JD Vance sets a most divisive example

I don't know what exactly is in the final "deal" between the USA and Iran, something I'll try to comment on another time, but for now, vice president J.D. Vance is not improving the situation with attacks on Israel in regards to Lebanon:

The harsh criticism leveled against Israel by U.S. Vice President JD Vance has sparked angry reactions.

Republican Senator Rick Scott of Florida wrote: “Israel is our greatest ally and strongest partner in the Middle East. The evil Iranian regime wants to wipe BOTH of us off the face of the Earth. That will never happen because we will ALWAYS stand together."

“America’s unwavering support for Israel’s defense helps make the America First agenda possible, the U.S. stronger, and the world a safer place," he stressed.

Professor Jeffrey Lax of New York University, a prominent activist for the Jewish community and in the fight against antisemitism and discrimination against pro-Israel professors and students, was even sharper in his criticism.

“The most sickening part of JDVance's mid-book tour press conference? Right here, where he accuses Israel(!) of attacking civilian population centers in Beirut when every honest person on earth knows it is exactly the other way around," Lax said.

“This man CANNOT be our next president," Lax declared.

The criticism was also echoed by the “Green Prince," Mosab Hassan Yousef, who lives in the United States.

"Israel is not a client state. It is a sovereign, independent, and powerful nation. Its strength has never depended on any foreign leader, it comes from its own people. While the partnership with the United States has been valuable, Israel has never been a burden. It has delivered massive contributions to American technology, medicine, cybersecurity, and defense, far beyond what most Americans realize. At a moment when America is facing deep internal and external challenges, turning against one of its most capable and loyal allies is not just shortsighted, it is self-destructive. Those who believe they are weakening Israel by attacking it are actually weakening America’s own interests," Yousef said.

During a White House briefing yesterday (Thursday), Vance claimed that Israel was bombing Lebanon indiscriminately.

Based on what Vance has done, no, he's not fit to be the next presidential candidate. And we shouldn't buy his books either. So he obscures the Hezbollah's evils, and rails against Israel instead? Vance has really disappointed.

Update: on the subject of Iran, they've backed out of the deal signing in Switzerland, and Vance has delayed a trip there. So what's being accomplished so far when the deal may be questionable at most?

Update: the Federalist is making things worse by fudging the exact details, and makes it sound like it's wrong to destroy a terrorist organization, and as though Iran's literally right to defend said monsters:

Israel’s targeting of Hezbollah in Lebanon has been a point of tension during negotiations with Iran, sometimes breaking ceasefires and jeopardizing the openness of the Strait of Hormuz. Israel has also killed negotiators from Iran in the past in the middle of talks.

Israeli attacks in Lebanon have reportedly resulted in tense phone calls between Trump and Netanyahu, in which Trump has reportedly said his Israeli counterpart has “no f-cking judgement” during the negotiating process.

This is insulting to the intellect, and could also explain why the same news writers seem disinterested in freeing all Iranian citizens who don't want to wear outfits like the chador. This can also explain why there are certain commentators on the right, in and out of Israel, who find the way this has been handled troubling, and don't sound optimistic this'll go over well.

Defeating Hezbollah is a main objective in Lebanon

Israel's defense minister made the point now, though there's a certain point of contention to be found here:

Defense Minister Israel Katz says Israel remains committed to disarming Hezbollah “through military and political means.”

“Israel’s policy in Lebanon has been and remains clear: the top objective is the disarmament of Hezbollah through military and political means, regardless of the Iran issue,” Katz says following an assessment with military officials.

Katz says the IDF is completing its ground offensive in southern Lebanon up to the line from which Hezbollah can launch anti-tank missiles at Israeli communities.

Well I do hope they realize that allowing the Hezbollah to remain even in northern Lebanon is unacceptable, since it would give them a chance to rebuild one day, with or without Iran's backing. Something that might be called "hudna" in Islamic doctrine. And it's high time that something were done to ensure Lebanon can one day return to having a non-Muslim majority and/or government run the country again, which would make the region safer.

Hezbollah overlord obliterated

The IDF just scored a most vital victory in the war against Hezbollah in Lebanon, eliminating Hassan Nasrallah, the overlord of the terrorist organization:

On Friday afternoon, shortly before Shabbat, the IDF conducted a precise strike, eliminating Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi confirmed.

The strike took place in Hezbollah’s underground headquarters in the heart of Beirut, along with other senior officials in the terrorist organization.

Halevi stressed, "Nasrallah indiscriminately murdered Israeli civilians and aimed to end this war with the destruction of the State of Israel. We made sure that did not occur. We eliminated him, and we will continue to grow stronger."

He added, "Hezbollah has murdered innocent people worldwide, hiding his weapons under the homes of families, women and children and turning them into human shields."

"As we have shown, we will not allow such a threat to our citizens! We are determined to continue destroying the Hezbollah terrorist organization and to keep fighting. We have more missions ahead on all fronts—destroying terrorist organizations and their capabilities, returning our hostages—the mission is constantly before our eyes! As well as the safe return of the residents in the north and south to their homes.

"This week, the year comes to an end—a year where IDF commanders and soldiers fight bravely and work to put an end to the hardships of the past. The IDF stands with the bereaved families. We will continue to honor the path of the fallen.

"With the fighting spirit and resilience of the entire nation, the IDF will continue to safeguard our security!”

One of the IDF's spokesmen told CNN it's disturbing how the USA government under Joe Biden/Kamala Harris called for ceasefires when Israel began taking defensive action:

On Saturday’s “CNN This Morning,” IDF Spokesman Maj. Doron Spielman responded to frustration from the White House with Israel over ceasefires by stating that “for an entire year, Hezbollah has been firing rockets, over 9,000 rockets, missiles, and killer drones and no one talked about a ceasefire. Now that Israel’s actually taking the assertion to try to protect its civilians, we’re calling for a ceasefire.” And stated that “the world, instead of demanding [that Israel have] a ceasefire, should be demanding that Hezbollah pull out.” [...]

Spielman answered, “I can tell you, Jim, that the last year has been the greatest challenge in Israel’s history. We are threatened by seven different fronts, the Houthis in Yemen, Hezbollah in the north, Hamas in Gaza, and that’s just to name a few. This is the hour that Israel will look back and the world will look back and say, who stands by Israel in this hour? And the U.S., I’m not a politician, I’m here on behalf of the Army, has been the greatest friend and has supported Israel and understands our objectives. Regarding a ceasefire, for an entire year, Hezbollah has been firing rockets, over 9,000 rockets, missiles, and killer drones and no one talked about a ceasefire. Now that Israel’s actually taking the assertion to try to protect its civilians, we’re calling for a ceasefire. As we’ve said, and as the Israeli Army says, we’re open for anything as long as Israeli civilians can go back to their home[s] and Hezbollah withdraws behind the Litani. What we know is that, right now, Hezbollah, every one of those rockets and missiles is inside one of their own homes, they’re civilian homes. You’ve seen the pictures. They don’t care about Lebanese civilians. They don’t care about Israeli civilians. And the world, instead of demanding [that Israel have] a ceasefire, should be demanding that Hezbollah pull out.”

It's truly reprehensible that anybody would call for an ambiguous "ceasefire", when it's only meant to undermine efforts to defeat the evil entity that even Ronald Reagan and George Bush Sr. have to shoulder blame for allowing to take over Lebanon, all at the expense of Christians and other innocent and defenseless inhabitants of the area. I'm not letting them off the hook any more than say, Jimmy Carter, whose own damage when it comes to Iran cannot be overlooked either.

Benjamin Netanyahu approved the strike against Hezbollah from a USA hotel room:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved Friday’s airstrike on Hezbollah’s headquarters in Beirut, Lebanon, from his hotel room in New York City prior to his speech to the United Nations General Assembly.

The Prime Minister’s Office released a photograph that it said showed Netanyahu approving the massive airstrike.

The massive attack targeted Hezbollah’s underground headquarters in the Dahiyeh neighborhood of Beirut.

Netanyahu apparently delivered his address knowing that the attack was under way. He cut short a press conference after the speech when a military aide whispered in his ear.

The UN is a disgrace, as he also pointed out. It's long overdue to get rid of Hezbollah as much as Hamas, and the PLO must also go. Mahmoud Abbas is one of the worst bigots around, and he alone makes clear what's wrong with them as well.

Complete failure of intel has responsibility for leading to this situation

Lilach Shoval looks at the issue of how Israeli intelligence services failed to see this tragedy of the Hamas assault coming:

The Simchat Torah attack is the 2023 version of the 1973 Yom Kippur war. The complete surprise – the governing paradigm, the collapse of the lines of defense – is very reminiscent of what happened here exactly 50 years ago.

In a well-synchronized and orchestrated move, Hamas managed to surprise even the best and brightest in Israeli intelligence and completely toppled the Gaza Division's doctrine, which relied in recent years on the security barrier that gave a false sense of security.

A similar scenario, involving infiltration, kidnapping, and a killing spree carried out under the auspices of massive rocket fire, has been discussed in recent years by the top brass in the IDF, only in regard to the northern border, after Hassan Nasrallah publicly announced in that he intends to "conquer the Galilee" – that is, to cross the border, enter residential towns and villages and kidnap civilians and soldiers. But no one expected that the evil would start from the south, and without any intelligence warning.

Ten hours after the start of the events – these are several of the difficult questions that someone will be forced to give answers at the investigative committees that will be established when the disaster is over.

Q: Where was the intelligence?

This is the first question that cries out to the sky. Just like 50 years ago, even if the intelligence had real signs of such an operation, these were not converted into actionable intelligence, and this complacency blew up in our faces with a colossal intelligence failure.

In the last few weeks, and even in the last few days, senior army officials have been heard talking about the fact that Hamas is not interested in escalating its relations with Israel and emphasized that the fact that thousands of workers enter Israel every day restrains the organization's leaders that are controlling Gaza, which wants to ensure the welfare of its residents.

Even though Hamas carried out a live drill of a crisis on the fence in the last two weeks, the intelligence assessment did not change. As part of that exercise, Hamas sent hundreds of rioters to violent demonstrations, similar to the violent Friday protests held in the months before the COVID-19 pandemic. A few days ago, and after several pinpointed signal attacks, the IDF believed that the problem had been solved when the minister of defense gave the order to continue permitting the entrance of workers into Israeli territory.

Not only that but according to a military assessment of the situation, the IDF, the strongest army in the Middle East, which prides itself on good intelligence in our region and perhaps in the entire world, reduced its forces in the Gaza Strip in recent months and transferred them to Judea and Samaria in order to deal with the wave of murderous terrorism. And when the intelligence did not give any warning, even not a hint, the IDF top brass did not train the troops, did not order the deployment of Iron Domes, and this most serious incident caught most of the senior IDF commanders at home.

Like in the Yom Kippur War, the entire political and security leadership is accountable for the failure. The dire result is that even hours after the start of the attack, which erupted at 6:30 AM, there were still besieged towns, terrorists barricading themselves in houses, and a significant number of civilians and soldiers who had been kidnapped and taken into Gaza.

There's more to ponder, but for now, this is very grave, right down to how the army themselves don't seem to have been present at the Gaza perimeter, or seen the enemy approaching it. A really responsible intel service would've recognized and even made publicly clear that letting down our guard anywhere and everywhere could lead to such a situation. Instead, they downplayed the seriousness of the issue. Those responsible will have to resign and apologize. The IDF may have cleared all towns of vermin. But this fiasco is going to have a terrible after-effect for years to come.

The Hezbollah in Lebanon is just as dangerous as Hamas

Rick Moran reminds everyone that Hezbollah's bound to willing and ready to attack Israel, just like the Hamas did this weekend:

The Hamas invasion of Israel is the most significant military action against the Jewish state ever carried out by a terrorist group. The planning for this attack must have begun months ago in Tehran where the bulk of the funds used to arm and train fighters for the attack originated.

Anyone who refers to Hamas as “freedom fighters” should have their head examined. The terrorists kidnapped dozens of civilians — infants, old people, women — and are holding them somewhere in Gaza. As the IDF looks to turn back the terrorists who have invaded seven different areas in the South of Israel, they must contend with the eventuality of a Hezbollah attack in the North.

Already, Israel has exchanged artillery fire with Hezbollah, and the terrorist’s masters in Tehran have given fulsome praise to Hamas for the attack.

Might Hezbollah join Hamas and hit Israel in the North while the IDF is occupied in the South?

Sarit Zehavi, the founder of the Alma Center, which is a research center in Israel dedicated to understanding their national security situation, told the Washington Examiner that there’s a chance Hezbollah could soon attack Israel with the country’s attention focused on the south.

“It’s just a matter of decision for Hezbollah, whether it wants to join in or not. I believe this decision was not made yet, and that’s why we’re not there yet, but maybe we’re not that far from this place,” she said.“Here in Israel, we are preparing for the scenario of war also from the north because we understand it was within the interest of Iran and Hezbollah to escalate the Israeli-Lebanese border. We see what is happening in the south as a part of a bigger plan to attack Israel and weaken the state of Israel from multiple fronts, and I guess this is what the Iranians now are trying to create.”

Iran’s motives are clear. They want to disrupt the movement toward peace between Israel and their Arab neighbors, begun by Donald Trump. Tehran sees peace — quite rightly — as a massive loss of influence for Iran.

Obviously, they want to destroy chances of peace with Saudi Arabia (though lest we forget, even today, the House of Saud can still be very shady), along with quite possibly other such countries. But that's still nothing compared to the hostage crisis caused by the kidnappings of Israelis by Hamas that's now causing a serious issue. We must hope that won't deter the government from taking serious ground action in Gaza.

Update: Melanie Phillips addressed the crisis, and she makes some vital points:

How could this possibly have happened? Clearly, there has been a massive Israeli intelligence failure. It’s hard not to see a connection with the enormous anti-government protests over the past nine months, which saw Israelis trying to undermine the economy and even refusing to do army reservists’ duty.

Such a paralysing internal battle may have taken official eyes off the security ball. What’s undeniable is that the ferocity and length of these internal convulsions sent a signal that Israel was weakened. Many Israelis have been wondering over these past difficult months just when Israel’s mortal enemies would seize this opportunity to take advantage of this weakness. Now we have the dreadful answer.

And this barbarism has been paid for by the US and EU. What did they think all the money they were channelling into Gaza for “humanitarian” purposes would actually be used for? Now we have the answer.

What did the Biden administration think would be the result of appeasing, grovelling to and funding Iran, the paymasters of Hamas and Hezbollah? Now it has its answer.

America, the EU and Britain have consistently undermined Israel’s attempt to defend itself against attack. For the past century, the west has incentivised exterminatory Palestinian Arab terror against Israel by rewarding it with the promise of statehood — which the Palestinians always made plain they wanted only as a staging post towards Israel’s destruction — and punishing Israel for objecting to this existential threat.

The whole notion army reservists would refuse service over petty issues like judicial reform certainly damaged morale, and from a local perspective, also has to shoulder blame. Why, those would-be reservists should be fired by the army and not welcome to serve ever again, if that's their way of thinking.

Update 2: more news on the issue of kidnap victims.

Update 3: here's information on how the IDF smashed targets in Gaza. There's extra information here too.

WEST NEEDS TO WAKE UP TO REALITY OF LEBANON

Barry Rubin talks about why the Hezbollah's conquest of Beirut in Lebanon should be serving as a wake-up call for the West.

UN TO BEGIN TRIBUNAL FOR HARIRI'S ASSASSINS

UK GUARDIAN:The ticking timebomb: UN tribunal gears up to try Lebanon PM's killers

Hague court has caused panic among some Syrian officials, say analysts

Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary general, is expected to announce soon that the tribunal is finally ready to start work.

"The aim is to send a political and legal message that criminals will not escape punishment," he declared.

Underlining the quickening pace, Daniel Bellemare, who is leading the UN investigation into the murder, is to submit a report to the security council today.

IT'S FREAKIN ABOUT TIME!

FATAH CRUMBLES, AND DISORDER OVER LEBANON

Barry Rubin talks about how Fatah is already falling apart, practically splitting into several different factions, and also about the radical disorder over Lebanon.

CLASHES BETWEEN FACTIONS ERUPTING IN BEIRUT

*******UPDATE #2: MATSAV HAS VIDEO AND MORE LINKS...

*******UPDATED: GULF NEWS:

Scores of Lebanese soldiers have deployed in Beirut to end sectarian riots that left at least 14 people injured and several cars and properties vandalised.

Security sources said that followers of Saad Al Hariri on Saturday clashed with supporters of Hezbollah, using knives, sticks and stones.

AP/IHT:

BEIRUT, Lebanon: Lebanese army troops intervened to restore order as pro-government and opposition supporters engaged in fist fights and beat each other with sticks in a Muslim neighborhood of Beirut late Saturday, police and TV stations reported.

Gunfire was heard in the melee but it was not clear who fired and there was no immediate word on casualties.

State-run National News Agency reported trouble in four neighborhoods but gave no details. Such clashes have become common in recent weeks as tensions escalate between rival Lebanese camps and the country's 15-month-old political crisis deepens.

AFP:

Lebanese television reported that several shops were set ablaze, while the security official said one house was burned down and a car was set on fire by Molotov cocktails thrown by the militants.

Similar clashes in recent days between supporters of the Western-backed government and the Shiite-led opposition have raised tensions in a country already embroiled in its worst political crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war.

The security official had said the fighting involved supporters of ruling majority leader Saad Hariri and rivals in the opposition Shiite movement Amal.

But an Amal spokesman told AFP: "Amal denies that any of its supporters were involved in the violence tonight."

Tensions have been running high in Lebanon as the country grapples with a protracted political crisis that has left it without a head of state since the end of November.

On Thursday, mass rallies were staged by rival pro- and anti-Syrian factions in Beirut, further ratcheting up the tensions.

Perhaps this is the beginning of another civil war...

• AS I PREDICTED.
  
• HIZBALLAH/SYRIA/IRAN WANT CHAOS THERE.
• AND SOON THEY WILL HAVE IT.
• IT WON'T END UNTIL NASRALLAH, ASSAD AND THE MULLAHS ARE GONE FROM THE SCENE - PERMANENTLY.

LEBANON 'S DUELING MEMORIALS: HARIRI VERSUS MOUGHNIYAH

Nothing could display the disparate contrasts and deep divisions within Lebanon more than the upcoming memorials for two of Lebanon's most well-known sons - one good and one evil: HARIRI VERSUS MOUGHNIYAH.

BOTH WILL BE COMMEMORATED ON THURSDAYS, (coincidentally Valentine's Day).

TVNZ: Hezbollah to hold mass funeral - [FOR THE EVIL MOUGHNIYAH]

Feb 14, 2008 12:23 PM

Lebanon's Hezbollah holds a mass funeral for its assassinated commander Imad Moughniyah, one of the United States' most wanted men, in Beirut to calls of revenge against its sworn enemy Israel.

Big crowds are expected in Beirut's Shi'ite Muslim southern suburb to bid farewell to Moughniyah, a guerrilla seen as a legend by Hezbollah but on the US most wanted list accused of killing hundreds in attacks on Israeli and Western targets.

Hezbollah, which is backed by Syria and Iran, accused Israel of killing Moughniyah on Tuesday by planting a bomb in his car in Damascus. Israel denied any links to the attack while Washington welcomed his death.

Reflecting deep divisions in Lebanon, Moughniyah's funeral will take place a few hours after a rally by the anti-Syrian ruling coalition to mark the third anniversary of the killing of former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri in Beirut.

OMAN OBSERVER: Lebanese set to mark Hariri killing

BEIRUT — The streets of Beirut a day before a scheduled mass rally to mark the February 14, 2005 assassinaton of then-premier Rafik Hariri, were tense on Tuesday and anger could be heard in peoples’ comments about the political speeches they hear daily from the country’s leading rival parties.

“We want to be governed by the state and not by religious warlords, sheikhs, or priests,” shouted Ahmed Mortada, a moderate Lebanese Shiite in one of Beirut’s streets. “Both the opposition (led) by Hizbullah and the majority are now threatening each other with war ... as if we (people) are their war toys and they can play with us as they like,” said Souad Hamdan, a Muslim who does not belong to any rival party.

“The political life in this country has gone below zero. The leaders are using radio and television to lash at each other, and the streets are boiling (over) with their followers,” she added. Souad was referring to fiery speeches by the head of the ruling majority, Saad Hariri, and his ally Walid Jumblatt, who threatened the opposition “if you want war...we are ready for it.”

The tough rhetoric has ignited tensions between the followers of both parties in a country already tense over a long-standing political deadlock. Clashes between followers of the late Hariri and those loyal to Hizbullah have erupted here and there. At least two people were wounded on Sunday in a gunfight between Druze supporters loyal to Jumblatt and a pro-Syrian Druze group in Aley, east of the capital.

The streets also witnessed clashes between Hariri supporters and followers who support parliament speaker Nabih Berri. Christian opposition leader General Michel Aoun has accused the ruling majority of having created “a climate of fear” which can trigger clashes at any moment and push the situation out of control.

BAHRAIN TRIBUNE/AFP:

Lebanon braced yesterday for a mass rally by supporters of the Western-backed government to commemorate the third anniversary of ex-premier Rafik Hariri’s murder amid mounting street clashes with the opposition.

Pro-government leaders have called on hundreds of thousands of supporters to converge today on Martyr’s Square in central Beirut, near the beachfront site of the car bombing that killed Hariri and 22 others on February 14, 2005.

The rally was to be held on the same day that the Lebanese resistance group Hizbollah, an important member of the opposition, was to bury one of its top commanders killed on Tuesday in Syria, in a car bombing blamed on Israel.
The Hariri anniversary protest comes amid high tension in Lebanon which has been without a president since November, in its worst political crisis since the end of the 1975-1990 civil war.

Street clashes between the government and the opposition camps and mudslinging among rival politicians have raised fears of civil strife...

STRIFE OR WAR.

• THERE'S ONLY ONE GOOD WAY TO END THESE STARK DIVISIONS WITHIN LEBANON: DESTROY HIZBALLAH - (WHICH IS AFTER MERELY ALL A BUNCH OF GENOCIDAL JIHADO-STOOGES FOR ASSAD AND IRAN).
• THESE TWO MEMORIALS MAY VERY END IN VIOLENCE AND RE-IGNITE LEBANON'S CIVIL WAR.
• HOPEFULLY, THIS TIME IT WILL END WITH HIZBALLAH BEING UTTERLY DEFEATED.

IN ISRAEL, EVEN POLITICIANS HAVE TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY

Shortly before the Winograd report was published, Michael Oren in the Wall Street Journal has something to say in relation:

The war began on July 12, 2006, when Hezbollah gunmen ambushed an Israeli border patrol, killing eight and kidnapping two. Mr. Olmert's response, a large-scale campaign intended to crush Hezbollah and secure the soldiers' release, was supported by most Israelis until serious mismanagement of the war surfaced. While receiving inadequate or faulty equipment -- my rifle literally fell apart in my hands -- Israeli forces were denied permission to invade Southern Lebanon and neutralize the katyusha rockets that were pummeling Israeli cities. Instead, Israeli jets bombed the Lebanese routes through which Syria resupplied Hezbollah and destroyed the organization's Beirut headquarters.

These attacks obliterated much of Hezbollah's infrastructure and killed a fourth of its fighters, but they also laid waste to a large part of Lebanon, killing civilians and squandering Israel's initial international backing. Hundreds of rockets, meanwhile, continued to smash into northern Israel, displacing a half-million civilians. Only on Aug. 13, after a month of fighting and with a U.N. ceasefire already approved, did the government authorize a ground offensive into Lebanon. The operation achieved nothing, either militarily or diplomatically, and cost the lives of 33 Israeli troops.

In another country, perhaps, such blunders might result in the resignation of senior officers but not necessarily elected officials. In Israel, though, no one is above blame. Accountability for decision making is a tenet of the Zionist ethos on which the Jewish state is based and, unlike most nations, Israel has a citizens' army in which the great majority -- politicians included -- serve. Most uniquely, Israel confronts daily security dangers and long-term threats to its existence. Israelis can neither condone nor afford a prime minister who passes the buck to their army or shirks the onus of defense. The person who sends us into battle cannot escape responsibility for our fate.

And that person is mainly Ehud Olmert.

ARABS - INCLUDING SYRIA - AGREE TO BACK SULEIMAN FOR LEBANON 'S PRESIDENCY

IS THE STALEMATE ENDED? IT SEEMS SO. EMPHASIS ON SEEMS: IHT/AP:

CAIRO, Egypt: Arab foreign ministers, including Syria, agreed unanimously Saturday to back the head of Lebanon's army, Commander Gen. Michel Suleiman, as the politically divided country's next president.

After the Arab ministers of Qatar and Saudi Arabia mounted pressure on Syria's top diplomat Walid al-Moallem during a meeting in the Egyptian capital, the ministers endorsed a statement calling on Lebanon's rival parties to elect Suleiman and resolve their political differences.

"Stemming from Arab responsibilities toward Lebanon and in continuation of Arab efforts to help Lebanon overcome its crisis, the ministers agreed on a comprehensive plan and call on the concerned parties in Lebanon to reach a consensus," read the statement, a copy of which was made available to The Associated Press.

The endorsement was significant because it showed a willingness on Syria's part to end the crisis in Lebanon. It also indicated that Lebanon's opposition, lead by the Syrian-backed Hezbollah, may drop its demand that it receive Cabinet veto power before allowing Suleiman to be elected.

The statement gave Lebanon a Jan. 27 deadline to elect a president and form a new national unity government.

• I FEEL NASRALLLAH AND AHMADINEJAD WILL NOT ABIDE BY THIS.
• AS THE DEADLINE NEARS, I EXPECT MORE TROUBLE FROM THEM, NOT LESS.

STAY TUNED...

IRAN HOLDS THE NATION OF LEBANON HOSTAGE

BBC:

The Lebanese opposition group Hezbollah has said openly that it will not allow a president to be elected unless it gets a third of the cabinet seats.

This would give Hezbollah and its allies a veto over key decisions.

The Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, blamed the US for obstructing a solution to Lebanon's political crisis by opposing such a move.

The western-backed Lebanese government has repeatedly rejected the opposition's demand for powers of veto.

The government has proposed reforming the cabinet to give the president a casting vote.

Hezbollah and its allies have been demanding a third of the cabinet seats since the 2006 war with Israel - which Hezbollah regards as a victory - but until now they had not publicly linked the issue to a presidential vote.

Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, who is aligned with the government, said Hezbollah was making impossible demands and was more loyal to Syria and Iran than to Lebanon.

• Lebanon won't have slef-determination and self-government until Hizballah is neutralized.
• Hizballah won't be neutralized until Syria is essentially isolated.
• Syria won't be isolated until Iran is neutered.

If the Bush and Condi are too timid to remedy this situation then it's time to find someone who will.

Left alone, Hizballah, Syria and Iran will only get stronger.

And the costs of defeating will only go up.
FASTER! PLEASE!

NASRALLAH ADMITS VIOLATING ARMISTICE: TIME TO ATTACK HIZBALLAH

AFP:

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah said on Sunday no power could disarm his pro-Syrian Shiite militant group and that it was ready for a new conflict with Israel after last year's war.

"No one in the world can disarm Hezbollah," Nasrallah said in a speech broadcast on Hezbollah's Al-Manar television.

"The entire world is not capable of implementing the clause concerning the disarmament of the resistance in (UN Security Council) Resolution 1559," he said.

The 2004 resolution called for the dismantling and disarmament of all foreign or local militias operating in Lebanon, including Hezbollah which says it is a legitimate resistance group against Israel.

"The resistance in Lebanon has determination, will, manpower and sufficient weapons" to face Israel in a new conflict, Nasrallah said.

"The resistance is ready, day and night, to defend south Lebanon (a bastion of Hezbollah) as well as all of Lebanon... to achieve a historic victory that will change the face of the region."

• THIS CONFIRMS A DIRECT, FLAGRANT, COMPLETE AND UTTER VIOLATION OF UNSCR #1559, WHICH WAS THE TERMS FOR THE CEASE-FIRE.

• THEREFORE, IN A LEGAL SENSE, THE CEASE-FIRE IS OFFICIALLY BROKEN.

• SO NOW, LET'S GIVE HIM WHAT HE WANTS: A WAR.

• BUT THIS TIME LET'S FIGHT UNTIL HE AND HIS ENTIRE GANG OF SADISTIC, RACIST, XENOPHOBIC, MISOGYNISTIC, ANTI-SEMITIC, HOMOPHOBIC SERIAL MURDERERS ARE ERADICATED - AS IN ERASED.

ALL DEAD. EVERY. SINGLE. LAST. ONE.

WE SHOULDN'T SIT BACK AN LET ASSAD KILL ANY MORE LEBANESE POLITICIANS

PENINSULA (QATAR):

Lebanese parliamentary majority leader Saad Hariri said yesterday that he had evidence of Syrian assassination plots against himself and Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.


Hariri made the claim in response to a question about alleged assassination plots against the leaders by Syrian President Bashar Al Assad's brother-in-law and head of intelligence Assef Shawqat.

"We have intelligence about this and we are following it up," he told reporters.

"The intelligence is correct and our security services are working on it.

"There is cooperation between Lebanese security services and Arab security services to avoid such assassinations," he said, without specifying which countries were helping in the investigations.

Asked about Hariri's comments, an official at the Western-backed Siniora's office said: "It is true and we have been informed about it."

Several anti-Syrian figures have been assassinated in Lebanon since Hariri's own father and former premier Rafiq was killed in a February 2005 bombing.

We mustn't wait for one of these assassination attempts to be successful.

We should push hard on the UNSC/ICC Hariri Tribunal while putting as much pressure on Assad as possible.

WE SHOULD ALSO ISSUE AN ULTIMATUM: the next time an anti-Syrian Lebanese leader is killed, we will kill him. Dead.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

UN BASICALLY DECLARES RESOLUTION 1559 (THE TERMS OF THE 2006 HIZBALLAH WAR CEASEFIRE) TO BE BROKEN

HAARETZ/DPA:

UN: Hezbollah has increased military strength since 2006 war

More than a year after the summer war in southern Lebanon ended, the United Nations said Wednesday the Hezbollah militia has "rebuilt and even increased its military capacity."

A report to the United Nations Security Council on progress to pacify southern Lebanon said Hezbollah's military strength is now comparable to the period before the July-August 2006 war with the Israeli Defence Forces, which ended with a council-ordered ceasefire.

The report said the findings about the situation in the region is "deeply disconcerting and stands in stark contradiction to the terms of Resolution 1559," which contains the ceasefire provisions. It called for disarming forces in southern Lebanon and for the UN peacekeeping operations and Lebanese army to monitor the ceasefire.

Under terms of the ceasefire, Hezbollah has to be disarmed and transformed into a political party that would take part in political life in Lebanon.

• WHEN THE TERMS OF A CEASEFIRE ARE BROKEN THEN A STATE OF WAR AUTOMATICALLY REVERTS. IOW: BREAKING THE TERMS OF A CEASEFIRE IS A CASUS BELLI.
  

• IF THE UN AND THE LEBANESE ARMY WON'T DISARM HIZBALLAH, THEN ISRAEL SHOULD.

HERE'S HOW:

• GIVE THE UN AND LEBANON AND HIZBALLAH AN ULTIMATUM: 4 WEEKS TO VOLUNTARILY DISARM - AND FOR ANY AND ALL INNOCENT/UNARMED PEOPLE TO EVACUATE THE REGIONS HIZBALLAH CONTROLS.

• AND, IF HIZBALLAH IS NOT CERTIFIED AS ARMS FREE - WHICH IS WHAT UNSCR 1559 DEMANDED, THEN ISRAEL SHOULD TURN THE REGION UNDER CONTROL OF HIZBALLAH (AND EVACUATED OF UNARMED NON-COMBATANTS) INTO A PILE OF ASHEN DUST.

PEACE THROUGH VICTORY. END OF STORY.

PEACE IS NEVER THE RESULT OF A NEGOTIATED SETTLEMENT. IF IT WAS, THEN THE MIDDLE EAST WOULD BE THE MOST PEACEFUL PLACE ON EARTH.

(THE USA COULD AND SHOULD ISSUE THIS JOINT ULTIMATUM WITH ISRAEL. HIZBALLAH IS AN ENEMY OF LEBANON, ISRAEL, THE USA AND THE FREE WORLD. BY NULLIFYING THEM, WE DIMINISH THE THREAT POSED BY IRAN.)

LETTER BY RON ARAD

The AFP reports that the Hezbollah handed over a letter by Ron Arad:

JERUSALEM (AFP) - Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah has given Israel a letter written by an air force navigator who has been missing for more than 20 years, an Israeli newspaper reported on Monday.

Written by Ron Arad to his wife in 1986 shortly after he was captured in Lebanon during the civil war, the letter was handed over to Israel as part of a prisoner and body swap with Hezbollah last week.

His wife Tami confirmed the letter was from her husband by the handwriting and the intimate endearments they used for each other, Israel's top-selling Yediot Aharonot newspaper reported.

Arad has been missing since he ejected from an fighter-bomber in 1986 during Lebanon's 1975-90 civil war. He was captured by another Shiite movement, Amal, headed by Nabih Berri who is now speaker of the Lebanese parliament.

Israel refuses to declare Arad officially dead. In January 2006, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah said he was probably dead although he had no proof.

That Berri should be declared an international criminal for his part in Arad's abduction. And he may be one who knows of Arad's exact whereabouts too.

ASSAD'S DAYS ARE NUMBERED

DAILY START (BEIRUT:)

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon sent a letter to the president of the Security Council informing the council of his intention to appoint judges Mohammad Amin al-Mehdi, Erik Mese and Nicolas Michel as members of the selection panel for the judges and prosecutor of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon covering the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, a UN statement said on Thursday.

Pursuant to a document annexed to Security Council Resolution 1757, the judges and the prosecutor are to be appointed by the secretary general upon the recommendation of a selection panel he has established, after indicating his intentions to the Security Council. The selection panel will be composed of two judges, currently sitting on or retired from an international tribunal, and the representative of the secretary general.

Mehdi and Mese are distinguished jurists. Mehdi, an Egyptian, formerly served on the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Mese, a Norwegian, currently serves on the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. Michel is the United Nations undersecretary general for legal affairs.

WE WILL GET HIM THIS WAY - OR ANOTHER MORE KINETIC WAY... BUT EITHER HE WILL BE BROUGHT TO JUSTICE.

BECAUSE BUSH HAS NOT BEEN AGGRESSIVE ENOUGH, IT'S TAKEN LONGER THAN IT MIGHT HAVE - LIKE IRAQ...

MORE HERE.

IS HIZBALLAH PREPARING FOR ANOTHER WAR?

SEEMS SO - NRO/THE TANK, FROM LEBANON:

Hezbollah is rehearsing for something big here. Not sure what or when. But a few days ago, between 4,000 and 5,000 HezB gunmen deployed to the Christian areas of Beirut in an unsettling “show of force,” positioning themselves at road intersections and other key points throughout the city.

Two additional objectives were achieved: First, the operation served as a probing action to determine local reaction. Second, it served as an exercise to gauge the time required (speed, synchronization, etc.) to achieve the key points and intersections.

Amazingly, there was no response from the police or the army.

HezB is also jamming cell-phone signals almost daily. Their lookouts are everywhere, at least from my vantage point, because they are watching the people I'm with and me.

HezB is also far better armed, equipped, and tactically proficient than most Americans might realize. They are terrorists to be sure: But they are also a very strong Iranian-trained guerrilla force here in Lebanon, and they seem to be getting a pass from far too many people in high places.

I BETCHYA DAMASCUS AND TEHRAN KNOW EXACTLY WHAT'S UP...

It might be timed to occur just before the next meeting of Abbas and Olmert - on 10/2, or at least before the next major "peace" conference (in Annapolis, MD), in November...

STAY TUNED.

TAKE AWAY HEZBOLLAH'S COLLABORATORS, HUMAN SHIELDS: DISBAND UNIFIL NOW.

The IDC's GLORIA center held a joint video conference with the State Department on the domestic and international situation in Lebanon, bringing together Israeli, American, and Lebanese experts. It is extremely long but if you haven't been keeping close tabs on what's going on in Southern Lebanon - aka "the place where a war will probably be fought soon" - this is your opportunity to get caught up. Here's a teaser about one of the parts we're not including: "many jihadists and terrorists have been infiltrating Lebanon... with the supposed support of NGOs and money from the Gulf."

But we do want to make sure you catch this part:

It is now generally accepted that large-scale smuggling of arms from Syria to Hizballah has taken place since the ceasefire. A UN assessment team submitted its report to the Security Council to this effect... And UNIFIL has failed even to deploy on this border. Thus, Hizballah has been rearmed contrary to the UNIFIL mandate. There is also considerable evidence that Hizballah has largely rebuilt its military infrastructure from the damage suffered in the war, despite the presence of 8,800 UNIFIL and 12,000 Lebanese army forces ostensibly to prevent this... Regarding UNIFIL, it seems that its forces have accepted an extremely limited role, and a cynic could describe them as under the protection of Hizballah to an extent. It is not a question of them collapsing, but of them not doing anything. An Italian official told us that the UNIFIL forces were engaged in a number of laudable activities such as distributing toys to children, but when it came to Hizballah, he was very open: "We don't have the political will in Italy to have body bags come home."

And it's not just that UNIFIL provides Hezbollah and Syria with thousands of human shields. UN peacekeepers are also basically helpless their hostages. After bragging about how they were going to the Middle East to sort things out, the Europeans have gone from pretending to monitor Hezbollah's attacks on Israel to trying to stop Hezbollah from attacking UNIFIL itself. Hezbollah and Syria use the vulnerability of European peacekeepers to extract European diplomatic concessions in unrelated areas. Instead of being sacrificed for demonstrably misplaced European self-interest, Israeli security is now being sacrificed for transparently facile European self-delusion.

The Europeans have this image of themselves as tough soldiers who have come into Lebanon to finally put an end to all this Zionist warmongering nonsense. It's very important for them to hold on to the idea - crucially, ultimately important - that they are putting the Israelis in their place. But in reality the mostly French soldiers in UNIFIL are pathetically bad soldiers. They like to play-act at being tough military men in a brutal warzone, but they're so poorly trained that they don't even know what good training looks like. Since they can't admit their pathetic helplessness, they hysterically accuse Israel of lying when Israel provides evidence that Hezbollah is using UN facilities to attack Israeli civilians - mostly because UNIFIL can't do anything to stop them. They can't even stop their bases from getting overrun by Lebanese funeral processions. Or by little Lebanese kids.

Which is not to say that many UNIFIL soldiers are not also pathologically anti-Semitic. More precisely: many of them are resentful and pathetic weaklings who cope with their seething impotence in the tried and true European tradition of pseudo-sophisticated anti-Semitism.

[Read an extended version of this post at Mere Rhetoric]