snapped shot

Act of war? Or something else entirely?

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Israel has handed yet another photo-op to the enemy. While I think their intentions were honourable—Who, after all, can fault the Israeli government for recovering an Israeli citizen who died in the water, and whose body ended up in Hezbullah's possession. Or for trying once more to save Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev from their captivity?

I certainly won't, but I will point out that, as predictably as the tides in the sea, the Israelis allowed Hezbullah to win yet another battle in the propaganda front, trotting out supposed "relatives" of the dead to receive their bodies on the border—all in the convenient sights of the international photographer corps.



That guy on the left is a Hezbullah "handler" if I've ever seen one, and he sure seems intent on making sure that everyone sees that this woman is in an obvious state of mourning. I'll have the rest of the pictures from this event following the break, as usual.

To my handful of Israeli readers:—You've got to get it through your Government's thick head that situations like this are golden opportunities for Hezbullah to trot out their puppets in front of the cameras for a quick media victory. It is the Israeli government's job to ensure that opportunities like this are denied your enemies! They offer you no quarter, so why should you offer any to them? (Other than drawing-and-quartering, that is...)

Oh, and as a "funny" aside, it's interesting to note that there was zero international outcry over Hezbullah's desecration of a civilian corpse. Or at least, so little of an outcry that I can't even recall this unfortunate event in the least! Once again, the United Nations falls silent when atrocities are perpetrated against the Jews. Continue reading »

Abu Kais is reporting that another bomb has exploded in Beirut, this time onboard a bus outside of an abandoned building. No word on the damage or casualties yet - I'll be following up when I learn more.

Update: According to LBC, 7 were injured, none are reported dead. Still waiting on details.

Update: Sometimes, you have to hit faraway sources to get the news. I still haven't seen word one about this bombing on CNN, nor on the front pages of Google or Yahoo news.

But in the evening a bomb ripped through a public bus in Christian east Beirut wounding at least seven of the people on board, a security source said.

The explosion in the mixed residential and industrial district of Sed al-Baushrieh was the fourth to rock Lebanon since the clashes between the army and the Islamists broke out on May 20.

Footage broadcast by Lebanese television showed that the bus had been burned out by the force of the explosion.

Several parked cars and the facade of a nearby shopping centre were also badly damaged.

AFP's on the story, at least. Still waiting for the photo wires to catch up.

Update: Photos are starting to come in. I'll be posting them shortly.



Update (5-Jun): The latest pictures have been added from the wire. Continue reading »

Our press is still hard at work today, presenting the terrorist point-of-view from the Palestinian human shield "refugee" camps in Lebanon.



I'll be tracking the photos as they come in, so be sure to check back periodically for new updates. Continue reading »

In the midst of the Lebanese army's continuing battle with Fatah al-Islam in the northern city of Tripoli, a second explosion has rocked the capital city of Beirut, this time hitting the predominantly Sunni suburb of Verdun. Is this Bashir al-Assad's continued attempt to destabilize Lebanon in preparation of a return of the Syrian army? It's looking more and more like that's the case every passing day...

The wires are thankfully reporting that nobody has been killed in this bombing, unlike the previous one.



I'll be tracking the pictures of this latest tragedy beyond the fold. Continue reading »

There appear to be reports that a bomb has been set off outside of a shopping mall in a northern suburb of Beirut early on Sunday morning (Lebanon time). It's odd that the blast went off so late—considering how valuable high-casualty targets are to terrorists.



I've gathered all of the pictures available at this time in the extended body of this article, for your reference.

See-Also:

The following bloggers are covering this story in greater detail: From Beirut to the Beltway, Beirut Spring, Captain's Quarters, Hot Air

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Another day, another Hezbullah front "protesting" in Lebanon? I've put in a request for information on this group with our resident expert on Lebanon, so hopefully we'll learn more about them shortly.

Update: Jeha sent the following e-mail, explaining this group in more detail. It doesn't seem to be as bad as the photographers make it look:

Hey Brian,

Those guys are "Offre-Joie", one of the few bright spots in Lebanon, if not the world. Initially, many of its founders were Christians, but they have always been committed to being a very secular/multi-confessional charity. They are truly committed to peace; I think that, when God mentioned the righteous, he had in mind a few people like those. I am partial to them; I volunteered with them for a while, but the Lebanese Red Cross gives more of an adrenaline rush...

Pledge of Allegiance, 1892.

For many in Lebanon, the hand raised is not necessarily a fascist thing, BTW. While it is true that we have more than our share of fascist tendencies, this is far from the case. When a Lebanese raises his hand like that, he has in mind the Roman salute, and it has something we do when we pledge allegiance or make an oath. A grand gesture of commitment, if you will...

In this case, they are making Gebran Tueni's
pledge, which we all made on March 14. The pledge is as follows;

"In the name of God
We, Muslims and Christians,
Pledge that united we shall remain
To the end of time
To better defend our Lebanon"

It was recited by Gebran Tueni, during the famous March 14, 2005, at Martyrs' Square. Gebran Tueni was assassinated by the Syrians by a car bomb, but his legacy lives on in this pledge, and many other good ideas... He is sorely missed at this juncture of our history... Note that all the more than 1.2 million of us who were present that day repeated it, and we all had our hands extended like that. The March 14 demo was really huge; Syria's Quislings were still in charge then, and tried to make it hard for people to go, but still, out of a population of less than 4 Million, more than half the population tried to show up on that day, and traffic jams extended to 30 km on all roads leading downtown...

You make a great point, however, in mentioning that this could be exploited by a few sinister people. And it looks like our politcal leaders either did not take the pledge, or are choosing to ignore it. But I fear the real danger comes from the "realists" in the United States, who appear hell-bent on selling us to the Syrians (again); they forget that Bin Laden, when he planned 9/11, had in mind the Marines' debacle in Beirut, in the 1980's. This is of his own admission, actually, but too many US politicians have the attention span on Homer Simpson. In any case, I hope no war will be visited on us, but we can only react to outside events, with little control of our own...

Many thanks for straightening me out there, Jeha! Continue reading »