Thursday, July 13, 2006
Israeli Offensive
Israel broadened its war against militants Thursday, striking Lebanon in response to Hezbollah attacks. Some highlights:
“Two days of Israeli bombings had killed 47 Lebanese and wounded 103, Health Minister Mohammed Jawad Khalife said. Besides the Israeli civilian, eight Israeli soldiers had also been killed.” This is the typical calculus of the Israeli Defense Forces. As I have pointed out in the past, Israel will kill three or four or five civilians for every Israeli citizen or soldier that perishes.
“Israeli warplanes blasted craters into all three runways at the airport, located by the seaside in the Lebanese capital's Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs, forcing incoming flights to divert to Cyprus.” The justification was that Hezbollah guerillas use the airport. Israel also blockaded Lebanon’s port and plan to do the same to the main highway into and out of Lebanon.
“It was the first time since Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon and occupation of Beirut that the airport was hit by Israel. The Israelis in 1968 sent commandos to Beirut airport, blowing up 13 passenger planes in retaliation for Arab militants firing on an Israeli airliner in Athens.” Read this last sentence again. Israel targeted civilian airliners in response to some terrorists in Athens firing on one of its airliners.
Hezbollah has acquired a new rocket that can travel up to 12 miles, though what good that will do them against the massed might of the IDF I don’t know. Keep in mind this offensive against Lebanon was sparked by a couple of Israeli fatalities from a Hezbollah attack a few days ago. Israel has said it holds Lebanon responsible for the actions of Hezbollah.
# posted by BitterHarvest @ 10:35 AM 
