Israel: On Ground Updates - March 23, 2011

Israel: On Ground Updates

Israeli Police Report ‘Terrorist Attack’ in Jerusalem

Wednesday, March 23, 2011
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Photo courtesy of MFA 3-23-11

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* HAARETZ.com brings us this report and it starts off like this... A bomb exploded Wednesday at a crowded bus stop outside the International Convention Center in Jerusalem, just opposite the central bus station. A 59-year-old woman was killed and at least 30 people were wounded in the incident, three of them seriously... All of the casualties have been evacuated to the Hadassah Hospital in Ein Karem...

Read this report in full at link below...

Bomb explodes in central Jerusalem; 1 dead, at least 30 hurt

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-  HAARETZ.com also has this report today... Eyewitnesses give accounts of the scene moments after bomb explodes in central Jerusalem; paramedic who rushed to scene of the blast says he saw two women unconscious and covered in blood...

Read more at link below...

'Jerusalem explosion victims were completely covered in blood'

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-  Also from HAARETZ.com is this interesting take on the news out of Israel of late... What began as a local escalation is steadily transforming into a broader conflict that the sides will apparently have difficulty stopping...

Read the rest at link below...

A small war is starting along Gaza border

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* YNetNews.com has the following reported up on their website late this afternoon state time and their report goes in part like this ...Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened an emergency consultation session in his office following the attack... Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch told Ynet that the bomb weighed 1-2 kilos (roughly 2-4 pounds) and included steel pellets added to the device in order to maximize its damage... "There was no previous intelligence information. The Jerusalem District police are always ready for these types of events, but there was no specific warning," he said. Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat said one of the wounded called the police to inform them of a suspicious package at the site of the blast, and then the explosion occurred... He added that no intelligence warnings were received before the attack...

Read the full report at link below...

Dozens hurt, woman killed in Jerusalem bombing

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* SLIDESHOW by MFA.gov.il *
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- Raw Video: Bomb Explodes at Jerusalem Bus Stop -

About this Raw Video: Dozens of people have been injured in a bomb explosion at a crowded bus stop in central Jerusalem. It appears to be the first Terror Attack in the city in years. (March 23^rd)

This Raw Video posted on YouTube by AssociatedPress

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- Jerusalem Bus Bombing Injures Dozens -

Video and more removed by me in respect of Google Ads policy rules

About above News Video: A bomb struck a crowded bus stop in central Jerusalem Wednesday, wounding [dozens] in what authorities said was the first major Palestinian [Terrorist Attack] in the city in several years... There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, which police said was caused by a bomb planted close to Jerusalem's main conference hall and central bus terminal... The blast, which coincided with a surge of violence along the Israel-Gaza border, shook downtown Jerusalem... It is believed the device weighed about one to two kilograms and exploded in a small suitcase on the sidewalk next to the bus stop... The security services were on alert for additional attacks, but there are currently no firm leads... Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu postponed his departure for talks in Russia after the incident.

Above video/info posted on YouTube by infolivetvenglish

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Our thoughts and prayers go out to the dead, wounded... all their family-friends-loved ones... and too all the peoples of Israel.

AubreyJ.........

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Libya: On Ground Updates - March 21, 2011

Libya: On Ground Updates

- Operation Odyssey Dawn -

“We will continue to support the coalition, be a member of the coalition, we will have a military role in the coalition but we will not have a preeminent role,” says Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.

Monday, March 21, 2011

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PREFLIGHT CHECKS - U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Sean Moberly runs preflight checks on an AV-8B Harrier on the flight deck of amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge to prepare for Operation Odyssey Dawn missions in the Mediterranean Sea, March 19, 2011. Moberly is assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 266, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit.

U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Scott Pittman

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Coalition Continue Libya Attacks

‘Operation Odyssey Dawn’

Watch LIVE Video Coverage at...

BBC.co.uk

- LOTS of videos/photos and more can be found at above link -

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* The Telegraph brings us LIBYA NEWS LIVE HERE

Above Link Automatically Updates Every 90 Seconds

- LOTS of videos/photos and more at above link too -...

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* U.S. Department of Defense

- Special Section -

"Operation Odyssey Dawn" Under Way In Libya

- Lots of videos/photos/info and more can be found at above DoD link -

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* MSNBC Brings Us the Following Slides HERE

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Gates: Military Effort in Libya One Part of Solution

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    ABOARD A MILITARY AIRCRAFT, March 20, 2011 - As the United States and its coalition partners establish the no-fly zone they hope we’ll keep Moammar Gadhafi from “slaughtering his own people,” military forces are just one way to bring stability to Libya, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said today.

  “The tool box we bring with us to this [military action] has things in it in addition to hammers,” Gates told reporters traveling with him en route to Russia. “There’s a whole range of political and economic sanctions and a variety of other actions that have been taken.”

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  The first objective is to accomplish the mandate set forth in U.N. Security Council Resolution 1973, he said. “I think we’ve made good progress in doing that,” he added.

Gates said what’s important to President Barack Obama in the ongoing military effort is “a meaningful coalition, meaning other countries making serious military contributions so the United States isn’t carrying the pre-eminent responsibility for an indefinite period of time.”

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  Obama limited the U.S. contribution to “no boots on the ground,” the secretary said, but “we agreed to use our unique capabilities … at the front end of this process [and] expected in a matter of days to be able to turn over the primary responsibility to others.”

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   “We will continue to support the coalition, be a member of the coalition, we will have a military role in the coalition but we will not have a preeminent role,” the secretary said.

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  U.S. Africa Command has taken the military lead in the initial fighting, Gates cited possibilities for a transition to leadership by the international coalition.

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   “One is British and French leadership, another is the use of the NATO machinery, he said. “We just have to work out the command and control that is most accommodating to all coalition members.”

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  Gates said the Arab League reaffirmed its support today of the military effort in Libya and that this action was “very important, because the initiative first came from those in the region.”

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  The coalition is not operating as a NATO mission, Gates said, because of sensitivity on the part of the Arab League to being seen to be operating under a NATO umbrella. He added it may be possible to “work out NATO’s command and control machinery without it being a NATO mission and without a NATO flag.”

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  The United States received strong indications from several Arab states that they would participate in the coalition, the secretary said, though so far only Qatar has planes in the fight.

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   “This is a new endeavor for them,” he said, “and the notion that it takes them a while to get it organized shouldn’t be a surprise.”

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  The longer-term process of creating a stable Libya will have to be resolved by the Libyans themselves, Gates said.

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   “This is something that we’ve talked about with respect to other countries in the region,” he said, including Tunisia and Egypt. Whether Gadhafi’s opponents in Libya will get additional outside help remains to be seen, he added.

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Written by Cheryl Pellerin - DoD - American Forces Press Service

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* Today’s Videos *

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Gaddafi compound hit by missile...

as dozens die in coalition strikes

The U.S., Britain and France claim they have succeeded in scattering and isolating Muammar Gaddafi's forces after a weekend of air strikes. The coalition says they have no information to confirm if 64 people were killed during the bombardment. On Sunday night, Colonel Gaddafi's command centre in Tripoli was destroyed during a targeted attack.

This video posted on YouTube by RussiaToday

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Impact of Libya Strikes on Unrest Across Middle East

This video courtesy of Fox News

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Allied forces strike Gadhafi compound...

leader's whereabouts unknown

This News Video courtesy of CNN

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Target Libya: Third Day of Airstrikes

This News Video courtesy of ABC News

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Safe Flying to all our Coalition Pilot Friends

AubreyJ.........

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Libya: On Ground Updates - March 19, 2011

Libya: On Ground Updates

- Operation Odyssey Dawn Begins -

110+ Tomahawk Missiles Launched Against Libyan Sites

Saturday, March 19, 2011
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DOD graphic by Paul Sherman

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Coalition Launches Libya Attacks

Watch LIVE Video Coverage at...

BBC.co.uk

LOTS of videos/photos and more can be found at above link

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* The Telegraph brings us LIBYA NEWS LIVE HERE

Above Link Automatically Updates Every 90 Seconds

LOTS of videos/photos and more at above link too

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From U.S. Department of Defense

Coalition Launches ‘Odyssey Dawn’ to Implement No-fly Zone

Saturday, March 19, 2011

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  Coalition forces launched “Operation Odyssey Dawn” today to enforce U.N. Security Council Resolution 1973 to protect the Libyan people from the country’s ruler.

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  The goal of the military coalition is to prevent further attacks by regime forces on Libyan citizens, officials said, adding that the coalition also wants to degrade the ability of Moammar Gadhafi’s regime to resist a no-fly zone being implemented.

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  U.S. military forces are on the leading edge of the coalition operation, taking out Libya’s integrated air and missile defense system, Defense Department officials said. The ordnance is aimed at radars and anti-aircraft sites around the capital of Tripoli and other facilities along the Mediterranean coast.

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  Operation Odyssey Dawn is commanded by U.S. Navy Adm. Samuel J. Locklear aboard the command ship USS Mount Whitney. The Mount Whitney joins 24 other ships from Italy, Canada, the United Kingdom and France in launching the operation.

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  Cruise missiles from U.S. submarines and frigates began the attack on the anti-aircraft system. A senior defense official speaking on background said the attacks will “open up the environment so we could enforce the no-fly zone from east to west throughout Libya.”

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  In addition to the cruise missiles, the United States will provide command and control and logistics. American airmen and sailors also will launch electronic attacks against the systems.

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  The United Kingdom, France, Italy and Canada already have announced that they are part of the coalition. Officials expect Arab countries will publicly announce their participation soon.

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Written by Jim Garamone - DoD/American Forces Press Service - Image courtesy of DoD

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The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release

March 19, 2011

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* Remarks by the President on Libya *

Tryp Convention Brasil 21 Center
Brasilia, Brazil

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5:07pm BRT

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THE PRESIDENT:  Good afternoon, everybody.  Today I authorized the Armed Forces of the United States to begin a limited military action in Libya in support of an international effort to protect Libyan civilians.  That action has now begun.

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In this effort, the United States is acting with a broad coalition that is committed to enforcing United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973, which calls for the protection of the Libyan people.  That coalition met in Paris today to send a unified message, and it brings together many of our European and Arab partners.

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This is not an outcome that the United States or any of our partners sought.  Even yesterday, the international community offered Muammar Qaddafi the opportunity to pursue an immediate cease-fire, one that stopped the violence against civilians and the advances of Qaddafi’s forces.  But despite the hollow words of his government, he has ignored that opportunity.  His attacks on his own people have continued.  His forces have been on the move.  And the danger faced by the people of Libya has grown.

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I am deeply aware of the risks of any military action, no matter what limits we place on it.  I want the American people to know that the use of force is not our first choice and it’s not a choice that I make lightly.  But we cannot stand idly by when a tyrant tells his people that there will be no mercy, and his forces step up their assaults on cities like Benghazi and Misurata, where innocent men and women face brutality and death at the hands of their own government.

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So we must be clear:  Actions have consequences, and the writ of the international community must be enforced.  That is the cause of this coalition.

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As a part of this effort, the United States will contribute our unique capabilities at the front end of the mission to protect Libyan civilians, and enable the enforcement of a no-fly zone that will be led by our international partners.  And as I said yesterday, we will not -- I repeat -- we will not deploy any U.S. troops on the ground.

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As Commander-in-Chief, I have great confidence in the men and women of our military who will carry out this mission.  They carry with them the respect of a grateful nation.

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I'm also proud that we are acting as part of a coalition that includes close allies and partners who are prepared to meet their responsibility to protect the people of Libya and uphold the mandate of the international community.

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I've acted after consulting with my national security team, and Republican and Democratic leaders of Congress.  And in the coming hours and days, my administration will keep the American people fully informed.  But make no mistake:  Today we are part of a broad coalition.  We are answering the calls of a threatened people.  And we are acting in the interests of the United States and the world.

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Thank you very much.

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END
5:10pm BRT

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White House file photo

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* TheGlobeAndMail.com has the following AP report posted up on their website this Saturday afternoon and it starts off like this... Hospital workers in this rebel-held city on Libya's coast laid out the bodies in their morgue Saturday in three groups: soldiers who tried to seize the city for ruler Moammar Gadhafi, rebels who fought to keep them out, and civilians who died in the crossfire... All three are parts of the battle for this city - Libya's second largest - whose fate could determine whether Western intervention can stop Mr. Gadhafi from stamping out the rebellion seeking to end his 42-year rule... “This city is a symbol of the revolution,” Essam Gheriani, a spokesman for the opposition. “It's where it started and where it will end if this city falls.”...

Read this report in full at link below...

Scene in Benghazi: Gadhafi forces quiet after foreign jets strike

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* Libya Videos: Operation Odyssey Dawn *

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- War Plane Shot Down Over Benghazi -

About above video: A fighter jet has been shot down over the rebel-held Libyan city of Benghazi, despite demands worldwide for an immediate ceasefire.

Video courtesy of Telegraph.co.uk

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Safe Flying to all our Coalition Pilot Friends

AubreyJ.........

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