Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Breaking News Flowing

Raja's been covering the troubling events in the South since this morning; it's still 4PM here in the beltway. So I'll help him keep the updates flowing:

  • The Israeli government has given the green light for military incursions on Lebanon.
  • Israeli warplanes as of last hovered over Al-Nehmeh (suburbs of Beirut).

Let's hope that nothing more happens during the wee hours of the morning.

This was all so unnecessary and goes to show that the national dialogue meetings were useless. All these private meetings with Saad Hariri. All to no avail. Nasrallah is sending a message to all that Hizbullah will not change nor alter its strategies that justify its existence.

Again, history repeats itself. In the late '60s, it was the Palestinian question that was bigger than us, and now it's Hizbullah. It's bigger than any Lebanese government's policies.

I don't know what's in store for us. I"ll follow the news and only time will tell.

Update - 10:20PM (Lebanon's time): Israeli warplanes destroy Al-Awwali bridge next to Saida.

Update - 9:15PM (Lebanon's time): the alleged raid on al-Damour bridge has led to some phone lines being cut.

Update - 11:35PM: My family decided to move from Bhamdoun (prime mountain destination) to Tripoli (the north) tomorrow morning.

Update - Past midnight: Israeli warplanes raided over Al-Nehmeh and al-Dilhamiyye bridge in the Bekaa. Settlers in Northern Israel on the borders with Lebanon were asked to spend the night in the shelters. The Israeli government has asked that the international community request from Lebanon the dissolution of Hizbullah and the fulfillment of the UNSCR 1559 mandate.

Update - 2:30AM: Hizbullah hit northern Israel with rockets.

"Nobody knows how many rebellions, besides political rebellions, ferment in the masses of life which people earth."

31 comments:

Anonymous said...

This has just come up in the Y'net (Israeli news) ticker:
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7...274728,00.html

Israeli Government to use international pressure to dismantle Hizbullah. They are asking the international community to enforce UN resolution 1559 calling on the Lebanese Army to supervise the international border between Lebanon and Israel...etc...

stillruleall said...

I'm glad I found this blog. I am Israeli and never heard the Lebanese side before. Would you say that most Lebanese agree with you, that the goals of Hezzballa go against the goals of the country as a whole? I hope and pray that we can get our soldiers back quickly, and that no more innoccent blood falls on either side.

Anonymous said...

there are bombing sounds next to cola

Anonymous said...

stillruleall - most Lebanese are against Hezballah as a militia. They only represent themselves, and have less then 30% of the population's support...

Anonymous said...

the problem is different: it shows onces again that this government that included the hezbollah into it is a failure once again

it was forcastable that if such move from the hizbollah was doing such move, the government would be responsible

and the lebanese population is paying the price again

cfw said...

we can hear bombing sounds from our balcony in east beirut, but they sound pretty far away.

Anonymous said...

Please everyone that is in Lebanon, keep us updated!! We are worried and want to have more information on what is happening!!!!

Anonymous said...

Don't you just hate it that a bunch of terrorist thugs can cause such grief to so many who only long for friendship and peace? SIGH

Btw, www.debka.com says that Lebanonese troops ARE moving South.

Anonymous said...

carine: "east beirut" (sigh)

When will stop using these denominations from yesteryears, I wonder ...

VB

Anonymous said...

Stay safe.. head north quickly. God help the good Lebanese who are the victims of these idiots. Perhaps good will come of it, as the terrorists among you are eliminated - they're already in dire straights, and Syria itself is in gun-sights.

Anonymous said...

stillruleall,

We all pray for the cessation of violence.

Please though, tell your government to lay off strangling 1.4 million Palestinians and the daily bombardments and killings of civilians for a single captured soldier. His life or well-being is not worth more than millions of Arabs.

Your government can also release kidnapped lebanese and Palestinian men/women/children. That will be a good start.

People may be mad at Hizballah for acting without the consent of the government, as they have a right to be, but it does not mean they feel sorry for you. Your greed, intransigence, aggression, arrogance and inhumanity to your fellow man, are the main problem Hizballah, Hamas and others exist today

cfw said...

VB-- i used the term "east beirut" so people could get an idea where i heard bombings from-- location obviously affects where they could be taking place. if i used the name of my neighborhood (jeitaoui) it wouldn't mean much to non-lebanese.

for the record, i've never in my life said i live in "east beirut" -- as i use it, it's a description, not a "denomination," whatever that means...

cfw said...

so my question might be, when will people be able to say "east" or "west" beirut without others inferring some kind of extra meaning?

Anonymous said...

The government should make a move against fuckin Nasrallah and the rest of the terrorist bunch.

Anonymous said...

"carine: "east beirut" (sigh)

When will stop using these denominations from yesteryears, I wonder ...

VB"

when it will corresponds to social reality which is not anytime soon

Anonymous said...

Carine: if you're in Jeitaoui (which is in the smack middle of Beirut, albeit on the 'christian' side, or dare I say ex-LF side), and you say you're in "east beirut", one cannot but infer extra meaning from it. Maybe you did not intend it this way, but that's the perception (mine at least). "West" vs "East" descriptions of Beirut are closely associated with the war. Very few, except the stubbornly radicals, keep using them on purpose.

I know this conversation is slightly offtopic, and I don't want to dwell on it, nor have an accusatory tone. In tense times like this, sectarian tensions are pervasive, and threaten to blind the opinions of otherwise commonsensical people. Especially in a written forum like this one, the choice of words is of utmost importance. Nothing personal.

Anonymous said...

Anon 7:26 was me by the way.

VB

Anonymous said...

Well, no offense to anyone, but for folks like me who have never been to Lebanon, I took the "East Beirut" verbage to mean "on the eastern side of Beirut", in other words, as a direction. So, while I understand the internal conflict of those words, please remember that there are other folks reading here from all over the world. Any extra descriptions and explanations are most appreciated. ;-)

cfw said...

exactly, renee. that's how i intended it.

VB, you are the one with the problem here i think... and fyi, jeitaoui IS on the eastern side of beirut... look at a map. the center point is, surprisingly enough, roughly around centre ville.

Solomon2 said...

Hizbollah obviously hates the Lebanese people. Haven't they realized that Israel is now tired of being rocketed?

Anonymous said...

Well I am sorry to break the flow of politically correct comments above, but everybody in East Beirut refers to the Christian areas as East Beirut, and not only the extremists.

Anonymous said...

Anon 8:17. Let's not use superlatives (I'm one of many exceptions to your statement). Those you are referring to are still stuck 16 years behind. The rest of us have moved on. I hope.

Anonymous said...

Is it okay to call Ras Beirut North beirut? Or is that too confusing??

cfw said...

aii... listen, i didn't mean to stir up so much controversy. i meant "east" beirut as a geographical designation, and nothing more... i'm sorry for the confusion. can we leave it, guys? there are more pressing things to worry about...

Anonymous said...

I have much sympathy for the Lebonese, Israeli and the Palistinian people, I have no sympathy for hamas, fatah, hezbolla, IJ or any of those freaks. They have been the biggest road blocks to peace and prosperity in the area for all concerned. Until they have be rendered completly impotent there will be no peace. And with the support that they get from baby doc and the mad mullahs in Iran, the job seems impossible.

Sharku in Baltimore, Md.

Anonymous said...

Dear Lebanese People,
I love you and pray that you will all be safe. And shame on the Arab countries that stand still and can not do anything but condemn the Israeli agression. Shame on Hizbollah for instigating the whole thing...
F-

Anonymous said...

Hi there Lebanese bloggers and readers from the U.S.!

Man, this situation sucks. Just a few months ago we were all celebrating with you guys - now this.

Syria and Iran must be really trying to drag you guys into a proxy war with Israel - and they might succeed. Man, don't let that happen - kick those thugs out. You deserve better.

Unknown said...

His life or well-being is not worth more than millions of Arabs.

Israel's point, exactly. So Hamas will be letting him go immediately, since they care so very, very much about the well-being of those 'more than millions' of Arabs?

Anonymous said...

Israel has been rocketed over 1,000 times from Gaza and Lebanon. Their sovereign territory was invaded, soldiers killed, tanks destroyed, and now three soldiers are held captive. If this happened in any other country of the world besides Israel, war would be declared and nations would be annihilated. They have shown great restraint so far.


If they do nothing, they are weak and more attacks occur. If they attack with limited strikes, they are condemned.

The terrorists must be forced out by the good people of Lebanon before Israel will feel safe and not cross anyone's borders in the future.

God bless the Lebanese and Israeli people. May peace reign in the region now and forever.

Anonymous said...

By definition, a sovereign government exercizes an absolute monopoly on force used in and from its territory. It cannot abdicate its authority over a territory over which it claims sovereign control -- without giving up its rights over that territory (south Lebanon).

I don't want Lebanon to give away South Lebanon, of course. I want Lebanon to behave as the sovereign state that it is supposed to be, and to control all of its territory.

Why, oh why do Lebanon and its friends allow the continuing military occupation of Lebanese territory by Syrian proxy armies like Hizb'Allah?

Lebanon's friends need to support Lebanon against the only power that continues to occupy large regions of Lebanon: Syria.

May God protect the Lebanese and Israeli peoples from the continuing aggression of Syria and its proxies and terrorists.

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