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Israel May Have Planted Spy Gear in Lebanon: UN
BEIRUT - A U.N. investigation into explosions in south Lebanon indicated on Sunday that Israel had planted spy devices on Lebanese land in what a senior U.N. official said would be a violation of a ceasefire agreement.
Italian U.N. peacekeepers photograph the site of an explosion between the villages of Meis al-Jabal and Houla in south Lebanon, October 18, 2009. (REUTERS/ Ali Hashisho) The UNIFIL peacekeeping force in Lebanon said its preliminary probe
into two explosions in the south showed they had been caused by the
detonation of underground sensor devices.
The units were apparently buried by Israeli forces during the 2006 war with the Lebanese Shi'ite group Hezbollah, it said.
"These do look like some sort of espionage device," Michael Williams, the U.N. special coordinator for Lebanon, told Reuters.
If confirmed, the devices would represent violations of Security Council resolution 1701 which halted the 34-day war.
A first explosion was reported on Saturday evening and a second on Sunday morning. No injuries were reported. The devices had been placed some 2 km inside Lebanese territory between the villages of Houla and Meiss al-Jabal.
"Preliminary indications are that these explosions were caused by explosive charges contained in unattended underground sensors which were placed in this area by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) apparently during the 2006 war," UNIFIL said in a statement.
UNIFIL was investigating what had caused the devices to blow up. A Lebanese security official said they appeared to have been detonated by remote control from Israel after their discovery by Lebanese security forces.
Israel did not respond specifically to the Lebanese assertion. But an Israeli military statement said Sunday's incident proved Hezbollah's military presence in south Lebanon, especially in rural Shi'ite areas along the border with Israel.
PROTEST OVER DRONES
UNIFIL said it had protested to the Israeli military about overflights by drones while the Lebanese army and the peacekeepers were investigating on the ground. Lebanese army troops opened fire on the drones with machine gun and small arms fire, the UNIFIL statement said.
Williams said the use of drones was an obvious violation of Lebanese sovereignty and resolution 1701 "and not particularly helpful at a time of obvious tension in the south."
UNIFIL is also investigating another incident in south Lebanon last week at the village of Tayr Filsi, a UNIFIL spokesman said. The Lebanese army and Hezbollah said one person was wounded when a shell exploded in the garage of a Hezbollah member in the village on Monday.
Israel has said the blast showed munitions were being stockpiled in violation of resolution 1701 and has complained to the United Nations about the incident.
The next report on Security Council resolution 1701 is due to be filed later this month.
The 2006 war broke out after Hezbollah, an anti-Israeli Shi'ite group backed by Iran, launched a raid into Israel, capturing two soldiers. More than 1,000 people, mostly Lebanese civilians, were killed before the United Nations brokered a ceasefire.
(Reporting by Tom Perry in Beirut and Jerusalem bureau; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
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63 Comments so far
Show AllWhere the Israelis were captured is NOT known as a fact. The Asia Times, Forbes magazine and others initially reported that the Israelis were captured INSIDE Lebanon when they launched one of their many raids into that country.
It was only later when the reports were changed to claim the capture tookplace inisde Israel.
Given the history of Israel I suggest the former closer to the truth as evidenced by the tank inisde Lebanon that was destroyed by Hizbollah.
Also the area "Shabala ? Farms " where it is claimed the zionists were captured is disputed captured territory
Wow.
Israel violating international law and U.N. resolutions.
Again.
Color me shocked.
If it were any other country in the world, the Western powers would be screaming their heads off, decrying the violations, demanding sanctions against the offenders.
But because it's Israel (the West's guilt whore), silence.
May have? No this is how Israel operates. Which is always been by deceit and false flag aps.
But but but, I thought Israel was going to attack Iran next. Not go into Lebanon again...
Interesting that the UN says the spy gear's been there for years, and Israel says that it's evidence of stockpiled weapons. I wonder who to believe, the body with no axe to grind, or the one who's been launching war after war in the area for the last 30+ years.
UNIFIL hates the Jews, just like Hezbollah. They're not a peacekeeping force, they're a buffer to allow Hezbollah to rearm. Israel proved that Hezbollah is stockpiling weapons. What does UNIFIL say? "What explosion? What weapons? Stop spying on our peaceful friends! Oh, you naughty Jews." There is another war coming in southern Lebanon. It's just a matter of time, and Israel will not be nearly as nice.
And here come the parade of fools who argue that Israel has been nice in the past...
When were they nice? When they killed hundreds of civvies in Gaza using white phosphorus? When they launched their last invasion of Lebanon (is that country not still cleaning up the unexploded cluster bombs dropped by Israel in 2006?)? When their settlers nicely throw rocks and bullets at the children in the occupied territories?
People like this are paid by the Israeli Government to make such posts. They are hired hands. Now it more then a little likely they are paid by the post so it in the best interests of all we just ignore them entirely.
Let them waste their money.
Wow, you are creative. Do you lie awake late at night thinking up new ways to lie about Jews?
First off, we're talking about Israel here. The only poster to even mention "Jews" is you.
Second, Israel has long had public relations and propaganda campaigns to influence public perceptions and views.
One such propaganda tool is called "Megaphone":
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/09/06/giyus_megaphone/
"Giyus" is Hebrew for recruitment.
The sad fact is that Israel recruits such dolts who don't know the first thing about history or facts, let alone intelligent debate skills.
By the way, do you what "lech khapes mi yena'neya' otcha" means?
Do you know what gai kakhen afenyam means?
You believe Palestinian lies, even when they're obviously false. Your hate rules you. Too bad for all of us.
You know, you ALL know, that Israel has the military strength to slaughter all the Palestinians. They have the military strength to sit and launch artillery all day long without endangering a single Israeli troop. Instead, they try more than any other army ever has in the history of the world to avoid civilian casualties. It's only your hatred that blinds you.
In the meantime, Hezbollah arms for the next war they're going to start, and you can bet they won't give a damn about any civilian casualties. They certainly didn't last time. Thank you, Iran, for arming them.
Wait! You forgot to call me a holocaust denying nazi fascist gay-baby-whale-nuking anti-Semite with delusions of godhood.
Funny how that army was able to kill so many civvies in gaza if they try harder than any other military to avoid such things isn't it? Even funnier is the fact that most of the casualties that Israel took during the Gaza massacre were 'friendly fire' types of casualties.
In da middle of the road lies more road kill...
They aren't slaugthering people already as in now anyway?
Israel is always plotting to overthrow any Arab regime which gets too stronng for Israel to deal with.....
Israel is always lying and making false charges against Arab/Muslim nations as well. Israel has its own jihad going on led by the crimninal settler movement and its associated agents in the U.S. and in other European nations...
Israel truth be told has been wanting to take out Iran since as early as 1996 and has been yelling about Iran's nuclear program since then....Israel also wanted Saddam out of power and the USA and American blood and treasure has been spent for that already.
America has already placed missiles on submarines in the Straits of Hormuz to assist any Israeli strike on Iran....
Israel shows restraint my ass! Israel is always looking to bomb and kill Arabs/Muslims...
Israel has never made any attempt to get along with its Arab/Muslim neighbors either. Israel is always busy lying and using propaganda and especially when its caught killing innocent civilians and breaking international law.
"Israel has never made any attempt to get along with its Arab/Muslim neighbors either"
What about those peace accords Israel has signed with Egypt and Jordan.
Isreal will gladly make peace with any nation. Too bad there just aren't that many peaceful nation to work with in the middle east.
How many times has Israel violated it's treaties and ceasefires?
BTW, ask the survivors of the USS Liberty how they feel about the 'peaceful' Israelis...
About as many times as Hezbollah in this instance.
Actually, we have "insider" information into this very topic which you and the roadkill guy brought up.
During his presidency, former president Jimmy Carter, negotiated the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel.
A recently produced documentary called "Jimmy Carter Man from Plains" included interview with president Carter. During one interview he lamented about the peace treaty he helped broker. He mentioned that at the time, that at one point Menachem Begin got up and said he was leaving. Then, president Carter walked out of the negotiating room and approach Begin. He asked him about his grand children. Begin showed him pictures of them. Then Carter asked him, in what kind of Middle East did Begin want his grand children to grow up. That was the point when Begin walked back into the room and agreed to go ahead with the treaty. All the while, the late president of Egypt, Sadat, was sitting in the room prepared, willing and able to sign the peace treaty.
In return for the treaty, Israel got an annual aid package, both monetary and military, including a special security package. All said, Israel receives about 15 Billion dollars from the US annually in return for that treaty and other agreements. Egypt got annual monetary aid of about 4 billion, but no other incentives similar to what Israel got.
In return for agreeing to enter the Oslo peace accords with the Palestinians, and later a peace treaty with Jordan, Israel received a state of the art training facility in the Negev Desert and new F16 fighter jets, courtesy of the US government. Costs are estimated to have been in the billions.
And finally, there's your beloved Ehud Barak, who in 2000 boasted about having offered the Palestinians an unprecedented deal, only to be rejected - as he claimed at the time - by the Palestinians. But, those who cared to find out, knew very well that Barak for a liar. Ehud Barak himself recently admitted doing so. Read this article in an Israeli newspaper and weep:
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1116910.html
By the way, the more trolls like you post your propaganda, the more reliable and verifiable information posters like me will put out about Israel's crimes.
Keep it up.
Ha so i guess you don't realize that you proved my rebuttal.
Thank you for offering up so much info to prove my point.
Israel has in fact made peace with several neighboring countries.
ps. not a big fan of Ehud Barak.
The irony is that you continue to be oblivious. But, that's OK.
So the US supplied cluster bombs dropped by US made and supplied attack jets that the IDF used indiscriminately on purely civilian targets in Lebanon, in violation of international law and the Geneva Conventions, are just lies told by the MSM?
You said: "It's only your hatred that blinds you" in explaining those who are critical of Israel's policies and actions in reference to this: "more than any other army ever has in the history of the world to avoid civilian casualties".
The problem with your argument is that you're asking us to believe some random guy on the internet who is posting things that simply have no backing. You are also asking us to suspend our reasoning abilities and take YOUR word over the words of a United Nations Human Rights Judge, who is Jewish, to boot.
Finally, you are also asking us to ignore, completely, all the newspaper reports by Israeli, European, Asian, African and American journalists who documented these crimes of war during Israel's assault on Gaza.
So, who are we going to believe, our lying eyes or you?
Hey, i bet you were one of those racist mofos witting on the knoll having a picnic while watching the IDF massacre the Gazans.....
The last paragraph contains a lie.
"The 2006 war broke out after Hezbollah, an anti-Israeli Shi'ite group backed by Iran, launched a raid into Israel, capturing two soldiers."
It was an incursion into Lebanon by IDF forces, two of whom got lost and became captive of Hezbollah. When Hezbollah refused to give up the two troops, the war started. Why does the author repeat the lie about who started it?
Sophie Scholl-The Final Days
Why? Ask Robert Fisk. He would know and speak the truth.
The way I seem to remember it is that Israel first staged a raid, or otherwise "arrested" two Hezbollah political types. Then Hezbollah "kidnapped" the two IDF troops - in order to have bargaining chips to get the politicians back - and the whole shebang went on from there.
The initial incident, of course, was not reported by mainstream press, so it goes down in the books as a "Hezbollah started it" war.
But I could be wrong.
peace.
Actually, the events that led up to the 2006 attack on Lebanon's population in the south can be traced back several months if not years prior.
Here's what happened:
After a long occupation of southern Lebanon which lasted between 1982 and 2000 - and resulted in thousands of Lebanese civilian and Palestinian refugee deaths (see Sabra and Shatila) - Israel withdrew in 2000. But, it refused to withdraw from ALL the land it occupied. Over the years, Israeli jets would fly over Lebanon as if it were Israeli airspace. Often times, Israeli jets would fly as far as the Bekka' valley - deep into Lebanese territory - and bomb a few "targets".
Hezbollah, which was born as a resistance to the invasion of 1982 and the subsequent Israeli occupation of Southern Lebanon, became the de facto military and police force.
Often times, Hezbollah would attempt to recapture land that Israel (after the 2000 withdrawal) had refused to leave.
In 2006, Israel was sending in military units into Lebanon and kidnapping Lebanese officials or political and paramilitary activists. This was the catalyst for the summer 2006 attack.
In July, Hezbollah apparently had enough and decided to capture Israeli soldiers that conduct patrols along the border fence.
When the Israeli soldiers were captured, Israel launched the well-known attack on Southern Lebanon. A few hours later, Hezbollah responded by launching rockets into Israel (e.g. Haifa).
The rest, as they say is, history.
Israeli Propaganda and lies, lies, and more lies.....
Israel is the aggressor against Arabs, and not the other way around as too often reported....
Yes, Arab governments are politically oppressive and run by awful people, but these leaders are supported by the United States in Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
By attacking people unnecessarily in the Arab world, Israel only emboldens the radicals more so. By violating international law on a daily basis allows Israel to be seen as one of the world's biggest lawbreakers and hypocrites as well. Israel couldn't care less about the UN or international law anyhow.....
So, for Israel to be violating the UN or International law is not suprising but predictable....Israel thinks it can do anything without impunity or charge.
Racism, arrogance, supremacy, and dominance attitude that surpasses anything mankind has ever known:
(quotes by Rabbi Manis Friedman author and lecturer, dean of Bais Chanah Women's Institute of Jewish Studies):
“There are two different and distinct entities: the human being, and the Jew who is part of G-d”
..
“We are a G-dly people, we have G-dly souls. Our place is in Heaven, in fact higher than Heaven because Heaven is also a created place, and we are a part of G-d”
...
“The world wants leadership and who are they going to look to for moral leadership if not the Jews?”
....
“We are to treat other Jews as Divine beings, because that’s what they are”
Excerpts from:
A MUST READ
Article:
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/2902/jewish/What-Is-the-Cause-of-Antisemitism.htm
Audio:
http://www.chabad.org/multimedia/media_cdo/aid/300700/jewish/If-Youre-Chosen-Act-It.htm#
The article mentions drones in the last few paragraphs.
Would those be US supplied Predator/Reaper/Global Hawks?
Or domestic knockoffs the Israelis built in-house after yet another spy ring operating inside the US?
Actually the UAVs were mostly an Israeli invention.
They shared that with us.
Listen, Israel silver firster,
First off, Israel did not invent drones or UAVs. Perhaps you in your sheltered world think so. But that's not the case.
Israel manufactures and maintains its own drone fleet. But they also manufacture and maintain auto tires. That doesn't mean that Israel invented the wheel.
UAVs date as far back as World War II. Even Israel didn't exist then as it was founded in 1948.
And stop using "us" when referring to the United States, because you're clearly a Zionist at heart. If you want to use "us", then just use it when speaking about Israel. Clear?
Clearly we weren't talking about the invention of UAVs but rather the conversation was focused on the US/Israeli military pact involving UAVs.
I was expecting you to be able to keep up but i gather you require a bit more explaining...next time i'll draw you a picture so you don't get lost.
The US was so impressed with the success Israel had taking out the Syrian SAM sites using UAVs for reconnaissance during the 82 Lebonan War that in 1984 a US and Israeli defense contractor teamed up to provide the US.
Clearly the US with it's predator drones now lead the way in the UAV field but it was in fact Israel the helped the US enter said field.
You feeling kinda dumb now aren't you....
Buy the way, it shows a lot of arrogance and complete lack of temperament to question a person's patriotism based on a hand full of threads written in a blog.
Grow up little man.
"You feeling kinda dumb now aren't you...."
In psychology they have a name for someone who seeks such validations to feel superior.
I'll let you look it up on your own. You might stumble upon an interesting piece of information in the process. lol
Now.
You wrote, "Actually the UAVs were mostly an Israeli invention."
Then as a response, you wrote: "Clearly we weren't talking about the invention of UAVs but rather the conversation was focused on the US/Israeli military pact involving UAVs".
So which is it? Care to make up your mind?
Let me give you some advice.
Before you start ranting next time you should bother to read the entire thread so you can get the context of the conversation. When you just read one post you often wont be able to make an intelligent remark.
"Would those be US supplied Predator/Reaper/Global Hawks?...Or domestic knockoffs the Israelis built in-house after yet another spy ring operating inside the US?"
Clearly this post implied that Israeli was either given or had stole the technology for UAVs from the US when it was the Israeli's that shared the technology with us.
I'm just talking about the timeline.
Again always start reading treads from the beginning and you won't get lost.
I wasn't looking for validation but rather i was looking to see if you were mature enough to admit you were wrong. Of course it wasn't made with the most pleasant of tones but then again neither has your writing.
Well, let me give you some advice.
Before you make such statements, make sure you verbalize your thoughts eloquently and concisely. That way, when someone reads the entire thread, your comments will not be inaccurate as they have heretofore.
Now, regarding "Israeli [sic] was either given or had stole [sic] the technology for UAVs from the US".
I can't quite fault him for assuming that seeing as Israel constantly sells US military technology to China in violation of treaties with the US.
I truly cannot understand who you couldn't follow a two post thread but in any case i'm sorry that the context was too confusing for you.
I really couldn't care less whether you fault him or not for posting completely unfactual information.
I actually find it amazing that a simple one sentece post i made that was entirely truthful has resulted in this long of a conversation.
How is it truthful that Israel invented UAVs?
Can you cite some sources?
Or, perhaps you don't need sources because you qualified your claim with "mostly", right?
It's akin to the old fabrication about Israel inventing the cell phone.
Then, when one reads the actual text on various propaganda websites, it turns out they use the term "developed".
I'm pretty sure Gateway has developed the PC, but that doesn't mean they invented it.
Again you don't grasp context.
Israel is responsible for the assisting the US in the development of UAVs domestically. We aren't talking about inventing. The US military observed how successful the IDF was with UAVs and wanted some of their own. Israel was happy to assist. This was one of the first times Israeli shared with us rather than we sharing with them.
I can't be more clear.
You do realize that this post violates the United Nations charter.
Was Apartheid South Africa in violation of the UN charter?
I'll give you a hint: it was.
Israel is an ethnocracy. That means it's a democracy so long as one belongs to a certain ethnic group. I'll give you another hint: Jewish.
But, when one adds to that Israel's policies toward the Palestinians in the occupied territories, then Israel becomes - by definition - an Apartheid State.
Again there are just a few problems with your post.
Seeing how Israel does allow Palestinians to vote as long as they are a citizen of Israel, there are in fact Palestinians serving in the Israeli knesset as an Arab party and the fact that a Palestinian has served on the Israeli Supreme Court i think your claim of Apartheid doesn't quite apply.
Even Jimmy Carter admitted that it isn't like S. Africa.
Go read a dictionary b/c you obviously don't know the definition of apartheid.
I'm afraid you may have a reading comprehension problem or perhaps you are in denial of reality. That may explain why you continue to post such ridiculous propaganda.
Here's what I wrote: "But, when one adds to that Israel's policies toward the Palestinians in the occupied territories, then Israel becomes - by definition - an Apartheid State."
If English isn't your native language I can understand. But that sentence makes it clear that due to Israel's policies in the occupied territories, it is by definition, an Apartheid State. Palestinians in the occupied territories are not citizens and they can't vote. But, that's probably the least of their concerns at the moment.
What are you talking about?
The Palestinians in the occupied territories do in fact vote. They voted Hamas into power just a few years ago.
Correct me here if i am wrong but internatinal law, to my understanding, doesn't require an occuping force to allow the occupied population to vote. When the US occupied Japan the Japanese didn't vote for the US president nor were the Germans allowed to cast a ballot.
You aren't making sense.
Of course the occupied palestinians can't vote in Israeli election for only Isreali citizens are allowed just like in every other nation in the world.
Hamas has said there is a state of war b/t Israeli and Palestine.
By what logic do you reason Israel needs to send ballots over to the people it's at war with?
"What are you talking about? The Palestinians in the occupied territories do in fact vote. They voted Hamas into power just a few years ago."
So since you've dodged the point about Apartheid, you're moving on to being thick.
I'm going to go do some work now. You're already working, shilling for Israel. But, I do hope to see you on here again soon.
I dodged nothing.
It's not apartheid.
If Israel banned all non-jews from voting then it would be apartheid but that isn't the case. They ban non-citizens form voting-shocking i know.
The people of Gaza and the West Bank are not citizens of Israel. They dont' vote in Israeli elections.
It's funny that Israel allows far more rights to Arabs in Israel than nearly all Arab countries allow jews and yet only Israel is accused of being racist!
You know a person with an Isreali stamp on their passport is banned from even entering several Arab nation? Not an Israeli issued passport but for just visiting Israel you are banned in several Arab nations.
Do you understand the definition of hypocrite?
You're right. It's not Apartheid.
The government of Israel is going straight for genocide, cultural and physical.
Why else would they use massive retaliations deliberately targeting civilians?
Why else would they appropriate land owned for generation by Palestinians at the point of a gun?
Why build massive 'security barriers' that create ghettos and bantu-stans that deliberately cut the Palestinians off from their fields and water supplies?
Why else would they use Talmud and Biblical-based archaeology to reinforce their claim to the land, while simultaneously ignoring and destroying evidence of Palestinian heritage just as valid?
Why issue IDs to every Palestinian still living in Israel that officially denotes them as second class citizens? Why a massive checkpoint system that controls Palestinian movement within Israel?
Why else would Israel routinely and repeatedly deny basic Palestinians healthcare and access to medical facilities? And have been caught (documented) doing so by Reuters and other major news networks?
Why else would the government of Israel put up public posters encouraging Israeli/Jewish only marriages?
And finally a comparison of the tactics used by both sides in their ongoing dispute: http://whatreallyhappened.com/WRHARTICLES/anyquestions.php
A caveat about the link - WRH can be filled with anti-Israel invective. But the links and information can be sifted to find fact.
Israel is in Violation of the agreemnt by which they were allowed in as a member state.
Under that agreement they agreed to allow the Palestinians the right od return to their homes AND to pay compensation for lands or properties lost.
Given they are in violation they should be expelled and not recognized as a state.
"Given they are in violation they should be expelled and not recognized as a state."
That's not quite how the UN works and i think you already knew that.
Though i would like to point out that since you imply that a nation that fails to following UN resolutions should be expelled and denied recognition i would like to point out the the Palestinians have also in fact broken agreements and violated UN resolutions so you have just made the case for denying Palestine a state.
Congrats.
You play with words as if you're spinning a record, a broken one at that.
Horrified never used the term "nation". He repeatedly used the term "state".
So why are you putting words in his mouth?
I'm willing to chalk it up to your having a reading comprehension problem and pretend you had no ill intentions toward Horrified.