I am very, VERY worried by the situation in Lebanon right now. My family lives very close to the airport that has been bombed several times by Israel over the past few days. Hizbollah is involved in the exchange of fire yet again. I had hoped Lebanon would finally enjoy peace and quiet, but its proximity to Israel, and the fact the south has never been safe from skirmishes with the Israeli army means it will probably never know peace in the forseeable future. Whichever way you look at it, it's very sad and worrisome. The world does not need this situation to erupt, and if the US cannot pull its head out of its ass in time to staunch the flow of bloodshed between the Palestinians, Israelis, and the Lebanese, someone else must demand peace negotiations. Only terrible things can come of this!
This is from The Irish Independent this morning. (Pic: Adnan Haj/Reuters):
Conflict Spins Out of Control as Hills Echo to the Sound of War
Fuel tanks burn at Beirut International airport after it was attacked by Israeli aircraft last night.
Israeli and Arab leaders declare that fighting is open-ended and no end in sight to bloodshed.
HAIFA, Israel's third largest city, was for the first time hit by rockets fired from Lebanon last night as the crisis over two captured Israeli soldiers erupted into open warfare.
The attack on the port city came after a day in which the Israeli military imposed a land, sea and air blockade on Lebanon and killed more than 50 people in attacks on Hizbollah targets.
Hizbollah retaliated by raining more than 100 Katyusha rockets into northern Israel, hitting major population centres such as Nahariya and Haifa, a city of 250,000 that is 30km inside Israel.
Offensive
Brigadier General Dan Halutz, the Israeli Chief of Staff, emphasised that the offensive, prompted by the cross-border raid in which Hizbollah guerrillas captured two Israeli soldiers and killed six others on Wednesday, was open-ended in nature.
"Nothing is safe [in Lebanon], it's as simple as that," he said yesterday.
Daniel Ayalon, the Israeli ambassador to the US, called the rocket attack on Haifa a "major, major escalation" and said that Israel was now at war.
"The objective is to win this war," he said.
Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian President, likewise gave warning of a new regional war.
The Israeli offensive split the West, which watched the unfolding drama with growing alarm. US President George Bush said that Israel had the right to defend itself, although he expressed concern that Lebanon's government could be undermined.
The European Union condemned what it called Israel's disproportionate use of force. Margaret Beckett, the British Foreign Secretary, said that Israel was entitled to respond to inexcusable acts of provocation, but added that its reaction should be proportionate and should avoid civilian suffering.
Fearing a conflagration that could destabilise the entire region, the UN Security Council has called an emergency meeting today, and the Arab League will hold an emergency meeting tomorrow.
Kofi Annan, the UN Secretary-General, dispatched a peace mission to the Middle East.
The Israeli blockade began early yesterday, when jets bombed runways at Beirut's international airport, forcing flights to divert to Cyprus.
Later they hit two military airbases, apparently to prevent weapons being smuggled in from Syria or Iran or the captured soldiers being smuggled out.
Last night, fuel tanks at the international airport were set on fire by an Israel aerial attack. Israeli warplanes hit numerous Hizbollah targets in southern Lebanon and Hizbollah's al-Manar television station in southern Beirut.
Lebanese security officials said that ten members of one family were killed in the village of Doueir, and seven in Baflay.
Israeli warships took up position off the Lebanese coast, turning away three ships carrying fuel to Beirut and halting maritime traffic. The Israeli military said it also planned to destroy the main highway from Beirut to Damascus, the Syrian capital, along which hundreds of Arab tourists were fleeing.
Hizbollah's counter-barrage struck border towns, kibbutzes and farms, setting fields on fire. Its missiles killed an Israeli woman, injured dozens of other Israelis, and sent thousands rushing into bomb shelters.
Schools closed. Hospitals moved patients to basements. Residents of towns such as Nahariya, Kiryat Shmona, Safed and Carmiel fled out of the rockets' range and lines of cars heading south during the day piled high with bags. An estimated 500,000 Israelis were within range of the missiles.
Israel named the two missing soldiers as Ehud Goldwasser (31) and Eldad Regev (26).
The Israelis are now engaged in large-scale military operations on two fronts at once.
In Gaza, where another Israeli soldier is being held captive, Israeli jets bombed the Hamas-controlled Foreign Ministry overnight, injuring more than a dozen neighbours.
The attack was part of Israel's two-week offensive to free Corporal Gilad Shalit, a 19-year-old tank soldier seized by militants in a June 25 armed tunnel raid on Kerem Shalom military base.
Warning
The most recent assaults were sparked after Hizbollah gunmen abducted two Israeli soldiers and killed eight others on Wednesday. About 50 Lebanese, mostly civilians, have been killed so far in the fighting.
Meanwhile, Irish nationals were last night warned to stay away from Lebanon due to the escalating risk of terrorism or military attack.
There have been no reports of any Irish caught up in the deteriorating situation there yesterday after Israel stepped up ground, sea and air raids on Lebanon and Israeli warships blockaded Lebanese ports.
The Beirut airport remains closed after Israel launched air raids overnight across southern Lebanon, striking the airport.
A spokesman said Irish citizens are advised not to travel "due to the deteriorating security situation".
"Irish citizens who have already made arrangements to travel to Lebanon should seriously consider their need to travel and are advised against all travel to the southern part of the country," he said.
"There is a high threat of terrorism in Lebanon. There has been a series of bombings in Beirut and the surrounding areas in the past six months. The political and security situation remains unpredictable."
The Department of Foreign Affairs here also advised Irish citizens living, working or visiting the areas in question to be vigilant at all times in public places and tourist spots.
"They should also avoid military sites, Palestinian refugee camps and "political gatherings or demonstrations of any kind." ( The Times, London)
Stephen Farrell
This is from The Irish Independent this morning. (Pic: Adnan Haj/Reuters):
Conflict Spins Out of Control as Hills Echo to the Sound of War
Fuel tanks burn at Beirut International airport after it was attacked by Israeli aircraft last night.
Israeli and Arab leaders declare that fighting is open-ended and no end in sight to bloodshed.
HAIFA, Israel's third largest city, was for the first time hit by rockets fired from Lebanon last night as the crisis over two captured Israeli soldiers erupted into open warfare.
The attack on the port city came after a day in which the Israeli military imposed a land, sea and air blockade on Lebanon and killed more than 50 people in attacks on Hizbollah targets.
Hizbollah retaliated by raining more than 100 Katyusha rockets into northern Israel, hitting major population centres such as Nahariya and Haifa, a city of 250,000 that is 30km inside Israel.
Offensive
Brigadier General Dan Halutz, the Israeli Chief of Staff, emphasised that the offensive, prompted by the cross-border raid in which Hizbollah guerrillas captured two Israeli soldiers and killed six others on Wednesday, was open-ended in nature.
"Nothing is safe [in Lebanon], it's as simple as that," he said yesterday.
Daniel Ayalon, the Israeli ambassador to the US, called the rocket attack on Haifa a "major, major escalation" and said that Israel was now at war.
"The objective is to win this war," he said.
Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian President, likewise gave warning of a new regional war.
The Israeli offensive split the West, which watched the unfolding drama with growing alarm. US President George Bush said that Israel had the right to defend itself, although he expressed concern that Lebanon's government could be undermined.
The European Union condemned what it called Israel's disproportionate use of force. Margaret Beckett, the British Foreign Secretary, said that Israel was entitled to respond to inexcusable acts of provocation, but added that its reaction should be proportionate and should avoid civilian suffering.
Fearing a conflagration that could destabilise the entire region, the UN Security Council has called an emergency meeting today, and the Arab League will hold an emergency meeting tomorrow.
Kofi Annan, the UN Secretary-General, dispatched a peace mission to the Middle East.
The Israeli blockade began early yesterday, when jets bombed runways at Beirut's international airport, forcing flights to divert to Cyprus.
Later they hit two military airbases, apparently to prevent weapons being smuggled in from Syria or Iran or the captured soldiers being smuggled out.
Last night, fuel tanks at the international airport were set on fire by an Israel aerial attack. Israeli warplanes hit numerous Hizbollah targets in southern Lebanon and Hizbollah's al-Manar television station in southern Beirut.
Lebanese security officials said that ten members of one family were killed in the village of Doueir, and seven in Baflay.
Israeli warships took up position off the Lebanese coast, turning away three ships carrying fuel to Beirut and halting maritime traffic. The Israeli military said it also planned to destroy the main highway from Beirut to Damascus, the Syrian capital, along which hundreds of Arab tourists were fleeing.
Hizbollah's counter-barrage struck border towns, kibbutzes and farms, setting fields on fire. Its missiles killed an Israeli woman, injured dozens of other Israelis, and sent thousands rushing into bomb shelters.
Schools closed. Hospitals moved patients to basements. Residents of towns such as Nahariya, Kiryat Shmona, Safed and Carmiel fled out of the rockets' range and lines of cars heading south during the day piled high with bags. An estimated 500,000 Israelis were within range of the missiles.
Israel named the two missing soldiers as Ehud Goldwasser (31) and Eldad Regev (26).
The Israelis are now engaged in large-scale military operations on two fronts at once.
In Gaza, where another Israeli soldier is being held captive, Israeli jets bombed the Hamas-controlled Foreign Ministry overnight, injuring more than a dozen neighbours.
The attack was part of Israel's two-week offensive to free Corporal Gilad Shalit, a 19-year-old tank soldier seized by militants in a June 25 armed tunnel raid on Kerem Shalom military base.
Warning
The most recent assaults were sparked after Hizbollah gunmen abducted two Israeli soldiers and killed eight others on Wednesday. About 50 Lebanese, mostly civilians, have been killed so far in the fighting.
Meanwhile, Irish nationals were last night warned to stay away from Lebanon due to the escalating risk of terrorism or military attack.
There have been no reports of any Irish caught up in the deteriorating situation there yesterday after Israel stepped up ground, sea and air raids on Lebanon and Israeli warships blockaded Lebanese ports.
The Beirut airport remains closed after Israel launched air raids overnight across southern Lebanon, striking the airport.
A spokesman said Irish citizens are advised not to travel "due to the deteriorating security situation".
"Irish citizens who have already made arrangements to travel to Lebanon should seriously consider their need to travel and are advised against all travel to the southern part of the country," he said.
"There is a high threat of terrorism in Lebanon. There has been a series of bombings in Beirut and the surrounding areas in the past six months. The political and security situation remains unpredictable."
The Department of Foreign Affairs here also advised Irish citizens living, working or visiting the areas in question to be vigilant at all times in public places and tourist spots.
"They should also avoid military sites, Palestinian refugee camps and "political gatherings or demonstrations of any kind." ( The Times, London)
Stephen Farrell
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Any additional word on your family members in Lebanon?