ZoneFlood

From the NY Times:

Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki of Iraq on Wednesday forcefully denounced the Israeli attacks on Lebanon, marking a sharp break with President Bush’s position and highlighting the growing power of a Shiite Muslim identity across the Middle East.

“The Israeli attacks and airstrikes are completely destroying Lebanon’s infrastructure,” Mr. Maliki said at an afternoon news conference inside the fortified Green Zone, which houses the American embassy and the seat of the Iraqi government. “I condemn these aggressions and call on the Arab League foreign ministers’ meeting in Cairo to take quick action to stop these aggressions. We call on the world to take quick stands to stop the Israeli aggression.”

From ThinkProgress:

In 1996, Richard Perle, Douglas Feith and David Wurmser (all later senior officials in the Bush administration) had a plan for how to destroy Hezbollah: Invade Iraq. They wrote a report to the newly elected Likud government in Israel calling for “a clean break” with the policies of negotiating with the Palestinians and trading land for peace.

The problem could be solved “if Israel seized the strategic initiative along it northern borders by engaging Hizballah (sic), Syria, and Iran, as the principal agents of aggression in Lebanon.” The key, they said, was to “focus on removing Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq — an important Israeli strategic objective in its own right — as a means of foiling Syria’s regional ambitions.” They called for “reestablishing the principle of preemption.” They promised that the successes of these wars could be used to launch campaigns against Iran, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, reshaping “the strategic balance in the Middle East profoundly.”

Bush: Yo Blair How are you doing?
Blair: I’m just…
Bush: You’re leaving?
Blair: No, no, no not yet. On this trade thingy…[inaudible]
Bush: yeah I told that to the man
Blair: Are you planning to say that here or not?
Bush: If you want me to
Blair: Well, it’s just that if the discussion arises…
Bush: I just want some movement.
Blair: Yeah
Bush: Yesterday we didn’t see much movement
Read the rest of this entry »

From the AP:

An Israeli airstrike in Lebanon on Monday destroyed at least one long- range Iranian missile capable of hitting Tel Aviv, military officials said.

Israeli aircraft targeted a truck carrying the weapons before they could be launched, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of military regulations. The force of the blast sent at least one missile flying into the air, but it fell nearby.

From NewsDay:

The last time Hezbollah abducted Israeli soldiers, the Shia militant group was richly rewarded.

Since forcing Israel to withdraw from a self-declared “security zone” in southern Lebanon in May 2000, Hezbollah has made freeing Lebanese prisoners held by Israel one of its main goals. In October 2000, Hezbollah guerrillas ambushed an Israeli patrol near the border, severely wounding three soldiers in an attempt to capture them. The three soon died, but Hezbollah kept the bodies.

Through the German government, Hezbollah and Israel held three years of torturous negotiations. In January 2004, Israel freed 425 Arab prisoners, including two Lebanese guerrilla leaders, in exchange for the soldiers’ bodies and an Israeli businessman kidnapped by Hezbollah.

At a mass rally staged by Hezbollah to welcome the freed prisoners, the group’s leader warned it would abduct more Israeli soldiers to secure the release of the last three Lebanese detainees being held by Israel.

Turning to a poster of Hezbollah’s ambush of the three soldiers, Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah declared: “This is a choice.” Saying Hezbollah fighters were heavy-handed in fatally wounding the soldiers, he added, “I pledge to you that, next time, they will bring them alive.”

On Wednesday, after Hezbollah had kidnapped two Israeli soldiers in a daring cross-border raid, a smiling Nasrallah dubbed the latest abductions “Operation Truthful Promise.”

From the New York Times:

They came into office waving Lebanon’s flag, victorious over Syria, promising to usher a new age for Lebanon. But as the government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora faced the country’s most significant crisis in a decade, its officials disappeared from public view.

As the country faced the third day of Israeli bombardment Friday, the cabinet remained behind closed doors, reportedly brainstorming ideas for a solution. Officials and ministers who normally sought out the press suddenly switched off their cellphones or had assistants screening calls. There were no visits to bombed out buildings, no photo opportunities at the hospital with the injured, and no fiery speeches in defense of the country.

What the government did was call on the international community for help.

From Yahoo! Asia:

The Vatican on Friday strongly deplored Israel’s strikes on Lebanon, saying they were “an attack” on a sovereign and free nation.

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo Sodano said Pope Benedict and his aides were very worried that the developments in the Middle East risked degenerating into “a conflict with international repercussions.”

“In particular, the Holy See deplores right now the attack on Lebanon, a free and sovereign nation, and assures its closeness to these people who already have suffered so much to defend their independence,” he told Vatican Radio.

From the New York Times:

Israel today held to three conditions it set for any ceasefire: the release of the two Israeli soldiers seized by Hezbollah in the cross-border raid on Wednesday that touched off the current fighting; a halt to rocket fire by Hezbollah; and a decision by the Lebanese government to implement a United Nations resolution calling for the disarmament of Hezbollah.

In New York, Nouhad Mahmoud, Lebanon’s ambassador to the United Nations, told the Security Council that Israel’s actions “were undermining the sovereignty’’ of his country.

Israel extended punishing airstrikes deeper inside Lebanon today, as President Bush rebuffed a Lebanese request that he push Israel for a cease-fire.

From AM:

Syria is again of course being identified as the one country that could defuse the situation on Israel’s Northern border.

That’s because it’s considered to have considerable sway over Hezbollah, the armed group which has been attacking Israeli forces and towns.

US President George W. Bush says Syria has to be held accountable for its support, but Damascus denies it has any real influence.

From the Khaleej Times:

a significant move, Saudi Arabia, the Arab world’s political heavyweight and economic powerhouse, accused Hezbollah guerrillas - without naming them - of “uncalculated adventures” that could precipitate a new Middle East crisis.

A Saudi official quoted by the state Saudi Press Agency said the Lebanese Hezbollah’s brazen capture of two Israeli soldiers was not legitimate.

The kingdom “clearly announces that there has to be a differentiation between legitimate resistance (to Israel) and uncalculated adventures.”

Israel has intensified its attacks on Lebanon, striking bridges, airports and the main highway leading to Syria to put pressure on the government and force Hezbollah to free the two Israeli soldiers it captured Wednesday.