commmonly proposed today, for example. More important than that is the effect of the constant violence on the morale of the Israelis, and their supporters worldwide, Jewish and non-Jewish. I know several Israelis and Israel supporters who are just, well, exhausted.
– Would furrytoes be considered “offensive” under article 3?
Its certainly gotten them this far. The palestinean state that might eventually happen will be smaller than anything in 48, 68, or the first intifada.
– Jeeezzz, and just when I was planning on dropping some heavy coin in a Hilton Kibbutz… Damn kiljoys every where you look….
TW: Just close your eyes Dorothy, click yopur heels together three times and keep repeating “There’s no place like home….”
It is interesting that Israel is now fighting a two front war, north and south, while the US is fighting in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
My take has been that the penultimate goal is liberalizing the Arabian peninsula, but that cannot be made without rolling back the Islamist (Iran) and the ending the dreams of pan-Arabism (Baathism). If something happens to roll back Syria, that leaves Iran the last man of consequence in the Middle East.
Most terrorism is state-sponsored. Remove those states, terrorism droops and is cut off.