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Warin

The Middle East part 2

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It seems Abbas is going to have a hard time with Hamas.

Yes.  But support for Hamas has declined considerably since Arafat's death and the killing of their leaders.  One of the reasons that Hamas refused to run a candidate in the recent election is that they were afraid of exposing how little popular support they have.

Before 2000, Hamas was seen as an organisation led by an elderly blind quadraplegic that primarily funneled humanitarian aid to the Palestinian refugees past the corrupt hands of Arafat.  Few nations actually had them listed as terrorists.

All that has changed.  The vast majority of Palestinians supported presidential candidates with either tough or touger positions against Hamas militancy.  Five years ago, any Palestinian leader challenging Hamas might have started a civil war.  That's no longer the case, especially while Abbas is mainly trying to keep militants from shooting Israeli settlers in the back while they are already in the process of leaving the territory.

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It depends on the perspective of the person talking about the group.

that's it

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http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/05/breaking2453413.05625.html

Quote[/b] ]

Israel downed 2 Syrian MiGs

last September over sea

SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM

Friday, February 11, 2005

Diplomatic sources said Israel Air Force F-16 multi-role fighters intercepted and downed two Syrian MiG-29 fighter-jets last year. The sources said the dogfight took place in September 2004 over the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

This was the first engagement between Israeli and Syrian fighter-jets since the 1980s. The sources said the air battle took place when Israel Air Force fighter-jets buzzed the Syrian city of Latakia, a port used by Iran for the shipment of weapons to Hizbullah.

The Washington-based Reform Party of Syria first provided details of the Israeli-Syrian dogfight. RPS said the air battle took place on Sept. 14, 2004, adding that both downed pilots were rescued by Syrian military helicopters, Middle East Newsline reported.

RPS, quoting a European source, said the Israeli fighter-jets used an Israeli-origin Python-4 air-to-air missile to down one of the MiG-29s. The other Syrian MiG-29 was shot down by a U.S.-origin AIM-9M Sidewinder.

The pilots of the MiG-29s were identified by RPS as Maj. Arshad Midhat Mubarak and Capt. Ahmad Al Khatib.

Diplomatic sources said the Syrian losses led President Bashar Assad to accelerate efforts to procure advanced anti-aircraft systems from Russia.

Syria has requested a range of anti-aircraft systems, including the SA-18, TOR-M1, S-300PMU2 and the S-400 systems.

The most likely Russian sale to Damascus is that of the SA-18, the sources said. They said Russia would supply the first SA-18 short-range systems – either directly or through a third country – within several months.

In January, Russia and Syria – overriding objections from Israel and the United States – agreed on the sale of the SA-18 to Damascus. Russian officials said the sale of the SA-18 would not violate any international arms agreement.

"Russia has cooperated with Syria for decades, and my country is convinced that Syria has a strong right to get defensive weapons," Russian ambassador in Tunisia Aleksei Tserub said.

It seems a F-16 (which model they used) can handle a Mig-29 (export)...

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what is the difference between resistance group and terrorists ?

Resistance mainly refers to the circumstances of a conflict - usually an occupation such as with the French resistance during WWII.

Terrorists mainly refers to the methods used in the conflict - usually involving attacks against civilians of the enemy nation.

Sometimes a militant is both a resistance fighter and a terrorist.

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Quote[/b] ]what is the difference between resistance group and terrorists ?

   A resistance group would be something like the French resistance during world war two. They resisted by attacking military infrastructure and such. The French resistance committed acts like assassinations of German officers and  Gestapo officers, sabotaging telephone lines and rail lines, etc etc. Basically the French resistance took on military targets.

   A terrorist group does stuff like killing women and children and other non combatants, though sometimes will go after a military target if it benefits them * foot note

    A resistance fighter usually is fighting an invading army with the over all goal being to liberate his homeland. A terrorist is usually fighting to gain power for himself, his ideology, sect, and/or simply because he gets a high off of causing death and suffering amongst anyone he can inflict it upon.

    A resistance fighter usually comes from all walks of life and fights with honor. The French resistance would never have slaughtered school children to make some sort of point (Beslan). A terrorist is usually just a sociopath or sadist who being born any where else would have been a gang member, burglar, serial killer or rapist but do to local conflict is able to link up with other like minded individuals to commit such wanton acts in the name of "resistance".

     In short a Resistance fighter is fighting to cure an ailment, a terrorist is simply a part of the ailment.

   * Footnote: Note that I said if it “benefits them†. While a resistance group is usually made up of  individuals from various ideologies, (many of which might be at odds with one another) a terrorist group is almost always formed strictly on lines of ideology. Where as the French resistance was made up of communist, capitalist, anarchist, Jews, Muslims, Christians, and Atheist all united with the goal of defeating the invading force,  a terrorist group will be made up exclusively of one ideologist group with the goal tailored to suit them rather than the entire nation. So in closing, a Resistance fighter fights along side his country men no matter their ideology to free his homeland. Terrorist on the other hand are opportunist using a local conflict as a means to place their ideology in control of the nation.

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...

So in closing, a Resistance fighter fights along side his country men no matter their ideology to free his homeland. Terrorist on the other hand are opportunist using a local conflict as a means to place their ideology in control of the nation.

What do you call a resistance fighter who deliberately targets the civilians of an occupying power to free his homeland?

And what do you call an occupying power that claims not to target civilians, but still ends up killing about 3 times more non-combatants, women and children than militants?

rock.gif

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Quote[/b] ]What do you call a resistance fighter who deliberately targets the civilians of an occupying power to free his homeland

   I'll refer to what I said earlier...

"The French resistance committed acts like assassinations of German officers and  Gestapo officers, sabotaging telephone lines and rail lines, etc etc. Basically the French resistance took on military targets."

    So basically the example you gave would be a terrorist as a civilian aid worker for example does not equate to a military target.

Quote[/b] ]And what do you call an occupying power that claims not to target civilians, but still ends up killing about 3 times more non-combatants, women and children than militants?

   The point is that the coalition forces are not intentionally targeting civilians. Lots of civilians have died true, however collateral damage is a sad part of war. There is a painfully obvious difference from collateral damage and the intentional kidnapping and murder of civilians though.  

Quote[/b] ]but still ends up killing about 3 times more non-combatants, women and children than militants?

 

  I said I will not deny that innocent lives have been lost due to coalition fire. That said these numbers such as "3 times more" that you say are very shady in my opinion. I've read lots of instances where civilians caught  in mortar attacks by insurgents have been recorded as being killed by the coalition. Even those killed by suicide bombers are recorded as deaths caused by the coalition. The worst I've read even has been cases where people who have died for any reason such as old age or cancer are tallied into the death toll. I'm sorry but coalition forces cannot be held at fault for every single death that happens in Iraq.

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What of the German collaborators the French resistance targeted and killed?

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Whats a reisistance fighter who bombs a bar frequented by occupying troops?

Terrorist is essentially a classification by a state against by a group, what about resistance fighters who target troops/civilians in the occupying nation?

By grouping all members of a resistance movement together your ignoring the favt that they may actually fight with each other while fighting the occupying power or or as soon as the occupier leaves  Yugoslavia and China are 2 good examples. Groups that fight for a sepretist nation can see themselves as resistance against occupiers and the state can regard them as terrorists.

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   The point is that the coalition forces are not intentionally targeting civilians. Lots of civilians have died true, however collateral damage is a sad part of war.

I wasn't actually thinking about Iraq, but since you've brought it up...

Why doesn't the US military demolish the family homes of suicide bombers in Iraq the way the Israeli military does in the Palestinian territories?

rock.gif

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Quote[/b] ]

Beirut blast kills former Lebanese PM Hariri

By Bassem Mroue and Joseph Panossian, AP

14 February 2005

The former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was killed today when a massive bomb explosion tore through his motorcade on Beirut's famed seafront corniche.

"He's dead," said Tourism Minister Farid Khazen as he left the scene of the explosion. The explosion killed at least nine other people, including several of his bodyguards.

At least 20 cars were set on fire in a blast that devastated the front of the famous St George Hotel, blowing off balconies.

Explosions in Beirut - while common during the 1975-90 civil war - have become rare since the conflict ended.

However, in October, amid rising tensions between the government and opposition groups, a car bomb seriously injured an opposition politician and killed his driver in Beirut.

Hariri was a self-made billionaire who led Lebanon for 10 of the years since the end of the 1975-1990 civil war. Since he resigned in October, he has been considered in the opposition. He has been in a rivalry with pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud for years.

Witnesses at the scene confirmed that Hariri's motorcade had just passed the area shortly before the bomb went off.

TV footage showed dramatic scenes of one burning man struggling to get out of a car window, then falling on the ground. He was helped by a bystander who used his jacket to put out the flames, but it was not clear if he survived.

a new civil war anyone ?

The situation is very different than before, you can’t just say a new civil war is happening or going to happen because of car crash or a successful assassination!

The main reasons for the first civil war in Lebanon been terminated or elevated! But there are some other reasons like sharing power between movement’s families religions etc. tounge_o.gif

Nah! Syria and Hizbalah squelching the opposition?

Who's gonna fight them? So many Lebanese Christians have fled the country over the last 20 years.

Syria always involved nearly in everything in Lebanon militarily or politically or even for religious reasons like Hezbollah, the Syrian regime and hezbollah are a part of Shi'a Moslems, Hezbollah always been the striking hand against any movements or people or even near by countries that Syria dislike or having issues with, hezbollah have some loyalty to Iran too, Iran is carrying most of the responsibility for arming training and supporting hezbollah as political party or a little army, very well trained, very well armed, and nicely funded !

The Lebanese army going to have serious problems when trying to deal with such group!

The Lebanese army having the same problems as the system when it comes to sharing power ranks and the working grounds!

That comes after a few months after Syria pulled some troops from Lebanon, but I think most of there intelligence cells are currently active there!

Many countries or organizations could be involved in al Hariri assassination!

I think someone trying to drag either Syria to secure tactical positions like Lebanon or Iran to defend Syria or hezbollah during that and making too fast uncounted actions in process so other countries can get involved too, and complete another phase in some strategic, universal, and economic policy! rock.gif

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Quote[/b] ] Israeli radicals may be detained

Ariel Sharon

Polls show that most Israelis support Mr Sharon's plan

Israel is considering new security measures amid increasing threats from right-wing Israelis opposed to the planned pullout from the Gaza Strip.

Internal Security Minister Gideon Ezra has called for the arrest of those threatening Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and ministers who support his plan.

Several cabinet members revealed over the weekend that they are facing threats to their lives.

Right-wing Israelis are strongly opposed to the disengagement plan.

Mr Sharon on Sunday ordered his security services to plan for "reining in" extremists, Reuters news agency reports.

Mr Sharon's is planning to pull out the 8,000 Jewish settlers from Gaza and the troops that protect them by the end of the year. Israel will maintain control of Gaza's borders, coastline and airspace.

Four West Bank settlements are also to be evacuated.

Polls show that most Israelis back the Gaza disengagement plan, but settler groups have mounted a campaign of protests against it.

Weekend threats

Several Israeli ministers - including Transport Minister Meir Sheetrit and Infrastructure Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer - said over the weekend they had received death threats.

Mr Sheetrit received letters saying his wife and children would be killed if he continued to support the plan.

"You will attend the funeral of your children. We will murder your wife and you," said an excerpt of one letter published in the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.

The Jerusalem Post reported on Monday that as many as 84 senior officials have been put under protection amid concern for their lives.

Administrative detention

Settlers demonstrating against Sharon's disengagement plan

Many Jewish settlers accuse Mr Sharon of betraying them

"The situation we find ourselves in now, in which we invest lots of resources and time in investigating, is not working," Mr Ezra told the Jerusalem Post on Sunday, arguing that it was time to do more.

"People [against] whom we have material - which is classified and cannot be brought to court - should be placed in administrative detention."

Administrative detention orders which allow for suspects to be kept in custody without trial have mostly been used for Palestinian militants so far, reports AFP.

Prominent Israeli figures and intellectuals have expressed concern over the threats.

"Wake up before it is too late," Dalia Rabin, the daughter of assassinated Israeli Prime Minster Yitzhak Rabin, wrote in the Yedioth Ahronoth daily.

"If we don't do enough now to stop the deterioration we will once again witness the horrible spectacle of the murder of another prime minister."

Rabin was killed in 1995 by an ultranationalist Jew opposed to his peace moves with the Palestinians.

Observers expect the pressure to rise further ahead of upcoming key votes, including a cabinet vote in March on the disengagement plan.

BBC

EDIT: fixed the quote tags

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Quote[/b] ]Government hypes "threats" to Sharon and ministers to justify crackdown

By Israel Insider staff and partners February 13, 2005

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Sunday instructed Israel's law enforcement agencies to "rein in the violent rampage" of Jewish extremists who oppose his plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip.

So far the "violent rampage" has consisted of heckling, graffiti, and a tire whose air had been let out -- it turns out that it had not been slashed as initially reported.

Several Cabinet ministers have been threatened or harrassed in recent days, as a result of the charged political climate caused by Sharon's plan to expel Jews from their homes in Gaza and Samaria, destroy some 25 communities, and hand over territory to terrorists this summer.

Left wing politicians and pundits are trumpeting the claim that attempts to assassinate Sharon are increasingly likely as the withdrawal nears and opponents of the plan become desperate. One pundit went so far as to speculate, without supporting evidence that there is a possibility that a Jewish suicide bomber would blow himself up to break through Sharon's tight cordon of bodyguards.

"The question now is not whether there will be an attempt to assassinate the prime minister, but rather how," military commentator Alex Fishman wrote in the Yediot Ahronot daily.

Raanan Gissin, an adviser to Sharon, said Israel will show "zero tolerance" for Jewish extremists who threaten ministers and lawmakers who support the withdrawal.

At Sunday's Cabinet meeting, Sharon instructed law enforcement agencies to report back to the ministers as soon as possible with steps that can be taken to "rein in the violent rampage," a statement said. Hecalled for "practical steps" to counter the phenomenon.

Commentators referred to events in 1995 prior to the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, ignoring the role of government provocateurs in the employ of the "Jewish Section" of the internal Shin Bet security service, which was responsible for many of the violent events and propaganda.

Extremists, or Shin Bet agents wishing to implicate them, have put up posters across the country with implicit death threats to Sharon. The posters say that Sharon's late wife, Lily, and Rabin, are "waiting for Sharon."

Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a tire slashed and was yelled at during a wedding he attended last week. Education Minister Limor Livnat was whisked away from an event where she was heckled by critics of the government's expulsion plan. Videotape from the event shows that her bodyguards initiated physical contact by shoving protesters, which the media described as an "attack" by the demonstrators.

Yediot reported Sunday that Cabinet minister Meir Shetreet received three letters containing death threats against his children. It is unclear who sent the letters, or whether these were Shin Bet provocations as well.

Cabinet minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer presented to the ministers Sunday a threatening letter he recently received. The letter cited his Iraqi origin:

Ben-Eliezer, who was born in Iraq, presented to the cabinet with a letter that insulted him: "Arab blood is flowing through your veins, and for this you must leave Israel and return to Iraq to defend Saddam Hussein. You are contemptible. You are a miserable Iraqi with Arab-Nazi blood flowing through your veins."

He launched into a hysterical attack on unknown assailants allegedly plotting against Sharon: "I am telling you: They will try to kill the prime minister. It starts with attacking soldiers. We are a country of law and we must examine this matter thoroughly," Ben-Eliezer said. He did not indicate who he meant by "they."

Ben-Eliezer told Israel Radio that the letter was "clearly" written by someone who knew him and his family. The letter was signed and he had turned it over to security forces for investigation. It is unclear why someone would write a threatening letter and sign or if in fact there was an explicit threat in the letter.

According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Sharon was outraged.

"This is an extremely serious situation. It's not an option that such letters are sent and nothing is done about it. I am shocked by this savagery. We need to take practical steps.... We need to take practical steps," Sharon was quoted as saying in the meeting." He did not indicate which "practical steps" he intended.

Sharon said that words could not describe the "vulgarity and the wildness" in the letters which he described as "horrible."

Israeli Justice Minister Tzipi Livni said the "threats" against Israel's leaders were becoming more worrisome. "All of us who support the 'disengagement' [the official euphemism from the government's retreat and expulsion program] have been exposed these past few months ... to some degree of revolting behavior," she told Israel Army Radio.

It is not clear whether "revolting behavior" is considered a crime under Israeli law.

Police commanders also met Sunday to discuss the growing threat, said police spokesman Gil Kleiman.

Justice Ministry spokesman Yaakov Galanti said Attorney General Meni Mazuz wants laws regarding incitement, threats and violence against elected officials to be "enforced without compromise."

Gissin said the prime minister will also meet security officials in the coming days to discuss the situation, and clarify that tactics of "terrorism and fear" are unacceptable.

The AP contributed to this report.

Quote[/b] ]Amnon Abromovitz Reveals Netanyahu Incident Staged for Press

15:32 Feb 14, '05 / 5 Adar 5765

(IsraelNN.com) Journalist Amnon Abromovitz, who in 1995 exposed Avishai Raviv as an agent code-named "Champagne" of the Israel General Security Services, revealed last night on Israel Television Channel Two News that the headline-making incident this past Thursday and Friday in which Minister Netanyahu was "attacked" was staged for the media.

Abromovitz reported that the entire incident involved two youngsters who yelled at Netanyahu "you are a bunny (softy or pushover), Jewish blood isn't valueless" at the behest of the reporter.

After the performance the reporter sent them an SMS message which read:

"great job."

In 1995, Raviv's primary function was as an agent provocateur to provide incidents that would defame Oslo process opponents.

Many of the favorite anti-Oslo opponent film footage still shown to this day, including the Rabin in SS uniform photo-montage, was produced thanks to the work of this GSS agent. (Dr. Aaron Lerner - Director IMRA/ Independent Media Review & Analysis)

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Quote[/b] ]BEIRUT, Lebanon (CNN) -- The search was on

Tuesday for the bombers who killed Lebanon's former Prime

Minister Rafik Hariri and 16 others.

Police have questioned four people and are searching for a

man who claimed responsibility for the attack, which wounded

a further 137 people.

Investigators sifting the site for clues say they still do not

know how the massive bomb -- which ripped through Beirut's

seafront boulevard leaving rubble, burning vehicles, twisted

metal and glass strewn for blocks -- was set.

Lebanon's interior minister Suleiman Franjieh told Reuters that

he believed the attack could have been a suicide bombing by

an assailant in a moving car.

There was no official confirmation of this. Investigators said

they did not yet know if the explosives were packed into a

vehicle or underground, if they were delivered by a suicide

bomber or some other method.

Prior to the blast, construction work was taking place at the

site of the explosion.

Franjieh told Reuters that the bomb crater was in the middle

of the road, indicating the source of the blast was not a car

parked at the roadside.

According to Rashid Mezher, the lead judge in the

investigation, the bomb contained between 550 and 650

pounds (250 to 300 kg) of explosives. It left a 20-foot wide

crater eight feet deep in the boulevard in front of the once

grand St. George hotel, which was still under renovation after

the 1975-90 civil war.

The Lebanese army was on full alert Tuesday at the start of

three days of mourning over the death of Hariri. Schools,

shops, private and public institutions were closed for the day.

Hariri's supporters in the Lebanese opposition said they held

Syria and the pro-Damascus Lebanese government

responsible for his murder.

The Lebanese government and Syria both denied any role in

the death of Hariri, a businessman who helped rebuild his

country after it had been racked by years of civil war.

Following the blast, Lebanese opposition leaders met at

Hariri's apartment and publicly accused the pro-Syrian

government and Damascus of responsibility, saying they failed

to provide adequate security.

Speaking on behalf of the opposition, Bassem al-Sabaa,

a member of parliament in the Hariri bloc, called for "the

resignation of the present Lebanese government" and for

the "Syrian troops to withdraw from Lebanon before the May

parliamentary elections."

The statement stopped just short of directly blaming Syria

and the Lebanese government for Hariri's death.

But Druze opposition politician and former economy minister

Marwan Hamada put the blame directly on Damascus. "Syria

is behind the assassination," he said.

The bombing occurred against a backdrop of increasing

political tension ahead of parliamentary elections set for May.

Lebanon's pro-Syrian government, which counts on its

neighbor for security, has come under fire from a growing anti-

yrian opposition that says Lebanon can take care of its own

security.

Lebanese Information Minister Elie Ferzli rejected claims the

government or Syria was behind the killing. "We consider

these accusations irresponsible," he told CNN.

"We consider that the assassination of President Hariri is

against stability. And we consider that stability is our

concern. So, this action is against us," he said. "We are going

to miss President Hariri."

'Just punishment'

Authorities were searching for a man who claimed

responsibility for the attack in a statement aired on Arab-

anguage television network Al-Jazeera Monday.

Identifying himself as Ahmad Abu Adas, the man read a

statement claiming responsibility on behalf of a previously

unknown group called Victory and Jihad. He said the bombing

was a "just punishment" for Hariri's close ties to the Saudi

government.

Rashid Mezher, the head judge in the investigation, said Adas

is believed to be Lebanese. Authorities have searched his

home, but he was not there. Of the four people questioned

by authorities, all are associates of his and all but one have

been released.

In the hours immediately following the bombing, officials

suggested they had a suspect in custody.

In Syria, government spokesman Buthaina Shaaban said

Syrian-Lebanese relations had "nothing to do with what

happened today."

"We want a full investigation to show who is behind this

assassination," Shaaban said.

The bombing conjured up images from more than a decade

ago, when car bombs were used by militias as a weapon of

choice to plunge Lebanon into chaos.

"I haven't seen anything on this scale in Beirut since the dark

days of the civil war," said CNN's Brent Sadler. (On the scene)

Resignation

Hariri, 60, served as prime minister from 1992-98 and again

from 2000 until his resignation in October after parliament

amended the Lebanese constitution to extend pro-Syrian

President Emile Lahoud's term for three years. (Hariri profile)

Lahoud was to leave office in November. Hariri, the Maronite

church, the Christian Qornet Shahwan bloc and Druze leader

Walid Jumblat opposed the extension of Lahoud's term, but

Syria supported it.

A U.N. source told CNN that in recent days "strong messages"

were sent to the Syrian government regarding Hariri's security.

French President Jacques Chirac issued a statement calling

for "an international investigation ... without delay to

determine the circumstances and responsibilities of this

tragedy and to bring those responsible to justice."

White House spokesman Scott McClellan condemned the

attack and described Hariri as a man who worked "tirelessly

to rebuild a free, independent and prosperous Lebanon

following its civil war and foreign occupation."

CNN news

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http://news.yahoo.com/news?tm...._usa_dc

Quote[/b] ]

U.S. Ambassador in Syria Called Home for Consultation

18 minutes ago Politics - Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush (news - web sites) plans to call home the U.S. ambassador in Syria, Margaret Scobey, for consultations following the killing of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri in Beirut, U.S. officials said on Tuesday.

The move was a further sign of U.S. displeasure over Syria's military presence in Lebanon, which the White House cited on Monday in condemning the assassination of Hariri.

The White House said it was consulting with the U.N. Security Council about taking punitive measures against those responsible for the killing in Beirut.

"We are constantly reviewing all our diplomatic options across the board, including further sanctions under the Syria Accountability Act," a senior administration official said.

Last week the State Department called in Syria's ambassador and warned him Damascus must stop insurgents from crossing into Iraq (news - web sites) and end support for Palestinian militants or risk fresh U.S. sanctions.

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After looking around a bit I'll add this news item here (doesn't fit into neither the Ikea thread nor the Iraq thread):

Huge explosion near Dailam (Iran). That's where the iranian nuclear installations are. Eye witnesses described an unidentified aircraft firing a rocket.

Spiegel Online (german only)

Quote[/b] ]Gewaltige Explosion nahe Dailam

In der Nähe der iranischen Stadt Dailam hat es nach Berichten des iranischen Fernsehens eine gewaltige Explosion gegeben. Nach Augenzeugenberichten soll es sich um einen Raketenbeschuss handeln.

Die Provinz Dailam liegt in der iranischen Wüste. Nach Angaben des staatlichen TV befinden sich dort die iranischen Nuklearanlagen. Im iranischen Fernsehen hieß es: "Augenzeugen sagten, dass die Rakete von einem unbekannten Flugzeug 20 Kilometer außerhalb der Stadt abgefeuert wurde."

Der Öl-Preis stieg Händlern zufolge in Reaktion auf die Nachricht. Der Dollar gab auf ein Tagestief zum Euro und dem Schweizer Franken nach.

Im Konflikt um das iranische Atomprogramm haben die USA ihren Druck auf den Iran in jüngster Zeit erhöht.

English coverage:

bbc online

Quote[/b] ]'Large blast' in southern Iran

_40835131_iran_daylam_map203.gif

An unexplained large explosion has been heard in the southern province of Bushehr, according to a report on Iranian state TV.

There is confusion over the cause of the blast, which is said to have occurred near the port town of Daylam on the Gulf coast.

One report quoted witnesses as saying they saw a missile fired by a plane.

Another said it may have been caused by a fuel tank dropping from an Iranian plane in the region.

There were also reports of anti-aircraft fire and the sound of fighter sircraft in the region.

Russian workers at the Bushehr nuclear plant have reportedly said they have no knowledge of an explosion.

A spokesman for Iran's interior ministry said he could not confirm the reports that there had been an explosion in the area, nor confirm anti-aircraft fire.

"We cannot confirm the reports at this point. We are checking," he said.

Edit2: bbc text got updated. My personal guess is that it was simply the iranians shooting down a spy drone.

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Quote[/b] ]http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm....st - TV

DUBAI (Reuters) - A fuel tank falling from an Iranian plane could have caused an explosion in Iran's Bushehr province, where the country is building a nuclear power plant, Iran state television said on Wednesday.

"A local source said the explosion could have been the result of the falling of an empty fuel tank from an Iranian plane," Al-Alam said.

The Arabic-language channel also quoted other witnesses as saying that an unknown aircraft fired a missile on Wednesday in a deserted area near the southern city of Dailam, which is in Bushehr province.

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I didn't do it! I've been good! crazy_o.gif

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news....op.html

Quote[/b] ]

'America would back Israel attack on Iran'

By Francis Harris in Washington

(Filed: 18/02/2005)

President George W Bush added a new twist to the international tension over Iran's nuclear programme last night by pledging to support Israel if it tries to destroy the Islamic regime's capacity to make an atomic bomb.

Asked whether he would back Israel if it raided Teheran's nuclear facilities, Mr Bush first expressed cautious solidarity with European efforts, led by Britain, France and Germany, to negotiate with Iran.

But he quickly qualified himself, adding that all nations should be concerned about whether Iran could make nuclear weapons.

"Clearly, if I was the leader of Israel and I'd listened to some of the statements by the Iranian ayatollahs that regarded the security of my country, I'd be concerned about Iran having a nuclear weapon as well. And in that Israel is our ally, and in that we've made a very strong commitment to support Israel, we will support Israel if her security is threatened."

His comments appeared to be a departure from the administration's line that there are no plans to attack at present and that Washington backs European diplomatic efforts. The remarks may have reflected Mr Bush's personal thinking on an issue causing deep concern in Washington.

Moments later, Mr Bush was asked another question on Iran and appeared to return to his script - this time emphasising the need for a diplomatic effort.

Speaking days before he arrives in Europe on a tour designed to mend fences with estranged allies, he underscored the differences still hobbling western policy towards the Middle East.

Many figures close to the United States administration believe that the European diplomatic initiative is calculated more to dilute America's hardline approach to weapons of mass destruction than to stop Iran's mullahs building a bomb.

Israel, meanwhile, has given warning about Iran's nuclear ambitions, saying that an Iranian bomb might be only six months away and that such a weapon would pose a grave risk to its security. Mr Bush repeated the reasons for America's anxiety: "Remember, this all started when we found [iran] enriching uranium in an undeclared fashion, and it happened because somebody told on them."

Iran's long march towards becoming a nuclear power appeared to make a significant step forward yesterday with the opening of a Å450 million reactor at Bushehr.

A senior Russian nuclear official said he would go to Iran next week to sign a protocol agreeing the return of spent nuclear fuel, the last remaining obstacle to Bushehr's functioning. This will allow deliveries of Russian nuclear fuel.

The protocol's signing has been repeatedly delayed. It aims to ease concerns that Iran could reprocess spent nuclear fuel from Bushehr to extract plutonium, which could be used in nuclear weapons.

Iran's influential former president, Hashemi Rafsanjani, speaking yesterday after meeting the Syrian prime minister, Mohammad Naji al-Otari, said his country needed to create a powerful alliance with Syria, Iraq and other Arab countries.

Mr Rafsanjani, widely expected to run in Iran's June presidential elections, said the region must "stay completely vigilant vis-a-vis the US and Israeli plots".

America has this week stepped up its rhetoric against Syria following Monday's murder of the former Lebanese premier, Rafik al-Hariri. Pro-Syrian elements have been widely accused of involvement.

Mr Bush called on Syria yesterday to obey a UN resolution demanding that it remove its troops from Lebanon and restore the country's independence.

He said: "We've recalled our ambassador [from Damascus], which indicates the relationship is not moving forward; that Syria is out of step with the progress being made in the greater Middle East."

Wait for the signal...

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   The point is that the coalition forces are not intentionally targeting civilians. Lots of civilians have died true, however collateral damage is a sad part of war.

Why doesn't the US military demolish the family homes of suicide bombers in Iraq the way the Israeli military does in the Palestinian territories?

And just as Sputnik Monroe was trying to figure out an answer to that question:

Israel decides to halt demolitions of terrorists' family homes.

Quote[/b] ]...

The chief of staff asked the committee to find out if the demolition of the homes of families that include a terrorist, especially suicide bombers, was achieving its goal of deterring other Palestinians from getting involved in terror activity.

Shani reached the conclusion that no effective deterrence was proven, except in a few cases, and that the damage to Israel caused by the demolitions was greater than the benefits because the deterrence, limited if at all, paled in comparison to the hatred and hostility toward Israel that the demolitions provoked among the Palestinians.

...

/to be filed under "Ya don't say!!" crazy_o.gif

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