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Lebanese Officials Deny Responsibility for Rockets Hitting Israel

January 8, 2009 RSS Feed Print

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By Larry Derfner, Mideast Watch

Amid fears of a second front opening in the Israeli-Gazan war, Lebanese officials pleaded ignorance about this morning's rocket barrage from Lebanon over the border into Israel, which caused a few minor injuries and drew a burst of return mortar fire from Israel, as reported in Lebanon's The Daily Star, Qatar's Aal Jazeera, and Dubai's Aal Arabiya.

Raafat Morra, a Hamas official in Lebanon, said Hamas's "principle is not to use any other Arab soil to respond to the occupation," while blaming Israel for provoking the rockets with its actions in Gaza. Lebanese Information Minister Tarek Mitri said Hezbollah, which fought a ferocious war with Israel in the summer of 2006, was not responsible for the morning salvo, adding that he didn't know who was.

Prior to the rocket exchange, Mitri was downplaying the possibility that Hezbollah might open a second front against Israel. The Daily Star reports:

Information Minister Tarek Mitri said that all factions in Lebanon's governing coalition, including Hizbullah, were keen not to get dragged into another conflict with Israel, "at least for now."

"We have not received from Hizbullah any sign that they will risk dragging Lebanon into this conflict," he said as Israel's deadly onslaught against Gaza entered its 10th day.

Moderate Arab regimes blamed for weakness
Meanwhile, popular resentment over Israeli attacks in Gaza focused on moderate Arab regimes, especially Egypt, which is seen as doing the bidding of Israel and the United States against the interests of the Palestinians. Egypt's Daily News editorializes:

More poignantly than ever the belief in Egypt's, and indeed all Arab States' sovereignty has come crashing down and nothing will ever restore it for the masses of Egyptians.

This has left the field open for radical Muslim leaders like Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to criticize the pan-Arab response and that of the United Nations to the war. Al Jazeera reports on a speech in Iran by Ahmadinejad:

"Aren't these oppressed Palestinians Arabs? So, when should the capacity of the Arab League be used? The Arab League should act quickly," he said.

The Iranian leader also criticised the United Nations' response to the assault on Gaza.

"To which nations does this UN belong? This security council is for the security of which part of the world?" he said.

Saudi Arabia rules out using oil as a weapon
Despite the growing anger among Arab publics over the war in Gaza, Saudi Arabia has ruled out using its oil supplies as leverage to secure an end to the Israeli assault, as the Saudi Gazette highlights. The message was delivered by Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal during a visit to the United Nations in New York:

"Oil is not a weapon. You can't reverse a conflict by using oil," Saud Al-Faisal, Foreign Minister, told reporters here on the sidelines of a Security Council debate on the Israeli offensive which has claimed 689 Palestinian lives.Prince Saud expressed support for a Libyan draft resolution that would demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and said it should be put to a vote in the Security Council later Wednesday or Thursday."It is the responsibility of the Security Council to help to end any conflict as soon as it arises. And the current conflict in Gaza should be no exception," he noted."If the Security Council takes no action . . . that certainly raises questions about its credibility."

Tags:: Gaza,; Hamas,; Lebanon,; Middle East,; Israel

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Thanks for the interesting information. The post was professionally written and I feel like the author has extensive knowledge in the subject. Keep it that way.

Payday Loans of AL 6:04PM April 30, 2009

For years neo cons and Nazi Zionist have been using the tired old propaganda about human shields etc... News flash, the entire Gaza is a human shield that Israel is attacking with no mercy for women, children, civilians in general.
You cry about having to send your children to bomb shelters, well the Lebanese children didn't have bomb shelters, the people in Gaza do not have bomb shelters.
It is time we call a spade a spade. Israeli's merciless attack of unarmed civilians is nothing more than genocide, it is no different than what Hitler did to the Jews of Germany which the Zionist of that time helped him pull off.
The Israelis that follow the Talmud look upon the Arabs and non-Jews as animals and cold blooded racist murder of the Palestinians is fully justified according to the Talmud. This is a NEW WORLD ORDER, It is THE FINAL SOLUTION. They are using chemical weapons against the people, they want nothing more than to wipe the Palestinians off the map-what hypocrites, especially since they spew the same propaganda saying that this and that Muslim leader wants to "wipe Israel off the map."
Israel's has the 4th strongest military in the world. Hamas is nothing more than a rag tag group when compared to the might of the Israelis. It isn't about stopping rocket attacks which are not killing anyone. The rocket attacks are a mere psychological tactic. This is just an excuse to kill all of the Palestinians and the Israelis know this. All the people ever wanted was to eat, and to go about their lives in dignity. The Israelis took every bit of dignity away from the Palestinians by shutting off the supply of food and medical supplies. So the people built tunnels. They they bombed the tunnels. If the tunnel were a real threat to Israel you would see Israelis coming home in body bags, and that is not the case.
Israel doesn't want peace. It wants war and extermination. Israel cares only for Israel. She is dragging the U.S.A in the mud with her perversions.
To the Zionist out there, one word of advice. Turn on your TVs and look at the protest around the world. What type of life will you and your children live in if the entire world renewed old hatred for you. The spirit of Hitler will come back and more and more people will began to look at the Jewish people as a whole as evil because of what the Neo Nazi Zionist are doing. Peace loving Jewish people will be put into the same category with the Neo Nazi Zionist.
This demonstration of pure evil and hatred toward a race of people who are related to you by the seed of Abraham will be your demise. And this time no one will come to your rescue. When Americans finally wake up, you will be a doomed nation. God almighty is watching .

Lynn of CA 5:00AM January 17, 2009

Israel is not to blame here. If given the chance, the Israelis would like to be peaceful members of the world yet they are constantly in danger of terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezzbolah or countries like Iran and (in years before) Egypt and Iraq. What is making the situation so unpopular for the Israelis is that they're having to fight an enemy who uses hospitals, residence areas, schools, mosques, women, and children as shields. The Israelis are tired of sending their children into bomb shelters instead outside to play. If the Palestini people really wanted to get mad at anybody, they should be furious with Hamas for putting their families in danger. Let's be honest folks, Israelis only seem to be a warrign people because if they aren't, they won't last very long against genocidal people like Iran.

Dr. Shade of NC 6:14PM January 09, 2009

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