U.N. post hit in Israel-Hezbollah fighting

[leftchick]

BEIRUT, Lebanon - A U.N.-run observation post near the border took a direct hit Friday during fighting between Israel and Hezbollah militants. Israel resumed airstrikes on Lebanon and prepared for a possible ground invasion, warning people in the south to flee.

<snip>

Meanwhile, the Israeli army said Hezbollah rockets hit the U.N. post near Zarit, just inside Israel, but a U.N. officer said it was an artillery shell fired by the Israeli Defense Force. The facility was severely damaged, but nobody was injured as the Ghanian troops manning the post were inside bomb shelters at the time of the strike, the U.N. official said.

Israeli warplanes also pounded Lebanon's main road link to Syria with missiles and set passenger buses on fire, police said, adding that part of Lebanon's longest bridge collapsed.

<snip>

Top Israeli officials met Thursday night to decide how big a force to send in, according to senior military officials. They said Israel won't stop its offensive until Hezbollah is forced behind the Litani River, 20 miles north of the border — creating a new buffer zone in a region that saw 18 years of Israeli presence since 1982.



http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060721/ap_on_re_mi_ea/lebanon_israel

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[leftchick]

2. we who?

how many dead Lebanese and Palestinians is too many for you parsnips?

[Name removed]

5. Deleted message

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[leftchick]

7. I am asking you

you are the one calling for bloodshed

[tanyev]

3. Sorry, I don't support the "liquidation" of anybody.

Oh, welcome to DU.

[Dhalgren]

4. No. We never should do anything "no matter what". We should

view every issue with fairness and justice and common sense. Humanity requires it.

[Name removed]

9. Deleted message

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[Demit]

13. You are exaggerating.

Exaggerating for effect is an approach that invites flaming, seems to me. Is it at all possible that you are the one who is frustrated because you're not getting total agreement for your view?

[stepnw1f]

14. Over Embellishing Insult to Stifle Criticism of Israel

boohoo hoo... nobody is justified in killing civilians.. Not Hezbollah, nor Israel. Get over it.

[alcibiades_mystery]

16. Aaaaaaaachoobullshit

Gezundheit.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

31. Oh for fuxake...

[goforit]

33. "love that expresion"

[slor]

12. I guess the "homicidal dynamic"...

that is ripping through Iraq is spreading.

[rainbow4321]

6. 3 passenger buses hit (after they dropped off evacuees)

Um, gee, hope those buses were not on the way back to pick up more evacuating foreigners...

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1153291965198&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

The IDF resumed attacks on Lebanon at daybreak on Friday, pounding the country's main road link to Syria with missiles and setting passenger buses on fire, Lebanese police said.

Part of Lebanon's longest bridge collapsed, police said.

The passenger buses were in the Bekaa valley about 15 kilometers from the Syrian border, on the road linking Beirut and the Syrian capital of Damascus.

The strike set three buses on fire at Taanayel, but there were no casualties, police said. Drivers abandoned the vehicles after one missile hit nearby, and then more missiles struck. The buses had dropped off in Syria evacuating foreigners, the police said.

[leftchick]

10. Israel could blow up a bus loaded with Americans

and bush would say nothing.

[Zhade]

36. And some here would excuse it, while others would change their tune...

...thus revealing the racism that underlies the notion around here that Arab lives are worth less than Israeli lives.

[Name removed]

8. Deleted sub-thread

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[Celefin]

11. Water War

What good does a 20 mile buffer zone, stretching to and beyond the Litani River, do?

Regarding Hezbollah's rockets... not really very much, as the hits
deep inside israeli territory demonstrate.

Regarding water resources... quite a lot!

This "buffer zone" lets Israel take control over the water resources
in southern Lebanon.

Ah yes... I forgot.
It's entirely about the two kidnapped soldiers. My bad.
And it's a spontaneous reaction. Right.
And how did our Water get into their lands?

Also see this excellent analysis by 'Delusional':

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2403476#2403525

Hezbollah has to be disarmed or destroyed.
But this isn't what this war is about.
Not by a long way.

[Minnesota Libra]

15. I've heard rumblings about "water wars" in the past and never.............

....gave much thought to it until just very recently. What has convinced me that there may well be something serious to this "water war" thing is actually two things.

Look at Africa today, in some places desert conditions for as far as the eye can see and then some.

Second, as global warming truly takes hold - and everyone sets up and takes notice - people are going to try and protect their own. There's only so much fresh water and the population is growing. Hence the wars

[Zhade]

37. Yep, a "spontaneous reaction" the plans for which have existed for a year!

Given this fact, it's stunning that some here can't, or won't, admit that this is NOT about the kidnapped soldiers.

They're probably the same uninformed people who fell for "Iraq has WMDs, booga booga!" bullshit last time.

[Ian David]

17. Hezbollah rockets hit UN observation post

July 21, 2006, 5:05AM
Hezbollah rockets hit UN observation post

By SAM F. GHATTAS
© 2006 The Associated Press

JERUSALEM — A U.N.-run observation post just inside Israel was struck during fighting between Israel and Hezbollah militants on Friday. The Israeli army blamed Hezbollah rockets but a U.N. officer said it was an artillery shell fired by the Israeli Defense Force.

A U.N. officer, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation, said an artillery shell fired by Israel made "a direct hit on the U.N. position overlooking Zarit." The post is part of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon.

But an IDF spokesman said the position was hit by rockets fired by Hezbollah that fell short of their targets in northern Israel.

The U.N. official said the facility was severely damaged but none of the Ghanian troops inside the bomb shelters inside were injured.

More:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/world/4062461.html

[Cooley Hurd]

18. The UN disputes the projectile's origin...

They say it was an Israeli shell.

:shrug:

[Ian David]

21. Maybe BOTH sides were shooting at them?

Isaac: (Waving a white flag) Hey, Ishmael!
Ishmael: What do you want, Zionist occupier!
Isaac: Hey, listen... I only have three artillery shells left, and I want to go home.
Ishmael: I only have one rocket left, and then I can go home.
Isaac: Hey, why don't we just shoot at those dick-heads from Ghana?
Ishmael: Then we can go home?
Isaac: Sure! Okay, on the count of three... ready?

Idi: (Looking through binoculars from UN Observation post) It looks like Isaac and Ishmael are reconciling. Good. Maybe then we can go home. Hey... what the--

[Cooley Hurd]

27. .

:rofl:

[acmavm]

19. Hmmmmm. A UN officer says it was an artillery shell fired

by Israel but Israel says it was someone else.

That someone else being the guys they're fighting with.

I got kids who act like that. It ain't never their fault. Someone else did it.

[Mass]

20. What is interesting is the AP bias. While the article says the provenance

of the shell is disputed, AP title definitively chooses a side.

On edit, I wonder if the bias comes from AP or the chronicle.

[Ian David]

22. Why don't you google the key words and see if it varies? n/t

Sam F. Ghattas reported for this story from Beirut, Lebanon, and Matt Moore reported from Jerusalem.

[Mass]

23. I did - It is the AP title - Canadian news do say the origin is not clear

and South African News say it is Israelian.

I guess Canadian news are the only one not taking side.

[Cooley Hurd]

25. It does vary...

http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&ie=UTF-8&q=%22Hezbollah+rockets+hit+UN+observation+post%22

Also a bit disingenuous is the depiction of an Iranian rocket being test-fired that accompanies the article in several of the news sources listed.

[Ian David]

28. ArtBell.com says, "UN Observation Post attacked by Overlord Xenu" n/t

[Ian David]

24. Rockets... rockets... who sent the rockets?

UN post 'hit by Israeli rockets'
News24, South Africa - 3 hours ago
Jerusalem - A UN-run observation post just inside Lebanon was struck during fighting between Israel and Hezbollah militants on Friday, with the Israeli army ...

Rockets Hit a UN Post in Lebanon
FOX News - 4 hours ago
BEIRUT, Lebanon — A UN.-run observation post just inside Lebanon was struck during fighting between Israel and Hezbollah militants on Friday. ..

UN observation post struck in Middle East fighting
Irish Examiner, Ireland - 5 hours ago
A UN-run observation post just inside Israel was struck today during fighting between Israel and Hezbollah militants. The army blamed ...

UN post hit amid signs of full-scale invasion
CTV.ca, Canada - 2 hours ago
... However, a UN officer said it was hit by an ... The Ghanian soldiers manning the post were in bomb shelters ... At least five rockets hit the northern Israeli city of ...

Rocket barrage hits northern Israel
Dallas Morning News (subscription), TX - 32 minutes ago
... A second volley was fired just after 2:45 pm, bringing to at least 11 the number of rockets that hit the city ... Elsewhere, a UN-run observation post near the ...

[Laotra]

26. Whore media n/t

[Xenotime]

29. I find it hard to believe Hezbola hit the UN post...

Already there is cover up and deception going on.

[Ian David]

30. The article says they may have been aiming at something else

It happens.

Their rockets aren't even really guided. They more or less just aim at Israel and cross their fingers that it hits someone.

Things like this happen in war accidentally all the time-- remember how pissed the Chinese were when we bombed their embassy in Kosovo because we had an out-of-date phonebook or something?

[daleo]

32. It is probably easy to tell what direction the rocket came from

And there would probably be physical evidence of its origin. I think U.N. soldiers are experienced in these matters.

[snooper2]

35. Well,

What really happened, is it left Southern Lebanon and flew over Israel then made a U-turn to come back and hit the UN post. That way it would look like it came from Israel.

[goforit]

34. Religious extremism sucks! Both sides loose!