State-Sponsored Terrorism on Lebanon
by Stephen Lendman
Washington's war on Syria targets Lebanon. Cross-border spillover's increasing. Neighborhoods were attacked. State-sponsored anti-Assad/Hezbollah terrorists bear full responsibility.
In May, two rockets stuck south Beirut. Four casualties were reported. Attacks occurred hours after Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah spoke.
He vowed to help Assad achieve victory over Western-backed insurgents. His forces contribute significantly. They were instrumental in routing insurgents from Qusair.
It's near Lebanon's border. Anti-Assad forces controlled it for over a year. In early June, they were defeated.
Doing so shut down a strategic supply route. At the time, General Yahya Suleiman said "(w)hoever controls Qusair controls the center of the country, and whoever controls the center of the country controls all of Syria."
On July 9, Beirut's Beir el-Abed was targeted. It's a Hezbollah stronghold. A car bomb exploded. About 50 casualties were reported.
On August 15, south Beirut's Roueiss neighborhood was attacked. A car bomb killed 27. Another 300 or more were injured. Al Manar said it struck near an Islamic center.
It aired images of thick smoke at the blast site. People rushed injured victims to hospitals. A Sunni Islamist group called Brigades of Aisha claimed responsibility. It said Hezbollah was targeted.
Lebanese President Michel Suleiman blamed Israel. He had good reason to do so. He said:
"The fingerprints of the Israeli terrorism are all over it. Their goal is to destabilize the region and undermine the steadfastness of the Lebanese people."
Druze leader Walid Jumblatt also attributed the blast to Israel. A previous article discussed Israel's undeclared war on Syria.
It's partnered with Washington doing so. It supports insurgent fighters. It supplies arms and munitions. It hospitalizes wounded terrorists.
Netanyahu lied saying Israel's sole interest is preventing Syrian weapons transfers to Hezbollah. It's about regime change.
It's about ravaging another country. It's about eliminating a regional rival. It's about unchallenged Middle East dominance.
Since conflict began in March 2011, Israel launched several cross-border ground attacks. It made one or more incursions. It conducted four air attacks.
These type incidents are acts of war. They're lawless aggression. They're Israeli and US specialties. They repeat numerous times.
On August 23, Israeli warplanes stuck south of Beirut. Allegedly it was in response to katyusha rockets fired into Israel the previous day.
Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon and IDF chief General Benny Gantz met Friday morning. After doing so, Ya'alon said:
"The IDF attacked a terror target in Lebanese territory overnight, south of Beirut."
"The attack was a response to rocket fire at the western Galil yesterday."
"Israel holds the Lebanese government responsible for the incidents, and will not ignore any rocket fire or other provocation."
"We take yesterday's attack very seriously, and we will not allow any foreign element to disrupt the lives of our citizens."
"We are acting responsibly and cautiously in order to preserve the safety of Israel and its citizens."
Israel's a serial aggressor. Its bloodstained history proves it. In 2006, it waged aggressive war on Lebanon.
It caused vast destruction. It killed over 1,000. It injured thousands more. It displaced one-fourth of Lebanon's four million population.
Mostly civilians were harmed. They're considered legitimate targets. Israel's "Dahiya Doctrine" explains.
It's named after a Beirut suburb. It reflects how Israel wages wars. It's longstanding official strategy.
Disproportionate force targets civilians and non-military infrastructure. Doing so violates international law. Israel spurns it repeatedly. It does so with impunity.
August 23 was the latest example. Israel struck targets between Beirut and Sidon. Spokesman Ramez Moustafa for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) said its territory was attacked.
"We will not respond to this assault in the way that serves the Zionist plan to lure us, yet in the proper place and at the proper time," he said.
No significant injuries or damage were caused, he added. Israel overflies Lebanon virtually daily. It does so multiple times. It does so lawlessly. Expect repeats of August 23's incident.
Netanyahu said "(w)e are acting on all fronts, in the north and in the south, to defend the citizens of Israel."
"We employ various measures, both defensive and preventive, and we are acting responsibly."
"Our policy is clear: to protect and to prevent. Whoever tries to harm us should know we will harm them."
Following the attack, Lebanon's National News agency reported Israeli drone overflights. They repeat regularly.
They're predator drones. They carry Hellfire anti-armor missiles. They're supersonic. They strike before targets can react.
On August 23, Al Manar [1] headlined "Twin Explosions Target Two Mosques in Tripoli, Leaving 27 killed and 352 wounded. Other reports cited over 40 dead.
One blast struck city center. It was near outgoing Prime Minister Najib Mikati's home. He was away at the time. It set dozens of cars and a nearby building ablaze.
It punctured a water main. It caused flooding. A wrecked car was blown atop the roof of Taqwq mosque's entryway.
The second blast struck close to former police chief Ashraf Rifi's home. It left a six-foot deep crater. It shattered windows of nearby buildings.
Friday's incident represents deadliest Tripoli violence since Lebanon's 1975 - 1990 civil war ended.
The attacks came as Friday prayers ended. They came a week after Beirut's Roueiss neighborhood was targeted. They suggest much more to come.
Hezbollah condemned what happened, saying:
"These two terrorist explosions come as a translation of the criminal plot that seeks to sow the seeds of discord among the Lebanese and drag the country to internal strife under the headline of sectarianism and religious differences."
A spokesman blamed unnamed foreign forces. Their violence benefits "the evil regional international plan that wants to break up our region and drown it in oceans of blood and fire."
On July 25, EU nations designated Hezbollah's military wing a terrorist organization. Washington/Israeli pressure forced it.
Hezbollah's a legitimate part of Lebanon's government. Its members were democratically elected. It's no terrorist organization. It doesn't matter.
Expect stepped up attacks ahead. EU leaders wrongfully blamed Hezbollah for July 2012's Burgas, Bulgaria Sarafovo airport bus bombing.
Israeli tourists and others were killed. No evidence suggested Hezbollah. Plenty suggested an Israeli false flag. Hezbollah had nothing to gain. Israel and Washington benefitted greatly.
Timing of the incident was no coincidence. It came on the anniversary of the 1994 AMIA (Argentine Israelite Mutual Association) Buenos Aires bombing. It killed 85. It injured hundreds.
Argentina has Latin America's largest Jewish population. It numbers around 200,000. Israel falsely blamed Iran.
Its officials jumped on the Burgas attack. Defense Minister Ehud Barak pointed fingers the wrong way, saying:
"The immediate executors are Hezbollah people, who of course have constant Iranian sponsorship."
Mossad specializes in targeted and larger scale attacks. Car bombs are a favorite tactic. Burgas was a classic false flag. State terror is official Israeli policy.
Mossad's dirty hands were responsible for dozens of similar incidents. Israel and America perfected the art of killing. They're experts at pointing fingers the wrong way.
Victims are wrongfully blamed. It's longstanding rogue state policy. False claims about fighting terrorism persist. They're Big Lies. They repeat ad nauseam.
Repetition manipulates public opinion. Media scoundrels support what demands condemnation. They turn truth on its head. They do it repeatedly. They do it consistently. They violate core journalistic ethics.
Friday's Tripoli incident raises concerns. President Michel Suleiman rushed home from abroad. He met with security officials. He urged them to "deploy their efforts to reveal the perpetrators and instigators."
Prime Minister-designate Tamman Salam said "the Tripoli crime is an additional indicator that the situation in Lebanon has reached a very dangerous level."
Washington and Israel bear full responsibility. They partner in imperial lawlessness. They want Syria ravaged and destroyed. They want Iran isolated. They want puppets replacing independent leaders.
They threaten regional violence and instability. They threaten regional war. They risk spreading it globally. Their agenda reflects madness.
They're in unchartered territory. They risk what no responsible leaders would dare. They risk WW III.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
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