Israeli Troops Trapped In Baalbek Hospital

[Purveyor]

BEIRUT (AP)--Israeli commandos were trapped inside a Baalbek hospital early Wednesday, fighting fierce clashes with guerrilla fighters who surrounded the facility in the eastern Lebanese city, the chief Hezbollah spokesman told The Associated Press.

"A group of Israeli commandos was brought to the hospital by a helicopter. They entered the hospital and are trapped inside as our fighters opened fire on them and fierce fighting is still raging," Hezbollah spokesman Hussein Rahal told AP.

The Israeli military refused to comment.

---snip---

http://tinyurl.com/hlfae

[leftchick]

1. stupid

why a I thinking this will last more than a few years. Again. :(

[DistressedAmerican]

3. And will build the support for Hezbollah like the first invasion

created them.

Wehn are powers going to figure out that you do not beat these folks with massive force? That does NOTHING but make you more enemies.

[jrd200x]

2. You mean terrorists are firing on a hospital?

where's the OUTRAGE!

[Missy M]

4. Why are the Israelis inside the hospital?

[et in Arcadia ego]

6. hmm

Sounds to me like they're using the Lebanese people's sick and wounded as human shields and LZ's..........

[malaise]

22. Who - the Israelis?

WTF are they doing in a hospital.

[SPKrazy]

29. That's Total BS

why they were there I have no idea, but it wasn't for human shields

think before you post please

[IntiRaymi]

36. The IDF uses human shields all the time.

They do it with palestinians on a regular basis.

[SPKrazy]

45. So The Israelis Inserted Commandos Into A Hospital

so they could use them for human shields?

put the crack pipe up

[Scurrilous]

54. Correct

IDF ties 13 yr old Palestinian boy to jeep to ward off stone throwers.

[countryjake]

61. Where is that pic from?

Are you being serious or scurrilous? Backing up on its link and I can't open the page.

[countryjake]

62. I've found the source for the picture...thank you for posting it!

http://www.occupationalhazard.org/article.php?IDD=649

Child Used as Human Shield after Beating
Rabbis for Human Rights

Four arrestees, including a 12 year old boy, RHR Executive Director Rabbi Arik Ascherman, an additional Palestinian and ISM activist, were used as human shields in Bido on Thursday. After local Palestinians and Israeli activists saw a young boy being beaten by border police, the boy's mother sent a Palestinian man to try and help him and Rabbi Ascherman also approached the police. Both were arrested, along with a Swedish ISM activist.

The boy, crying, shaking from fear and eventually cold, was sat on the hood of a jeep and tied to the bars protecting the glass. The other three arrestees were bound and placed in front of a second jeep. After the arrests, local Palestinians began throwing stones, a number of them hitting the jeeps. The unit commander was Shahar Yitzhaki

Rabbi Ascherman repeatedly requested over the next few hours that they not be used as human shields, that the boy receive medical attention and that the officers identify themselves. He also asked to lend his coat to the child and to stand in front of the child to protect him from stones. All these requests were met with physical and verbal threats, orders to "shut up," and/or derision. The division commander, "Benny," also visited the site during these events. Rabbi Ascherman also directed his requests to him. Rabbi Ascherman was eventually told that the boy had been checked by a medic before Rabbi Ascherman was arrested.

Rabbi Ascherman was seized by his throat and head butted by Yitzhaki upon arrest. The arrestees were moved from the scene after several hours, but kept outside. The child was allowed to go home around 18:30. By this time, the adults were also shaking from cold and sharing Rabbi Ascherman's coat. They were released, but Yitzhaki "rearrested" them and took them to the Givat Zeev Police station. There, after continuing to be held outside, Rabbi Ascherman convinced the attending officers to allow them to sit inside. The Palestinian was taken to Ofer, while Ascherman and the ISM activist were conditionally released late that night.

[wordpix2]

64. link?

[bahrbearian]

53. And you know this for a fact. How?

[breakaleg]

8. it's supposed to be a Hezbollah owned and operated and they

were checking identity cards of the patients looking for their soldiers.

[breakaleg]

11. correction: they are calling it a snatch operation

they are looking for Hezbollah militia or operatives to take possibly for hostages.

[uppityperson]

13. which "they" are you quoting please?

link?

[breakaleg]

50. CNN

[uppityperson]

55. thanks, found elsewhere and posted too.

pretty wild.

[Scurrilous]

24. Lebanese: IDF tried to kidnap senior Hizbullah member

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3284959,00.html

[DistressedAmerican]

5. Some would call it liberating the hospital from foreign occupiers.

When you attack and sieze a hospital (first I'd note), that hospital becomes a target. Welcome to reality.

[ChiciB1]

9. Moral Of The Story.... Don't Mess With A Fire Ant Bed By Poking

it with a stick! That has always been the way I've seen the Middle East. Way too complicated and far too many factions that coming spewing out like fire ants from mounds!

This is CRAZY... and there is no end in sight!

Will there be retribution against OUR Corrupt Regime here in America someday??? Probably not, they have all the money!!

[Name removed]

23. Deleted message

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

[SPKrazy]

37. Really, You'd Think That Hezbollah Would Show Some Restraint

firing on a hospital full of sick people and Israeli commandoes

[uppityperson]

56. snort

:rofl: really!

[tocqueville]

7. BlackHawk down over again

it probably was a trap

[scarletwoman]

12. They are military invaders on foreign soil, they are fair game.

It's NOT "Blackhawk Down", the IDF are not peace-keeping forces.

sw

[LostinVA]

26. You got it -- they illegally invaded a sovereign state

FAR from the Israeli border, and yet very close to the Syrian border.

And are now using a civilian hospital as a base. That has to break Geneva somehow.

Fucking bastards.

[Fountain79]

46. And Hezbollah has been following the Geneva convention...

to the letter?

[tocqueville]

59. you misunderstand

of course it isn't "peace-keeping". That's not what I meant. But strictly militarily it sounds like they got trapped by their own incompetence. Like in Somalia. I read in another report that the helicopters were under such fire they had to retreat, leaving their own in the rubble. And this time there is no UN cavalry. So it can turn out to be another defeat for the IDF. That's the only comparison. And I agree that they are fair game.

[hoboken123]

63. How's the invasion illegal?

Israel was invaded and are still missing their kidnapped soldiers.

Unless I missed something--were they returned yet?

[malaise]

27. BIngo but it sure

shows a level of military naivete.

[Pavulon]

33. Wonder if they will

limit their response to little bird gun runs?

Expect massive close air support.

[uppityperson]

10. map and links to other articles

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-5988075,00.html
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,19992741-661,00.html
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/745276.html

[countryjake]

15. Thanks for consolidating all of those links with the map...

some still don't realize this is happening in NorthEastern Lebanon, far away from the proposed "buffer zone".

[DistressedAmerican]

34. I've had severl deny it outright and reject several such links out of hand

Not folks that are interested in the ugly truth.

[countryjake]

57. Oh I know, saw that in Karmadillo's post of the breaking news...

the skepticism was unbelievable, even after links finally came in and were posted. Funny how many believed your spoof breaking news post, tho. Thanks for that effort!

[et in Arcadia ego]

14. Here we go:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2429246

Lebanese army officials say special IDF forces fail in attempt to kidnap senior Hizbullah member from hospital near Baalbek; Lebanese media say mark may have been Hizbullah High Council member Sheikh Muhammad Yazbek; eyewitnesses report gun battles, casualties at scene

[BeHereNow]

16. And they were in the hospital because???

Freeing the Lebanese incubator babies form the EVIL Hezbollah??
BHN

[leftchick]

17. yep! Much like the US they are Liberators!!!!!

:puke:

[BeHereNow]

28. LBN has story on it now- they were there to abduct a Hezbollah leader

Cause you KNOW...two wrongs make a right!
Fuck all of this.
Just fuck them all.
And most of all, fuck the neocons for dragging us into this mess.

BHN

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

30. Since they're stuck inside during heavy fighting...

that sort of implies they've taken hostages, doesn't it?

[SPKrazy]

32. Neocons?

dragging us into this mess?


Fuck Hezbollah for the terrorism they have inflicted on Israel!

[BeHereNow]

47. Will you share some of what you're smoking with the rest of us?

I REALLY need some.
BHn

[leftchick]

35. The Israeli and Amerikan NEOCANS!!!!!

fuck them all!

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

18. Why are Israel commandos inside a Lebanese hospital?

[NNN0LHI]

20. Bird flu? n/t

[muriel_volestrangler]

41. Thank you - that's a laugh out loud response

and coming from you, it's even better. :rofl:

[countryjake]

21. See post #16...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=1793066&mesg_id=1793390

[malaise]

38. Because no international laws apply to them

they're fighting terrorists :sarcasm: :sarcasm:

[malaise]

19. What a stupid military plan

Israel can't bomb the hospital or can they? If they do, they will kill their own soldiers. I am convinced the IDF leaders have only been trained to bully the poor Palestinians.

[LostinVA]

25. I was thinking that, too

Wonder what'll happen when they face an army or trained militia .... oh, so that's what'll happen...

[countryjake]

31. They bombed that hospital before they landed & entered it!

Fierce fighting as IDF commandos launch raid deep in Lebanon
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/745276.html

~snip~

Witnesses in Baalbek said they saw dozens of IAF helicopters hovering over the city. They said the private hospital in Baalbek, filled with patients and wounded people, was bombed by IAF helicopters late Tuesday. Plumes of burning smoke billowed from the hospital after it was directly hit, they said.

[jonnyblitz]

39. damn. thanks for the link! nt

[malaise]

40. They bombed a fugging hospital?

WTF is wrong with these people.

[countryjake]

42. To "sterilize" the area to prepare for invasion?

Lebanese: IDF tried to kidnap senior Hizbullah member

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3284959,00.html

~snips~

Lebanese army and security officials said early Wednesday that special IDF forces attempted to kidnap a senior Hizbullah member from a hospital near Baalbek in the west Lebanon Valley.

Lebanese media say the mark may have been Sheikh Muhammad Yazbek, a member of Hizbullah’s High Council and one of 12 senior organization members.

A Hizbullah spokesman said gunmen belonging to the organization have besieged an IDF unit that was transported by air to the area. According to reports, the Israeli forces have entrenched themselves inside the hospital and are engaging in face-to-face combat with local gunmen.

[malaise]

51. Thanks for this

Damn!!

[me b zola]

49. Thanks, countryjake

I posted your link in the LBN thread. :hi:

[malaise]

43. Useful report here

and a rational discussion on the crisis
Click newsnight player
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/5236370.stm

[mom cat]

44. Baalbek is a long way from Israel, ene of Beruit and not anywhere

near the several mile strip they claim they want to rid of Hezbolla. What were they doing there in the first place.

[JCMach1]

48. WTF are they doing in Baalbek?

Other than this being Hezbollah territory, there is NO reason to be there... Perhaps they wanted to hit the Palestinian camp there... :(

Was just there about a month ago... This is a small town with a Palestinian refugee camp and some beautiful ruins...

[countryjake]

52. Archaeology maybe?

http://www.lebmania.com/photos/baalbek/welcome.htm

[mom cat]

60. I did not know that there was a Palestinian camp there. I just saw

that it was far from the "security zone" that Israel says it needs.

[JCMach1]

66. Large Palestinian camp in Baalbek

Also, in the surrounding areas there are Palestinians living in the fields along the Litani river in UN tents from the 1980's

[countryjake]

58. Here's the ABC in-depth report of the situation...

Israel Launches Attack Deep in Lebanon; Hezbollah Says It's Fighting Trapped Commandos
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=2262787

~snips~

"Israel launched a major attack deep into Lebanon, and Hezbollah said its guerrillas were fighting Israeli commandos trapped inside a hospital in the eastern city of Baalbek early Wednesday."

"The ferocity of the battles in Baalbek and across southern Lebanon on Tuesday, the determination of the Israelis to keep fighting and the minimal diplomatic progress toward a cease-fire all indicate the 3-week-old war is more likely to escalate than end soon."

"The last time Israel forces were known to have gone that far on the ground into Lebanon was in 1994, when they abducted Lebanese guerrilla leader Mustafa Dirani, hoping to use him to get information about missing Israeli airman Ron Arad. Dirani was released in a prisoner exchange 10 years later."

[leesa]

65. So Israel used a hospital and its patients for shields???

They are crazed terrorists.