Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Into the Bekaa

I just heard a snippet of news that I cannot confirm that Israel is now operating in the Bekaa Valley. The report said that they have an invested a hospital (hospital = command and control center). I don't know if this is a raid or an air assault.

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:

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)

SY 19:09 MDT]

UPDATE: Israel claims to have captured some terrorists in the Bekaa.

5 comments:

brylun said...

Maybe they'll cut off the Beirut/Damascus road.

Rick Ballard said...

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.

Charlie Martin said...

Hewitt was talking about it about an hour ago....

Rick Ballard said...

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.

Rick Ballard said...

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.