UN: Observers made many calls before strike

[Bhaisahab]

UPDATED STORY WITH MORE DETAILS

BEIRUT, Lebanon (CNN) -- The U.N. observers killed when an Israeli bomb made a direct hit on their bunker in southern Lebanon Tuesday called an Israeli military liaison about 10 times in the six hours before they died to warn that the aerial attacks were getting close to their position, according to a U.N. officer.

After each call, the Israeli officer promised to have the bombing stopped, an officer at the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) base in Noqoura said.

Finally, an Israeli bomb exploded directly on the U.N. post near Khiyam, killing four U.N. observers from Austria, Finland, Canada and China, the U.N. officer said.


FULL STORY: http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/07/26/mideast.observers/index.html

[Name removed]

1. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Cooley Hurd]

2. More from the article:

http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/07/26/mideast.main/index.html

<snip>
UNIFIL sent a rescue-and-medical team to the city of Khiyam, where the post was located. Attacks in the vicinity continued as rescuers tried to reach those killed or injured, UNIFIL said.

UNIFIL said there had been at least 14 incidents of fire close to the post since Tuesday afternoon.
</snip>

Why didn't Israel hold up on the bombing for a few hrs to let the UN rescue teams reach their comrades?:shrug:

[nashville_brook]

4. b/c the point was to show the "weakness" of the UN charter

collective security -- we aint' got no stinking collective security.

[Cooley Hurd]

5. Which makes it even more likely that it was a deliberate attack.

:(

[bdamomma]

10. Deliberate and totally uncalled for

[smacky44]

3. Any country whose UNIFIL observer was killed should refuse to send

and observers or NATO or any other kind of peacekeeper to Lebanon. This is totally outrageous and what is more outrageous is how the Israeli spokespeople sooner or later get around to shifting focus on Kofi for his statement. The Israeli feigned outrage is so transparent and so are their attempts to shift the focus to Hizbollah when addressing this specific incident.

[lostnfound]

6. It would be an understandable response, but it would punish

the Lebanese, not the side that did the bombing.

[Minstrel Boy]

7. If the attack was intentional, I think that was the intent. n/t

[The Stranger]

14. It was a statement to keep countries from sending peacekeepers.

Did you realize that when you posted?

[Acadia Blue]

15. They intiontionally killed them. They don't want peace anymore than

Bush. Bush is trying to use this disaster to start WWIII. They are all totally nuts.

[bennywhale]

26. Remember the UN getting out of Iraq once they were

bombed? This is what Israel hope to achieve. No UN, no international force, re-occupy that part of |Lebanon. They've already moved everyone out of it. Its like a re-run of the creation of Israel, refugees, land grabs and violence

[babylonsister]

8. And folks speculated on how the Israelis found them? Sigh. nt

[plasticsundance]

9. Don't tell me ... let me guess

Israel said it was very deeply regrettable and it apologizes, as compared with only being regrettable about Lebanese civilians that were killed by their air strikes. Israel is really sorry that its precision bombing fucked-up for the 100th time during this conflict ... thus far. Israel wasn't sure if there were Hezbollah hiding and seeking shelter among UN workers. Besides, these UN workers should realize that the very safety and future of Israel is at stake ... and a bunch of other such bullshit ... as reported by NPR (National Propaganda Radio).

[QuettaKid]

11. "clearly marked. . . . .and long established"

Israel is a f*cking joke this morning and anyone with open eyes knows this.

[Acadia Blue]

16. Niether side is worth WWIII. Russia and China will side with Iran .

[Nothing Without Hope]

12. Earlier related thread with many comments & 41 Greatest votes - LINK:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2412976
UN Attacks Look Deliberate: Annan

[leesa]

13. But of course any punishment of Israel for causing this tragedy that the

world calls for, will be vetoed by the United States. THIS is what we have become.

[Acadia Blue]

23. Karma, unfortunately, will let the USA know what she has done. And

we, the watchers, will be caught up in it. The only power we have is our vote and they are taking that.

[bennywhale]

17. Annan: Israel bombed UN base for hours

The UN general secretary, Kofi Annan, today accused the Israeli military of carrying out a sustained bombing of the UN base on the Lebanon-Israel border that culminated in the killing of four unarmed monitors.
Mr Annan said he had suggested to the Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, that they carry out a joint investigation into the events that led to the shelling of the "well-established and well marked" Unifil (UN interim force in Lebanon) post in the town of Khiyam.

"I spoke to Mr Olmert and he definitely believes it was a mistake and has expressed his deep sorrow, " Mr Annan told a press conference in Rome.

"But the shelling started in the morning and went on until after 7pm. You cannot imagine the anguish of the unarmed men and women peacekeepers who were there."

Yeah like Annan should apologise, when his colleagues were subjected to this

http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,,1830397,00.html. On Edit Sorry here's link. And now i've gone and started another thread oops

[bennywhale]

18. You better apologise for catching all those bombs Kofi

[Norquist Nemesis]

19. Annan should demand an investigation that is not a unilateral

Israeli investigation. Too easy to fudge stuff.

[ShortnFiery]

24. Yes, like asking "the fox" to watch over "the hen house"

Nothing meaningful will come out of the IDF investigating ITSELF ... whitewash only. :(

[Name removed]

20. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[IA_Seth]

21. Oh, I bet about 300,000 Lebanese could identify...

Am I suppose to cry more for the 4 unarmed UN workers, or the thousands of Lebanese civilans that have been killed, wounded, or displaced because this riduclous show of force by Israel?

[bennywhale]

30. Your tears aren't the point, the point is

that Israel has now shown the contempt with which it views UN lives, and how it views tham as the enemy now. We were all aware of the value they put on their neighbours lives

[mike_c]

22. that observer post had been there for YEARS...

...and its position was well known to the Lebanese and the Israeli military. Israel has a history of killing witnesses to its atrocities-- this was no different, IMO.

[Name removed]

25. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[frylock]

27. cough*ussliberty*cough

[KoKo]

28. E-Mailer to Diane Rheem show had been UN Observer at the same place

in Lebanon that UN Peace headquarters is housed. He said it stands alone on a rise and has UN painted in huge black letters on all four sides. He said there was no way a trained precision Air Force like Israel's could not know it was a UN Peace building because it's been there for years and would have definitely been on their maps and in their intelligence files.

The fact that the building stands alone sort of contradicts CNN/MSNBC that UN Buildings are "nestled" amongst civilian buildings and Hezbollah could use them as "shields" doesn't it. :-(

[redqueen]

29. Well obviously those UN observers were harboring Hezbollah

:sarcasm:


Will this incident cause anyone any pause in all the rah-rah support of israel? Will anyone now back down and say maybe they're going too far?

Oh yeah that's right I forgot... of course not. It's all about the OIL!