Hasan Dib Nasrallah is now in Israeli custody.

[bemildred]

Best explanation I've seen so far.

So you heard about that brilliant Israeli special forces' operation in Ba`albak. So Israeli Orientalists as you all know think that there is one Mahmud Husayn in the entire Arab world, and one Muhammad `Ali. New TV just explained the "daring" Israeli operation at a hospital, HOSPITAL, in Ba`albak. So Israel "was told" that there is a certain Hasan Nasrallah at the hospital. The very commander of the airforce was put in charge to plan this daring kidnapping of Hasan Nasrallah. Well, it was a civilian by the name of Hasan Dib Nasrallah. They kidnapped other civilians along with him. Of course, the Nation magazine gives Israel the right for those kidnapping because it is all part of "its right to self-defense." Hasan Dib Nasrallah is now in Israeli custody wondering why he was kidnapped. In that "daring raid" Israeli occupation soldiers also kidnapped Muhammad Nasrallah, a shepherd, but later released him. He was 14. Israeli Orientalists thought that Hasan Nasrallah is a bit older. Later, to cover the fiasco, the Israeli army claimed that they kidnapped "members of Hizbullah." Even that claim was a lie, says New TV which investigated the story and interviewed the family members. The kidnapped Lebanese are poor construction workers.

Angry Arab News Service

[Nimrod2005]

1. Brilliant

:wtf:

19 civilians died in the bombings during this operation.

[TomInTib]

2. Oh, that would be rich... nt

[The Magistrate]

3. Far From Impossible, My Friend

One does wonder what the writer's sources are, but this is the sort of cock-up to be expected. Intelligence work is far more art than science, and there is reason to suspect that Israel knows less about Hezbollah in Lebanon than it thinks it does....

[bemildred]

5. I don't expect we will ever know for sure, Sir, the way things are going.

But one must admit that no reasonable explanation as to what they thought they were doing has been forthcoming so far. Until something more satisfactory is presented, I'm going with this. It must be admitted that the Angry Arab may be speculating a bit.

[Moochy]

4. A point about the hospital.

The BBC world service announced that the hospital had been shut down for six months, and largely abandoned. :shrug:

[bemildred]

6. Everyone seems to agree about that, as far as I know.

At least now they do; who knows what was thought before the raid?

[malaise]

7. It was clear from early morning that

Israeli intelligence messed up big time. If they had anyone of rank from HizBollah, we would haev seen him all over MSMachine. Damn this is funny.

[chimpymustgo]

8. But it was a DARING raid that captured those children! Fuck 'em.

They murder, they destroy, they lie.

[malaise]

9. They have lost the sympathy of the

world.

Anderson COoper is going to discuss it - what a military booboo.

[mom cat]

11. The Israelis even killed people who were anti-Hezbolla.

[JackNewtown]

13. They have the sympathy of the US government and AIPAC

That is the only outside sympathy they need.

[Marie26]

23. When they said

that they'd captured "5 militants," you knew it had flopped big time. Israel wouldn't launch an operation like that for 5 anonymous militants.

[Laotra]

10. That makes sense

ie. "military intelligence".

But on the other hand, if it is true that that the IDF commandos suffered no casualties in such a daring and foolhardy operation, that is a big PR for the military prestige of the IDF. Basic assesment of the loosers and winners of the Baalbek operation would seem to be:

Mossad/intelligence -1
IDF (special forces) +1
Hizbollah militia -1
Lebanese resistance +/-0

[bemildred]

12. Agreed. If they really got out of there with no casualties,

that was a big win for their tactical competence, and doesn't say much for the defenders. In defense of the defenders, from what I can glean, they had AKs and RPGs, not the good stuff, so I expect it was the second team, and they were taken somewhat by surprise. That is not odd, considering the large contingent sent to do the job, and the apparent low relevance of the target. But your point seems valid regardless.

[TahitiNut]

16. I doubt the "defenders" were armed more than the typical ME police.

:shrug:

I remember the "terrorism" in the streets of Hungary in the 50s - and the "daring" of the Soviet military. :puke:

[bemildred]

18. Molotov cocktails and 14-year old kids against tanks.

I remember too.

[TahitiNut]

27. "Terrorists" 50 Years ago ...

[w4rma]

14. Idiot right-wingers who are incapable of understanding research. (nt)

[bemildred]

15. Nasrallah is a bad name to have in Lebanon, youngster finds

(Reuters) 3 August 2006

BEIRUT - Nasrallah is a bad surname to have in Lebanon, as Israel tries to break the militant group Hezbollah.

Fourteen-year-old Mohammed Hassan Nasrallah found out the hard way when Israeli airborne commandos seized his father and four other men in eastern Lebanon, even though they are unrelated to Hassan Nasrallah, the firebrand head of the Shiite Muslim movement.

Mohammed was asleep, together with his father, mother, brothers and sisters, when Israeli elite troops broke into his home on August 2, breaking the doors and shattering the windows of their home in Hay al-Osseira near the eastern city of Baalbek.

“They started shouting, they took us out one after the other and tied our hands behind our backs,” he told an AFP correspondent in the Bekaa Valley.

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2006/August/middleeast_August83.xml§ion=middleeast&col=

[The Magistrate]

17. Reality Again Outpaces Satire, Sir

"You just can't make stuff like this up."

[bemildred]

20. Indeed.

I am hesitant to "believe" anything at this point, but it just gets odder and odder. Our friend the Angry Arab is being quite sardonic, and Olmert looks a bit unhinged. With any luck, this will not go on much longer, and military solutions will be thoroughly discredited.

[The Magistrate]

24. My Guess, Sir

And you may freely laugh or commiserate as you choose should events show it foolish, is about two weeks more of ground combat mostly in the south, with perhaps some similar insertion raids such as this elsewhere. Nothing else can provide Mr. Olmert the necessary face for standing down. The infantry fighting in the hills will tend to favor the Israelis, and provide grounds to claim serious damage ro Hezbollah fighters. Though the figures Israel provided will doubtless be exaggerated, the Hezzbollah losses will be substantial, and probably amount to some real damage to its combat elements. It is in the nature of irregular organizations that real battle, as opposed to mere ambush, takes a disproportionate toll of leadership elements and the most ardently committed of the membership, as there is always a greater degree of volunteerism in their discipline, and hence these are the bulk of what stands and fights and dies.

[bemildred]

28. A reasonable guess, Sir.

Let's see how it goes.
Time makes fools of us all, sooner or later.

[The Magistrate]

29. Being A Disciple Of Mr. Bera, Sir, As You Know

My ventures into public prognostication are few and far between....

[Marie26]

26. That's some

crack intelligence, there. :eyes: Is the IDF looking up the name in a phone book?

[bigtree]

19. this speaks volumes about the efficacy of what they are targeting

with their bloody airstrikes which have killed so many civilians without any apparent lessening of the ability of Hizbollah to launch rockets into Israel.

[bemildred]

21. Seems clear the "planning" for this was very naive. nt

[Marie26]

22. That sounds like

it could be true. It seems like the Israelis were tricked into that "daring operation."

[ComerPerro]

25. I am pleased to see the word "kidnapping", lol