Diplomacy and the Hounds of Hell, Part XXIII

The AP is reporting that Al Jazeera says that 11 Israeli soldiers were killed in Lebanon today. Buried in this 'news' report is the following:

The Israeli army declined to comment on reports about the 11 soldiers' deaths but said earlier that 15 soldiers were wounded in overnight clashes.

Thus far, the Israeli reports indicate that 2 paratroopers were killed and several others wounded, but that Hizbullah took heavy casualties, including a top Hizbullah official, Hassan A-Sader.

During IDF operations in the village of Rajmin, reserve forces killed nine Hizbullah guerrillas and wounded two.

Earlier, a Golani soldier was moderately wounded in an exchange of gunfire with the Hizbullah in Bint Jbail.

The IAF targeted Hizbullah headquarters in the city, killing 10 guerrillas. Later on, IDF troops killed another eight guerillas in the same town.

Gee, somehow that information doesn't get included in the AP report. Curious. The AP relies on al Jazeera reporting to get information about Israeli casualties, which are itself produced by Hizbullah, which has shown a penchant for exaggerating its success against Israel when in fact Hizbullah has continually lost ground, men, and materials against Israeli forces, who can strike anywhere in Lebanon.

Hizbullah continues to fire rockets, including a long range rocket that hit the Gilboa area. Others hit in the West Bank.

Israel continues to sound as though they're going to push to the Litani River, even as talk about diplomatic resolutions to this fighting continue. Russia calls on Israel to release the Palestinian Parliment speaker, who is a member of Hamas. Last time I checked, Russia had no problem hunting down and killing Chechen terrorists who killed Russians - all without due process or any other niceties. Here, they're calling on Israel to release the leadership of the terrorist group that invaded Israel, killed two Israeli soldiers, took Gilad Shalit, and started firing off kassam rockets at Israel. Yeah, that sounds like "do as I say, not as I do." That's also the opinion of quite a few countries in the UN who are trying to put together a ceasefire agreement, despite the fact that we're talking about a terrorist group that has obeyed not a single rule of war, rejects Geneva Conventions, and otherwise acts as though it is above the laws of nations.

Fuad Siniora takes to the Washington Post op-ed pages to make his case, but the facts are very clear. Lebanon refused to deal with the issue of Hizbullah's militarization of South Lebanon in preparation for the very conflict we're witnessing now. Claims that he's got 15,000 Lebanese troops to secure the border are too little, too late. Perhaps if those troops dealt with Hizbullah's presence in Northern Lebanon and Bekaa Valley then they might have a shot at securing their borders and obtaining a ceasefire from Israel. Ed Morrissey also calls Siniora on the carpet for his statements.

Israel continues operations in Gaza and against other Palestinian terrorist bases of opperations, including Jenin, where 2 Islamic Jihad members were killed.

The NYT headline notes that Israelis from both sides of the political spectrum are for continuing this fight. Well, that's easy to understand. They know that it's for their survival and to give up the fight now means that Hizbullah will continue its genocidal campaign, Iran will continue to expand Hizbullah's proxy capabilities, and Israel's existence will be further undermined each and every day. Indeed, most Israelis agree (and I do as well) that the Israeli government has not gone far enough in using Israel's military capabilities to put a stop to Hizbullah - not that they've done too much.

Bloggers to check in with for daily updates are Blue Crab Boulevard, Carl in Jerusalem, Israellycool, Dave Bender, Meryl Yourish, Euphoric Reality, Pajamas Media, Hot Air, Jameel at the Muqata, Greetings from the French Hill, R'Lazer, and Live from an Israeli Bunker. Check back with them regularly for updates.

UPDATE:
France is conceding to Hizbullah and wants the Israelis to withdraw before any ceasefire occurs. This is why France's diplomacy, if you can call it that, is so dangerous. Not only does it give Hizbullah cover to regroup and rearm, but it rewards Hizbullah for attacking Israel and killing civilians at every opportunity. You cannot trust the French to do the right thing here by Israel, and Israel cannot trust the UN because of the UN's repeated failures to deal with Lebanon and UN SCR 1559.

It bears repeating the following, though I cannot find the original attribution (most recently posted here):

If Hezbollah lays down their arms, there will be peace in the mideast.

If Israel lays down their arms, there will be no more Israel.

Israel's Cabinet has approved a deeper push to clear the rockets past the Litani River. Up to 40,000 troops are potentially involved in this effort. That's fine, but they've got to do more than simply clear the rockets. The Israelis must seal the Lebanese border with Syria. The problem is that the Israelis are also going to hold off on the campaign to see if the diplomatic efforts will produce any results. Are you kidding me? There's no diplomatic resolution to this conflict that benefits Israel unless Hizbullah is disarmed and removed from Lebanon. Hizbullah will never accept those terms, and the fighting will continue. By giving any pause to the strategic goals, Israel is providing breathing space for Hizbullah to operate.

The US is urging Israel to show restraint in its campaign, but the problem is that Israel has shown too much restraint, allowing Hizbullah to slip through the cracks.

How about we try this on for size. If we want a ceasefire, put the onus on Hizbullah. Let them stop firing rockets first and see if Israel stops as well, but we know Hizbullah would never agree to those terms.

Hamas' Haniyeh thinks the future of the Palestinian Authority is in doubt. Oh really? You realize this now after your terrorist minions invaded Israel from Gaza, killed two Israeli soldiers, took a third, and began shelling Israeli cities? Did you think that through? Did you think that Israel might not like having its soldiers killed and taken and its cities attacked and would do something about it? Nope. Didn't think so. Hamas, as the head of the PA, is responsible for the mess in Gaza, and that's why Hamas has been targeted by the IDF for elimination. They started a war, and Israel is going to finish it. Hamas can still cry uncle and get out with the shirts on their backs, by releasing Gilad Shalit, but Hamas is too proud to concede that they lost. They still cling to the hope that Israel will somehow agree to a ceasefire that includes releases of Palestinian prisoners. Israel should never again go down that path. It's antithetical to Israel's long term security.

UPDATE:
CNN reports that Nasrallah supports Siniora's plan to put 15,000 Lebanese troops into South Lebanon. Of course he does. He knows that his minions will never be forced to disarm by the Lebanese government, and that everyone can make a show of the 'disarmament' because the Lebanese military will simply hand the weapons back over to Hizbullah when no one is looking.

UPDATE:
This report says that Nasrallah doesn't like the latest version of the ceasefire proposal because it gives Israel too much (like the right to exist) and that it's unfair. Awwww. Nasrallah thinks the ceasefire is unfair. Life's unfair. You picked a fight that you can't win, and hope that the UN will bail you out. It shouldn't, but Nasrallah knows that the UN doesn't particularly care for Israel no matter the situation.

Why does the world continue to think that dealing with Hizbullah as though it is an entity worthy of negotations and compromise when Hizbullah's own charter and leadership have made it abundantly apparent that Israel's destruction is their ultimate goal - with the full backing of Iran to boot. Israel doesn't need a ceasefire, it needs a green flag to finish the job and eliminate Hizbullah in South Lebanon.

UPDATE:
More Nasrallah talk. He says that Arabs should get out of Haifa, Israel. Why? Is Hizbullah planning on turning the city into a funeral pyre? Is he contemplating the mass murder of Israeli civilians? Walks like a duck. Talks like a duck. It's gonna be a duck. He's busy calling Lebanon a graveyard for the IDF. Tough talk from a guy who has been going from bunker to bunker to avoid being one of those "civilian" casualties that Hizbullah is so proud to tout and highlight for a compliant media. Nasrallah's calls are similar to those that Arab leaders made in 1948 when they said that they should get out of the way so that the Jews could be driven into the sea. History certainly appears to be repeating itself. Right down to the genocidal and fascist intent of Iran, Syria, and their proxy Hizbullah.

UPDATE:
It's been a deadly day for the IDF, as a total of 15 soldiers have been killed in four separate incidents, which actually jibes with the reporting by al Jazeera that I discounted above. No way to know whether they're talking about the same incidents though. The bulk of the casualties came as a result of Hizbullah attacking a building where a number of Israeli troops were operating from.

Nine elite IDF unit soldiers were killed, seven troops have been seriously injured, and 10 sustained light to moderate wounds after a building they were staying in collapsed as a result of a missile strike in the Lebanese village of Dibel.

Shortly after 1 p.m. Hizbullah gunmen fired several missiles at a structure in which the soldiers were staying. One missile hit the building, causing an arms cache to explode. Several soldiers were hurt as a result. A short while later, the structure partially collapsed, and a few other troops were hurt as well.

UPDATE:
Israeli forces have found Iranian troops among those Hizbullah minions. Gee, I'm not surprised one bit. Iran has been doing everything but throw the kitchen sink at Israel, so having Iranian troops engage Israeli forces directly doesn't seem a stretch. Does this mean Israel now has the right to go after Iran directly? It's an interesting question to say the least.

Members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard have been found among Hizbollah guerrillas slain by Israeli forces in southern Lebanon, Israel's Channel 10 television reported on Wednesday citing diplomatic sources.

It said the Iranians were identified by documents found on their bodies, but gave no further details on how many were discovered or when. Neither the Israeli military nor Hizbollah representatives in Beirut had immediate comment on the report.

Iran, like fellow Hizbollah patron Syria, insists its support for the Shi'ite guerrilla group is purely moral.

Israel says many of the rockets being fired against its civilian and military targets are Iranian made, and that Hizbollah fighters taking on its forces trained in Iran. Washington also accuses Tehran of actively funding Hizbollah.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards are traditionally very close to fellow Shi'ite Muslims in Hizbollah and were deployed in south Lebanon in the 1980s.

Iran is clearly trying to use Lebanon as a proving ground for its weapons systems against the West, and Israel is fighting the West's first war against Iran. Make no doubt about this, Iran is not being coy about their intentions. They want to destroy Israel and they want to impose their religious visions on the world. And yet, the world shields itself from this cruel reality.

CBS News got an interview with Ahmadinejad and they asked him about the letter sent to President Bush. The answer provides quite the insight into the mind of a madman:

Speaking about President Bush's failure to answer his 18-page letter that criticized U.S. foreign policy, Ahmadinejad said, "Well, (with the letter) I wanted to open a window towards the light for the president so that he can see that one can look on the world through a different perspective. … We are all free to choose. But please give him this message, sir: Those who refuse to accept an invitation will not have a good ending or fate. You see that his approval rating is dropping every day. Hatred vis-à-vis the president is increasing every day around the world. For a ruler, this is the worst message that he could receive. Rulers and heads of government at the end of their office must leave the office holding their heads high."

The acceptance of the invitation is to submit to Islam. The failure to accept means war. War that the Islamists in Iran crave. That's the bad ending and fate that Ahmadinejad talks about. The whole nonsense about Bush's ratings are simply regurgitating US media reports.

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