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US warship positioned off Lebanon coast; Saudis told to GTFO
deadonthestreet
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
http://africa.reuters.com/world/news/usnL01149599.html
Or if you'd rather,
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/24F4810C-61CB-4284-AB2B-CCA786434016.htm
And there's always
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/01/world/middleeast/01lebanon.html?ref=middleeast
So basically, we sent this ship to Lebanon and, well, no one is exactly sure why. We think that maybe it is because the elections are going badly. In any case, the Saudi government has told their people that they should probably not be there. Seems that after Israel destroyed Lebanon a couple years back, Lebanon is in bad political shape, and terrorist activity has been on the rise. Surprise surprise. The US is somehow blaming Syria for the problems.
So basically, lets try to work out exactly what's going on there. Also, why isn't Israel doing anything to help since this is their fault?
Or if you'd rather,
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/24F4810C-61CB-4284-AB2B-CCA786434016.htm
And there's always
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/01/world/middleeast/01lebanon.html?ref=middleeast
So basically, we sent this ship to Lebanon and, well, no one is exactly sure why. We think that maybe it is because the elections are going badly. In any case, the Saudi government has told their people that they should probably not be there. Seems that after Israel destroyed Lebanon a couple years back, Lebanon is in bad political shape, and terrorist activity has been on the rise. Surprise surprise. The US is somehow blaming Syria for the problems.
So basically, lets try to work out exactly what's going on there. Also, why isn't Israel doing anything to help since this is their fault?
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I'd say there have been some pretty negative developments - Reuters mentions that one of the top Hezbollah leaders were assassinated a few weeks ago. Before that, one of the top-ranking Christian officers in the Lebanese military was killed (if I recall correctly).
I'm . . . I'm not quite sure how to respond to that :P
Also interesting is the fact that it's the Cole they sent to Lebanon, for a bit of extra symbolism in the gesture.
Yes, but there have been assassinations and bombings every couple months in Lebanon ever since Hariri was assassinated. Lebanon has had stability issues for quite some while, but it seems likely that the warship and the Saudi warning are related in some way, since they both occurred at the same time, even though there is no obvious event to trigger these reactions. It suggests they are both anticipating something else to happen.
I can't really think on anything Israel could do to help matters. Sitting quietly in the corner is probably their best play at the moment.
this is rather distressing, and something seems to be up, and it probably is not the US throwing its muscle around totally without reason.
Not going to though.
It would be spun, accurately for once, as them attempting to buy off the Lebanese and it would be rather bad politically for anyone to accept it.
Considering the political climate, even if it was offered, I don't know if assistance from Israel would be accepted.
According to DailyKos article, the US is on evacuation measures and not combat or something, but cites no source. But it is DailyKos, so whatever.
As slanted as Kos is when it comes to political elections and cross-talk, they still report on facts just the same as everyone else. The fact that they aren't decrying the US presence there as an extension of Bush's failed foreign policy suggests to me that they're probably right.
If they try to send help it would only be seeing as trying to influence the political climate and which would only give more support to Hezbollah.
If they Israelies don't send help then they are seen as cold and uncaring; scoffing at Lebanon's misfortune and gloating over the damage they've caused.
Really the only thing they could do would be to act through a third party and make sure that no-one found out who actually donated the aid and hope for the best.
I think they can be a bit sensationalist at times, that's all.
The latter has the effects of the former, depletes their resources(while gaining them nothing) and improves Lebanese relationships with the third party while not increasing Israels security, and the risk the downsides of the first(but more so because they were being devious).
there is just no reason for them to do it at all(ethics aside), and plenty of reasons not to.
That is a pretty big step up from being able to take out any target anywhere in Lebanon in 12 hours.
Pretty minor for us being able to blow the hell out of stuff, but it could probably take on most of lebanon's military by itself.
Well then the internets lied to me. But I doubt that we are going to open up a third front in Lebanon with a single warship. That does not compute.
Considering how this is the very ship that almost got sunk by some guys in a raft eight years ago, it's highly unlikely they're planning some big operation with just this one ship - it's all for show.
Unless you're talking about the 90's you need a better info source, as Israel was quite ginger about this one, especially by invasion standards.
Israel's going to find a way to place the blame on fucking Lebanon and somehow get away with being the victim, here. At this point, Israel believes everyone is entitled to help IT.
Anyway, that whole situation's a damn mess and it doesn't help the fact that ANY politician who would dare do anything to keep Israel in line over here will be tarred and feathered.
Doesn't matter how "ginger" they were about this one. All it did was destroy a bunch of shit and increase the popular support for Hezbolla.
This short deployment of a single destroyer has nothing at all to do with Lebanon.
She is most likely acting as a support vessel for several low scale submarine operations going on in that area from Italy to the Suez canal.
Can't say I blame them for being worried though, those Arleigh Burkes pack one hell of a punch.
The internets lied to you greatly.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arleigh_Burke_class_destroyer
Armament:
• 90 cells Mk 41 vertical launch systems
• BGM-109 Tomahawk
• RGM-84 Harpoon SSM (not in Flight IIa units)
• SM-2 Standard SAM (has an ASuW mode)
• RIM-162 ESSM SAM (DDG-79 onward)
• RUM-139 Vertical Launch ASROC
• one 5 inch (127 mm/54) Mk-45 (lightweight gun) (DDG-51 through -80)
• one 5 inch (127 mm/62) Mk-45 mod 4 (lightweight gun) (DDG-81 on)
• two 20 mm Phalanx CIWS (DDG-51 through -83, several later units)
• two Mark 32 triple torpedo tubes (six Mk-46 or Mk-50 torpedoes, Mk-54 in the near future)