AP: Israel Severs Lebanon Road Link to Syria

[Tesha]

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2006/08/04/international/i071156D65.DTL

Israel Severs Lebanon Road Link to Syria

By SAM F. GHATTAS, Associated Press Writer

<snip>

An Israeli airstrike hit dozens of farm workers loading vegetables
near the Lebanon-Syria border, killing 28, the workers' foreman
and a Lebanese official said.

Five Lebanese civilians were killed and 19 wounded in the Israeli
airstrikes north of the capital in Christian areas where Hezbollah
has little support or presence, including the picturesque coastal
resort of Jounieh.

<snip>

The Israeli attacks on the four bridges on the main north-south
coastal highway linking Beirut to Syria severed the only remaining
major road link between Lebanon and Syria. The 90-minute drive to
the Syrian border takes at least double the time on the small
coastal road that remains open.

<more>

[leftchick]

1. so how are the people they are telling to leave

going to leave? :grr:

[Name removed]

3. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Zhade]

15. Fly?

You know, through the air, when the bomb explodes the house?

I am disgusted by anyone who could defend this kind of murder.

[ConcernedCanuk]

27. Well, not by THIS route . . . . .

.
.
.

Israeli missiles pound Beirut

For the first time, mostly Christian suburbs are targeted
Aug. 4, 2006. 03:59 PM
SAM GHATTAS
ASSOCIATED PRESS

BEIRUT — Israeli warplanes today destroyed four key bridges on Lebanon’s last untouched highway, severing the country’s final major connection to Syria and deepening its isolation.

Aircraft on a mission to destroy weapons caches hit a refrigerated warehouse where farm workers were loading vegetables, killing at least 28 near the Lebanon-Syria border as Hezbollah launched its deepest rocket strike inside Israel

/snip/



“The Israeli enemy’s bombing of bridges and roads is aimed at tightening the blockade on the Lebanese, cutting communications between them and starving them,” Lahoud said.

MORE

[riverwalker]

2. "... um, can someone tell them I am not a terrorist, please?"

http://beirutupdate.blogspot.com/

And it gets worse ...
Zena el-Khalil writing from Beirut, Live from Lebanon, 4 August 2006

"They hit everywhere last night. Beirut, Jounieh, roads leading to the north, bridges in the north; the only highway left, leading to the north, the last escape route to Syria, was hit.

We are all trapped now. Waiting ... waiting ..."
"... um, can someone tell them I am not a terrorist, please?"

[Cooley Hurd]

4. It seems like the IDF doesn't care who are Hezbollah or not, anymore...

The blowback is going to be enormous. They've always operated under the assumption that the worst they could experience (in regards to blowback) would be the occasional suicide bomber. It's a different playing field now. Loose nukes, missiles and well-funded terrorist organizations have leveled that field. When you behave as poorly as Israel has the past three weeks, you'd better expect that you'll be hit back... hard!:(

[Zhade]

16. Anymore? The IDF has been targeting civilians for decades.

This is absolutely nothing new.

[ConservativeDemocrat]

30. Because as soon as the bomb toting terrorist is dead, he's a "civilian"

Naturally.

See, Zhade. We can agree on things!

- C.D. Proud Member of the Reality Based Community

Click HERE To See Hezboallah doing their best SEIG HEIL!

[Name removed]

33. Deleted message

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

[Name removed]

35. Deleted message

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

[Zhade]

43. Ah, but HRW *has* confirmed that Israel is indiscriminately bombing...

...civilians, which is targeting civilians and is illegal.

Your empty claim (and personal attack) has no bearing on me - or indeed any truth to it - and so is of no consequence to me.

[OrechDin]

36. The rest of the world against Israel

Is hardly novel

As novel as the rest of the world helping the Jews survive or settle in the 30`s and 40`s.

Nothing new here.

[Dover]

5. Israel wouldn't want to leave the door open behind them when

they move into Syria. Nothing more irritating than having the Lebanese come up from behind.
Also will cut off Syrian supply routes.

[Marie26]

29. How is the IDF going

to invade Syrai when they've bombed all the roads leading into the country? Seems much more like they're trying to stop supplies from coming in to Lebanon.

[Dover]

34. Well I'm guessing it will work both directions, but Israel has it's own

border with Syria. Iraq also shares a big border with Syria (and the U.S. is increasing troop strength there).

Also Russian ships may be off Lebanon's coast. Seems I read that somewhere.

Anyway, my point is that the roads and bridges Israel has taken out aren't the only route of aggression on the ground. And Israel would likely depend more on air power anyway.

[rodeodance]

6. gawds. stop this insanity!

[leftchick]

7. bombing bridges with people on them is a war crime

how many war crimes does Israel get to commit before they are held accountable? As many as the US? :grr:



A severely wounded Lebanese civilian is carried away on a stretcher at Maameltain bridge, after it was targeted by Israeli air strikes, in the north of Beirut August 4, 2006. (Adnan Hajj/Reuters)

[Tesha]

8. (This post may be a duplicate)

This post may duplicate:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2435284

Tesha

[Ghost Dog]

10. No, this would refer more to this thread (not dupe, further info):

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2435836

Israel's heavy overnight bombing of Beirut's main access road to the north has severed the last major overland route to bring relief supplies into Lebanon, international aid agencies said on Friday.

"This is Lebanon's umbilical cord," Christiane Berthiaume of the World Food Program told The Associated Press. "This (road) has been the only way for us to bring in aid. We really need to find other ways to bring relief in."

The upper Bekaa Valley is on the other side of the mountains from the coast (and coast-road), as you can see from the map in your above thread (specifically, this: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2435284#2435327 ).

[breakaleg]

9. On CNN just now they showed Lebanese searching for survivors

in the wreckage of that bridge bombing. And a Lebanese Christian said that before Israel started targeting their infrastructure, the community was divided on their support. Now, he said they were 100% in favor of protecting Lebanon.

Israel should again be congratulated for shooting itself in the foot.

[Vidar]

11. Cutting off the refugees' escape route.

[daleo]

12. Why kill Christians?

You have to wonder if the right wing Christian U.S. support will start to dissolve, if Christian Lebanese are killed in large numbers by the IDF.

[Ghost Dog]

13. Cf:

Israeli raids north of Beirut shock Christian residents
By Weedah Hamzah Aug 4, 2006, 8:01 GMT
http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/article_1186909.php/Israeli_raids_north_of_Beirut_shock_Christian_residents

Jounieh, Lebanon - 'This is not Hezbollah Land' wailed a Christian woman as she watched a bridge near her house north of Beirut being destroyed. 'Lebanon is not for Hezbollah,' she roared as she watched Red Cross volunteers struggling to pull a car with a dead body in it from under the rubble.

Israeli warplanes raided early Friday four bridges linking the capital with northern Lebanon, the last remaining escape route for Lebanese to neighbouring Syria.

In the Jounieh area, a Christian heartland, 20 kilometres north of Beirut, the bridge next to the Casino du Liban was struck by two Israeli missiles blocking the major road link to other areas in north Lebanon.

'The Israelis are now carrying a war of destruction against Lebanon ... they are not only after Hezbollah ... they are now after destroying our infrastructure,' shouted Tony Feghali, who lives close by.

Jounieh is a major, residential seaside area, with large hotels, beaches and restaurants. It is also the location of the once- luxurious Casino du Liban. 'People call this area the Monte Carlo of the Middle East... so this is definitely not a Hezbollah military base,' Joseph Semaha, a hotel owner in the area said.

/more...

[oasis]

37. A Hezbollah shoe shine stand was spotted on the corner.(eom)

[Zhade]

14. But they're not targeting civilians, oh no.

I guess they were worried about PMD (produce of mass destruction).

Fucking reprehensible. CEASE-FIRE, Israel!

[Name removed]

17. Deleted message

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

[jpkenny]

18. The reason Hizbollah still has missiles is because Israeli is targeting

civilians and Lebanon infrastructure as collective punishment and not really going after Hizbollah targets. Cutting off this access to Syria is cutting off an escape route for civilians and aid. As Brzenzski said "What Israel is doing now is killing hostages."

[codebuster11]

19. Israel::::Read!

The Lebonese government should step up and help take out Hezbollah. I dont want to say they didnt have this coming, but...

Israel is doing whats best right now. Rockets today kept hitting further south into Israel. Lets face it, if a neighboring country constantly rained rockets down on the majority of American cities, wouldnt you want to try to eliminate the threat in all of that neighboring country?

I am sick and tired of people on this site criticizing Israel. I dont think Israel has done anything wrong. This is the right step, this is, in my view, actually persuing a War on Terror.

Bush's messed up invasions elsewhere in the Middle East served as nothing but to bolster his support and get his friends more money, but here we have Israel actually taking charge against a prominant Terrorist orginization thats funded by Iran and Syria.

Israel has warned citizens for the past few weeks that staying in areas occupied by Hezbollah would only mean trouble. Hezbollah's goal is only to wipe out Israel and all of its Jewish citizens.

Israel should soon cut back its strikes, but right now its the right, and unfortunutly the only path.

[w4rma]

21. They can't now. Israel has destroyed Lebanon's infrastucture and the

government is weaker than it has ever been. Hezbollah, being an underground organization, has only grown exponentially in strength because of the Israeli neo-cons' dishonorable slaughter of innocents (including Christians and Americans in Lebanon).

[daleo]

22. It is like the U.S. attacking Italy over the mafia

Or like England attacking Ireland over the IRA. Or like the U.S. attacking Saudi Arabia because most of the 911 terrorists were from Saudi Arabia.

It doesn't solve the problem, it just kills innocent people.

[ConservativeDemocrat]

31. No, it's like the U.S. attacking Afghanistan over Al Qaeda

...which we did, as you may recall.

- C.D. Proud Member of the Reality Based Community

[daleo]

38. But the 911 attackers were all Saudis, not one was from Afghanistan

To carry on with the Israeli analogy, it would have made more sense to attack Saudi Arabia, since the terrorists were from there.

And the Afghanistan adventure isn't really turning out all that well anyway.

[lumpy]

23. Sure, and Bush was right to destroy Iraq.

The right and only path.Bull...That's right if you believe the only way to settle problems is to destroy and kill innocent people bcause they happen to be in the way. Pigs have more regard for human life.

[Snivi Yllom]

32. Lebanon can't, the world fucked up and let this happen

There is not even supposed to be a Hezbollah according to the UN, but that's another example of the failure to solve the issue in a definitive manner.

Noone has stepped in to properly help Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah and keep the Syrians and Iranians from using Lebanon as a base of operations to attack Israel. Israel has fulfilled it's obligations to the UN and the world to pull out of Lebanon, but Hezbollah (really Iran and Syria) still attacks and harasses Israel. Well, Israel has had enough.

Iran and Syria can't strike Israel directly without catastrophic retaliation.

Hezbollah is a convenient patsy for Iran and Syria to use to harass and kill Israelis. Hezbollah does not give a shit about Lebanon.

You want to blame anyone for not keeping the peace? Blame the UN, blame Syria, blame Iran, and blame the world.

[w4rma]

20. I now support Lebanon's right to defend itself. (nt)

[lumpy]

24. Glad to hear that, w4rma.

This senseless destruction and killing is just as evil as Bush's Wars.

[jonnyblitz]

26. so do I. nt

[daydreamer]

25. Whatever Israel does is "self-defense".

http://www.chomsky.info/books/dissent01.htm

[outofbounds]

28. It seems that people forget why Israel is doing this.

You have a population of 5 million people smack dab in the middle of 5oo million people who want nothing more than to wipe them off the face of the earth. The Hamas and Hezbollah terrorist have been using suicide bombers for years to achieve this goal.
Israel gives the land they occupied for years back to the countries they acquired it from with one single promise, peace. They were repaid by terrorist tunneling under the established border and kidnapping two soldiers. Tunneling under the border into a nation of people who just want to be left alone.

The United Nations is there in the capacity to protect the border and see that Hezbollah is disarmed by the Lebanese. My the were efficient weren't they. 12,000 uncontrollable rockets are stashed right under their noses.

Meanwhile the people who are entrusted with disarming Hezbollah, allows them to hold seats in 25 percent of that government. Basically Hezbollah wins the hearts of these people by doing things the government can't. Supplying water basic services which allows the access to dig tunnels and store munitions given to the by their sponsors. Which brings us to now.

Israel upon learning that there is a tunnel under their land used to smuggle in suicide bombers rockets and the likes, while they believe there may actually be peace after doing everything required of the by the U.N.

Then Israel says we've had it. we are not going to take this anymore and retaliates with the idea that we have to kill these terrorist if we want to live. They are taking out the threat maybe if Hezbolloah would put on a uniform and stop parking rocket launcher next to the dwellings of civilians less civilians would be killed. If they are civilians in the first place.

Do you really think if Hezbollah gave the kidnapped soldiers back and ceased aggressive acts like lobbing unguided rockets at military installations, strike that, cities that Israel would keep up their attacks?

Do you really think that the only children being killed are Hezbolloah, strike that Lebanese civilians.

Why are countries like Jordan, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia ect not shouting like hell protesting these events?

My wish here is not offend anyone, I don’t like what I see and read and hear everyday either but if anyone is fighting dirty, its Hezbollah and Hamas or really Syria and Iran.
Just the way it looks to me.

[newspeak]

39. I'm so sick of the whole fekkin thing

yeah, everyone is a terrorist in the ME!!!!!! So, is the excuse for genocide "kill all and let God sort them out?" The kidnapped soldiers are an excuse to invade-it could have been handled differently--When you bomb key infrastructures, water, food storage and roads, you are basically informing the populace that we don't care if you live or die! It doesn't matter if they are Muslim, Christian or if they are Hezbollah or not!!!! And, how do you know that these other countries aren't shouting like hell? No, one is on the right side of this bloodshed. So, does the IDF take out forty-fifty percent of the population so they can claim they killed 1-2 percent Hezbollah members? Aggression towards Lebanon was not the way to handle the situation, but the neo-cons of Israel and US must have their war hard on--this kind of PR does not help Israel in the world-it will only divide countries and people further. Yeah, there were countries and people against forming an Israel state after WWII, and the violence that was initiated for that state (assasination of British Ambassador, bombing of Jewish refuge ship and other terrorist acts is laid at the feet of whom}? As someone said before "two wrongs do not make a right." Some how these excuses for invasions from our country, and now, Israel, reminds me of Hitler's excuses for invading Czechlosovakia (they're suppressing our German people in that country), Poland (we must liberate the Polish people from an evil dictator--look, Polish soldiers were found across our border), we must invade!!!! There are no more excuses--you either act with diplomacy or act with war-and war usually means you have something to gain-resources, corporate interests. Do you believe Israel would expend their military or increase their budget for two soldiers or are they after something more? And, no I'm not saying Israeli government is like Hitler, but reminding others of the excuses used to initiate aggression!

[outofbounds]

41. I am sick of it too.

I think Israel has had their fill and is going to see to it, as best they can, that it stops. I hope it ends quickly. I don't think Israel wants the land they gave back, I think they want unguided rockets to stop landing in their citizens yards. There have been losses on both sides of this war less on Israelis side but it sounds like they have a pretty good bunker system. After all this has been going on for them for what, roughly fifty years. It seems Israel wants a buffer zone between the Lebanon border, probably just enough to keep the katusha's at bay. Hezbollah doesn't care one bit about Lebanese people or they would not be hiding in and around them. If anything they are enjoying the PR they are getting from reporting of casualties of civilians. But you don't hear much about Israeli losses, though they are there.

[newspeak]

42. dream on

if there are no diplomats or "cooler heads", this murdering will only escalate--PNAC wet dream--I weep for the death of Rabin--most who have espoused peaceful means have wound up murdered by the hands of their own warmongers. Do you think Israel is really listening to their people who want peace? I weep for the Israelis and Palestinians who saw the handwriting on the wall when Rabin was assassinated!!!!!:cry:

[Endangered Specie]

40. IDF is acting like a terrorist organization now.