Bad News From the Blue Line
For those of you just waking up. Israeli and Lebanese soldiers have exchanged fire on the border; one Israeli and three Lebanese soldiers have been killed, along with a Lebanese journalist. The Israelis say the Lebanese started it; the Lebanese say the Israelis started it; both agree UN 1701, which ended the 2006 war, has been breached.
Here's a little buried, unconfirmed item I noticed while looking for more details:
The Voice of Free Lebanon on Tuesday reported strange activity in the central Bekaa Valley town of Qoussaya. It said strange, young bearded men have been seen in PFLP-GC bases in Qoussaya.
"These elements have started deploying three weeks ago," VFL said, pointing out that the men were seen in army combat uniforms.
It said these men, seen wielding weapons, were setting up checkpoints at crossroads.
VFL said local residents have informed authorities of the strange activity.
Lots of "strange activity" these days. What happened this morning could be a misunderstanding--it seems to have involved a tree--or it could be the beginning of the Apocalypse. Since I don't know, and since I just don't have the stomach to worry about the Apocalypse with every news report, I'm going to return to considering the many mysteries of Chelsea Clinton's wedding. Drop me a note, Judith, if it really looks as if the end is nigh.
- Comment (4)
- · Quote
- · UnfollowFollow (1)
Comments :
Re: Bad News From the Blue Line
Claire, who knows. It doesn't look good. Very quickly: snipers from the Lebanese army opened fire on Israeli soldiers doing border maintenance work (pre-approved with UNIFIL), seriously wounding two. There's an unconfirmed report that one of them has died of his injuries. GOC Northern Command Maj. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot is calling this a "deliberate ambush;" GOC Northern Command is saying: "this was a pre-planned event, [an] aggression by the Lebanese army who shot at soldiers inside Israeli territory without any provocation. We view this as a very severe incident." Can't go into it any more deeply just now -- all the kids are home, it's 100 degrees out, the air conditioning has gone on the blink and everybody's running amok -- but I'll look at it all more closely tomorrow. In the meantime, go back to Chelsea's wedding.
May '10
Re: Bad News From the Blue Line
Sounds reminiscent of the "Axe Murder Incident" in the Korean DMZ in 1976. Obviously that incident did not lead to war, although relations with North Korea are not much different 30 years on.
If something larger were afoot this seems a strange way to get it started.
May '10
Re: Bad News From the Blue Line
I read a report (sorry, don't remember where) that said UNIFIL was with the Israelis. I wonder if that's true what they'll say. And, no, I wasn't being naive. If they were really there, they'd have to say something, right?
Aren't there pictures from some of the reports that have the UNIFIL troops? That would make it difficult for them to, ahem, lie about what they witnessed.
May '10
Re: Bad News From the Blue Line
What I read in the reports, Grantman, indicates that UNIFIL was with the Lebanese, on their side of the border. They are apparently saying nothing, except to express "concern." It doesn't seem that the Israeli troops cutting the tree nor the Lebanese watching them were involved. Rather the Israelis killed or wounded were 300 yards back from the border, meaning that the fire from Lebanon side was sniper fire, not general return fire from the troops on the border.
Hmm...tough to position a careful sniper shot as a response to attack.