It’s about time:
The London-based Arabic language newspaper Al-Hayat reported Saturday that “Washington has information according to which Israel gave Damascus 72 hours to stop Hizbullah’s activity along the Lebanon-Israel border and bring about the release the two kidnapped IDF soldiers or it would launch an offensive with disastrous consequences.”The report said “a senior Pentagon source warned that should the Arab world and international community fail in the efforts to convince Syria to pressure Hizbullah into releasing the soldiers and halt the current escalation Israel may attack targets in the country.”
Al-Hayat quoted the source as saying that “the US cannot rule out the possibility of an Israeli strike in Syria,” this despite the fact that the Bush administration has asked Israel to “refrain from any military activity that may result in civilian casualties.”
Bush is pointing towards Syria publicly:
President Bush called on Syria Saturday to exert its influence on Hezbollah militants so they will “lay down their arms.”He put the blame for the spiraling violence between Israel and Hezbollah on Hezbollah and its backers in Damascus.
“The best way to stop violence is to understand why the violence occurred in the first place,” Bush said during a news conference ahead of the Group of Eight summit in St. Petersburg, Russia.
“And that is because Hezbollah has been launching rocket attacks out of Lebanon and into Israel because Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers.”
I suspect that Syria and Iran want Israel to widen the scope of this war. We’ll find out soon.
Focus on Syria
Giyus.org discusses Syria with Professor Eyal Zisser: Giyus.org: What’s Syria role in the region and how is it impacted by the rising power of Iran? Professor Zisser: Syria has a...
Rocket Attacks on Israel Continue
The IAF is scaling back for 48 hours. Will Hezbollah? Not likely: Rocket attacks launched by Hizbullah terrorists from southern Lebanon continued on Monday despite Israel’s agreement to honor a...
Iran Declares Support for Syria – Will Respond with Force if Attacked
Tough talk from Iran but it’s not to their benefit to move their forces out of Iran in a conflict. It’s highly unlikely that they would even attempt to do...
Hezbollah Has Fired Over 2,000 Missiles at Israel
And there are many in reserve: The IDF believes that unless the pace of the army’s anti-Hezbollah operations in Lebanon is quickened, the Shi’ite group will maintain the capability to...
War in Israel – Morning Roundup
First some site news. I added some links to blogs covering this war under the breaking news link. There’s exceptional coverage around the blogosphere but I check the listed sites...
Israel at war 15 July
Report: Israel gives Syria ultimatum
The London-based Arabic language newspaper Al-Hayat reported Saturday that “Washington has information according to which Israel gave Damascus 72 hours to stop Hizbullah’s activity along the Lebanon-Israel borde…
There honestly comes a time when talk and conciliation must come to an end. Who knows what might happen…Iran into Iraq, Syria into Israel and/or Iraq, the entire middle east involved and yet…I almost think that after decades of trying to placate these terror groups that perhaps eradication, however horrific the mainfestations of this might loom, with all the uncertainties and even possible larger expansion, gives the only promise of peace when the dust settles.
Iran wants this to come about – I am not sure what their plan of action is under those circumstances. Perhaps all the talk about wiping Israel off the map is what it is about. Maybe he has been broadcasting his intentions quite clearly. Perhaps they think this would take the spotlight off their nuke program. Frankly it makes it far more likely that we will level anything that gives a hint of connect to that program if the whole region catches fire. He has some kind of messianic end time belief system he ascribes to and this may be a precipitation of that event.
A few years ago I would have very much wished to curtail all of this. Now I am beginning to see that it is what we may have to go through to actually find peace in the Middle East and get a hold on the these aspects of the terror threat in our world. If the first happsens. let us hope the peace in the end premise I suggest is the final outcome.
New Post on troubling things related to ME:
http://www.captainsjournal.com/2006/07/16/are-we-prepared-for-hezbollah-attacks-in-the-us/