Britain fears assault on Hezbollah will backfire

[spindrifter]

The Times July 20, 2006

BRITAIN fears that Israel’s assault on Hezbollah is failing to cripple the guerrilla group and that continued bombardment will bring huge civilian casualties in Lebanon for little military gain.

The rising concern that any further Israeli military action could intensify the crisis, expressed by senior officials yesterday, strikes a much more urgent tone than the American position, which accepts a continued Israeli campaign to crush the Shia militant group.

<snip>

A senior British official said: “Our concern is that Israeli military action is not having the desired effect. We’re not seeing the level of impact .” Hezbollah was “still highprofile in southern Beirut”, even if its claims to have lost only three fighters underplayed the damage done. “We’re not seeing any large-scale destruction of Hezbollah rockets,” the official added, “and we don’t know where they are.”

<snip>

But the need for Ehud Olmert, the Israeli Prime Minister, to appear tough at home might tempt him to continue even when the military value was slight, officials suggested.

<more>

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2277822,00.html

[BillZBubb]

1. Too bad Britain has a poodle for a leader.

A real leader would have smacked frat boy Bush in the head and told him how this was going to go down.

[Lerkfish]

2. file this under "duh!"

no wonder we're all in a mess if something this obvious even has to be pointed out.

"BRITAIN fears that Israel’s assault on Hezbollah is failing to cripple the guerrilla group and that continued bombardment will bring huge civilian casualties in Lebanon for little military gain.

The rising concern that any further Israeli military action could intensify the crisis, expressed by senior officials yesterday, strikes a much more urgent tone than the American position, which accepts a continued Israeli campaign to crush the Shia militant group. "


gee, I guess if we bomb the crap out of civilians, its counterproductive and will actually escalate unrest.

this just in, water wet. Tonight at 11, film of the sun proving its bright and yellow.

[lvx35]

4. Do you ever feel like you are in a world of idiots...

...or at least that there is no correspondence between intelligence and political power? Just curious.

[Lerkfish]

6. all the time. You?

[lvx35]

7. Yeah...I justed wanted to know if I was alone...thanks! :)

[Lerkfish]

10. Nah, I've been seeing the writing on the wall since BEFORE the 2000 select

selection of the resident.

Remember when Bush chose his cabinent BEFORE the supreme court ruled he could be president?
I told people I knew then, and this is precisely what I said:

"you don't comprise a cabinent of military hawks and oil people if you aren't intending to invade a country for oil"

no one listened to me, unfortunately.

I often wonder why it seems only I can see this stuff before it happens. What, I'm not that smart. Its not rocket science. They make no bones about their intentions if you watch their actions instead of their spin.

Of course, DU is special because there are people like me that "get it". But the rest of the world around me seems clueless most of the time.

[CuteNFuzzy]

3. What assault on Hezbollah?

Hello! It's innocent civilians under attack, not Hezbollah

[ladjf]

8. Hezbollah is a movement. It is shallow to think that it can be

destroyed by physically killing the current members. If 2,500 die, they will soon be replaced with even more determine followers.

[MannyGoldstein]

5. Hmm... Bush's Handmaiden's Boys vs. Israeli Experts

Given a choice between the advice of Tony Blair's Boys and Israel's Experts, I'd have to give the benefit of doubt to the Israelis. Remember - Blair thought Iraq would be a big win, whereas the Israelis said we'd have to choose the size of our defeat...

[Selatius]

9. Blair is a fool, but Britain's military leadership isn't.

They've got decades of experience on similar issues like this because they've had to deal with the IRA.