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[AHN] Lebanese Army To Engage Israel If Lebanon Is Invaded]

Discussion in 'BBS Hangout: Debate & Discussion' started by r35352, Jul 21, 2006.

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  1. r35352

    r35352 Member

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    Lebanese Army To Engage Israel If Lebanon Is Invaded

    July 21, 2006 9:41 a.m. EST

    Komfie Manalo - All Headline News Foreign Correspondent

    Beirut, Lebanon (AHN) - The fear that Lebanon's crisis will escalate into a full-blown war is becoming a reality as the Lebanese defense minister Elias Murr said Friday his country's army will engage Israel into battle if it invades Lebanon.

    The warning came as the Israeli Defense Force has reported to have activated its reserve troops in preparation for an eventual major ground assault into the already devastated Lebanon.

    A frustrated and angry Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora told CNN in an interview that Israel's attack has devastated his country so much that the fight is no longer between Israel and Hezbollah but against the Lebanese people as well.

    He said, "This attack is no longer against Hezbollah, it is an attack against the Lebanese and Lebanon."

    The Prime Minister said Israeli jet planes have destroyed 55 bridges and are also targeting ambulances and medical convoys carrying the wounded to the hospital for treatment.

    Bombed-out roads and bridges are hampering aid efforts and the United Nations had warned that the humanitarian crisis was worsening by the hour in the beleaguered country.

    An estimated 500,000 have been displaced since the conflict started.
     
    #1 r35352, Jul 21, 2006
  2. Ubiquitin

    Ubiquitin Member
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    Who funds the Lebanese army?
     
    #2 Ubiquitin, Jul 21, 2006
  3. tigermission1

    tigermission1 Member

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    What army? The Lebanese are lovers, not fighters. ;) I propose all sides get together over some hummus and kebba and discuss peace.

    Come on! How can two peoples that enjoy the same wonderful cuisine go at each other like that?
     
    #3 tigermission1, Jul 21, 2006
  4. HayesStreet

    HayesStreet Member

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    So they can engage Israel but they can't disarm Hezbollah?
     
    #4 HayesStreet, Jul 21, 2006
  5. wnes

    wnes Contributing Member

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    Engage could be protesting, demonstration, hunger strike, etc.
     
    #5 wnes, Jul 21, 2006
  6. tigermission1

    tigermission1 Member

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    IMO, it would be foolish for the Lebanese to try and disarm Hezbollah, what they do need to do, however, is contain them and keep them away from instigating anything with the Israelis. Really, this whole incident could have been avoided had the Lebanese military deployed its own troops along the shared border with Israel. That's what they're paying for, right now...
     
    #6 tigermission1, Jul 21, 2006
  7. KingCheetah

    KingCheetah Atomic Playboy
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    I don't blame them Israel has destroyed their country.

    With all Israel's military might they can't get the terrorists out of Gaza - how can they possibly expect the Lebanese army to get rid of Hezbollah?
     
    #7 KingCheetah, Jul 21, 2006
  8. HayesStreet

    HayesStreet Member

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    Um, so you're saying the Lebanese Army is going to go on hunger strike to protest the Israeli action?

    Put

    The

    Crack

    Pipe

    Down
     
    #8 HayesStreet, Jul 21, 2006
  9. wnes

    wnes Contributing Member

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    Didn't Gandi lead Indian people using non-violent protests to expel the British colonialists?
     
    #9 wnes, Jul 22, 2006
  10. TracyMcCrazyeye

    TracyMcCrazyeye Member

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    ghandi and the lebanese army...HMMM...
     
    #10 TracyMcCrazyeye, Jul 22, 2006
  11. HayesStreet

    HayesStreet Member

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    Er, yes. But that's not the context the statement was made in, wnes. I'm pretty sure you know that - I guess you're just bored.
     
    #11 HayesStreet, Jul 22, 2006
  12. Major

    Major Member

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    Israel's army is not intertwined within communities of regular Lebanese, nor does it serve as a provider of social services to the Lebanese people.

    We can engage Iraq's army, yet we can't identify or shut down all the terrorist groups on US soil.
     
    #12 Major, Jul 22, 2006
  13. HayesStreet

    HayesStreet Member

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    The most proffered reason for the Lebanese Army not disarming Hezbollah is that they are not strong enough. As the Israel Army is the most powerful in the entire region I find it doubtful that they can take Israel on yet no be strong enough to confront Hezbollah. Social services has nothing to do with this - as other people have already documented Hezbollah's popularity has been waning, not increasing in Lebanon. If there was a terrorist group that number in the THOUSANDS with tens of thousands of rockets sitting on the Texas-Mexico border, I'm pretty sure we could deal with that.
     
    #13 HayesStreet, Jul 22, 2006
  14. tigermission1

    tigermission1 Member

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    Quick Hayes, what's the purpose of having an 'army'? If your country is attacked, what should you do, watch and cheer?

    They have said that they will engage the Israelis ONLY if they invade Lebanon. Moreover, the Israelis have already killed nearly a dozen or more Lebanese soldiers, which going by Israel's own logic is a "declaration of war".
     
    #14 tigermission1, Jul 22, 2006
  15. Major

    Major Member

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    Fighting a foreign army and fighting an internal group are two totally different things, as we've learned in Iraq. You don't defeat a group like Hezbollah with sheer force, fancy weapons, etc. We have an insurgency numbering in the tens of thousands in Iraq and have shown no ability to deal with it, because they can easily go underground and mix with the populace when necessary. They don't have much support across Lebanon as a whole, but they have support within the communities where they locate because of the social services they provide.

    Besides which, the Lebanese Army said they would fight Israel - not defeat them. They would lose any military battle between the two, but that doesn't mean they wouldn't at least defend their country - that is their job.
     
    #15 Major, Jul 22, 2006
  16. thacabbage

    thacabbage Contributing Member

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    Whoever said they were strong enough to take on the Israeli Army? Just because they've said they will fight doesn't mean they're strong enough...

    I assume you might respond in questioning why they weren't willing to take this same action against Hezbollah regardless of strength. Considering sheer practicality alone, their country has been obliterated by Israel - I think it is a bit of a more pressing issue...
     
    #16 thacabbage, Jul 22, 2006
  17. OldManBernie

    OldManBernie Old Fogey

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    Well, Israel certainly is a more imminent threat than Hezbollah right now. They're being bombarded and possibly invaded by Israel for crying out loud.
     
    #17 OldManBernie, Jul 22, 2006
  18. OldManBernie

    OldManBernie Old Fogey

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    I'm thinking that the Lebanese government's impression is that if they don't stand up to Israel in a ground invasion of Beirut, the public will consider them a lame duck. If the people don't trust the government, the government will be overthrown (hopefully not by Hezbollah). This is all speculation on my end, but just food for thought.
     
    #18 OldManBernie, Jul 22, 2006
  19. thacabbage

    thacabbage Contributing Member

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    Hayes - Please explain your stance on this as I am completely bewildered. Are you actually criticizing the Lebanese Army for entering the theater?

    If a militia on the Texas border carried out terrorist attacks against Mexico but had also driven out a Mexican occupation previously, and Mexico obliterated Texas, you would criticize the U.S. government for joining the war after not taking care of the problem?
     
    #19 thacabbage, Jul 22, 2006
  20. r35352

    r35352 Member

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    By all accounts, Hezbollah is far stronger, better trained and better armed than the official Lebanese Army. Also fighting Hezbollah would mean a Lebanese civil war and you might recall that they tried that already with devastating results so aren't keen to try that again as there was relative peace and stability in Lebanon.

    The Lebanese defense minister's statement is not meant to indicate that the Lebanese Army would in any way be capable of fighting the Israeli Army. In fact Hezbollah itself would be more effective. But it is however signaling that Lebanon ese Army isn't going to stand by and do nothing while Israelis forces invade and wreak havoc on the entire country under the pretext of two captured Israeli soldiers.
     
    #20 r35352, Jul 22, 2006
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