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Breaking News: Isreal and Lebanon at War?
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| Renegade |
Doesn't look good :(:
| quote: | JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israel launched air strikes and sent troops and tanks into southern Lebanon Wednesday, after Hezbollah television said its guerrillas had abducted two Israeli soldiers along the border.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert described the Hezbollah attacks as an "act of war" by Lebanon and promised a "very painful and far-reaching" response, The Associated Press reported.
Hezbollah is demanding a prisoner exchange for the soldiers' release. In a later claim on its television network, Hezbollah said it had "destroyed" an Israeli tank crossing into southern Lebanon. The fate of the tank crew was not known.
The valleys along the Israeli-Lebanese border thundered with artillery fire and clouds of blue-gray smoke could be seen rising above Lebanese positions.
Israeli military sources confirmed a troop build-up on the northern border and said preparations were being made for possible call up of reserve soldiers.
"This morning there was an attack on civilians and soldiers in the north. At this moment there are Israeli security forces operating inside Lebanon," Olmert told reporters.
"The government will convene this evening for a special cabinet meeting. I want to make clear that the events this morning are not a terror attack but an operation of a sovereign state without any reason or provocation."
The Israeli Cabinet is scheduled to meet at 7 p.m. (noon ET), according to Olmert's office.
"The Lebanese government, of which Hezbollah is part of, is trying to undermine the stability of the region, and the Lebanese government will be responsible for the consequences," Olmert said.
The abduction of the soldiers would open a second front after Israel sent tanks and troops into the Palestinian territory of Gaza following the abduction of an Israeli soldier by Palestinian militants. Israeli Cpl. Gilad Shalit, 19, was abducted in a raid on an Israeli military post in southern Israel on June 25.
The militants holding him have demanded the release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel in exchange for Shalit. Israel has flatly refused.
Responding to the most recent incident along the Israel-Lebanon border, Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz said in a statement: "The State of Israel sees itself free to use all measures that it finds it needs and the (Israeli Forces) have been given orders in that direction.
"If the soldiers are not returned we will turn Lebanon's clock back 20 years," Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Dan Halutz to Israeli Channel 10.
Israeli forces, observers said, were bombing roads, bridges and guerrilla positions in southern Lebanon an attempt to prevent guerrillas from moving the troops deeper into Lebanon.
Israeli forces are also responding to rocket attacks fired by Hezbollah into northern Israel, according to the army.
Four Israeli civilians and six soldiers have been wounded in the fighting so far, according to the Israeli military.
The IDF instructed citizens in northern villages to take shelter as the violence escalated.
It is the latest skirmish between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, whose forces traded cross-border fire in late May following the assassination of an Islamic Jihad official in the southern Lebanese city of Sidon.
Mahmoud Majzoub, also known as Abu Hamza, was killed in a car bombing, which Islamic Jihad blamed on Israel. Israel denied any involvement in the incident.
Hezbollah is designated a terrorist group by the United States and Israel but is a significant player in Lebanon's fractious politics.
Israel set up a security buffer zone in southern Lebanon from 1978 until 2000. |
http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/m...east/index.html |
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| epsilon1 |
| looks like we're headed to a massive operation in Lebanon. |
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| TranceGiant |
| This is without a doubt the most critical point ever since the beginning of the 2nd Intifada in Sept. 2000. Typical phenomenen: Weakness can be smelt and is instantly takend advantage of. I'm about to cancel my Israel vacation :( |
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| NYCTrancefan |
Does Israel really want to go down this road again in Lebanon. Typical of this region, one step forward, ten steps back. I wouldn't say this is war but I do see Syrian troops being sent back across the border or giving logistics to Hezbollah and depending on how long Israel's presence in Southern Lebanon continues an intensification of this situation. This is truly a hopeless part of the world I can't be left but convinced of this, the most holy of holy of thine holiness :wtf: would probably be fighting in this part of the world. What's left to say any longer that isn't in the Pal-Isrl thread.
You know I saw a documentary film on Sundance yesterday "Checkpoint" from 03' about the crossing points in places such as Nablus, etc. One Israeli soldier said that the Palestinians were animals, nothing but monkeys and gorillas lived in that place, another remarked their women are pretty, second only to Jewish women of course, and it appeared that almost every Palestinian was begging to be allowed to pass from one checkpoint to another and not sent back, one man who the soldiers checked his identity and found out that he could pass decided to make him wait in the rain while they smoked a cigarette before telling him he could move on. There are two sides to every story of course but I couldn't live like that. This region is hopeless and we were stupid enough to send a standing army there. Sigh. |
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| psychosomatica |
From the Drudge
| quote: | 7 ISRAELI SOLDIERS KILLED IN ATTACK
Wed Jul 12 2006 11:08:36 ET
The Israeli army on Wednesday said seven soldiers were killed in fighting with Hezbollah guerrillas after a cross-border raid in which the Lebanese group captured two other soldiers.
The army said three soldiers were killed in the initial raid, and four other soldiers were killed when their tank went over a land mine in southern Lebanon.
The tank was participating in a ground invasion aimed at rescuing the captured soldiers.
Developing...
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The deal is sealed. Unilateral actions have dug their grave. Their economy is already stretched with 9.x% going to defense... and several billion dollars of aid coming from the US to a country which is able to design Intel processors... |
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| Jackson |
Heard this on the way home from work 15 mins ago.
Any idea what kind of Army Lebanon has? Mainly ex-soviet stuff i can imagine but if someone has a link to their inventory that would be cool.
I can see Israels reasons, people have seen what a conundrum the palestinian prisoner problem has caused so they dont want to be taken advantage of by all their neighbours...However, all i'm saying is i can see their point...yet this may NOT be the answer. |
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| Dj Alex (ISR) |
show me one country in the whole world who wont react if other country will brake the border and kindnap a soldiers!!
damn!! we are talking about national borders!!
its like tomorrow mexico will enter usa and kidnap americas soldiers..
Israeli air force will atack them for sho in the up coming days.. the comment of israel will be very strong and my be resulted in massive bombings of Lebanon and Syria who are financialzing Hizballah.. |
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| metalgearsolid |
| quote: | Originally posted by Jackson
Mainly ex-soviet stuff i can imagine but if someone has a link to their inventory that would be cool.
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leb military |
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| epsilon1 |
| quote: | Originally posted by Jackson
Heard this on the way home from work 15 mins ago.
Any idea what kind of Army Lebanon has? Mainly ex-soviet stuff i can imagine but if someone has a link to their inventory that would be cool.
I can see Israels reasons, people have seen what a conundrum the palestinian prisoner problem has caused so they dont want to be taken advantage of by all their neighbours...However, all i'm saying is i can see their point...yet this may NOT be the answer. |
i suppose the attack wont be against the lebanese army but aagainst hizbollah. they actually have a pretty large weapon arsenal. |
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| Bronze |
| quote: | Originally posted by Dj Alex (ISR)
show me one country in the whole world who wont react if other country will brake the border and kindnap a soldiers!!
damn!! we are talking about national borders!!
its like tomorrow mexico will enter usa and kidnap americas soldiers..
Israeli air force will atack them for sho in the up coming days.. the comment of israel will be very strong and my be resulted in massive bombings of Lebanon and Syria who are financialzing Hizballah.. |
+1 |
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| Jackson |
| quote: | Originally posted by epsilon1
i suppose the attack wont be against the lebanese army but aagainst hizbollah. they actually have a pretty large weapon arsenal. |
Doesn't Lebanon and Syria support Hizbollah though? I'm not sure, i usually get easily confused about the whole middle east ordeal because alot of it goes back to history.
The hizbollah arsenal...is it just sort of guerilla weapons? RPGs, AK47s and hand made devices? Or a proper rougue army? |
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| Dj Alex (ISR) |
| quote: | Originally posted by Jackson
Doesn't Lebanon and Syria support Hizbollah though? I'm not sure, i usually get easily confused about the whole middle east ordeal because alot of it goes back to history.
The hizbollah arsenal...is it just sort of guerilla weapons? RPGs, AK47s and hand made devices? Or a proper rougue army? |
Guerilla army with USSR weaponary supply
nothing that israel cant handle with. |
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