Major Uprising Underway In Syria's Jisr Al-Shugur?

There are an increasing stream of reports coming from Jisr Al-Shugur that Syrian security forces have been ambushed and killed in significant numbers. Earlier reports indicated that at least 40 Syrian security troops were killed, but newer reports put the tally at 120, including police and security forces.

The state television report said armed groups in the area carried out a "massacre." It said the groups ambushed police and security forces, blew up the post office, torched government buildings and mutilated bodies. Thirty-seven were killed at a security post, the report said.

Syrian Interior Minister Mohammad Ibrahim al-Shaar said on Monday the authorities will respond firmly to armed attacks.

"We will deal firmly and decisively based on the law (and we) will never be silent over any armed attack that targets the country's security," he said in a televised statement. Human rights activist Mustafa Osso cast doubt on the government accounts.

There was no independent confirmation of the claims.

"The protesters have so far been peaceful and unarmed," he said. Osso said there were unconfirmed reports of a few army deserters who switched sides and were fighting security forces.

Monday's state television report said the officers were ambushed as they responded to calls from residents for protection from armed groups. It said 20 policemen were initially killed, and then the groups blew up a post office, attacked a security post

"Armed groups have set fire to a number of government buildings in Jisr al-Shughour," the TV said. It added the groups were hiding in homes and firing at soldiers and civilians alike, using residents as human shields in an ongoing shootout.

It added the armed groups carried out a "real massacre," mutilating some bodies and throwing others in a river.

Considering that no one can independently verify these events, one has to take these reports with a grain of salt.

One also has to consider the repercussions for residents in and around Jisr al-Shughour. Assad will not allow these kinds of attacks on his security forces to go unpunished. Jisr al-Shughour may end up on the receiving end of a Hama-style massacre.

Another possibility is that the opposition groups are moving away from merely protesting against Assad's brutal and barbaric regime, and are now taking up arms against Assad. This adds to an already dangerous situation that is likely to result in a significant escalation in Assad's body count.

Hizbullah's Siege

As Gaius of Blue Crab Boulevard notes, Hizbullah's 'tent city' in front of the Lebanese government buildings is not your typical tent city demonstration. This is a siege. They're not leaving until they destroy the Lebanese government and put one in that is more compliant to Hizbullah and Syria's demands.

Gateway Pundit, as usual, has a lot more on the siege, and Hizbullah's endgame.

Thugs in a tent. This isn't about protest babes. It's the raw demonstration of power and there is nothing the Lebanese government can seemingly do about it. Neither can the March 14 supporters.

Prairie Pundit has more. Abu Kais at Michael Totten notes that the only countries not supporting the Lebanese government are Syria and Iran.

UPDATE:
Here's a direct link to a Daily Star article showing the world's solidarity with the Siniora government. Notably absent is Syria and Iran. Both of those countries are engaging in realpolitik in a way that James Baker doesn't understand. They're actually applying all forms of pressure to expand their sphere of influence, and by doing so, they're undermining the West's power, prestige, and influence in the region.

The media has taken to using Hizbullah's terminology in framing the debate. The government is US-backed, even though the world and the US back Siniora's legitimate government. The problem is that the world is only providing words to back up the government, they are not providing physical assistance. Perhaps they want to see how things develop, but Hizbullah, Syria, and Iran are not above physically intervening in Beirut to overthrow the government.

After all, the elimination or removal of one more minister would topple the Siniora government, and Hizbullah and Syria would benefit the most from that situation.

The Daily Star has to be careful how it describes Hizbullah - they're in the direct line of fire if Hizbullah wants to deal with the paper. They call them hard-core opposition members. The BBC will only call them protesters in their headline, ignoring the fact that Hizbullah is an international terrorist group whose intentions are not only the destruction of Israel, but to turn Lebanon into Hizbullahstan. Would it have been too difficult for the BBC to write their headline: "Hizbullah Sets Up Camp in Beirut"? Not only is it more accurate and descriptive, but it tells you exactly who is behind the protests.

The situation is pretty bleak, and everyone is watching warily at what will happen next.

UPDATE:
Gateway Pundit has video of what happens if someone doesn't follow Hizbullah's rules on not showing the Hizbullah flag. Also, does anyone else wonder why some of the Hizbullah-Aoun types are wearing orange bandanas? Seems that they're trying to take a page from Ukraine's Orange Revolution...

Technorati: terrorism, nasrallah, fatah, Gilad, Shalit, Olmert, Abbas, Regev, Goldwasser, PRC, Hamas, Gaza, palestinian, Israel, hizbullah, hezbullah, hezbollah, lebanon, syria.

Hizbullah Rallies and the World Shrugs

Hizbullah carried out its threat to rally in Beirut today, and thousands turned out. They want to bring down the Lebanese government, headed up by PM Siniora, claiming that it is under the sway of the United States. Sure it is.

Here's what Nasrallah really had to say. Now consider what he said with what Nasrallah and Hizbullah actually did. They brought nothing but death and devastation to Lebanon by unilaterally choosing to plunge the country into a conflict with Israel. Hizbullah's hatred of Israel sparked a 34 day war that inflicted billions of dollars of damage on Lebanon and northern Israel, resulted in hundreds of deaths and casualties, and Hizbullah remains firmly in control of South Lebanon despite the fact that the UN and Lebanon are committed to the disarmament of all militias within Lebanon to ensure territorial integrity and sovereignty (UN SCR 1701, 1559, 425, and 426 - all ignored by Hizbullah, UNIFIL, and the Lebanese government that has been paralyzed because of Hizbullah and Syrian influences).

Abu Kais, writing at Michael Totten is looking on the situation glumly. The Lebanese people - the March 14 supporters (including protest babes) are all watching and waiting for someone else to step up and call Nasrallah out for his destruction of Lebanon, with Syria as a willing accomplice and/or guiding hand.

If Hizbullah gets its way, UNIFIL could be history. That's not a surprise. Neither is the fact that if Hizbullah gets its way, Israel would soon be back under attack on the Northern Front, which combined with the continued problems in Gaza spells another crisis for the Olmert government that was lackluster (to be charitable) in its handling of the fighting in Lebanon.

UPDATE:
Abu Kais has more on today's rallies. Some of the more salient points:

In fact the Sunni Mufti, the Maronite Patriarch and the anti-Hizbullah Tyre Shia mufti have all spoken against "street protests". The Shia mufti, Ali al-Amin said the protest served the political interests of its organizers and not the people or the country. In a show of solidarity with the cabinet, the Sunni Mufti today led prayers in the government building (Serail).

The Maronite Patriarch, Mar Nasrallah Sfeir, yesterday addressed a group of widows and relatives of assassinated March 14 leaders, saying protests such as the one planned by Hizbullah never solved anything in Lebanon, "a country of 18 sects" that have to "live side by side". Following Sfeir's speech. Pierre Gemayel's mother told the assembled that "Any Christian who demonstrates on Friday will be digging Lebanon's grave".

In reaction to the Sfeir statement, Franjieh said on Hizbullah's TV that the patriarch must have been "turned on" by the widows and mothers who visited him.

It is no wonder then that many Christians stayed home after such insults were hurled at the patriarch-- an act seemingly condoned by Aoun, who, in addressing the Shia Islamists and pro-Assad crowds, wore his secularist garb and delivered a boring and defensive speech.

The Lebanese Political Journal has more on the March 14 movement's success on the AUB campus.

Open Lebanon is also posting current news.

UPDATE:
Hizbullah is planning on setting up tents outside Siniora's office until they force the government to collapse. Hizbullah thinks that they know what's best for Lebanon, and that means forcing their brand of Islam and violence on the entire country by hook, crook, and force. Syria and Iran are both salivating over the possibilities. So how is Hizbullah trying to accomplish this? They're attempting to hide their true intentions and nature:

Hezbollah is even trying to play down its militant character. Instead of flying their own Islamist flag, with its fist and Kalashnikov, they urged protesters to carry the Lebanese national flag. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah likewise didn't show up, but Christian leader and Hezbollah ally Michel Aoun said: "I wish that the prime minister and his ministers were among us today, not hiding behind barbed wire and army armored carriers. He who has his people behind him does not need barbed wire."

Saniora did his best to ignore the demonstration, which the AP reported was even larger than the one for Gemayel last week. But on Thursday, he vowed that his government would not fall and warned that "Lebanon's independence is threatened and its democratic system is in danger."

It is hard to understand why Aoun would side up with Hizbullah given that Aoun has historically opposed Syrian involvment in Lebanon and even went to war against Syria over their continued presence. Apparently he's overlooking that detail to try and forge a common alliance and coalition government and thinks that the March 14 movement is taking the country in the opposite direction. Sorry, but he's dealing with the devil in Hizbullah and it bodes poorly for Lebanon and the region at large for him to think that Hizbullah has any part in a future prosperous Lebanon.

Technorati: terrorism, nasrallah, fatah, Gilad, Shalit, Olmert, Abbas, Regev, Goldwasser, PRC, Hamas, Gaza, palestinian, Israel, hizbullah, hezbullah, hezbollah, lebanon, syria.

Fallout From Gemayel's Assassination

Saad Hariri blames Syria for the assassination of Gemayel and hopes that the Lebanese government can form a unity government. As it stands now, if the government loses one more minister, it is no longer constitutional and would be dissolved. If that happens, Syria and Hizbullah benefit greatly. Hariri is the son of Rafik Hariri, who was assassinated last year, and the movement that formed around the anti-Syrian contingent became known as the March 14 group. Syria was forced to publicly withdraw from Lebanon, although their tentacles remain firmly entrenched on Lebanon's throat.

The problem is that the March 14 group is under assault from Syria and Hizbullah, which don't bother with politics when assassination, violence, and intimidation work more efficiently. Protest babes don't stand much of a chance if the leaders of the movement are assassinated or threatened into silence.

The situation remains grim, and the folks who are most needed in rebuilding the economy - the educated and well off, are fleeing the country, knowing that a bad situation might turn into civil war at any time.

"The bulk of students right now are leaving," said Michel Chalhoub, chair of five MBA programs at the Lebanese American University (LAU). "Sad, isn't it? If things were fabulous, they would certainly stay."

Four MBA students at LAU estimated about 70 percent of their classmates were going abroad for work, and they drew a direct connection between the flight and Lebanon's deteriorating political scene. Still, they emphasized that their first choice would be to stay in Lebanon.

"We'd love to stay here," said Maggie Tchekijian of Anjar. "It depends on the political situation in the country. Plan A, I want to stay here."

"I would like to live here, [but] I think that [students] would love to leave," said Suzanne Khalifeh of Jbeil, an MBA student at the Ecole Superieure des Affaires (ESA).

Condemnation of the assassination was widespread, but does anyone actually believe Syria when it says that it wasn't involved? Who has the most to benefit from Lebanon's political situation descending into chaos? Syria.

UPDATE:
Thousands of mourners lined up to pay their respects to Gemayel’s family in his hometown of Bekfaya. The Lebanese military has deployed forces to Beirut in case Hizbullah gets any ideas.

Meanwhile, there's a rumor that someone called in an inquiry into a Lebanese newspaper about the assassination of Gemayel 55 minutes before the assassination took place. Take with a grain of salt.

UPDATE:
Curt at Flopping Aces has an excellent roundup of the fallout and suggests that this is continuing fallout from the US elections where Democrats who counsel negotiating with the likes of Syria and Iran over Iraq managed to win the majority in Congress. I'd suggest that this may have emboldened the jihadis and anti-Americans around the Middle East, but they've been angling to slice and dice Lebanon for more than a year now. Gemayel's assassination was only the latest in a string of political killings (and another anti-Syrian politician had an attempt on his life yesterday as well).

Hot Air points out that Hizbullah blames Israel for the assassination. Nice try. Your Jedi mind tricks don't work here.

Rick Moran thinks that this might get the Lebanese people to face up to the ominous threat posed by Hizbullah and that it might revitalize the democratic movement in Lebanon. I think the Lebanese people still think that they can bargain with Hizbullah and make the problem appear to go away, but Hizbullah isn't going to go quietly or without a fight. Once they realize that they don't have a choice, it will get ugly very quickly.

Vital Perspective notes that President Bush stops short of blaming Syria for the assassination, and that he calls for an international investigation. I'm sure the UN will get right on that - they're still trying to arrange the tribunal looking into the assassination of Rafik Hariri from last year.

UPDATE:
Former Secretary of State James Baker (and currently interposing his views on US foreign policy in the current Bush administration MidEast foreign policy) thinks that we need to engage the likes of Assad in Syria. What is gained from dealing with thugs and supporters of international terrorism except more thugocratic actions, terrorism, and a showing that the US will tolerate a level of terrorism against it, even when it doesn't further US strategic or tactical interests in the region.

This isn't simply a matter of dealing with the devil to solve the problems in Iraq. Syria and Iran both are meddling in Iraq, just as they are in Lebanon. They want those countries to fail because it means that they'll fill the vacuum. These are not disinterested parties, but rather vultures awaiting a tasty feast.

Others noting Baker's comments and how the so called realists have to ignore the reality of political assassinations as a tactic of choice by Syria and Iran include Blue Crab Boulevard and Macranger.

Jules Crittenden has a thoughtful piece on the situation in Lebanon.

Dan Riehl points out that Walid Phares wants the UN to intervene in Lebanon. I'm with Riehl. What exactly can the UN do? It already has peacekeepers in the country that are little more than babysitters for Hizbullah as that terror group reorganizes and rearms for its next war with Israel. The US has to do more than simply state that it supports democracies in the region. It needs to flex its muscles. The alternatives are hard to ignore - yet another failed state in the region home to an Islamic terror group dedicated to imposing its version of Islam on the world.

UPDATE:
Atlas Shrugs picks up what Ambassador Bolton had to say about the assassination of Gemayel. She also notes that there are still people who want to deny Bolton the ambassadorship at the UN despite the fact that he's actually advancing US interests in that odious body.

Others blogging the assassination and the fallout: Cake or Death, Mensa Barbie, Macranger, and Small Town Veteran.

Posted to Outside the Beltway's Traffic Jam, Basil's Blog, and Jo's Cafe.


Technorati: assassination, lebanon, gemayel, syria, hizbullah.

A New Crisis for Israel

Hizbullah, the terrorist group with ties to Syria and Iran, has captured two Israeli soldiers and taken them into Southern Lebanon. Israel has mounted a large offensive into Southern Lebanon in a desperate search for their missing soldiers.

Have no doubt that Hizbullah took this action to try and relieve the pressure on Gaza, because Israel will be seen as an aggressor into Lebanon despite the repeated provocations and now capture of its citizens. Israel has taken casualties in the effort as well.

Israeli warplanes struck two bridges over the Litani River deep in southern Lebanon, killing two civilians on the main north-south highway between the port cities of Tyre and Sidon, Lebanese security officials said. The pan-Arab satellite TV al-Arabiya station said that at least seven Israeli soldiers were killed in the fighting, and that several more were wounded.

The Israeli army confirmed casualties among the soldiers, but did not comment on the reports of possible deaths.

Israeli troops crossed into a southwestern sector of Lebanon, near where the soldiers were seized, trying to keep their captors from moving them deeper into Lebanon, Israeli security officials said. Hezbollah said it destroyed an Israeli tank as it tried to cross the frontier.

UPDATE:
PM Olmert is calling this an act of war by Lebanon. Not good for Lebanon. Or Israel. Israel withdrew from Southern Lebanon in 2000 after having carved out a section of Southern Lebanon as a security zone to prevent rocket attacks against Northern Israel. Israel has vowed to retaliate and to recover its soldiers. They're even threatening to turn Lebanon back 20 years in the process. Again, not good for either Lebanon or Israel, but Israel's security has been compromised once again by terrorists determined to destroy Israel - one soldier at a time.

UPDATE:
Carl in Jerusalem has running updates, and points to a WaPo story indicating that seven Israeli soldiers were killed in the raid into Lebanon thus far. Keep scrolling for updates on the situation in Lebanon and Gaza. This piece provides background on the two Israeli soldiers who were captured by Hizbullah and taken into Lebanon.

UPDATE:
Where should the proper military response be directed? At Lebanon? Or Syria, which is providing the backing for not only Hizbullah but Hamas as well. Syria uses the terrorist groups as a proxy army - reducing the direct links between Syria and attacks against Israel. However, the links are there and can be seen clearly as Meshaal and other Hamas leaders operate freely in Damascus and are in contact with Assad and his minions. Syria has long dominated Lebanon, and its fingerprints are still all over the country. The Cedar Revolution notwithstanding (complete with protest babes), Syria still has a grip over the country, as do the terrorists. An Israeli invasion of Lebanon would destroy what progress has been made in Lebanon since the bulk of Syrian soldiers left the country.

So which is why Israel must go after the source, not the symptoms.

Terrorists are being funded by the likes of Assad, who provides shelter and condones the attacks. Dealing Syria a blow militarily could cut off the financing that makes the brazen attacks against Israel less likely.

UPDATE:
This situation is quickly developing and turning more serious by the hour. It appears that the Israelis have made a general callup of reserves, which means that Israel is getting on a full war footing. That's consistent with what Olmert and the IDF leadership were saying earlier today.

Kofi Annan will never get it. After the Lebanese PM calls for Israel to cease and desist, Annan calls on Israel's restraint, but doesn't bother to note that it was the Islamic terrorists who launched this latest attack against Israel - a UN member state, and one that has endured repeated terrorist attacks from Gaza and Southern Lebanon while showing tremendous restraint thus far. Israel has shown far more restraint than any other country would be willing to endure under the circumstances.

FoxNews reports the following about the Israeli miltiary action and diplomatic maneuverings:

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State David Welch, on a visit to Cairo, Egypt, said the capture of the two Israeli soldiers was "a very dangerous escalation" that "puts at risk all the effort thats being put forth by many to find a solution to the current situation."

U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan called for the immediate release of Israeli soldiers and condemned Israel's immediate retaliation. "We would not want to see an expansion, an escalation of conflict in the region," he said in Rome.

The top U.N. official in Lebanon, Geir Pedersen, met with Lebanon's prime minister and said Hezbollah had crossed the border, known as the Blue Line, into northern Israel.

"Hezbollah's action escalates the already tense situation along the Blue Line and is an act of very dangerous proportions," he said in a statement.

By the afternoon, seven hours after the Hezbollah raid, Israeli military aircraft were striking large areas of southern Lebanon — targeting bridges, roads and Hezbollah positions in areas as deep as halfway between the Israeli border and the Lebanese capital, Beirut, Lebanese security officials said.

Some bridges were hit more than once to ensure destruction.

Lebanon has not dealt with the problem of Hizbullah carving out Southern Lebanon for its own safe haven, and Israel has to deal with the instant threat, but keep an eye towards the big picture - that attacking the symptoms of the problem might solve an immediate problem - finding and recovering its soldiers, but does little to improve Israel's long term security situation.

Others blogging: Kim at Wizbang, Hugh Hewitt, Charles at LGF (keep scrolling), Carl in Jerusalem, Israellycool, Kesher Talk, Blue Crab Boulevard, Ankle Biting Pundits, QandO, Meryl Yourish, Atlas Shrugs,

Hot Air has a big roundup.

UPDATE:
Dave Bender has interviewed an Israeli resident with a ringside seat to Lebanese border. He's got much more so scroll through his updates as well.

Nasrallah, who leads Hizbullah, calls the latest attack the only and logical right. Oh, and Israel should expect more surprises. Umm, how about not attacking Israel? Did that ever enter your mind? Instead, you'll unleash the dogs of war in a battle you cannot win - unless your purpose is to find out whether the claims that you go to paradise and get 72 virgins is true. There was no apparent advance warning of the attack.

Nasrallah is also saying that he's open to exchanging prisoners for the soldiers. Of course he is. He knows that Israel cherishes its soldiers more than the terrorists care about their survival.

UPDATE:
Reality bites Hizbullah, who had gone on the record with Michael Totten that Hizbullah doesn't attack civilians. Meryl Yourish and Laurence Simon have the details. I'm assuming Hizbullah's excuse is that they were not civilians or that they were collateral damage in attacks against the Israeli military. Everyone attacked by Hizbullah that has been killed can be explained away in this fashion. Doesn't matter if you're a 2-year old or 80. The thing is that Hizbullah keeps acting as though this latest attack will help them. Does Hizbullah think that it will really help them when Israel turns Hizbullah hangouts into parking lots. And Hizbullah parking lots into craters. And Hizbullah craters into bigger craters. [sarcasm there]

Nahariya residents were informed to seek shelter. So have Kiryat Shimona residents. That's not good. Not good at all. Meanwhile, the IAF bombed targets within 10 miles of Beirut.

Even the Israeli Navy is getting in on the action - taking out targets in Lebanon. The targets appear to be PFLP terrorist locations.

The names of the two soldiers taken by Hizbullah are Eyal Banin and Shani Turgeman.

Big Pharoah counsels caution and thinks that the UN should be given a chance. Sorry, but the UN is like rolling loaded dice. You know the outcome before you start.

Others blogging: Tigerhawk and Vital Perspective.

UPDATE:
Still more rocket attacks into Israel, though no casualties. The IDF fears that Hizbullah may have even longer range missiles in their considerable arsenal, which means that areas in and around Haifa could be in range of Southern Lebanon.

The US lays the blame for today's attacks squarely on Syria and Iran who back Hizbullah. Lest we forget, Hizbullah has had no qualms about killing Americans - as they killed 240 Marines and sailors in the attack on the Marine Barracks in Beirut in 1983.

UPDATE:
Israel is worried about the terrorists seeking to open a third front - which would be the West Bank. The terrorists are already threatening to do just that, which would bring yet more Israeli cities into range of the terrorists' missiles and rockets. But of course, the New York Times wants to focus on the troubles facing the Palestinians as a result of their elected leadership taking them down the path to war. Not mentioned is the fact that Israel is scrambling to keep their own population safe from the incessant rocket and mortar attacks that are pushing many communities to head to the bomb shelters.

Israel continues to target Hamas leadership, nearly killing Mohammed Deif, and they pulverized the Palestinian Foreign Ministry, which is being run by Hamas minister Mahmoud Zahar. Airstrikes were also launched into Sheba Farms, which is an area where Lebanon, Syria, and Israel's borders come together. Hizbullah has long claimed that Israel never fully withdrew from the area as a provocation for attacks, but even the UN has recognized that Israel has complied and withdrawn from the area. Guess that might be changing too.

Matthew Yglesias notes the complete and utter silence on the subject from the Left:

This is sort of mind-boggling. Let me just go on the record as saying that as bad an idea as bombing Iran may be, doing so as part of a wildly impractical scheme for Israel to launch a general Middle Eastern war is significantly less appealing.

Meanwhile, I totally understand why establishment liberal foreign policy types don't like to talk about Israel, but things are getting to the point where I don't think total silence in the face of dramatic goings-on is very viable.

Maybe the problem is that the Left doesn't think that Israel should be able to defend itself. Or maybe the problem is that the Left can't weasel out of the situation that has been several decades in the making - terrorists have been gunning for Israel for years, and the Left has counselled patience, negotiation, and trying to make deals with groups that call for Israel's annihilation.

The terrorists have backing from Syria and Iran. As I keep stating, going after the terrorists might stop matters for the short term, but the terrorists will get replenished from those two countries, aided and abetted by a world community that always seems to keep Israel from eliminating its enemies that start these conflicts in the first place.

The current situation in Lebanon, along with the situation in Gaza were due to Palestinian terrorist groups invading Israel, attacking Israeli soldiers, taking wounded soldiers into Lebanon and Gaza respectively, where there have been no Israeli forces since 2000 and 2005 respectively, and now they claim that they'll return those soldiers in return for Palestinian prisoners.

The terrorists are trying to make excuses for their own heinous acts, and the Left provides them the cover under which to operate.

Memeorandum has a comprehensive roundup of those who are blogging the situation in Israel. Euphoric Reality also has a good roundup.

Others blogging: Uncooperative Blogger, Webloggin', Blogs of War, Daily Pundit, Atlas Shrugs, and Rick Moran.

Technorati: terrorism, fatah, Gilad, Shalit, Olmert, Eliyahu, Asheri, Ashri, Abbas, Rains, Summer, cavaliers, wrath, PRC, Hamas, Gaza, palestinian, Israel

And Now For Something Lighter

With all the talk about Hamdan, the Gaza Crisis, and the Northeast flooding, how about something a little different.



Protest babes. From Bolivia. With protestors like this, what's not to love?

Shamelessly cribbed from Publius.

What, you mean this isn't sweeps week?

Arrest in Rafik Harari Assassination

A fugitive bank executive wanted for questioning in the U.N. probe of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's assassination was arrested in Brazil Monday on an unrelated charge, authorities said.

The Lebanese consul general in Sao Paulo said Rana Abdel Rahim Koleilat, 39, was wanted in Lebanon for bank fraud. She also was being sought for questioning by the U.N.'s Independent International Investigation Commission, which is probing the truck bombing that killed Hariri and 20 other people in downtown Beirut last year, consul general Joseph Sayah said.

"It's vital that Miss Koleilat submit herself before the U.N. commission for questioning," Sayah said in a faxed statement to investigators that Brazilian police showed to reporters.

Sayah did not say why it was important for the panel to question Koleilat, and U.N. officials had no immediate comment.

Police inspector Nicanor Nogueira Branco said police acting on an anonymous tip found Koleilat Sunday in a furnished apartment at a hotel on the outskirts of Sao Paulo, Brazil's largest city.

Koleilat offered officers up to $200,000 to release her and was arrested on a charge of attempted bribery, Branco said.

Lebanese consular officials spent hours Monday inside the police station where Koleilat was being held, but declined to speak with journalists.

Koleilat made headlines in Lebanon and Europe for years in connection with questions about her role in the disappearance of $300 million from the private Medina Bank where she worked. The funds' disappearance was the worst financial scandal at a Lebanese bank since the country's 1975-90 civil war.

Harari's assassination awoke the Lebanese people from their slumber and silence in the face of Syrian occupation. The resulting Cedar Revolution (complete with Protest Babes), forced Syria to withdraw its uniformed soldiers. Baby Assad and his minions have been implicated in the assassination by the Mehlis Report.

One Year In Lebanese History

A year ago, the outspoken anti-Syrian Lebanese politican Rafik Harari was assassinated in Beirut. That singular event sparked a sea-change in Lebanese politics and forced Syria to withdraw its uniformed troops (one suspects they've still got their spies and agent-provocateurs around). Instead of trashing buildings and blowing stuff up, the Cedar Revolution came to be noted by the Protest Babes - and peaceful demonstrations.

It's a stark contrast to the ugliness we're continuing to see elsewhere in the Islamic world over the cartoon jihad.

The Lebanese have come a long way in the past year, but they still have a long way to go. Here's hoping that they succeed in tossing off the last bonds of Syrian tyranny.

UPDATE:
The protest babes in retrospect. Here's some current photos of the ongoing demonstrations in Beirut, including protest babes.

On Cartoons, Rioting, and Suppressing Speech

Well, the demonstrations against the Danish cartoons has bloomed into full blown rioting in various parts of the world, with the Danish Embassy in Syria torched by rioters.

Hundreds of Syrian demonstrators stormed the Danish Embassy in Damascus today and set fire to the building, witnesses said.

The demonstrators were protesting over offensive caricatures of Islam’s Prophet Mohammed that were first published in a Danish newspaper several months ago.

Witnesses said the demonstrators set fire to the entire building, which also houses the embassies of Chile and Sweden.

(Hat tip: Killgore Trout)

Rioters in Gaza tried storming the EU offices there over the cartoon publication.

Anyone sensing a theme there? Terrorist states have no problem letting rioters go after those they do not agree with. And these rioters were organized. This wasn't some spontaneous demonstration - not when these cartoons were first published last September.

Not that the violence was confined to Gaza or Syria. The cartoonists themselves are worried for their own safety and have gone into hiding (shades of the fatwa on Salman Rushdie).

Syria has no problem terminating free speech - its former leader, Hafez Assad terminated the entire city of Hama back in 1982 for daring to speak out against Assad. More than 20,000 people were killed in that operation (the Syrian military basically shelled the entire city into rubble and razed it with tanks). And only last year Syria's government was complicit in the assassination of pro-Lebanese politician Rafik Harari and several other notable pro-Lebanese journalists for telling Syria to get out of Lebanon once and for all (Lebanon was and still is dominated by Syria). The outcry over the Harari assassination began the Cedar Revolution (viva la Protest Babes) and showed cracks forming in Syria's government, but the key was people having the right to speak out and peacefully protest.

The groups seeking to limit free speech and crush dissent by spurring the boycott and taking matters into their own hands are simply following Syria's example (or insert your own example of a totalitarian government crushing dissent). We're seeing the Muslim extremists whipping up violent sentiments and taking matters into their own hands. They are seeking to crush dissenting viewpoints and silence anyone who takes opposing viewpoints. To these groups, freedom of speech is solely a vehicle for them to spread Muslim teachings to the exclusion of all other views.

Indeed we're seeing the various Muslim groups acting in an extremist manner. There's no tolerance of dissenting views, no belief in freedom of speech or realizing that these are cartoons. The folks whipping the masses into a frenzy are doing so with political goals in mind.

Even more disturbing has been the reaction of governments, several of which have recalled their ambassadors or registered other diplomatic protests. Seventeen Arab countries have called on Denmark's government to punish the newspaper, an absurd thing to ask of a democratic country that guarantees free speech.

The uproar underlines an alarming tendency in Islamic societies to lash out at the West at the slightest provocation. When a few simple drawings, however controversial, can trigger outrage from Cairo to Kuala Lumpur, it is clear that something is askew in the psyche of a civilization. To put it plainly, the Islamic world has a chip on its shoulder.

It is commonplace in the Islamic countries to blame the West for nearly everything that goes wrong, from the Israeli occupation of the West Bank to the wealth gap between Muslim and Western countries. Anti-Americanism is rife, anti-Semitism all too common. When Iran's President called the Holocaust a myth, many people in Arab countries quietly nodded in agreement. Bernard Lewis, a British scholar of Islamic history, calls this "a twilight world of neurotic fantasies, conspiracy theories, scapegoating and so on."

In truth, most of the Islamic world's problems -- from economic stagnation to political paralysis, from the oppression of women to the poor level of education -- are homegrown. By and large, these societies have failed to come to grips with the modern world and as a result have fallen far behind much of the rest of the planet. Out of this failure to keep up springs a keen sense of grievance that does nothing to help them progress.

As Prof. Lewis has written, "If the peoples of the Middle East continue on their present path, the suicide bomber may become a metaphor for the whole region, and there will be no escape from a downward spiral of hate and spite, rage and self-pity, poverty and oppression." But "if they can abandon grievance and victimhood, settle their differences, and join their talents, energies, and resources in a common creative endeavour, then they can once again make the Middle East, in modern times as it was in antiquity and in the Middle Ages, a major centre of civilization."

The victimhood meme isn't going to change as long as the Muslim leaders continue down this path.

Indeed, we're seeing various Muslim dominated countries demanding that the Danish government take action to silence the newspapers and cartoonists. They're organizing economic boycotts and taking other actions. And it would certainly appear that the media is getting the message - don't broadcast these images or else you might run into trouble.

According to Monsters and Critics:

In the United States, Cable News Network and other broadcasters reported on the conflict but blurred out the cartoon images.

Debate ensued between Philadelphia Inquirer managing editor Anne Gordon, who wanted the Associated Press news agency to distribute the images, and Washington Post editor Leonard Downie Jr., who said the images would not meet its standards for 'language, religious sensitivity, racial sensitivity and general good taste', according to Editor and Publisher and the media website Romanesko.

Again, are we seeing a double standard on not showing those images that demean one religious group, but showing demeaning images of another religious group? That certainly appears to be the case. Anyone recall the Sensation exhibit in NYC, where one artist showcased an image of the Virgin Mary with a pile of dung on one of her breasts and pornographic cutouts? Or maybe the Piss Christ. Media outlets had no problem broadcasting those images. Yet we're witnessing those same media outlets having ethical quandries over whether to show the cartoons?

Have they been cowed into not showing them because of fears of retaliation by Muslim extremists? It certainly appears that way, despite their claims that these cartoons do not meet publishing guidelines. The fact remains that people should know what all the fuss is about and why these Muslim extremists are taking to rioting and torching Danish flags, and even one of their embassies.

We should know what is going on without the media hiding the ugly reality - that these Muslim groups do not believe in free speech and are willing to not only espouse violence, but actually condone and perpetrate it.

UPDATE:
Wouldn't it be nice if Blogger had a spellchecker? Would make spotting typos easier. Fixed on in the title.

UPDATE:
Reports also indicate that the Norweigian embassy in Damascus was torched.

Eugene Volokh examines the double standard being displayed by big media outlets and takes a closer look at the issue I raised above. Eugene pulled editorials from the Boston Globe relating to the Piss Christ and Virgin Mary controversy and notes that there was no admonition for the need to respect other religious groups. He too wonders why there's a difference. I think it boils down to the fact that the Muslims are more than willing to do violence, whereas other groups are far less likely to take to the streets, condone violence and suppress speech through violent means.

UPDATE:
Jay Tea has more on the rioting and Islam's fundamental rejection of freedom of speech.

UPDATE:
A must read posting from Ibn Warraq. Go forth and be educated.

UPDATE:
Michelle Malkin notes the difference between a row and a widespread and growing conflict? Too bad the media keeps trying to downplay the conflict, when this is a mess that is growing - with or without the coverage.

Posted to [and updated regularly]: Wizbang's Carnival of Trackbacks, Stop the ACLU, Jo's Cafe, PointFive, Don Surber.

Technorati: Buy Danish "jyllands-posten mohammed" "muhammad cartoon"

Thoroughly Repugnant

If you want to protest the war....knock yourself out. If you want to march till the cows come home....by all means, have at it. But don't spew your hatred directly at the soldiers who are injured and sacrificed so that you have the liberty and freedom to protest. Stop using children to promote your agenda. Its shameful and disgusting and the rest of America won't stand for it.

What was so thoroughly repugnant?

This:

Dear Soldier,

Have a great time in the war.

And have a great time dieing in the war.

From,

Miguel Gallier

P.S. Die

These are the folks that are so supportive of the troops after all. We wouldn't want to question their patriotism, their support for the troops, or their intellectual honesty. And this comes on the heels of Sen. Kerry calling the troops terrorists again on this past Sunday's Face the Nation with Bob Schieffer. The key graf:

Let me--I--first of all, there is so much more that unites Democrats than divides us. And Democrats have much more in common with each other than they do with George Bush's policy right now. Now Joe Lieberman, I believe, also voted for the resolution which said the president needs to make more clear what he's doing and set out benchmarks, and that the policy hasn't been working. We all believe him when you say, `Stay the course.' That's the president's policy, which hasn't been changing, which is a policy of failure. I don't agree with that. But I think what we need to do is recognize what we all agree on, which is you've got to begin to set benchmarks for accomplishment. You've got to begin to transfer authority to the Iraqis. And there is no reason, Bob, that young American soldiers need to be going into the homes of Iraqis in the dead of night, terrorizing kids and children, you know, women, breaking sort of the customs of the--of--the historical customs, religious customs. Whether you like it or not...

This isn't just a slip of the tongue, but part of a pattern of behavior on Kerry's part for the past 30 years. It started as soon as he got back from his tour of duty in Vietnam and hasn't stopped since. Perpetuating myths and lies, which get repeated as fact and never questioned by those who should know better.

UPDATE:
Michelle Malkin has more, including the address of the soldier who received this letter:

Joshua Sparling
c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20307-5001

UPDATE:
Others who actually support the troop by slamming those who make baseless accusations (Kerry) or inflict emotional distress on those recovering from their injuries sustained in combat (Miguel Gallier) (and updated as needed): T. Longren, The Political Teen (who has the Kerry video), Weapons of Mass Destruction, Say Anything, Pundit Guy, Sundries Shack, Sister Toldjah, JunkYardBlog, Truth Laid Bear, SoCalPundit, AJ Strata, The American Mind, and Opinion Journal.

UPDATE:
The Indepundit comments on a Code Pink demonstration that goes awry when their usual meeting stop is already taken by a group of pro-American folks who want to support the troops who are on the mend at the VA hospital in San Diego.

The Cedar Revolution Fight Continues

Just when you thought that the protest babes were sufficient to change things in Lebanon, terrorists assassinated yet another prominent anti-Syrian politician.

A small, precisely placed explosive was put underneath the car's passenger seat, killing George Hawi, a former leader of the Lebanese Communist Party. It appeared almost identical to the killing last month of an anti-Syrian journalist, Samir Kassir.

Mr. Hawi's driver escaped serious injury in the blast, in the Wata Musaitibi neighborhood of Beirut, illustrating the methodical nature of the assassination.

Lebanon's anti-Syrian movement swept the voting on Sunday in the country's far north, the official results showed, giving it a firm parliamentary majority.

The terrorists - many of whom are likely Syrian operatives or those aligned with Syria - are not playing by the same rules as the Lebanese who are sick and tired of these kinds of tactics. Years ago, pro-Democratic groups would have been cowed by such tactics.

Now, they are rallying cries for even larger support in Lebanon. Syria's leadership ought to be seriously worried about that. They've got Arab democratic regimes budding on two of its borders - (Lebanon and Iraq), and their own power is limited to affect the outcome other than continued use of terrorism. It's all that they know.

As usual, Publius has more on the Lebanese situation, although not quite up to date with the assassination information.

Technorati: Lebanon, Cedar Revolution, protest babe.

Duly Noted

Egyptian protest babes have been spotted. Mubarak should know that when protest babes are spotted, things are sure to become rough for the ruling elites.

See Lebanon, Ukraine, et al.

Watch for the emergence of protest babes in a totalitarian state near you. It portends good things happening for the rights of the oppressed.

China, Egypt, Syria, Iran. That means you.

Hat Tip: Instapundit.