Thursday, 05 April 2007
 

Dhimmicratic leadership -- Take 3/"Take Nancy. Please."
-- Nancy Pelosi, Peacemaker or Klutz?
-- "I Went To Syria And All I Got Was This Lousy Scarf"
Contributed by Bill Faith

See previous: Dhimmicratic leadership -- Take 2

Peloopsi As Pelosi Syriasly Bungles Mission
By Ian Bishop,  Post Correspondent (H/T: R J Del Vecchio)

April 5, 2007 -- WASHINGTON - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi yesterday met with Syrian dictator and terror sponsor Bashar Assad - drawing an immediate slap from the White House for rewarding his "bad behavior."

And, to make matters worse, she botched a peace message she carried from Israel.

Vice President Dick Cheney was livid, saying Assad has "been isolated and cut off because of his bad behavior. And the unfortunate thing about the speaker's visit is, it sort of breaks down that barrier."

"It means that without him having done any of those things he should do . . . he gets a visit from a high-ranking American anyway. In other words, his bad behavior is being rewarded," Cheney told ABC News Radio.

Pelosi brought a message from Israel to Assad - but bungled the diplomatic overture, forcing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office to issue a statement correcting the House speaker.  ...

Continue reading "Dhimmicratic leadership -- Take 3/"Take Nancy. Please.""

Contributed by Bill Faith on April 5, 2007 at 01:55 PM in Dem Dumbness, Islamism Delenda Est, Politics, Syria | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Wednesday, 06 December 2006
 

A "Modest Proposal" I can back all the way (Updated)
Contributed by Bill Faith

Yeah, Bill's linking again. The author's an ex-Seal with balls enough to suggest even stronger action than I have yet. If he has balls enough to say it I have balls enough to agree. Who's with me? -- Shane, it looks like you probably are. Who else?

A Modest Proposal From the Froggy Study Group
Matthew "Froggy" Heidt

There is no way to sugarcoat the situation in Iraq except to say that what the American people THINK is happening there does not reflect the reality of what is actually occurring. Perception is reality in this case and if the war is perceived to have been lost here where the decisions are made, then like Vietnam, the successes and progress we have made so far don’t count for much. I am not interested in global opinion, elite media spin, or the inane advice of another blue ribbon panel. The US military is f#cking owed its opportunity to finish what it was ordered to start. Nothing else matters, because as Charlie Rangel says, nobody in this country has any connection to the military anyway so why should they care if we want the job done right?

Here’s my strategy for… well, whatever. President Bush has a very narrow timeframe to pursue the victory that he still claims to want in Iraq. He is outta here in two years and nobody but nobody who gets elected President will have a mandate for anything other than total withdrawal from Iraq. In other words, act now, while supplies last. The best chance that the Iraqi military will be able to take over control of its territory is if that territory has been purged of terrorists and militias. I say that we begin that purge… in earnest. The Iraqi Army is not ready for that kind of intense and complex operation so let’s just allow them to sit back in reserve while we commence the bombardment of areas like Sadr City and Ramadi and other areas where undesirables are concentrated. I’m not talking a Fallujah style takedown either-I’m talking a Dresden/Tokyo style deal. Surround the city/neighborhood, tell the military age males who don’t want any trouble to depart the city to the west, the rest to the east, wait a week, and bu-bye. Linebacker III

What will this accomplish? First of all, these kind of definitive tactics when used against a Sunni (Ramadi) town and a Shia (Sadr City) town will have a profound psychological impact on non-al Qaida enemy elements in Iraq. Having threatened and delivered on this threat a total annihilation of two key anti-government strongholds, the next town that we start encircling will start seeing things the way we do and begin to address their own problem children. ...

*** 2006.12.08

See also: Ace Gets Real

Contributed by Bill Faith on December 6, 2006 at 05:16 PM in Bill Faith, Iran, Iraq, Islamism Delenda Est, Syria | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Monday, 04 December 2006
 

Momentum For More Troops Building (Updated)
Contributed by Bill Faith

Why Military Calls to Raise Iraq Effort Grow
Rumsfeld Exit Revives Push to Boost Troops,
Money in One Last Effort to Stabilize Baghdad
By Greg Jaffe and Yochi J. Dreazen

WASHINGTON -- As demands mount to pull U.S. troops out of Iraq, a growing number of senior military officials are arguing that the only way to salvage the situation is to add more U.S. forces and more U.S. money.

Outside the military, most of the debate is focused on a U.S. troop withdrawal. But inside the Pentagon, the recent dismissal of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has given some new life to arguments by military officers who say the U.S. must pour more troops and money into the country to expand the Iraqi army -- the one institution in Iraq that has shown some promise -- and stabilize the capital.

Read the whole thing. Hat tip: Ed Morrissey, who writes:

Momentum For More Troops Building

Over the last few weeks, a momentum appears to have built for the deployment of more troops to Iraq within the White House, rather than beginning a withdrawal from the country and its efforts to provide security for itself. The departure of Donald Rumsfeld and the nomination of Robert Gates, a member of the Iraq Study Group that is expected to recommend a slow retreat, supposedly signaled an exit for George Bush. Instead, as the Wall Street Journal reports, it may have freed him to try one big push to secure Baghdad:

... The officers' recommendations largely run counter to Mr. Rumsfeld's own ideas, which were revealed in a leaked memorandum written by Mr. Rumsfeld in early November and published yesterday by the New York Times. In the memo Mr. Rumsfeld suggests a pulling back of U.S. forces to bigger bases and possible withdrawals of U.S. troops "so the Iraqis know they have to pull up their socks, step up and take responsibility for their country."

Most military officers, however, seem to believe that a pullback of U.S. forces would only trigger more violence and make political compromise in the country impossible. These officers argue that 20,000 U.S. troops are needed to bring order to Baghdad. Another 10,000 U.S. soldiers would also be needed to work as advisers with the Iraqi Army, which currently numbers about 134,000 troops and might need to double in size.

This option has gained more credence since the election. Rumsfeld apparently opposed the idea, not because he wanted to withdraw from Iraq but because he wanted to keep a small footprint there. His field commanders backed him on that strategy, but John Abizaid and George Casey may be replaced when Gates takes office. The incoming Secretary of Defense might decide to replace them with commanders who see a use for a larger force in Baghdad. ...

The key will be the dedication to the mission by the United States. As General Jack Keane, a retired commander, tells the Wall Street Journal, the American military can certainly secure Baghdad if it chooses to do so. So far, however, we have not seen that level of commitment. We would have to build an overwhelming force and impose our will on Baghdad in a manner we have not yet appeared willing to contemplate. The US would also have to find the wherewithal to attack Moqtada al-Sadr aggressively, even if it defies the wishes of Nouri al-Maliki.

Can we find that will to win? If the recent reports are accurate, it looks like the White House may be willing to try. ...

I know there are a lot of people who disagree with me, including some within the Old War Dogs pack, but I've been saying for quite a while now that the only way we're going to get out of Iraq without the jihadis following us home is to send in enough troops to leave victorious. I like Don Rumsfeld but he screwed up big time by not admitting the need for more troops as soon as the situation started heating up in April of '04. We've been chasing the jihadis around the country for two and a half years when we should have sent in enough troops to flood the zone so there was nowhere for them to hide. We need enough troops in country to be the most powerful force in Baghdad and Ramadi at the same time, we need to take the gloves off and clean up the rat nests in both cities, and we need to station enough troops on the Syrian and Iranian borders to put and end to their resupply efforts while we do it. Then, after we've cleaned out the interior we can reduce troop levels there by bringing some of them home and moving others to create an even stronger border presence. Eventually the day will come when the Iraqis can secure their own borders but it's not going to happen in 6 months, or 12. Yes, my approach is going to disrupt more families and mean more casualties in the short term, but it's the right thing to do in the long term.

*** 2006.12.04.19:32

See also: Bush Sticks to His Guns

Contributed by Bill Faith on December 4, 2006 at 11:26 AM in Bill Faith, Iran, Iraq, Islamism Delenda Est, Politics, Syria | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Friday, 25 August 2006
 

Kofi Annan's UN
Contributed by Bill Faith

Click the pics, bookmark the site. H/T: Kerry Leight.

Contributed by Bill Faith on August 25, 2006 at 02:47 PM in Bill Faith, Hezbollah, Islamism Delenda Est, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, UNuseful | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Israel Demands UN Troops on Syria-Lebanon Border
Contributed by Bill Faith

Syria objects to U.N. troops on border

BEIRUT, Lebanon — Israel is demanding that U.N. troops patrol the Syria-Lebanon border to prevent Hezbollah from receiving arms shipments. But even if Israel overcomes Syrian objections to the idea, policing the mostly mountainous frontier could prove nearly impossible.

The controversy has developed as the United Nations tries to muster enough peacekeepers to serve as a buffer force between Israeli troops and Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon's south.

Israel, which accuses Syria of supplying arms to Hezbollah, refuses to lift its sea and air blockade of Lebanon unless U.N. troops also deploy to the far larger Syria-Lebanon border.

[Read the whole thing here. Hat tip: James Joyner]

Contributed by Bill Faith on August 25, 2006 at 10:31 AM in Bill Faith, Hezbollah, Islamism Delenda Est, Israel, Lebanon, Syria | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Saturday, 19 August 2006
 

Arab Media Take Aim At Assad
Contributed by Bill Faith

After Bashar Assad called Arab leaders "half men" for failing to rally to Hezbollah's support, state-sponsored media in Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia have castigated Assad in terms usually reserved for infidels. His critics have called him a coward and a dead rosebud, among other epithets:

Syria's president sparked a wave of anger after he knocked Mideast leaders as "half men" in a televised speech, underlining the divisions as Arab nations try to form a unified front in the wake of the Lebanon crisis.

The bitterness over Bashar Assad's speech last week will likely stir up a gathering of Arab foreign ministers in Cairo on Sunday. The meeting is supposed to pave the way for a summit of heads of state later in the month that will draw up plans to help rebuild Lebanon - and try to launch a new Arab peace initiative with Israel.

[...]

[Read on.]

Contributed by Bill Faith on August 19, 2006 at 12:36 PM in Bill Faith, Hezbollah, Islamism Delenda Est, Israel, Lebanon, Syria | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Big Loss in Third Major War on Terror Campaign
Contributed by Shane Briscoe

A "Best of Old War Dogs" featured post. The webmaster is backdating this post to keep it near the top of the blog for a while. Please scroll down for newer posts.

This item was originally posted 2006.08.16.17:41.

Afghanistan, Iraq and now Lebanon.  Thus far, these are the three big campaigns in the overall War on Terror.  Democrats and left-wing media pundits insist on separating the three into separate wars, but such thinking only confuses the fact that World War III is already under way. 

Afghanistan was a success, although Taliban remnants, supported by the usual suspects--Iran, Syria and al Qaeda--continue to operate, though on a much smaller scale.  Iraq was an unqualified military success, but Washington's relative timidity in the face of Democrat and UN pressure has emboldened the terrorists and Shiite militias and enabled Iran and Syria to ship in IEDs and other weapons and military/political "advisers" with impunity.  Lebanon was a the first big defeat for the forces of Western Civilization, with Israel committing too little, too late, and then backing off as the worldwide apologists for Islamofascism beat the drums for premature withdrawal.  Moreover, Washington missed a golden opportunity to join with Israel to ensure that not only Hezbollah, but Iran and Syria go down for the count.

The Israeli government will likely be thrown out, and deservedly so.  Unlike in our own country, there are plenty of tough minded sheriffs in Israel to get that nation back on the right path.  The problem with America is that, hesitant though he may be, President Bush remains the strongest proponent for pursuing the War on Terror, and he cannot run again.

As in the First and Second World Wars, there will be occasional setbacks in World War III.  Our only viable option is to learn from those setbacks, get tougher and drive on toward victory.  Simply put, Islamofascism must be utterly and completely destroyed.  The cost of terrorism needs to be so high that no one dare employ the tactic.  Such were the lessons of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.

The left argues that killing terrorists only begets more terrorists, but that is simply not true.  Killing terrorists in a half-assed, timid, politically correct manner (with no civilian collateral damage) does indeed create more terrorists, for that is what we are witnessing now.  But overwhelming force, applied with brutal efficiency to tell the enemy that resistance is futile has always worked in warfare.

Germany was bombed into near-oblivion during World War II.  Thousands of civilians were killed in massive bombing runs.  The entire German economy was wrecked.  The Wermacht was pounded into submission.  The Russians retaliated for their loss of 20 million people by raping, pillaging and murdering German soldiers and civilians alike.  It was not pretty. 

This is not to say that American soldiers should go around wantonly murdering and raping civilians, but neither should we be second-guessing and restricting them to the point where they hesitate to pull the trigger when deadly force is called for.  That should have been the lesson of Vietnam.

There should be no more Fallujahs.  If an enemy controlled city does not submit to our power, we should give its citizens a time limit to get out of town along predetermined routes, where all would be subject to rigorous searches and suspicious persons (including virtually all men of combat age) detained in prison until they can be further sorted out.  Then, when the deadline has passed, the entire city should be leveled. 

There should be no more Shiite or Sunni militias.  Any time masked gunmen gather for demonstrations, they should be taken out with missles or bombs.  And we need to go after their leaders as well.  The overwhelming power of America's military must be brought to bear sufficiently so that the enemy gets the idea that our power is, in fact, overwhelming.

Iran must be made to pay for inciting violence across the globe.  We already know that the IEDs that are killing and maiming American soldiers are manufactured in Iran and smuggled across the border into Iraq.  A price must be paid for these acts of war, and until we exact that price, the murders and mutilations will only continue.

Iranian forces were actively involved in the rocket and missile atacks on Israel.  Hezbollah is but an Iranian irregular militia.  I am certain that if we could only connect the dots, the Iranians would be shown to have had a hand in planning or funding the aborted terrorist action against civilian airliners flying between Great Britain and the United States.  They are at war with us and we refuse to recognize the obvious.

The ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah is the worst of all possible outcomes (save a complete military rout of Israel) for the larger War on Terror.  The enemy rightly claims to have achieved a strategic victory, and that victory is due solely to Israeli and U.S. timidity.  The next time hostilities break out, the enemy will only be stronger. 

The lessons of this temporary setback ought to be clear:

• Throw everything you've got into the battle with Islamofascists; unconditional victory should be the sole objective;
• Collateral damage--dead Lebanese, in this case--is a fact of war.  Lebanese civilians must pay the price for allowing their country to fall into the hands of terrorists;
• France is not our friend.  They lied to us before Gulf War II, and they lied to us in proposing the terms for the current ceasefire.  We should never trust them again;
• The UN is on the side of the terrorists.  It is run by Third World despots who hate the United States and Israel and will do everything they can to thwart us.  The UN has no military might unless the United States supplies it, so we should not be swayed by its rhetoric.  They are allied with the enemy;
• You don't negotiate with terrorists... ever.

Ultimately, I have confidence that we will win this thing, but it is going to take a lot more pain and a lot more deaths before we give it the seriousness it deserves.

Contributed by Shane Briscoe on August 19, 2006 at 11:59 AM in Best of Old War Dogs, Hezbollah, Iran, Islamism Delenda Est, Israel, Lebanon, Shane Briscoe, Syria | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBack

Israel Attacks Resupply Convoy
Contributed by Bill Faith

Israel mounts fresh Lebanon raid

Israel carried out an overnight raid inside Lebanon aimed at disrupting an arms transfer, the Israeli army says.

One soldier died and two were injured in the Bekaa Valley operation, it said. Lebanese sources earlier told Reuters agency that three militants also died.

[Read on. H/T Ed Morrissey, who comments here.]

***

OTB: Israeli Soldier Killed in Lebanon Raid

Contributed by Bill Faith on August 19, 2006 at 09:38 AM in Bill Faith, Hezbollah, Iran, Islamism Delenda Est, Israel, Lebanon, Syria | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Thursday, 17 August 2006
 

Syria to Form Hezbollah-like Terror Group in Effort to 'Liberate' Golan Heights
Contributed by Bill Faith

From Vital Perspective:

On the heels of what it views as a Hezbollah victory against Israel, Syria is forming its own Hezbollah-like organization called The Front for the Liberation of the Golan to fight Israel in hopes of "liberating" the Golan Heights, an official from Syrian President Bashar Assad's Ba'ath party said yesterday.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Syria learned from Hezbollah's military campaign against Israel the past month that "fighting" is more effective than peace negotiations with regard to gaining territory. He said Syria's new guerilla force would be trained by Hezbollah leaders.

The Ba'ath party official said the new Syrian "resistance" group is already in the process of being formed and consists of "hundreds" of Syrian volunteers, ...

[Read on.]

***

Dan Riehl: Hezbollah On The Move

Contributed by Bill Faith on August 17, 2006 at 12:23 PM in Bill Faith, Hezbollah, Islamism Delenda Est, Israel, Syria | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Lebanon's Lessons Vindicate Rumsfeld
Contributed by George Mellinger

A "Best of Old War Dogs" featured post. The webmaster is backdating this post to keep it near the top of the blog for a while. Please scroll down for newer posts.

This item was originally posted 2006.08.14.16:54.

Ralph Peters' latest essay is essential reading for anyone who claims to have an opinion on modern war. Unfortunately, among those not heeding him are a number of US Generals including such luminaries as Generalissimo Weaselly Clark, Field Marshal Batiste, and the other members of the Gang of Six who wished to remove Rumsfeld. Remember, these were the military professionals who criticized Rumsfeld for invading Iraq with insufficient forces. They wanted to delay the invasion while we carefully built up a force they considered adequate to the purpose, and then advance slowly up the Euphrates consolidating at every step of the way, leaving no terrorist behind. Of course, the longer they waited, and the enemy prepared, the more troops they would need. this was the George McClellan approach. Instead General Franks plunged ahead in a campaign which substituted velocity for mass

What we have just witnessed in Lebanon represents the critics' preferred McClellan alternative approach of wait for a mass build up, and a ponderous advance. That way opposition will have time to seize the initiative from you and forestall your offensive before you even have to start it.

We’ve tried it both ways, and by now the answer should be clear. General McClellan was wrong in 1862. General McClellan was wrong again in 1962. He was wrong yet again in 2002.  And the way things are going, in 2062 Hezbollah will prove that General McClellan is still wrong.

In modern war, you have maybe a week to crush the enemy before the he begins to organize a resistance in the field, and in the global media. From that point the friction of war will grind you down and force you to a halt, any remaining objectives to remain unachieved. During this period, maximum destruction and death must be inflicted to crush the foe. However many or few enemy are killed, the blame in the global media will be the same. So inflict the greatest casualties possible on the enemy, and do not shield media representatives who choose to place themselves near enemy targets; if they are stupid enough to offer you an excuse, take it. And if victory is near, press on to a finish and damn the rhetoric. And yes, this applies to both Lebanon and to Iraq. And to Syria and Iran. And Korea. And Mexico and Venezuela if they deteriorate further. And to every as yet unforeseen military problem.

The Russians have a proverb Победителей не судят -pobeditelei ne sudyat. – They don’t judge the victors.

-Rurik

Contributed by George Mellinger on August 17, 2006 at 12:00 PM in Best of Old War Dogs, George Mellinger, Hezbollah, Iran, Iraq, Islamism Delenda Est, Lebanon, Syria, War? What war? | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBack

Monday, 14 August 2006
 

If Turtle Bay Had a Moral Compass...
Contributed by Bill Faith

If Turtle Bay Had a Moral Compass...
An alternative resolution on “The Situation in the Middle East.”

By Claudia Rosett

It’s happy hour at the United Nations. After four weeks of Hezbollah-provoked war in Israel and Lebanon, accompanied by much diplomatic hand-wringing, the U.N. Security Council met Friday evening to adopt 15-0 its latest attempt to paper over the real problems: Resolution 1701 on “The Situation in the Middle East.” This resolution is meant to deliver the “ceasefire” that Secretary-General Kofi Annan has been calling for, also described in the lingo of the U.S. State Department as a “cessation of hostilities.”

Unfortunately, if Resolution 1701 has any effect at all, its real meaning is that we now embark on a period in which Hezbollah will seize the opportunity to regroup and reload. The feeble and compromised mix of U.N. peacekeepers and the Lebanese army, which is the force authorized in this resolution, will fail to stop them. ...

In sum, it’s already time to start drafting the next resolution:

UNSC DRAFT RESOLUTION 1701-Plus

The Security Council,

Recalling that all its previous resolutions on the situation in the Middle East have failed to evict terrorists and Syrian toadies from Lebanon, failed to stop Iran’s terror-sponsoring and nuclear-bomb-building projects, failed to protect Israel from unprovoked attack, and failed to bring peace.

Recalling also that Israel in 2000 withdrew entirely from Lebanon to the satisfaction of the U.N., and that Hezbollah deliberately provoked this war by killing and kidnapping Israeli soldiers inside Israel’s borders, and — in some cases using children as human shields — has since fired into Israel with the intent of maximizing destruction and civilian deaths more than 3,300 missiles, from an arsenal at least four times that size brought illicitly into Lebanon under the gaze of U.N. peacekeepers who have been at best passive and at times have been caught actively collaborating with Hezbollah,

Expressing its alarm that Hezbollah has established itself over the past 23 years as one of the world’s most ruthless, unscrupulous, and barbaric terrorist groups, even though the United Nations due to the pressures of the Arab League and the Organization of the Islamic Conference has failed completely to define “terrorism” and therefore in surreal fashion does not consider Hezbollah’s murderous Islamic fascists to be terrorists,

Emphasizing that Hezbollah is a creation of Iran, abetted by Syria; has infested Lebanon to the extent that it effectively serves as an Iranian terrorist militia bordering on Israel and explicitly dedicated, like the president of Iran itself to the annihilation of the democratic state of Israel,

[Read on.]

Contributed by Bill Faith on August 14, 2006 at 11:30 PM in Bill Faith, Hezbollah, Iran, Islamism Delenda Est, Israel, Lebanon, Syria | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Sunday, 13 August 2006
 

Countdown to disaster?
Contributed by Bill Faith

The next 24 hours or so are going to be interesting, to say the least. I took the rare, for me recently, step in the wee hours of this morning of going to be with no alarm set. Slept till I couldn't go back to sleep any more, should be good to go on short naps for the next couple of days at least.

Israel Cabinet Unanimously Adopts Cease-Fire
Ed Morrissey

It does not appear that the UN Security Council cease-fire resolution created much controversy in Israeli politics. Ehud Olmert's Cabinet unanimously agreed to adopt it, with only one abstention:

The cabinet approved the UN cease-fire deal after a stormy debate Sunday, clearing a key hurdle to ending the monthlong Mideast war, the government said.

[...]

[Read on.]

***

Lebanon About To Fall
Ed Morrissey

The cease-fire agreement appears to have created a crisis in Lebanon's government, as a Cabinet meeting of Siniora's government has been abruptly cancelled. The Cabinet was supposed to vote on a plan to deploy their army into southern Lebanon and to displace Hezbollah. That has now been indefinitely delayed -- which means that Israel is not bound by the agreement to stop fighting:

A critical Lebanese Cabinet meeting set for Sunday to discuss implementation of the cease-fire between Israel and Hizbullah was postponed, a move that was likely to delay the dispatch of the Lebanese army to the south and an end of the fighting.

[...]

Does anyone not believe that this crisis has been precipitated by Hezbollah's refusal to leave southern Lebanon and disarm? ...

[Read on.]

Do read all of Curt's excellent analysis at Flopping Aces.

Contributed by Bill Faith on August 13, 2006 at 02:50 PM in Bill Faith, Hezbollah, Iran, Islamism Delenda Est, Israel, Lebanon, Syria | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Shebaa Farms
Contributed by Bill Faith

Bruce Kesler at Democracy Project:

Most newsreaders don’t have a clue as to what is involved in the issue of Shebaa Farms. Clue: It’s not about Elsie the Cow. Second clue: It’s about Hezbollah and Lebanon as cat’s paws for Syria, and the U.N.’s virtue as transparent as a whore’s white wedding dress.

Eugene Kontorovich, who teaches international law as an assistant professor at George Mason University School of Law, and currently as a visiting professor at the University of Chicago, explains:

No one in the international community believes Lebanon has a legitimate claim to the Sheba Farms, known to Israelis as Har Dov. It has never been within Lebanon's internationally recognized borders. It was under Syrian control until 1967, when Israel took it in the Six Day War. Israel entered southern Lebanon in 1982; when it withdrew in 2000, the Security Council certified that Israel no longer occupied a single inch of Lebanon. However, the Lebanese government and Hezbollah were not satisfied, raising what Secretary General Kofi Annan described as an entirely "new claim": that Sheba Farms was also Lebanese territory. After looking into the matter, Annan and the Security Council unanimously concluded that the area was not Lebanese and never had been.

[...]

[Read on.]

So why in Hell has the UN decided now that rightful ownership of the area is negotiable?

Contributed by Bill Faith on August 13, 2006 at 03:10 AM in Bill Faith, Hezbollah, Islamism Delenda Est, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, UNuseful | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Saturday, 12 August 2006
 

Re: Re: Peace in our time.
Contributed by Bill Faith

Kudos on a very well reasoned and well written post, Mike, even if I'm not sure you've won me over yet. I guess there's still enough wolf in this ol' dog that my natural instincts say "When you have a foe by the throat never turn loose and give him another chance at yours." In the last few hours you, and Ed Morrissey and Dafydd ab Hugh, have posted some good arguments for doing that. I'm not ready to say you're right and the Power Line gang and I are wrong,  but I will go as far as admitting there are two sides to the argument and both sides have merit. Only time will tell, I think. If I had to place my bet right now I'd predict Hezbollah will agree to the terms of the UN resolution and then violate it within hours, after which the Israelis will finally give them both barrels like they should have to begin with. In the long run I think historians will look back some day and realize that Lebanon is to Iran and Syria today as Spain was to Germany and Italy 70 years ago. The big question in my mind at this point is whether it's going to take another Pearl Harbor for this country to wake up and start taking "that war over there" seriously.

***

What'd I say?:

Nasrallah Endorses Cease Fire ... Sort Of
Ed Morrissey

Hassan Nasrallah has made a less-than-enthusiastic endorsement of the UN Security Council cease-fire resolution, promising to argue for modifications in the Lebanese Cabinet meeting taking place in hours to formulate an answer to Turtle Bay. Nasrallah objects to the arms embargo placed on Hezbollah, and vows to continue his "jihadic" responsibilities towards Israel:

Hizbullah Leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah said on Saturday that if a UN-endorsed agreement were reached that would end the hostilities, then his organization would abide by it.

[...]

[Read on.]

Contributed by Bill Faith on August 12, 2006 at 11:42 AM in Bill Faith, Hezbollah, Iran, Islamism Delenda Est, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, UNuseful | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Wednesday, 09 August 2006
 

"Twin Shocks: Iran Behind Hezbollah Kidnappers;
France Dicks Us Over At UN"
Contributed by Bill Faith

Ace of Spades:

Iran? Training terrorists? Why, it's almost as if they're part of -- how does one put this? -- some kind of axis of iniquity or something.

Iniquity? Too Biblical. Something simple. Wrongness, baditude. Something like that.

A captured Hezbollah terrorist who took part in the kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers that sparked the war in Lebanon has confessed he received military training in Iran, according to a recording of his interrogation.

Under questioning by Israeli authorities, Hussein Ali Suleiman, 22, revealed he was sent to Iran twice for weapons and explosives instruction, most recently at the end of 2003.

[...]

[Read the whole thing.]

***

The g-ddamned French surrender again
Allahpundit

[...]

Three days ago: France agrees with the U.S. on a resolution that would call for a “full cessation of hostilities” to be followed by the deployment in southern Lebanon of an international peacekeeping force. To be followed in turn by an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon.

72 hours of Arab seething and whining later: France demands an immediate Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon to be followed by the deployment in the south of 15,000 troops of the Lebanese army. A force which Time described three days ago as “weak not just by neglect, but also by design.”

[Read the whole thing.]

***

Jawa Report: Fwench Do What They Do Best: Wimp Out

Contributed by Bill Faith on August 9, 2006 at 12:53 PM in Bill Faith, France, Hezbollah, Iran, Islamism Delenda Est, Syria | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Monday, 07 August 2006
 

IAF shoots down drone believed headed for Tel Aviv(?)
Contributed by Bill Faith

Breaking: IAF shoots down drone believed headed for Tel Aviv(?) (Update: Confirmed?)
Allahpundit

Just reported on Fox News. According to Jeff Goldblatt, they shot it down somewhere near Haifa.

DefenseTech has been worried about this for months, calling terror drones “suicide bombers on steroids.”

One question, though: if they’ve finally made the decision to bring on “doomsday” by hitting Tel Aviv, why not do it in spectacular fashion, with a long-range missile?

All right, two questions. Who’d they get the drone from?

[Read on.]

Dan Riehl: Drone Targeted Tel Aviv?Drone Targeted Tel Aviv?

***

Every time I look at Allah's post it's been updated again. Keep checking it.

***

FOXNews.com: Israelis Shoot Down Explosive-Laden Drone

Contributed by Bill Faith on August 7, 2006 at 02:17 PM in Bill Faith, Hezbollah, Iran, Islamism Delenda Est, Israel, Lebanon, Syria | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Two good ones from Alexandra
Contributed by Bill Faith

Welcome To The Middle East, Israel

'Welcome to the Middle East, Israel' as a heading introduces us to the notion that Israel has finally understood the rules of the game

Instead of abductions working against Israel, to the extent of extorting an entire country, abductions now work against abductors and their countries.

In a world where Thug-In-Chief Ahmadinejad and his lackey Assad dream of a "Middle East in which leading pro-US Arab states such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan are weakened and Iran becomes the new regional superpower. The destruction of Israel is part of the dream, which is shared by Syria.

Iran is working hard to realize Ahmadinejad's dream, destabilizing the "Shi'ite Crescent" stretching from Iran to Iraq to Syria; and from Syria to Lebanon, where the Shi'ites are the largest minority."

President Bush understands this reality and his Administration fortunately realizes that our security is inextricably linked with that of Iraq and Israel. Never have the words 'We must win this war against the axis of evil' rang more true and have been confirmed, as during these days of bloodshed in Iraq as well as in Lebanon and northern Israel.

So how does the war against Hezbollah differ from others?

[...]

[Read on.]

Iran's Promise: 'Evolution From Life To Death'

Iran commands Hezbollah, and the rest of what has now become its vast 'foreign legion', and the sooner the world realizes it the better.

All who oppose the absolute determination of the Iranian mullahcracy to spread its murderous and utterly inhumane doctrine, are fighting for the same freedom; the quicker we realize that, the better.

Iran has outsourced its war against the infidels to Hamas, to Hezbollah, to Muqtada al-Sadar in Iraq, to name but a few.

Muqtada al-Sadr was dismissed as an irrelevant aberration with little purchase on the nation’s future. The coalition and its Iraqi partners considered his behavior inconsistent, his judgment erratic, his discourse radical and his movement chaotic. Underestimating him proved costly, but dealing with that we shall leave for another day. It is just important to understand that in the grand scheme of things he enjoys a significant popular backing and a power base in the Shiite slums of Baghdad, the city of Kufa, and the governorate of Maysan; his followers, for the most part impoverished Shiites, are remarkably determined and loyal, and have caused us plenty of trouble in these last few weeks.

Iran is supplying them all with money, weapons and most damaging of all, the very doctrine, which fuels their fire. They are all very closely and dangerously interlinked.

[Read on.]

Contributed by Bill Faith on August 7, 2006 at 05:00 AM in Bill Faith, Iran, Islamism Delenda Est, Israel, Lebanon, Syria | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Sunday, 06 August 2006
 

JPost: Syria 'ready for possible regional war'
Contributed by Bill Faith

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem crossed into Lebanon Sunday for the first visit by a top Syrian official in more than a year, Lebanon's state news agency said.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting with his Lebanese counterpart, Fawzi Salloukh, Moallem said "Syria is ready for the possibility of a regional war if the Israeli aggression continues."

He added that a US-French draft resolution to end the war "adopted Israel's point of view only." Underlining his support for Hizbullah, Moallem said, "as Syria's foreign minister I hope to be a soldier in the resistance."

Salloukh said that "Israel cannot take in peace what it had failed to take in war."

[Read on.]

Contributed by Bill Faith on August 6, 2006 at 10:28 AM in Bill Faith, Islamism Delenda Est, Israel, Lebanon, Syria | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack