US orders nine warships to waters off Lebanon

[hang a left]

US orders nine warships to waters off Lebanon

by Jim Mannion Tue Jul 18, 4:14 PM ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States ordered nine warships to waters off the Lebanese coast amid fears of possible terrorist attacks on ships evacuating US nationals, officials said.
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Though only 124 Americans have been brought out so far, the State Department defended the speed of the evacuation, calling it "highly organized, very efficient, very active."

Six days after the start of hostilities between
Israel and Lebanon, the first US chartered cruise ship arrived in Beirut to pick up US citizens, and the US Navy ordered the nine ships to waters off Lebanon.

The vessels, including four amphibious assault ships now in the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, will be used to bring out large numbers of Americans and provide security amid fears of terrorist attacks, said Vice Admiral Patrick Walsh, the commander of US Fifth Fleet.

"I'm concerned about attacks on ships, you bet," he told reporters here via videolink from his headquarters in Bahrain.

Ferries and cruise ships have been able to move freely between Lebanon and Cyprus so far, and the US navy has been making arrangements to hire more commercial vessels to bring out Americans, officials said.

snip>

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060718/pl_afp/mideastconflictus_060718201447

:tinfoilhat:

[TahitiNut]

1. I smell a drone attack on the Love Boat on the TV schedule.

Somehow, we're donna get more "bread and circuses" out of all this. I feel like we're only seeing the lit fuse right now, hissing along to the climax.

[whistle]

2. War ships are going to conduct the rescue of 25,000 U.S. citizens?

[Posteritatis]

3. Warships usually do evacuations like this, yes. (nt)

[MADem]

5. Only five to eight thousand are leaving

But I suspect their role is screening, security and defense. Not transportation.

[MADem]

4. They, along with all the other nations sending warships, are going to

EXECUTE a BLOCKADE. That's what the delay has been about.

That way, no "evilboaters" can breach their screen, and the passenger craft can enter and exit safely.

These warships will also provide safe passage to the open ocean for the vessels carrying the evacuees.

[kentuck]

6. Get out the popcorn fellers! Time for some more "shock and awe"!

OOoooooo...this is gonna be so much fun... Pass me a chaw of that 'bakker over here...Can I borrow your spit can. Dubya is gonna blow their asses off....I ain't had so much fun since the hogs ate my little brother...

[madrchsod]

7. you must be from kentucky

lol......

[Palladin]

8. Four amphibious assault ships. They spilled the beans.

The one in the Red Sea is the Iwo Jima. They're pulling three off station in the Indian Ocean. Each one carries a full MEU - Marine Expeditionary Unit.
2200 troops and their equipment, including landing craft, attack and transport helicopters, and artillery up to 105 mm. It is the entire US MEU contingent, the entire reserve. There are only four at sea at any one time, now they're all heading for Lebanon, to serve Israeli and neocon wishes.

The Jerusalem Post has been talking about this a couple of days now, leaking what is an obvious arrangement between the Israelis and the Bush administration. The Marines are not going there to help evacuate Americans. Neocon propagandists in the States are already claiming that since virtually all the Americans in Lebanon are dual nationals, and mainly Muslims from places like Dearborn, Michigan, they are prima facie Hezbollah sympathizers and don't deserve a ride out. Don't believe that? Check out this Debbie Schlussel hag neocon blog - it's the party line. Freepers are really into it.

The front organization Stratfor and the Jerusalem Post have already laid out the plan. The Marines are ostensibly going to land in force first, to "secure the landing zones for the evacuation helicopters." They will come under attack, of course. Then they will move out, as Israel's ground forces to fight Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. The IAF will fly air cover for them. Neat, hah? Great job for the proud United States Marines. Maybe they'll let them keep their own generals....under proper control of course.

This is all going according the neocon plan. The neocon Fifth Column in this country is beating the drum now for a pre-emptive US air and ground attack on Syria: read it here: Energized Neocons Say Israel's Fight Is Washington's by Jim Lobe http://www.antiwar.com/lobe/?articleid=9323
Lt Col Kwiatkowski a couple of days ago let it be known that the orders were cut for the Marine officers last weekend: Israel Makes Its 'Clean Break' by Karen Kwiatkowski (Lt Col {ret.} USAF) http://www.antiwar.com/orig/kwiatkowski.php?articleid=9306

My people have been around this land since Plymouth Rock. I don't recognize it anymore....

[Marie26]

9. I'm hoping that

you're wrong about that, but this article seems to confirm the info about the size of the fleet heading to Lebanon. http://www.wavy.com/Global/story.asp?S=5164646&nav=23ii That does seem like a lot of firepower for an evacuation. :tinfoilhat:

[Palladin]

12. I hope I'm wrong too.

Events seem to be spiralling out of control. Nothing to do but pray.

[PatriotMom]

10. This is a pretty impressive post

Thank you for that info,
I will try to stay on top of this action in the news.(if it's possible on MSM)

[Palladin]

13. Stay with a good link

they have as good coverage as any we can get. The MSM is part of the propaganda machine.
Pax Christi

[charlie]

15. She'd better bookmark it, too

Links to antiwar.com get deleted around here. Yours probably will when a mod notices it.

[Palladin]

16. Just like Freeperville?

I thought this place was better than that. Guess that means I get deleted too. O tempora! O mores!

[charlie]

17. Naw, nothing will happen to you

But the link and the post will go. Don't agree with it, don't like it, I've long been a regular visitor to antiwar.com, but I thought you oughta know. In the future, if you can find alternative sources for the articles, use those here.

[dipsydoodle]

18. Their main exposure is from the Israelis

but it was mentioned on the news that the Israelis will provide fixed period windows for evacuation. There is no foundation to suspect that the ships would be attacked by the Lebanese - a substantial number of the evacuees have joint nationality Lebanese/whatever.

However - wouldn't surprise me if some special forces already on the ground fired a few dummies at at least one of the ships in order to precipitate retaliation and get some marines on the ground some of whom would just melt into the background and stay there.

It may be just as well that so many reporters are already on the ground at the port to keep an eye on the situation. Fux might fib but UK and French news channels don't.

[PatriotMom]

11. kick

[Cybergata]

14. This is seeming more and more like something...

cooked up by Isreal and the Bushites. There is something terribly wrong here.

[DoYouEverWonder]

19. So it's Wednesday

and we've only managed to evacuate a 124 people. I guess the US wants to make sure there are enough sitting ducks to give them an excuse to get involved in the conflict?

[hang a left]

20. MIHOP

:tinfoilhat: