Actually destroying a fair amount of Hezbollah has always required operation in the Bekaa.
Sounds like a definitive end to the bombing suspension.
The hospital is located in Baalbeck which is in the Bekaa, on the eastern edge, north of Beirut. This might be a snatch and grab operation to take a few Hezzie capos for swapping purposes. If that was al it was supposed to be, it's gone wrong.
[Update: It's pretty clear something is happening. Via PJM:
SY 19:09 MDT]News Breaks (Blogs & Opinion below)
17:32 PDT More details on the action in Baalbek. Eyewitnesss claim dozens of IDF helicopters over the city and air strikes to the hills north and east. Electricity to the town and surrounding areas is cut off. IAF helicopter gunships are attacking the Hezbollah outside the hospital. (Haaretz)
UPDATE: Israel claims to have captured some terrorists in the Bekaa.
10 comments:
Maybe they'll cut off the Beirut/Damascus road.
We shouldn't know about a snatch until it's over. This is going to be grim if the Israeli's are trapped in the hospital - which is what is being reported. The Israeli's are going to have to provide a hellacious amount of air support to keep their raiders alive.
According to the Navy, right now we've got four large and capable amphibious warfare ships in the Med.
Peter UK:
There are Air Force planes numbering the equivalent of several carrier battle groups stationed in various countries nearby.
And it is only Tuesday.
The next 24 hours will be very interesting.
Peter UK:
My point was,that they are conspicuous by their absence...
Very true. But we may not need them even if things get really tough for the Israelis.
We have to pull this one off. Of course we don't know precisely what "this" is, but here's hopin'.
Peter UK:
Perhaps, but right now somebody has to go through the Bekaa with a fine-toothed comb...
Hewitt was talking about it about an hour ago....
Peter,
Poisoned pawn? A snatch would be a company level action. It sounds more like a brigade has gone in. If it were an actual snatch we flat wouldn't know about it until the sheik was in Israel or dead and the Israeli's were out of harms way.
Don't forget the armor punching up from the south - or are they just fooling around on the border giving the Hezzies something to think about.
It's all the dense frog of war - no one but the Israeli's know which way it will hop.
Peter UK:
We really don't know anything, but I wouldn't say the carriers are just over the horizon. They are probably about 10 days steaming time away at an absolute minimum (though the location "Pacific Ocean" is very elastic). A lot can happen in 10 days. In other words, I don't think that whatever is now going on in the Bekaa will involve the Pacific carrier groups in any way. But commando-types inserted by the group led by the Iwo Jima may be in position to do all kinds of things to backstop the Israelis if things get rough.
Peter,
The attack subs should be sufficient to hold Ahmasmadasahatter's attention. Carriers are rather redundant when you have nice big airfields less than an hour away. From Teheran or Damascus.
Funny how that worked out.
Post a Comment