Monday, 04 September 2006
 

Two Posts on Lebanon from Debka
Contributed by George Mellinger

First the proviso. Debkafiles is a well known but controversial site, It is wide rumored to have ties to Israeli Intelligence, the Mossad, though nobody knows for certain. As in the old Zen paradigm, "He who speaks does not know, he who knows does not speak."  Debka has been accused of spreading disinformation and propaganda on occasion. or perhaps that is only how you explain error by a source which usually seems to have prime inside information. Debka is very worth auditing, though you should always do so with skepticism. Of course, you really should do that with everything you find on the web, even the authoritative insights of Rurik. Except of course for the ranting at DU and the Daily Kotz, which you know to be always nonsense.

Today there are two items from Debka, which offer cause for concern. the first discusses the naval build-up off the coast of Lebanon.

The extraordinary buildup of European naval and military strength in and around Lebanon’s shores is way out of proportion for the task the European contingents of expanded UNIFIL have undertaken: to create a buffer between Israel and Hizballah.

Close investigation by DEBKAfile’s military and intelligence sources discloses that “Lebanese security” and peacemaking is not the object of the exercise. It is linked to the general anticipation of a military clash between the United States and Israel, on one side, and Iran and possibly Syria on the other, some time from now until November. Continue reading here.

In this case, I cannot help but wonder if the description of the size of the fleet is either exaggerated or distorted by short memories. But it does suggest that something may be a-building. Even more notable is the unusual mix of national fleets. (Note - where they refer to the warships as including "...5 Italian, 2-3 Green, 3-5 German..." I presume that is a typo for Greek, since I have never heard of the Environmentalist Navy.)

The second article, Some Lebanon War Riddles Solved and Their Relevance to Moves on Syria in Jerusalem Explained is even more alarming and considers Israel's sudden desire to negotiate with Syria's Bashir Asshat, and raises questions of why the Israeli military conducted such a limited war in Lebanon. Certain Israeli leaders (sic) are singled out, and accusations are also leveled at some American Administration figures. if even some of the accusations are true, it is troubling. but remember, this article may be intended for its political impact, both in Israel and America.

A tip of the helmet to TACAN.

-Rurik

Contributed by George Mellinger on September 4, 2006 at 07:41 PM in France, George Mellinger, Germany, Hezbollah, Iran, Islamism Delenda Est, Israel, Lebanon, US Marine Corps, US Navy | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Saturday, 19 August 2006
 

Germans suspect terror network behind train-bomb attempt
Contributed by Bill Faith

Allahpundit:

They caught one of the two suspects at the train station as he was trying to skip town. According to the prosecutor, his DNA(!) and fingerprints are on one of the suitcase bombs. They’re still looking for the second guy but they think it goes further than the two of them:

The two men were not acting alone but within a “criminal organisation with a solid structure”, [prosecutor Monika Harms] said…

“We are now working on the basis that this was the work of a terrorist group based in Germany and that it was an attempt to kill a large number of people,” Rainer Griesbaum, a federal prosecutor, told a press conference Friday.

The suspect’s reportedly Lebanese and “very Islamic.” The bombs were planted not long after the war between Israel and Hezbollah broke out.

Meanwhile, in London, ...

[Read on.]

Contributed by Bill Faith on August 19, 2006 at 08:17 PM in Bill Faith, Germany, Islamism Delenda Est | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Friday, 18 August 2006
 

German Suitcase Bombs Were Primed to Go Off, Kill
Contributed by Bill Faith

Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Two suitcases containing bottles of gasoline, propane gas and a detonating device that were found abandoned in German regional trains last month were bombs primed to go off and kill a ``high number'' of people, police said.

``We're accusing as yet unknown suspects of having tried to ignite unconventional flammable and explosive devices on July 31, 2006, in the cities of Dortmund and Koblenz with the aim of killing a high number of people,'' Federal Prosecutor Rainer Griesbaum said at a press conference in Wiesbaden, Germany, today. The perpetrators are suspected of being members of a ``domestic terrorist organization,'' Griesbaum said.

A suitcase found abandoned on a regional train from Aachen to Hamm in western Germany was turned in by the train's conductor in Dortmund. It contained a propane gas bottle, three bottles filled with gasoline and a detonating device, the Federal Prosecutor's Office said Aug. 1. On the same day another piece of luggage was found on another regional train from Moenchengladbach to Koblenz about 75 miles to the South. It too contained a propane gas bottle.

[...]

The terror threat in Germany isn't considered to be as high as in the U.K. or U.S. because the country didn't take part in the U.S.-led war in Iraq, the government has said. [Need I comment?]

[Read the whole thing. Hat tip: Ugly American]

***

Dan Riehl: Terrorists Celebrate Labor Day

Contributed by Bill Faith on August 18, 2006 at 01:37 PM in Bill Faith, Germany, Islamism Delenda Est | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Tuesday, 15 August 2006
 

Germans Guarding Jewish Lives?
Contributed by Bill Faith

German troops may face Jews - as part of mission for peace

GERMANY was poised yesterday to shatter its most enduring postwar taboo by sending troops into the cauldron of Lebanon, where they risk coming into direct conflict with Israelis.

As troops from France, Italy, Spain, Turkey and other donor nations prepared to deploy in southern Lebanon, Germany’s late decision to participate ranked as its most delicate foreign policy move since it was held to account for the Holocaust in 1945. Since then, it has been unthinkable that Germans would put themselves in a combat situation in which their soldiers could shoot at Jews.

The decision to deploy troops to join the 15,000-strong Unifil peacekeeping force was made by Angela Merkel, the Chancellor, in consultation with three Cabinet ministers. They agreed to take on such a role in their first venture into the Middle East because of the difficulties of recruiting enough properly equipped peacekeepers for the mission.

“We have to do this, not in spite of the Holocaust, but because of it,” Werner Sonne, a leading commentator, said on German state television. “If German troops guard Israel’s borders, they are there to protect Jewish lives. Frankly, there has never been a better reason to bring in soldiers in German uniform.”

[Read on.]

***

Hat tip: Ace, who comments here.

Contributed by Bill Faith on August 15, 2006 at 07:46 PM in Bill Faith, Germany, Hezbollah, Islamism Delenda Est, Israel, Lebanon | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack