Israeli warplanes drop bombs on Beirut International Airport

[lovuian]

Israel stepped up its attack on Lebanon overnight, bombing bridges, a power station, and the capital's international airport.

The Israeli Navy has also imposed a blockade on Lebanon's ports.

Beirut Rafik Hariri International Aiport's runway was the target of three missiles. Planes en-route to beirut have had to be diverted to other airports in the region. The airport in recent years had been upgraded at a cost of $450 million, funds loaned primarily by European and Kuwaiti banks. Lebanon's busiest airport was renamed mid-last year, as its new general terminal re-opened, to commemorate former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, who was assassinated four months earlier. It is the main port of entry, and the only operational commercial airport, in the country.

Lebanon's Interior Minister, Ahmed Fatfat, described the airport bombing as a, "general act of war," saying it had nothing to do with Hezbollah, but was instead an attack against the country's "economic interests," particularly its tourism industry.

U.S. President George W. Bush, speaking at a press conference in East Germany in company with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, avoided a direct response on the airport bombing but said he and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice were telephoning leaders in the region, "to try and settle things down." The president said he was concerned at any actions that would weaken the Lebanese government as a democratic Lebanon is important for the country and for the reg

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Invasion of Lebanon???

[Terran1212]

1. Have you noticed Western media isn't showing the people being hurt?

The Arab media is showing footage of babies being sliced in half, children dying, etc.

What, we can subsidize this crap but it's too much to show on TV?

[malaise]

6. BBC is

Indeed one reporter just had a shouting match with an Israeli govt. minister.
40 civilians (men, women and children) died in Lebanon including eight from one family and seven from another.

[Terran1212]

10. BBC has good people

Unfortunately all I get here is BBC America which has one news show which is terrible

[redsoxliberal]

29. if you have fox soccer channel you might get Sky News at 5 PM

Which is a modest improvement over CNN and MSNBC.

[Poll_Blind]

2. "A general act of war". I can't disagree there. n/t

PB

[lovuian]

3. Lebanon is firing missiles at Israel major escalation

waiting for Israel response to missile attacks

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

4. Are the prisoners in secret bunkers underneath the runway?

I fail to see how bombing an international airport would get the prisoners back.

[lovuian]

5. Bingo its away to attack a country

thats what it is about!!!

[ProdigalJunkMail]

12. then you haven't been paying attention

the airport is a target for two reasons. 1) It is a method by which the Israeli soldiers who have been taken could be removed from the country. 2) It is a location at which supplies to help Lebanese fighters can brought in. So, with one attack, they break a supply line and an exit route...

Militarily...makes perfect sense.

sP

[Terran1212]

13. Legally, it's a crime against humanity

It's a civilian airport; simply claiming that it's a way "terrorists" could do something doesn't make it any less illegal of a strike.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

17. no...any airport is a legit target

if it is being used to bring in supplies...and this one has been for years. Hezbollah is constantly receiving aid from Iran via this airport. When Israel launched this attack, that airport was targeted as a liability. Like the Israeli move or not...it is not a crime against humanity and it is a militarily smart move. They damaged the runways to prevent take-offs and landings. They could have destroyed the whole airport...

sP

[Terran1212]

21. They can bomb anything and claim terrorists could use it somehow

An international aiport strike is illegal and a crime against humanity.

Should they be bombing any road, bridge, bathroom, they want and just claim it's all to stop the nasty terrorists? Sounds like they're devastating Lebanon's infrastructure period.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

23. yep...that is the disadvantage of Hezbollah

being the target of this.

And saying it is a crime doesn't make it so. If someone were to decide to invade the USA, I would fimly expect the high-holy shit to be bombed out of ATL's international airport (and many others) as our military would use them to move supplies until they were not able to do so...

sP

[Terran1212]

26. I wonder can Iraq attack and devastate all of our civilian infrastructure

After all, we kidnapped more than a few of their soldiers, in fact I think we killed about 40,000 of them in the initial invasion unprovoked.

I wonder how you'd feel if Iraqi jets were to bomb our cities (where recruitment offices and police stations are, after all), leaving a stream of corpses down the street.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

31. if Iraq had the capablity

and were in a state of war with us, they would certainly have a legitimate set of targets in our infrastructure. I would not like it, but it would be legit.

Look, I don't like wars, but in this world they are a fact of life. Targets of military importance are valid to hit. There will be (not might be or could be but WILL be) casualties, civilian and military alike. But under the rules of war, unless your are intentionally targeting civilians then you are within the bounds of war. And hitting a normally civ installation that is currently being used by the military is just fine under the rules of war...

But keep calling it a crime...

sP

[acmavm]

32. Face it, a children's ward in a large hospital if 'a legit target'

if Israel says it is. At least according to the Ohlmert government and the bush** administration.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

33. i hate to say this

but if Hezbollah is quartering militia and weapons there, then HEZBOLLAH is violating the rules of war...not those that would attack them there.

sP

[lovuian]

24. Is Israel basicly declaring war on Lebanon by imposing

blockades on the airport and navy???

[ProdigalJunkMail]

25. it would appear so n/t

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

14. Oh, I get it.

It keeps the prisoners from leaving Lebanon, and it prevents more guards from coming in to guard the prisoners.

You're right, that makes perfect sense.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

20. thanks for supporting my assertion

not saying it is a good thing (hell, this whole thing could very easily spin into a conflict that engulfs the entire mid-east. But, it DOES make sense. Saying it doesn't make sense doesn't make it NOT make sense. If you were planning a military assault with the goals that Israel has (or even the goals they have stated) the airport would be one of your first targets.

sP

[Bandit]

16. Israel issued a statement stating there are no civilians in Lebanon

:shrug: I am sure these are the "Pro-Life" people making such statements..

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

18. Jordan?

Wow.

[Bandit]

19. Sorry it is the oops factor

:shrug:

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

22. Ha, fairly big oops.

No worries.

Lebanon has no civilians, eh? Did they really say that? Because I've heard that sort of rhetoric before, and I think we all know from whom.

[H2O Man]

7. Violence is

spiraling out of control in the Middle East. This is a sad time for all those with healthy minds who desire peace. Those who believe they can control the use of violence to achieve their goals are sick: violence controls people, as it spins events far beyond individual's control.

[H2O Man]

34. "!983

(A Merman I Should Turn to Be)"

Oh say can you see
It's really such a mess
Every inch of Earth is a fighting nest
Giant pencil and lipstick tubed-shaped things
Continue to rain and cause screaming pain
And the Artic stains from silver bue to bloody red
As our feet find the sands and the sea
-- it's straight ahead, straight up ahead!

Jimi Hendrix

[lovuian]

8. U.S. says Iran, Syria to blame for new Mideast crisis

State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack, as did a White House colleague, cited the past history of support for Hezbollah by Syria and Iran, and said it is time that the Lebanese government of Prime Minister Fuad Siniora faced up to the challenge to the country's sovereignty posed by Hezbollah.

"We would urge the government of Lebanon to speak out about this challenge to their credibility, their sovereignty," said McCormack. "This is a challenge from Hezbollah to the Lebanese people and to the Lebanese government's sovereignty, so we would urge them to speak out about that. We would urge them also to do everything that they can to see that these two soldiers are released immediately and unharmed."

Secretary of State Rice, in Paris for a big-power meeting on Iran's nuclear program, discussed the issue with her foreign minister colleagues, and spoke by telephone with among others Lebanese Prime Minister Siniora, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

In addition, two senior administration envoys, Assistant Secretary of State David Welch and White House Middle East policy chief Elliott Abrams are in the region on a previously-arranged mission and discussed the Lebanese situation Wednesday with officials in Cairo and Amman.
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And then Bush goes this is the War of Terrorism

[whistle]

9. How extensive is Lebanon's military capability to defend against

...Israeli attacks or even to attack back? Answer, almost nothing to speak of and the U.S. has known this and has been dragging their feet on providing any military assistance.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/org/news/2006/060303-lebanon-military.htm

[lovuian]

11. Shekel plunges 2.25 percent as fighting escalates in north

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/738214.html

The shekel began imploding Thursday morning as the fighting on Israel's northern border with Lebanon escalated. The dollar continued to climb by a steep 2.25 percent against the shekel (as of 9 A.M.) to NIS 4.532.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Thursday held a "calming economic talk" with Bank of Israel Governor Stanley Fischer, updating him of the market situation in the wake of the fighting on the northern border.

On Wednesday the dollar gained 1.07 percent against the shekel as the clashes erupted in morning hours, after Hezbollah forces kidnapped two Israeli soldiers.






As the problem lies with the shekel, it has also been losing ground against other currencies. By Thursday morning it was down 2 percent against the euro to NIS 5.758.

Olmert promised that the government would not expand its spending budget "beyond plans that were widely reported to the public."

Fischer said in response that as long as the fiscal policy remained responsible and the government continued to implement its process of reforms, the economy would continue to develop.


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This is taking its toll on Israels economy can US support their economy as well as ours...

[kentuck]

15. Oh joy!

What did Lebanon do again? I have a difficult time keeping up with story. Somebody gets kidnapped. Somebody gets killed in an attack. Then there is a proportionate response...

[Terran1212]

28. Israel wants hegemony over Lebanon

Anyone can tell you this will only create more terror, this terror of the IDF/IAF.

They wouldn't targetting so much important infrastructure and so many civilians if they just wanted their soldiers back. This is absurd.

[Botany]

27. Gas on a fire

[lovuian]

30. whoah!!! Oil soars after Israel offensive

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/5176158.stm

Oil prices have hit record highs, topping $76 a barrel, amid growing international tension in the wake of Israel's offensive in Lebanon.
Supply worries in Nigeria and fears that Iran's nuclear ambitions would be referred back to the UN Security Council also pushed oil prices higher.

In New York, a barrel of light sweet crude jumped to $76.30, while London's main Brent contract hit $76.15.

A drop in US oil inventories added to the upward pressure on crude prices.

US stockpiles of crude fell by 6 million barrels last week, on the back of an increase in demand from motorists for fuel, according to US government figures.

'Fuel to the fire'
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Up and Up away

[bobbieinok]

35. Tulsa RW talk host and Sen Inhofe (R-OK) agree....Russia + China are behin

behind Syria, Lebanon, Iran, and NoKorea. 'This is part of WWIII.'

[lovuian]

37. I can see China supporting Syria

Russia will dance!!!

[lovuian]

36. Does anybody see those Fuel tanks blowing up WOW

what a picture on CNN now