Officials: U.S. blocked missiles to Hezbollah

[seriousstan]

---cut----

•July 15: Three days after the war began, a source tipped off U.S. intelligence about an imminent shipment of missiles from Iran to Hezbollah.

•July 19: A spy satellite photographed Iranian crews loading three missile launchers and eight crates, each normally used to carry a Chinese-designed C-802 Noor missile, aboard a transport plane at Mehrabad air base near Tehran. Israel says Hezbollah fired a C-802, a precision-guided anti-ship cruise missile, at an Israeli warship off Lebanon's coast on July 14.

•July 20: The Ilyushin Il-76 transport plane left for Damascus, but Iraqi air-traffic controllers denied it permission to enter Iraq's airspace. The Iranian flight crew then requested permission to fly over Turkey. Turkish controllers granted permission — but only if the plane would land for an inspection. The plane returned to Tehran, where the military cargo was unloaded.

•July 22: The plane flew humanitarian aid to Damascus after stopping for inspection in Turkey.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-08-17-iran-missiles_x.htm

[Snivi Yllom]

1. Iranian Imperialism. Not helpful.

Lebanon really could get it together if the Iranians and Syrians would both stop meddling in Lebanon with the goal of harassing Israel.

[bunyip]

15. Is US imperialism helpful?

Israel could really get it together if America's elite didn't encourage Israel's truclence and colonialism, with the goal of achieving hegemony over the Middle East.

BTW, Iran didn't get missiles to its allies in Lebanon, but the US is not embarrassed that it rushed fresh stocks of precision-guided air-launched crusise missiles to Israel.

One law for our friends, another law for our enemies. Why do they hate us???

[lgn19087]

2. sounds like a tall tale

explaining why they turned away this plane which likely carried humanitarian aid. I'm sure we'll never see those "satellite photos" of the missiles being loaded on, either.

What a load of crap.

[Zynx]

3. I don't believe for one moment we were trying to cut off humanitarian aid.

If our goal is to wipe the Middle East clean of Muslisms and kill civillians, we are doing a damn bad job at it.

[daleo]

4. Not wipe clean

The goal seems to be to just keep them off balance and dominate their politics and resources. You don't have to kill everyone for that.

[Zynx]

5. Stopping a few humanitarian relief flights wouldn't do that at all.

[daleo]

6. Little things can contribute to a larger goal

I don't know if a humanitarian flight would be turned back on purpose, but it could be delayed as a way of showing who has dominance of the air. It can also contribute to a sense of impotence, in the hope that local population's won't resist western hegemony.

[Towelie]

7. If the plane was carrying only humanitarian aid the first time

why did it turn back to Tehran rather than land in Turkey for the inspection? Knowing Iran's support for Hezbollah and hatred for Israel, isn't it feasible that Iran has been providing both weapons and aid? After the statements that have come from Ahmadinejad, especially about Israel, why do you consider it a tall tale that Iran would be sending weapons to Hezbollah?

[lgn19087]

8. I'm just weary of everything the government tells us

If you want to buy what they say, hook, line, and sinker, then I guess that's your choice. I've learned to be a little more skeptical of these clowns.

[cali]

11. The point is to be discerning

It's just as stupid to categorize everything said by the government as to buy it hook, line and sinker. In this case, the clue that this story may be true is that the Iranian airplane turned back to Tehran.

[newyawker99]

9. Hi Towelie!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[LordLovesAWorkingMan]

10. Because facts are non-transitive when politics become involved

Good thing there are no politics in math, or we would still be trying to add 2 and 2.

[Teaser]

12. Wow and Hezbollah still defeated Israel

Israel's military must really blow these days.

[Spinoza]

13. If you are right and Israel is no longer the

regional military 'superpower', their belief that they face potential total destruction from neighbors who hate their guts, may be trying to get nukes, and outnumber them 40:1 is ......understandable. So much for the posters who wonder what the Israeli 'superpower' is so afraid of. (Personally, I think their inability to achieve a decisive 'victory' is not evidence that their military 'blows' but rather the result of their incredibly stupid belief that Israel could destroy Hezbollah primarily from the air without committing significant ground forces. I read an Israeli who said that Israel has the stupidest politicians on earth and I now understand what he was talking about.)

[daleo]

14. I think a certain chimp thought the same thing about Iraq

So, this form of stupidity is not necessarily unique to Israel.

[HuffleClaw]

16. suuuuuuuuure

what bullshit.