Syria Today: On Ground Updates - March 19, 2013

Wednesday, March 19, 2013

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    Today’s news of a possible chemical attack out of Syria is a big question mark right now but no matter how we look at it, it is some very troubling news. Here’s what some in the MSM are reporting this early Tuesday afternoon…

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Image Credit: Iran's Press TV website

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* CBS NEWS brings us the following report and it starts off like this…

The Syrian government accused rebels of firing a chemical weapon for the first time on Tuesday in the north of the country, killing at least 25 people in the war-torn Aleppo province. Rebels quickly denied the report and accused regime forces of firing a chemical weapon on a long-range missile… Neither of the accusations could immediately be verified, and a chemical weapons expert in the U.K. told CBSNews.com there was very little evidence to suggest any actual chemical weapons had been deployed…

Read the rest at link below…

Syriarebels, regime blame each other for first alleged chemical weapons attack

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* USA Today has this report… The Obama administration has no evidence to back up a claim by Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime that the U.S.-backed Syrian rebels used chemical weapons, the White House said Tuesday… A U.S. official told the AP there was no evidence either side had used such weapons Tuesday in an attack in northern Syria, disputing a competing claim by rebels that it was regime forces who fired the chemical weapon… The origin of the attack is still unclear…

Read the full report at link below…

U.S.:No evidence of chemical weapons use in Syria

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* The Guardian reports it this way…

Syria's information minister, Omran al-Zoabi, says Syrian rebels fired rockets containing chemical agents on Tuesday. He says the attack breaches international law, and says President Bashar al-Assad's forces would never use chemical weapons. The pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says at least 26 people died in the attack near Aleppo, but the use of chemical weapons has not been confirmed…

Click it out at link below…

Syriacondemns rebels' 'chemical weapon attack' – video

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My bet’s on it didn’t go down as reported… Or in other words, it wasn't a chemical attack…

AubreyJ………

Syria Today: On Ground Updates - March 06, 2013

Wednesday, March 06, 2013

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    The last time I looked and according to the United Nations, more than 70,000 souls have been killed over the last two years during the revolt against Syrian President Al-Assad.

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    Nearly two years ago it all started with peaceful protesters on the streets but it wasn't soon after that Assad’s murderous forces cracked down hard on the demonstrators and started murdering them by the 1,ooo’s.

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    The senseless murder by President Al-Assad’s forces on the innocence continues today… not to be left out the million Syrians who have fled their war-ravaged country and are seeking assistance in other countries…

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    AubreyJ………

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Image Credit: Iran's Press TV website

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* BBC had the following report, with news video, Tuesday afternoon and it goes in part like this.  …Unverified video footage purported to show at least two explosions hitting the city centre square, shortly after crowds had toppled a statue of former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad… People were seen fleeing in panic, with casualties scattered on the ground…The cameraman is heard to say: "War plane shelling... God is greater than you, Bashar [al-Assad]... The injured have fallen."…

Click out the rest at link below…

Syria crisis: Warplanes'bomb Raqqa after rebel gains'

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* The Huffington Post had this report posted on their website Tuesday afternoon and it starts off like this… Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday the Obama administration is confident that the vast majority of weapons being supplied to Syrian rebels by U.S. allies are going to moderates and not finding their way to extremists…

Read this report in full at link below…

Kerry Confident Syria Arms From U.S. Allies Are Going To Moderate Rebels

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* The New York Times had the following report posted on their website this Wednesday afternoon and it starts off like this… Syria’s civil war entangled the United Nations peacekeeping operation in the disputed Golan Heights area between Syria and Israel on Wednesday, when 30 armed fighters for the insurgency detained a group of 20 peacekeepers investigating a damaged observation post, the United Nations said… It was the first time that members of the Golan peacekeeping mission, officially known as the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force, had been detained by any of the combatants in the Syrian conflict, although the Golan region has been periodically affected by armed clashes and occasional artillery or mortar bombardments that have become a source of concern to Israel…

Read the full report at link below…

U.N. Peacekeepers Held by Syrian Insurgents in Golan Region

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* The Huffington Post has the following report/news video for us today, click it out below…

The number of Syrians who have fled their war-ravaged country and are seeking assistance has now topped the 1 million mark, the U.N. refugee agency said Wednesday, warning that Syria is heading toward a "full-scale disaster." The announcement came as government troops and rebels fought street battles in Syria's strategic northern city of Raqqa. The Syrian military dispatched reinforcements in an attempt to push out opposition gunmen who now control most of the city, activists said…

Read the rest, with the video, at link below…

Syrian Refugee Figure Hits 1 Million, UN Says

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Syria: On Ground Updates - Friday, August 10, 2012

Syria: On Ground Updates

“Long after the Assad regime is gone, the people of Syria and the entire global community will remember that Hezbollah, and its patron Iran, contributed to the regime’s murder of countless innocent Syrians.”

-David S. Cohen-

Friday, August 10, 2012

Image Credit Iran's Press TV website

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* The Voice of America website brings us the following report at starts off like this… The United States on Friday said it plans new sanctions against the Syrian regime and its supporters, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah militants… “We will be tightening even further with additional sanctions that drive at both Syrian entities and those who are supporting the efforts of the Syrian government to oppress its own people,” a U.S. official told reporters traveling with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Ghana… The United States considers Hezbollah a terrorist group. The U.S. Treasury’s top official on terrorism and financial intelligence, David S. Cohen, said the group’s actions have contributed to the suppression of the Syrian people… “Long after the Assad regime is gone, the people of Syria and the entire global community will remember that Hezbollah, and its patron Iran, contributed to the regime’s murder of countless innocent Syrians,” he said…

Read the full report at link below…

US to Impose New Sanctions on Syria

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* REUTERS has the following report this early Friday afternoon and it starts off like this… The United States imposed new sanctions on Syria and its allies on Friday as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton headed to Turkey for meetings as both countries plan for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s fall…

Read this report in full at link below…

U.S., Turkey to step up plans for Syria's "day after"

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- Also from REUTERS today is this report… Rebels fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces in Aleppo promised on Friday they will hit back after losing ground under heavy bombardment, and residents fled in cars crammed with belongings during a lull in fighting…

Read this report at link below…

Syrian rebels plan push to regain ground in Aleppo

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* Bloomberg reports… Britain’s government is giving an extra 5 million pounds (US $7.8 million) worth of aid to Syria’s opposition, supplying items including communications equipment, body armor and medical supplies to groups seeking to oust President Bashar Assad's regime…

Read the full report at link below…

UK offers more nonlethal aid to Syria's opposition

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AubreyJ………

ROMNEY2012

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Israel: On Ground Updates - August 03, 2010

Israel: On Ground Updates
Senior IDF Commander Killed In Israel-Lebanon Border Clash
Tuesday, August 03, 2010
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* VOANews.com brings us the following troubling news this Tuesday morning and their report starts off like this... Lebanese and Israeli troops have exchanged fire along their border in a battle that Lebanese officials say killed four people on their side and wounded several Israelis... Tuesday's fighting is the most serious in the area since Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group fought a month-long war in 2006...
Read the rest at link below...
4 Lebanese Killed in Fighting on Border with Israel
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* SKY News has the following report up on their website today with News Video, photos and more. Click it out at link below...
Soldiers Die In Israel-Lebanon Border Clash
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* YNETNews.com brings us the latest and most up to date report...
Cleared for publication: IDF Lieutenant Colonel Dov Harari killed in border skirmish with Lebanese army Tuesday... Another Commander seriously wounded. Troops stepped into planned ambush, army says...
Read this report in full at link below...
Lethal clash: Senior IDF commander killed in border skirmish
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IDF has the following report posted up on their website this Tuesday afternoon...
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Breaking News: IDF Officer Killed as Lebanon Opens Fire on Northern Border

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Lt. Col. Dov Harari was shot and killed on Tuesday afternoon (Aug. 3) as LAF opened fire at an IDF force operating inside Israeli territory on the northern border in accordance with UN.
Last update 18:31 - Written by Elana Kieffer The soldier who was critically wounded by Lebanese gunfire was medivacked to Haifa's Rambam hospital. IDF Photo by Shay Vaknin
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The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) fired at an IDF position in the Israeli side of the border along the Lebanese border in northern Israel on Tuesday afternoon (Aug. 3). The Israeli soldiers who were fired on had been in Israeli territory, carrying out routine maintenance which had been coordinated ahead of time with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which is the peacekeeping force created by the UN Security Council in March 1978 following Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon.

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Lt. Col. Dov Harari (45) from Netanya was killed by the LAF during this incident. Harari served as a battalion commander. Capt. Ezra Lakia (30) from Kfar Ha'Rif sustained severe injuries in the same incident. Capt. Lakia served as a platoon commander.

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. The border area is west of the Israeli town of Misgav Am. The incident occurred east of the internationally recognized “Blue Line”, the border between Israel and Lebanon, and west of the security fence, thus lying within Israeli territory.
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The IDF force immediately returned fire to an LAF force. Several minutes later an Israel Air Force (IAF) helicopter fired at the LAF Battalion Command Center in Al-Taybeh, damaging several LAF armored combat vehicles.
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The IDF holds the LAF responsible for the incident that disrupted the calm in the region, and its consequences.
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Chief of the General Staff, Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, arrived at Israel's northern border and has been closely following the events as they unfold. He is currently holding situation assessment meetings with the Commander of IDF's Northern Command, Maj. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot, as well as the Commander of the Galilee Regional Division and additional commanders.
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Since the conclusion of the Second Lebanon War over four years ago, three incidents of firing towards Israeli territory have been recorded, and terrorist organizations have claimed responsibility for each of these incidents.
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There have also been two recorded incidents of Lebanon violating the Blue Line. First, in a cross border raid in October 2000, Hezbollah forces abducted and killed three IDF soldiers, Sgt. First Class Adi Avitan (22), Sgt. First Class Benyamin Avraham (21), and Sgt. First Class Omar Sawaid (27), who at the time had been patrolling on the Israeli side of the border demarcation.
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In an additional cross border raid in 2006, Hezbollah forces attacked two Israeli armored Hum-vees which were located within the Israeli side of the border. As a result, seven IDF soldiers were killed, two were wounded, and Sgt. First Class Ehud Goldwasser and Sgt. First Class Eldad Regev were abducted and killed.
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> Photo gallery: Unrest on the border
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Post Update:
Wednesday, August 04, 2010
9:00pm CDT
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* NewsBlaze.com brings us the following report and it starts off like this... A Lebanese military spokesman said Wednesday (Aug. 4) that the Lebanese army was first to open fire in a border ambush that occurred the previous day. The attack killed six people: four Lebanese soldiers, a journalist affiliated with Hezbollah and an Israeli officer; a Lebanese journalist, also affiliated with Hezbollah, was wounded, as was an Israeli soldier... This is the third attack on Israel in the past week, highlighting the threats Israel faces on all its borders. A rocket was fired into the Israeli city of Ashkelon by Gaza militants, and rockets were fired toward the southern city of Eilat, killing a Jordanian civilian and wounding three others... Lebanese journalists and photographers knew in advance of the Lebanese army's plans to ambush IDF soldiers as they conducted routine maintenance work, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF)...
Read the rest of this report in full at link below...
Lebanese Army First to Open Fire on IDF, Planned Ambush
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* Ynet.com has this follow-up and it goes in part like this... The Lebanese army's fire on IDF troops working on Israel's northern border was "wholly unjustified and unwarranted," US State Department Spokesman Philip Crowley said Wednesday.
Read the rest at link below...
US: Lebanese fire unjustified, unwarranted
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AubreyJ.........

On Ground Updates: Israel - June 02, 2010

On Ground Updates: IsraelLead-up to the 2010 War BeginsWednesday, June 02, 2010. Image credit: IDF Spokesperson................................
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FIRST... Let’s start off with what happened to start all this mess....Demonstrators Use Violence Against Israeli Navy Soldiers Attempting To Board Ship

-- This Video removed by me due to Google Ad Policies --

About above video: ... IDF Naval Forces board six ships attempting to break the maritime closure of the Gaza Strip. This happened after numerous warnings from Israel and the Israeli Navy that were issued prior to the action. The Israel Navy requested the ships to redirect toward Ashdod where they would be able to unload their aid supplies which would then be transferred over land after undergoing security inspections..During the boarding of the ships, the demonstrators onboard attacked the IDF Naval personnel with live fire and light weaponry including knives and clubs. Additionally one of the weapons used was grabbed from an IDF soldier. The demonstrators had clearly prepared their weapons in advance for this specific purpose..As a result of this life-threatening and violent activity, naval forces employed riot dispersal means, as well as live fire..According to initial reports, these events resulted in the deaths of nine demonstrators and seven naval personnel were injured, some from gunfire and some from various other weapons. Two of the soldiers are moderately wounded and the remainder sustained light injuries. All of the injured, Israelis and foreigners have been evacuated by helicopter to hospitals in Israel..Reports from IDF forces on the scene are that it seems as if part of the participants onboard the ships were planning to lynch the forces..The interception of the flotilla followed numerous warnings given to the organizers of the flotilla before leaving their ports as well as while sailing towards the Gaza Strip. In these warnings, it was made clear to the organizers that they could dock in the Ashdod sea port and unload the equipment they are carrying in order to deliver it to the Gaza Strip in an orderly manner, following the appropriate security checks. Upon expressing their unwillingness to cooperate and arrive at the port, it was decided to board the ships and lead them to Ashdod..IDF naval personnel encountered severe violence, including use of weaponry prepared in advance in order to attack and to harm them. The forces operated in adherence with operational commands and took all necessary actions in order to avoid violence, but to no avail.
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Early this morning, IDF Naval Forces boarded six ships attempting to break the maritime closure of the Gaza Strip. This happened after numerous warnings from Israel and the Israeli Navy that were issued prior to the action. The Israel Navy requested the ships to redirect toward Ashdod where they would be able to unload their aid supplies which would then be transferred over land after undergoing security inspections..During the boarding of the ships, the demonstrators onboard attacked the IDF Naval personnel with live fire and light weaponry including knives and clubs. Additionally one of the weapons used was grabbed from an IDF soldier. The demonstrators had clearly prepared their weapons in advance for this specific purpose..As a result of this life-threatening and violent activity, naval forces employed riot dispersal means, as well as live fire..According to initial reports, these events resulted in the deaths of nine demonstrators and seven naval personnel were injured, some from gunfire and some from various other weapons. Two of the soldiers are moderately wounded and the remainder sustained light injuries. All of the injured, Israelis and foreigners have been evacuated by helicopter to hospitals in Israel..Reports from IDF forces on the scene are that it seems as if part of the participants onboard the ships were planning to lynch the forces..The interception of the flotilla followed numerous warnings given to the organizers of the flotilla before leaving their ports as well as while sailing towards the Gaza Strip. In these warnings, it was made clear to the organizers that they could dock in the Ashdod sea port and unload the equipment they are carrying in order to deliver it to the Gaza Strip in an orderly manner, following the appropriate security checks. Upon expressing their unwillingness to cooperate and arrive at the port, it was decided to board the ships and lead them to Ashdod..IDF naval personnel encountered severe violence, including use of weaponry prepared in advance in order to attack and to harm them. The forces operated in adherence with operational commands and took all necessary actions in order to avoid violence, but to no avail.
Info/Video originally posted on YouTube, May 31, 2010 by idfnadesk
.> Read much more HERE... along with photos, videos and more from the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs.******************************.'We Will Never Apologize for Defending Ourselves'


About this video from FoxNews.com: Israeli PM Netanyahu says raid of Gaza flotilla was justified; accuses international community of hypocrisy............................................................................Also today, we find the following reports...

...* YnetNews.com has this report up on their website today. It goes in part like this... "We knew they were peace activists," [the Officer who led the IDF raid on Marmara said...] "Though they wanted to break the Gaza blockade, we thought we'd encounter passive resistance, perhaps verbal resistance - we didn't expect this. Everyone wanted to kill us. We encountered terrorists who wanted to kill us and we did everything we could to prevent unnecessary injury."...Read the full story at link below...
'20 people threw me from deck' .> Also from YnetNews.com today is the following article and it starts like this... Netanyahu defends raid on Gaza-bound flotilla in special speech, [from his office today], says if siege on Strip had been broken, hundreds more ships would arrive. 'There is an Iranian port in Gaza, which threatens Europe, other countries'...Read this report in full at link below...PM: I am proud of soldiers
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Going to be one LONG a.. Summer!This is just the beginning of things to come...And I truly believe is the beginnings of the 2010 WARAubreyJ………

Al-Qaeda says it’s responsible for rocket attacks on Israel from Lebanon earlier this year

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

. Menassat.com brings us the following troubling news… The militant Islamic group Al-Qaeda says it’s responsible for the rocket attacks on northern Israel from Southern Lebanon earlier this year, in a new video purportedly produced and posted on the Internet by the group…
Read the rest at link below…
Al-Qaeda claims responsibility for rocket launches into Israel from Lebanon
. DailyStar.com reports it this way…
Al-Qaeda claims rocket attacks from Lebanon
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AubreyJ………

Photos courtesy of: Rewards for Justice & CENTCOM

Assem Hammoud, Accused Al Qaeda Mastermind of Foiled Plot to use Suicide Bombers to blow up Hudson River Tunnels, Released on Bail in Lebanon

Assem Hammoud File Photo
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* NYDailyNews.com had this report posted up on their website Tuesday and it starts off like this… The accused Al Qaeda mastermind of a foiled plot to use suicide bombers to blow up Hudson River tunnels has been freed in Lebanon on a mere $667 bail… Assem Hammoud's release from a Beirut jail occurred months ago, but was kept quiet until he appeared in a TV interview Tuesday claiming his innocence… Word of Hammoud's release prompted outrage from local officials fearful there is nothing to stop the one-time Lebanese economics professor from trying to engineer another attack…
Read the rest at link below…
Assem Hammoud, suspect in alleged New York tunnels plot, released on bail in Lebanon
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* Following link is from a 2006 FBI Press Release…
Lebanese-US Government Cooperate and Disrupt Plan to NY-NJ Transportation System
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* Here’s how FOXNews.com reported the original story back in 2006…
FBI agents monitoring Internet chat rooms smashed an Al Qaeda terrorist plot to attack New York City's underground transit link with New Jersey, law enforcement officials said Friday… Eight suspects - including an Al Qaeda loyalist arrested in Lebanon and two others in custody elsewhere - had hoped to pull off the attack in October or November of this year, federal officials said. But federal investigators working with their counterparts in six other countries intervened… "We're here today to discuss what we believe is the real deal," Mark Mershon, former assistant FBI director in New York, said during a press conference Friday. "We believe we intercepted this group early in their plotting and in fact, the plan has largely been disrupted."… The main target of the plot was the heavily traveled underground PATH train system that connects lower Manhattan and New Jersey's suburban communities, officials confirmed. The system carries more than 215,000 commuters daily. Mershon said the plot was supposed to be executed in October or November, but that it still was in the "planning stages."… "It was never a concern that this would actually be executed," Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said in Boston. "We were, as I say, all over this."…
Read the rest at link below…
FBI Busts 'Real Deal' Terror Plot Aimed At NYC-NJ Underground Transit Link

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I would now have to ask... Is Obama making us so weak, by cutting back on President Bush’s WORKING Policies to fight the War On Terror, that future plots like this one will never even popup on the radar to prevent them from killing hundreds if not thousands…?

AubreyJ………

ON Ground Updates: Israel/Palestinian Conflict, February 05, 2009

ON Ground Updates:
Israel/Palestinian Conflict
Egypt FINALLY Installs U.S. Tunnel Detection Equipment on Egypt-Gaza Border

Thursday, February 05, 2009

Israel Map and Flag by DOS
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AP had this bit of good news back on Feb. 1st that I overlooked and it goes like this... An Egyptian security official at the Egypt-Gaza border says U.S. Army engineers have arrived at the frontier to set up ground-penetrating radar to detect smuggling tunnels...
Read the rest at link below...
Egypt installs US tunnel detection equipment
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* The WorldTribune.com website had this take on it... The U.S. military has begun testing tunnel detection systems along the Egyptian border with the Gaza Strip... The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been testing unidentified advanced tunnel detection systems in the eastern Sinai. A 14 member U.S. military delegation has been instructing the Egyptian security forces in the operation of the system to detect Palestinian weapons smuggling tunnels that connect to the Gaza Strip...
Read the full report at link below...
U.S. trains Egyptians on tunnel detection system near Gaza Strip
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Great news and...
It’s about dang time!!!
AubreyJ.........

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Also in the News today...
IsraelNationalNews.com has this report for us...
The IDF has confirmed that an Israel Navy force intercepted, boarded, and took control of the cargo boat named "Tali" on Thursday morning. The ship, bearing the flag of Togo, was illegally attempting to enter Gaza... Two Israeli helicopters were reported in the area at the time of the interception, which took place approximately 32 kilometers (20 miles) from the Gaza coast... Among those on board were a reporter for the Arabic-language Al-Jazeera network, human rights activists, and former Greek Catholic archbishop of Jerusalem, Monsignor Hilarion Capuccci... Capucci, who in the 70s was accused of arms trafficking for the Palestine Liberation Army, was convicted in 1974 by an Israeli court of using his diplomatic status to smuggle arms to terrorists...
Read the rest at link below...
IDF Confirms: Navy Intercepted Ship Enroute to Gaza
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The New York Times had this report on it this morning... It goes in part like this...
A statement from the Israeli military said the boat, sailing under the flag of Togo, left Tripoli, in northern Lebanon, a few days ago, made a stop in Cyprus, and then tried to enter Gazan waters against Israeli orders. The military said that when the ship’s crew was instructed on Wednesday not to try to reach Gaza, the crew replied that the vessel would go instead to El Arish in Egypt but it then changed course... “During today’s morning hours, the cargo ship changed its bearing, and began heading toward the Gaza Strip, contrary to the claims made by the boat crew last evening,” the military statement said. “Disregarding all warnings made, the cargo boat entered Gazan coastal waters.”... The statement added that Israel worried the boat could “threaten security concerns” or be used to smuggle banned equipment, like weapons, “into or out of the Gaza Strip.” The Israeli military said humanitarian goods found on the boat would be sent into Gaza...
Read the full report at link below...
Israel Seizes Ship Bound for Gaza
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China View website reports it this way...
Syria strongly condemned on Thursday "the Israeli navy piracy" against a Lebanese ship which loaded with humanitarian aid for the besieged Palestinian people in Gaza, the official SANA news agency reported...
Read the full report at link below...
Syria condemns Israeli "piracy" against Lebanese ship

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Israel’s MFA put out the following News Letter today for their take on the Ship Seizure:

Cargo Boat Attempting Illegal Entry to Gazan Coastal Waters Intercepted

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This morning, Thursday, February 5, 2009, an Israel Navy force intercepted, boarded, and took control of the cargo boat named "Tali" which was bearing the flag of Togo and was illegally attempting to enter the Gaza Strip.
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The cargo boat sailed from the Tripoli port in Lebanon a few days ago, docking in Cyprus before continuing its journey to the Gaza Strip. While at sea, the cargo boat was contacted by Israel, clarifying that it will not be permitted to enter Gazan coastal waters because of security risks in the area and the existing naval blockade.
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Starting yesterday evening, the Israel Navy has been making direct contact with the boat and continued to clarify that the ship will not be permitted to enter the Gaza Strip's coastal waters. The boat crew stated their intentions of changing their destination to the port in El-Arish, Egypt.
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During the morning hours today, the cargo ship changed its bearing, and began heading towards the Gaza Strip, contrary to the claims made by the boat crew last evening.
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Disregarding all warnings, the cargo boat entered Gazan coastal waters. The actions of the boat crew raised suspicion, as it could threaten security concerns, or furthermore, the boat could be used for smuggling banned equipment (weaponry, etc.) in to or out of the Gaza Strip.
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As a result of the actions taken by the boat crew, an Israel Navy force intercepted, boarded, and took control of the cargo boat, directing it towards Ashdod, Israel. No gunshots were fired on board during the boarding and capturing of the cargo boat. The boat crew will be taken for questioning by the Israeli Police, and any humanitarian goods found on the boat will be transferred to the Gaza Strip.
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The IDF Spokesperson Unit would like to emphasize that any organization or country that wishes to transfer humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, can do so via the established crossings between Israel and the Gaza Strip with prior coordination.
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Note: The true motivation of the ship's voyage can be discerned by the fact that not only were a number of journalists invited to join, but also on board was Hilarion Cappuci - a former Greek Catholic bishop who was caught in 1974 smuggling weapons bound for Palestinian terrorists in the trunk of his official church vehicle while entering Israel from Lebanon.
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Taken from a MFA News Letter - Communicated by the IDF Spokesperson
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ON Ground Updates: Israel/Palestinian Conflict, February 1, 2009

ON Ground Updates:

Israel/Palestinian Conflict
Olmert vowed Sunday to hit back at Hamas with “disproportionate” force

Sunday, February 01, 2009
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File photo by IAF

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* FT.com brings us this report this morning and it starts off like this... Ehud Olmert vowed on Sunday to hit back at Hamas with “disproportionate” force, amid growing signs that the fragile ceasefire that ended three weeks of conflict in the Gaza Strip was unraveling... The Israeli prime minister’s statement came after at least three rockets and 13 mortars fired by Gaza-based militants struck Israel. There was no claim of responsibility, but Israel holds the Islamist group responsible for all fire emanating from the territory...
Read the rest at link below...
Olmert threatens fierce response to rockets
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* YNETNews.com has this report and it starts off like this... Palestinian leader slams armed groups in Gaza for 'ending ceasefire due to interests and agendas that have nothing to do with the Palestinian people'... Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas blamed the failure of the truce with Israel on the Palestinian factions in Gaza...
Read the full report at link below...
Abbas: Rockets give Israel excuse for escalation
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* IsraelNationalNews.com is reporting today... (IsraelNN.com) Residents of Rafiah and Khan Younis in Gaza reported Sunday evening that they received recorded phone messages from the IDF with warnings of the kind that often precede IDF attacks... "Any person who is located near a terror center or a weapons storage facility or a tunnel must leave the location immediately,” the warning said... Ynet reported that Hamas evacuated its personnel from all government offices Sunday. The evacuation was not announced formally so as not to alert the population to the danger...
Read the rest at link below...
IDF Phones Gazans, Warns of Coming Strike

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AubreyJ.........

ON Ground Updates: Israel/Palestinian Conflict, January 21, 2008

ON Ground Updates: Israel/Palestinian Conflict
Israel says all Soldiers have now pulled out of Gaza
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
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* SkyNews.com brings us this report today and it starts off like this... Israel says all its soldiers have now been pulled out of Gaza... They have not gone far. Much of its heavy armour remains massed on the border and Israel says it may send them back in again if Hamas resumes its rocket fire... Soldiers have told Sky News Online they have been kept on combat readiness for 30 days. That order extends even to troops' communications with families... "We are not allowed to see our wives or girlfriends," said one infantryman. "We can only phone them so we stay focused."... Israel announced its unilateral ceasefire on Saturday night and Hamas followed suit the next day... Hamas issued Israel with demands to withdraw troops in a week and open Gaza's border crossings... But Israel says any agreement to reopen crossings is a long way off and conditional on Hamas releasing abducted Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit...
Read the rest at link below...
Gaza: Israeli Army 'Combat Ready'
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* PressTV.ir has this report today and it goes like this... Thousands of Palestinians stage a massive rally in the Gaza Strip to celebrate the Hamas government's dramatic victory over Israel... The people of Gaza poured to the streets to celebrate the resistance that their democratically-elected government displayed during a 22-day war with Israel and its heavily armed military... The demonstrators celebrated by waving Hamas flags and shouting slogans in support of the movement, as the Israel army said that it had withdrawn all its forces from the coastal region... On Monday, senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniya said Israeli offensive into Gaza was a failure for Tel Aviv and a victory for Palestinians, who were able to withstand the Israeli onslaught... God has granted us a great victory, not for one faction, or party, or area, but for our entire people… Despite all the wounds, our people didn't surrender, but demonstrated a legendary perseverance," he said in a televised message... Similar celebrations were also held in Iran on Tuesday and Wednesday as people took to the streets to express their joy over the success of the Palestinian resistance...

Read the rest at link below...
Palestinians celebrate Hamas victory
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VICTORY!!!?
Your land lies in ruble, as far as you can see... and you people are celebrating a... VICTORY!
I think you DAs got your BUTTS kicked... and badly!
AubreyJ.........
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JerusalemOnline.com
Israel’s Channel 2 News Online
Click out their Daily News Report HERE

(Due to HEAVY Internet traffic, News Video may take a few to load)
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* Here’s some Links out of Israel for you...

Most with 24/7 up-to-date News on this Operation
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* YNET News

* Arutz Sheva

* Jerusalem Post

* DEBKAfile

* (IDF)-Israel Defense Forces

* (YouTube)-IDF Spokesperson's Unit

* (MFA)-Israel Ministry Of Foreign Affairs
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Click Banner above to get all the Updated News from the ones making it... The Israeli Defense Force!
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This should be my last post on this round of fighting. I will be doing my regular update posts, ever so often, that I call... ‘On Ground Updates: Israel’
AubreyJ.........