"I will execute great acts of vengeance on them, punishing them furiously. Thus they shall know that I am the LORD, when I wreak my vengeance on them" -Ezekiel 25:17 The past week has been Hell in the Middle East and it is only going to get worse. First Hamas refuses to release the kidnapped Israeli solider, Israel continued its assault against the terrorist group Hamas among others; then Hezbollah kidnaps Israeli soldiers.
The gloves are coming off and it is important to know what is going on.
Lebanon is the newest front in the War on Terrorism. Lebanon once had a Christianity majority until an influx of Palestinian refugees and rising Muslim birthrates shifted the balance. A civil war in the 1980s caused a Christian exodus and the implementation of a pro-Syrian government in Beirut. The southern area was controlled by Israel and the South Lebanese Army, comprised of former government forces and Christian, Druze, and Shia militias. This changed when Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak withdrew from the occupied zone without telling the SLA. The SLA was crushed by Hezbollah in sudden attacks. Barak still defends the decision to this day. The pro-Syrian, pro-Hezbollah government has suffered setbacks due to the pro-West Cedar Revolution.
The news from Lebanon is really bad. Hezbollah has launched approximately 85 missiles (video) into Israel killing two civilians. Israel has responded by placing a blockade on Lebanon blocking ports and blowing apart roads to Syria. This is the one area where most Arabs are rooting for an Israeli victory. Hezbollah is Shia and very anti-Sunni. Saudi Arabia does not care what happens to them and hopes Iran's mutant step-child is destroyed. The wild card are the reformers in Lebanon. Can they pressure the government to allow Hezbollah to be destroyed? Or will Arab nationalism hold out? Let us hope Hezbollah is broken.
Syria has been a very bad boy. Right after the Iraq War ended a Syrian foreign minister said "Syria is a small country, we do not wish to have problems" (paraphrased). They have making problems however. The leader of Hamas responsible for the first kidnappings lives openly in Damascus and Syria funds Hezbollah. The world is getting serious with Syria. Egypt is blaming Syrian-backed forces for the breakdown of a possible release of prisoners. Expect bombings around Damascus soon.
Iran is BAD NEWS. How bad you ask? Let's try APOCOLYPSE bad. President Ahmadinejad is hell bent on getting nuclear weapons and funding groups like Hezbollah. The people of Iran are sending mixed signals on what they want: nukes or freedom. Iran has announced Israeli attacking Syria would be an act of war. In scary news Ahmadinejad will wait until August 22 to make any announcements about nuclear energy. Why? Maybe because then he can usher in the end of the world! What happens in Iran will have major consequence in quieting-down Iraq and oil prices.
Operations in Gaza will continue but they will be out of the media picture until these new fronts see a climax.
For up-to-date information on what exactly is going I recommend Jerusalem Post, Strategy Page, YNet News, and Pajamas Media. For maps: Lebanon, Middle East, and Syria.
Category: War on Terrorism
"I will execute great acts of vengeance on them, punishing them furiously. Thus they shall know that I am the LORD, when I wreak my vengeance on them" -Ezekiel 25:17
2 comments:
Very nice, but you should add 2 things.
The current issue with Israel and Hezbollah actually started with a killing of an arab doctor and his son on gaza. Retaliations all around sprung from this.
Aaaaand... I may have said this before on Lynn's blog, but you might be forgetting that it will take about a decade for Iran to be nuclear-capable, and the UN (Which I know as a "good" conservative you probably hate) Has been watching them since before Bush started this "Pre-emtive war" bullshit. Also, did I mention that we are trying to get some of our allies to break the Nuclear Proliferation treaty? Because that is exactly what our "Diplomats" are doing.
Short version: All agressive parties in this ME conflict are at fault, And the Iran situation is just as fucking real as the homeless "Miami 7" That was such a threat.
*Let's try to keep this blog PG on language please*
I don't think Hezbollah cares much about Sunni doctors in Gaza. Do you mean Hamas? Also, can you give me a link to a story claiming this? I read many sources (including al Jezera) on a daily basis but I haven't seen any stories claiming this.
Yep. The UN does a good watching; no one will doubt this. They watched well in Cambodia, Iraq, the former Yugoslavia, Rwanda (where Kofi Annan forbid people calling the massacres "genocide" ('Shake Hands with the Devil' by Roméo Dallaire))
I really do not care a dang about the Nuclear Nonproliferation treaties. If a country like Brazil or Japan wants nukes more power to them because they are responsible liberal democracies. If a country like Iran which supplies terrorists on a regular basis and promises to destroy America and our allies wants nuke, that’s another thing entirely.
I have heard many estimates about Iran's nuke program but none were as high as 10 years. It took Americans 5 years to make the first nuke and we did not know what we were doing. Iran is following pre-made, public plans.
Short Version: To paraphrase Ayn Rand (I am only a 5% fan of her work): Democracies must be slow to anger but when forced into action they must completely destroy their enemies.
Side Note 1: Arabs and Israel be good neighbors - Israel and Jordan. Israel and freedom's enemies are terrorists who support Islamic fascism
Side Note 2: Watch Path to Paradise to see how much damage bumbling idiots can do. (In WWII the allies executed people for much less)
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