Syria Warns It Willl Invade Lebanon If Israeli Troops Approach Damascus

[Nbadan]

"If Israel invades Lebanon over ground and comes near to us, Syria will not sit tight. She will join the conflict," he told newspaper ABC.

- Syrian minister


MADRID, July 23 (Reuters) - Syria will enter the Israeli-Hizbollah conflict if Israeli ground troops enter Lebanon and approach Syria, Syrian Information Minister Mohsen Bilal said in an interview published on Sunday.

"If Israel invades Lebanon over ground and comes near to us, Syria will not sit tight. She will join the conflict," he told newspaper ABC.

Alertnet (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L23898146.htm)

Remember when the U.S. and the U.N. used to be the big brother that kept these sides from all out war? What happened? The WH has been dragging iit's feet, Condoleeza Rice is just getting to the M.E. and she is not meeting with Hezbollah reps because we don't negotiate with terraists!

Yeah, that'll work!

:rolleyes

[Cant_Be_Faded]

World war Three: Be all that you can be.

[MannyIsGod]

Whats the administration going to do? If they tell Israel to stop now, then nothing gets done. I'm not sure Israel would listen anyhow considering how little capital this white house has anywhere at this point.

No, right now the WH is trying to play up their importance by not sending Condi because there's no real reason to send her and they'd risk losing face if they send her and don't get shit done. Political no brainer.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

What's your solution Dan? Ceasefire and then let Hezbollah regroup and attack Israel again?

Haven't you noticed that everyone in the Mideast is quiet about this? Hezbollah is Iran's pit bull, and no Arab governments are complaining that Israel is kicking the shit out of the dog.

The sad thing for Israel is they will do all the dirty work and then after it's all done, you'll see other Arab governments come out and tell their people what mean people the Israelis are for doing that all to the Sunnis.

[boutons_]

"What happened?"

A lot of players (US, UN, Egypt, Jordan, SA, etc) want Iran's influence, via proxy Syria, diminished so that Hamas and Hezbollah are neutralized as destabilizers. Many other ME countries see Iran's goal as regime change in all ME countries not allied with Iran, so that Iran will be basically running the entire ME.

Hamas and Hezbollah neuttralized, ME stability increases, and Iran is countered.

With Hamas continuing to run Gaza for the sole purpose of attacking Israel, with Hezbollah continuing as a militarized mini-state in S. Lebanon to attack Israel, the Israelis will continue to counter-attack.

Extremely tough shit for non-Hezbollah Lebanon, but if the Israelis have to choose between tough shit for Israel being threated by Hamas and Hezbollah or tough shit for weak 3rd party by-standers like the Lebanese, the Israelis will choose, have chosen, tough shit for the Lebanese.

[exstatic]

Syria must be aching to get their asses kicked...again. This has to be bluster, because you just do NOT fight a conventional war against Israel. They have repeatedly shown the ability to take on one or more Islamic nations and hand them their asses three ways to Sunday.

[NuGGeTs-FaN]

VIVA LOS ISRAEL! :smokin

[RealEstateDude]

just do it already, talk is cheap...

[MannyIsGod]

I woudlnt say the mideast is quiet about things. Everyone in the region is pretty pissed - and pretty rightfully so - at what is happening to the Lebanese. But Israel started this shit already, and stopping is much worse than finishing the job.

[MannyIsGod]

Yeah, except that if smashing terrorist groups/insurgencies were easy then guerrilla warfare would never be used. But sure, destorying them is a smart objective and a clear one. Whether or not it is attainable is another question.

[Phenomanul]

If not mentioned already.... let's not forget the 'Wild Card' of this non-surprising predicament...

SYRIA is the custodian of the WMDs that were pulled out of Iraq.

[Nbadan]

SYRIA is the custodian of the WMDs that were pulled out of Iraq.

Oh, oh, here we go again.

:lol

[MannyIsGod]

I think Criss Angel is working for Sadaam and hid them in his bum.

Well, if people can't simply admit the government fucked up with the WMD situation at least the history books will. Damn.

[MannyIsGod]

BTW, Syria had WoMD long before we invaded Iraq. Just an FYI.

[Nbadan]

What's your solution Dan? Ceasefire and then let Hezbollah regroup and attack Israel again?

Haven't you noticed that everyone in the Mideast is quiet about this? Hezbollah is Iran's pit bull, and no Arab governments are complaining that Israel is kicking the shit out of the dog.

The sad thing for Israel is they will do all the dirty work and then after it's all done, you'll see other Arab governments come out and tell their people what mean people the Israelis are for doing that all to the Sunnis.

I've already posted that I think the Israelis should be working with Abbass and strengthening the Lebanese self-defense forces to help control militant groups like Hezbollah before they attack Israel. Instead, the Lebanese are threatening to join Hezbollah if Israeli launches and all-out ground war and occupation.

Not everyone is quite about this. Remember that many Lebanese, as well as Hezbollah, are Shiite, many are Catholic and Jewish too, but that's another story. Well guess were else there is a large majority of Shiites? That's right - Iraq. Kingdoms like Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Jordan that have decided to 'keep quiet", as you put it, don't have a large population of Shiite to appease.

[Nbadan]

BTW, Syria had WoMD long before we invaded Iraq. Just an FYI.

Not to mention that WMDs also have very short life-spans, and are a biohazard to dispose of and even move around. Plus, what if the US didn't invade Iraq? Saddam just gave his stockpile of WMDs to the Syrians!! Some people really need to think things more logically.

[MannyIsGod]

I don't understand where people are getting that the Arab govenrments are being quiet about this, because that is not the case.

[Nbadan]

Speaking of misconceptions, this story is even more appalling:

"US adults believe that the following are true about the war in Iraq:

* Half of all Americans (50%) think that Iraq had WMDs when the US-led coalition invaded Iraq.

* Seventy-two percent (72%) believe that the Iraqis are better off now than they were under Saddam Hussein (slightly down from February 2005 when 76 percent said this was true).

* Just over half (55%) think history will give the US credit for bringing freedom and democracy to Iraq (down substantially from 64% in February 2005).

* Sixty-four percent(64%) say it is true that Saddam Hussein had strong links to Al Qaeda (the same as 64% in February 2005)."

Magic City News (http://magic-city-news.com/article_6360.shtml)

Either a large fraction of the population is stuck with chronic stupidity disorder-- or the Bush Administration's propaganda machine is remarkably effective. Considering that propaganda is just about the only damn thing that Rove and Co. are good at, as they push this country to bankruptcy, it wouldn't surprise me.

[DarkReign]

100% of americans don't give a rats ass what NBAdan thinks.

Dan may be alot of things, but un-educated is not one of them. An educated opinion, no matter how slanted, is at least worth it.

Mindless opinions on the merits of other posters, on the other hand....

[Phenomanul]

Not to mention that WMDs also have very short life-spans, and are a biohazard to dispose of and even move around. Plus, what if the US didn't invade Iraq? Saddam just gave his stockpile of WMDs to the Syrians!! Some people really need to think things more logically.


Does the word 'rogue' register with you??? You should know by now that no military group is free of this problem or is as disciplined as it is made out to be.


BTW some WMDs have 100+ year shelf lives.... do a little more research before making that broad of a statement.

[Phenomanul]

BTW, Syria had WoMD long before we invaded Iraq. Just an FYI.


Why use your own when you can use 'unregistered' varieties you were never meant to own???

[ChumpDumper]

:lol

Which WMDs does Syria have registered and where is the WMD registry?

Dillards?

[Phenomanul]

:lol

Which WMDs does Syria have registered and where is the WMD registry?

Dillards?


As in WMDs our goverment knew existed as remnants of the 1980's version of this same neverending fiasco...

Which is why I placed apostrophes around the word.

[Phenomanul]

BTW who do you think develops these destructive technologies... O_sa_ma and his 10 billion dollar state of the art facilities???

NO.... We do.... The U.S. or N.A.T.O. does.

The varieties are registered... not necesarily each individual weapon.


Oh yeah... Saddam had enough money funneled to his programs to develop 'unregistered' varieties of weapons. Don't kid yourself.

[ChumpDumper]

Link to Syria's known WMDs please. I've never seen any listings for those; I've never looked.

[ChumpDumper]

BTW who do you think develops these destructive technologies... O_sa_ma and his 10 billion dollar state of the art facilities???

NO.... We do.... The U.S. or N.A.T.O. does.

The varieties are registered... not necesarily each individual weapon. So I'm sure you have a link to them.
Oh yeah... Saddam had enough money funneled to his programs to develop 'unregistered' varieties of weapons. Don't kid yourself.It's so great that we now have no idea where any WMDs are at all or who has them. I feel so much safer now. There, I kidded myself.

[Phenomanul]

Link to Syria's known WMDs please. I've never seen any listings for those; I've never looked.


CD I don't work for the government or the CIA. And if I did, do you think I would just give you a link to such a list???

All you have to do is look at all the former housings of the ones found in Iraq.

[Phenomanul]

So I'm sure you have a link to them. It's so great that we now have no idea where any WMDs are at all or who has them. I feel so much safer now. There, I kidded myself.

You are sooooo witty. :rolleyes


Your speculation is as good as mine. At least I won't be surprised if Syria fires some weapon that causes a nuclear retaliation by Israel and the onset of WWIII.

It's not as black and white as what we hope this would be. This conflict never is and never has been.

[MannyIsGod]

:lol

[Phenomanul]

If you need further clarification... THE ABOVE IS ONLY MY OPINION. I never stated it to be interpreted as fact.

[MannyIsGod]

Actually, you're not totally off base. Nuclear material in bombs is traceable to the facility it came from provided there are records for the batches of origional material and that we'd have them on file.

It is plausible batches of chemical weapons carry signature signals that can help them be pinpointed to the place of origion.

However, it doesn't fucking matter. Do you honestly think in the event of a chemical attack on their country, Israel is going to sit there and debate where the shit came from? If radar tracks the missle coming from Syria, they're not going to sit there and wonder about it, they're going to fuck Syria up.

More importantly, the Syrians aren't suicidal. Those kind of weapons are giong to be used in a last ditch effort and probably no other way. Syria isn't going to launch a premptive strike on Israel knowing full well the result would be a rather large parking lot where Damascus stood.

[ChumpDumper]

The Syrians are more likley to use WMDs on the Labanese in their next civil war.

If they have them.

[sabar]

Syria is infamous for being a leader in designing chemical and biological weapons in the middle east, suprised how many people have never heard of it. Syria is only one of five states that are known to have developed VX nerve gas (US/UK/Russia/Syria/someone else) some other nations that used to have it claimed they destroyed it, but who knows. Syria has outdated cold war technology in their tanks but they do have SCUD systems from Iran/NK. Sarin and VX is weaponized and war-head ready in Syria, but I'm betting it would be a last ditch weapon. Syria has hailed their own production of chemical agents, but the last major use was around 1974 where the chemicals were put into arty and tank shells.

Of course it's only assumed they still have the stuff and that their VX gas bragging isn't just a bluff to scare off their neighboring enemies.

Who knows, we will see as this all unfolds.