Haaretz - 20 August

IDF officer killed in commando raid in east Lebanon
Earlier Saturday, Israeli aircraft fired several rockets at a target in a Hezbollah stronghold in eastern Lebanon, a Lebanese security source said.

Beirut Live - August 20

For the record
Israel broke the cease fire last night by launching a commando operation in the Beka'a Valley. Will the American people remember Condelezza's words as the UN resolution was being passed last week? She said "now we will know who really wants peace."

The Independent - 17 August

Bush is crap, says Prescott
John Prescott [the British Deputy Prime Minister] has given vent to his private feelings about the Bush presidency, summing up George Bush's administration in a single word: crap.

Global Research - 16 August

VIDEO; Israeli Soldiers "Shoot to Kill" at Israeli Anti-war Demonstrators
The video clearly shows the Border Police unit firing on the demonstrators from close range. There is no evidence that the soldiers were in danger. Typically, the military spokesperson has claimed that “activists threw stones” and Haaretz’s article yesterday reiterating the same false information. The video also clearly shows the commander of the unit saying, “This is Lebanon!” as he orders his force to fire on retreating demonstrators, and “I will not allow a demonstration during wartime!”

Robert Fisk - 17 August

Lebanon's pain grows by the hour as death toll hits 1,300
Across Lebanon, they are systematically lifting the tons of rubble of old roofs and apartment blocks and finding families below, their arms wrapped around each other in the moment of death as their homes were beaten down upon them by the Israeli air force. By last night, they had found 61 more bodies, taking the Lebanese dead of the 33-day war to almost 1,300.

Washington Times - 14 August

Support spreads for Hezbollah leader
"Israel has proved it is an aggressive neighbor, and it's proven the logic of Hezbollah's resistance," said political analyst Amal Saad-Ghorayeb, a professor at the Lebanese American University in Beirut. "The resistance was the only capable source of confronting Israel. No single Arab army has been able to win against Israel militarily."

The Times - 15 August

Hezbollah fighters emerge from rubble as refugees defy curfew to head home
“Yes, we paid a high price with all this destruction,” conceded Jamil Jamil, 75. “But it was worth the price. We didn’t attack Israel. Israel and Bush attacked us,” he added.

Washington Post - 15 August

Hezbollah Fighters Emerge From the Rubble"
"I remember that the Arab armies in 1967 were defeated in a few days. The Israelis advanced across hundreds of kilometers of land. From what you see here in the south, from what you hear on the radio, they advanced seven kilometers in 33 days, and they couldn't go any further," Saleh said. "Is that not a victory? Do you consider it a legend or not?

Patrick Buchanan - 15 August

Olmert's War, and the Next One
While the Israeli air force was hammering Lebanon, Hezbollah rained down 3,000 rockets on Israel and fought off pinprick raids. When the Israeli army, after a month, moved in force against the real enemy, Hezbollah, Israel had already suffered irreparable damage to its reputation as a fighting nation and a moral country.

Integrated Regional Information Networks - 14 August

We're not just fighters, says Hezbollah
"From far away, Hezbollah might appear as people carrying AK47s, but look closer and you will find we are an organisation centred around educated people striving to give people the chance to live in dignity," he said.

Orit Weksler - 14 August

This war is the latest mistake for Israel
When my son was born five years ago in Tel Aviv, the nurse complimented his good health by saying: "He'll make a good soldier." That gave me the chills. The babies he shared the nursery with will, in 13 years, be fighting the third, or fourth or fifth Lebanon war. I will do anything in my power so that my son does not become one of them. This is one of the reasons I don't live in Israel.

Beirut letters

Dead time
Oh cities that have never been invaded, have you no nostalgia for the enemy?

Aljazeera - 15 August

Fox journalists kidnapped in Gaza
Masked gunmen have kidnapped two foreign journalists working for the Fox News television channel in Gaza, witnesses say. One of the men was an American producer and the other a cameraman from New Zealand. In a news report, Fox confirmed two employees had been abducted.

Christian Henderson - 14 August

Cautious relief greets ceasefire
But Yehia said the loss of property did not bother him. Referring to the previous Israeli offensives in Lebanon, he said: "We are used to this. This happened to me in 1978, 1982 and 1996. "The first time it happened to me it was a shock, but now I have got used to it."

Reuters - 14 August

US Mideast clout may be casualty of Lebanon war
The Arab world is seething at how President George W. Bush, after promoting free elections in Lebanon, made no effort to stop Israel from weakening the new government by destroying much of the country's infrastructure in a bid to cripple Hizbollah.

Henri J. Barkey - 14 August

Why America wants Hizbullah beaten even more than Israel does
The Hizbullah model completely emasculates the notion that a state is defined by, among other things, a monopoly over the means of violence.

Robert Fisk - 15 August

Desert of trapped corpses testifies to Israel's failure
They made a desert and called it peace. Srifa - or what was once the village of Srifa - is a place of pancaked homes, blasted walls, rubble, starving cats and trapped corpses. But it is also a place of victory for the Hizbollah, whose fighters walked amid the destruction yesterday with the air of conquering heroes.

Scott Peterson - 13 August

Cleric turned ragtag Hezbollah into potent force
'Anytime Hezbollah launched an operation, they always had a checklist: What does it mean for Hezbollah? For Shiites? For Lebanon? For Syria and Iran?' asks Timur Goksel, a 24-year veteran adviser of UN forces in south Lebanon. 'Based on that criterion, as a result people were uprooted, houses were damaged, people got killed, and people now live in miserable conditions. Hezbollah actually hurt the interests of its own people, which is very unusual.'

Uri Avnery - 14 August

What Has Happened to the Israeli Army?
The facts speak for themselves: On the 32nd day of the war, Hezbollah is still standing and fighting. That by itself is a stunning feat: a small guerilla organization, with a few thousand fighters, is standing up to one of the strongest armies in the world and has not been broken after a month of "pulverizing." Since 1948, the armies of Egypt, Syria, and Jordan have repeatedly been beaten in wars that were much shorter.

Nouhad Mahmoud - 13 August

Truce will be Israel's last, Lebanon envoy declares
Lebanon's UN ambassador bitterly slammed Israel's month-long bombardment of his country ahead of a hard-won truce, and vowed that the treaty would be Israel's last with any Middle East country. "Lebanon will be, I think, the last state to sign a peace treaty with Israel," UN ambassador Nouhad Mahmoud told CNN television's "Late Edition" program, without explaining the remark.

Fouad Siniora - 12 August

Put an end to the aggression
Israel says this war is against Hizbullah, not Lebanon. But the Israeli terror is inflicted on all Lebanese. The indiscriminate murder of more than 1,100 Lebanese civilians (a third of them children), the massacres and "cleansing" of villages and the wanton destruction of our infrastructure are nothing short of criminal. One quarter of our population has been displaced. On behalf of all Lebanese, I demand an international inquiry into Israel's actions in Lebanon, and insist on reparations.

Haaretz - 14 August

IDF general: Troops lacking food can steal from Lebanese stores
"If our fighters deep in Lebanese territory are left without food our water, I believe they can break into local Lebanese stores to solve that problem," Brigadier General Avi Mizrahi, the head of the Israel Defense Forces logistics branch, said Monday.

Updates on the aggression against Lebanon - 14 August

Headline items
16:55 AP: Israeli army: 6 Hezbollah fighters killed since start of ceasefire
15:17 NewTV: Israeli troops destroy Lebanese army barracks in Marjeyoun before retreating from town

Press Association - 14 August 10:53am

Militant shot in Lebanon ceasefire
Israeli troops in south Lebanon opened fire on a group of armed Hezbollah fighters "approaching in a threatening way," and hit one, the army said.

The Observer - 13 August

Nobody's victory, but in the end Israel could not defeat Hizbollah
The nature of the Israeli campaign in Lebanon, with its scorched-earth policy designed to drive out local populations, its mendacious claim that it had allowed humanitarian corridors when it had not, its lack of concern for the killing of civilians (and callous explanation that dead civilians should have fled when threatened) has amplified the increasing sense abroad that this is a country which does not care about international law.

Information Clearing House

Lebanon's 9/11 or Why Do They Hate Us? - Picture Album
What exactly do our politicians mean when the say we support Israel in its action against Lebanon? What is it that they support? Surely not this carnage?

New York Times - August 14

U.S. Shift Kicked Off Frantic Diplomacy at U.N.
As evidence of how committed the United States had become to the notion that an Israeli military victory was no longer an option, Ms. Rice and other administration officials posed pointed questions to the Israelis about the likely consequences of an intensified military push. And in a rare pointed remark clearly aimed at Israel, Tony Snow, the White House spokesman, said Wednesday, “We do not want escalations.”

Robert Fisk - 14 August

As the 6am Ceasefire Takes Effect...the Real War Begins
Hizbollah's laser-guided missiles - Iranian-made, just as most Israeli arms are US-made - appear to have caused havoc among Israeli troops on Saturday, and their downing of an Israeli helicopter was without precedent in their long war against Israel.

Eric Margolis - August 13

Bombs Not Enough
Bombing will not destroy Hezbollah. The encouragement of this foolish strategy by U.S. President George W. Bush marks his third military disaster. Israel risks getting permanently stuck in Lebanon through mission creep. Hezbollah cannot be uprooted without wiping out Lebanon’s 1.5 million Shias.

Informed Comment - August 14

McGreevy: The War's Deathbed
In a CNN interview Sunday evening, Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak suggested that Israel should not be accused of breaking the cease-fire if it attacks vehicles that it suspects of transporting weapons to Hezbollah. If this is true, it means that Israel reserves the right to control Lebanon from the air, to treat it like the Gaza Strip. And we thought the patient was dying.

Haaretz - 14 August

Eleventh-hour air strikes in Lebanon, alerts for rockets in Israel as truce nears
Olmert ordered the army to begin abiding by it as of 2 A.M. this morning, other than in cases of self-defense. But Israeli air strikes went on well after that time, targeting areas in eastern Lebanon and near the southern city of Sidon, the security sources said.

Haaretz - August 14

Son of novelist, activist David Grossman killed in Lebanon
Staff Sgt. Uri Grossman, 20, the son of renowned novelist and peace activist David Grossman was killed Saturday in Lebanon, just days after his father made a public call for the government to halt its military operation and enter negotiations.

Haaretz - August 11

U.S. worried by Syria's 'rising self-confidence'
The Pentagon believes that Syria's influence over events in Lebanon has increased in recent weeks, and the Bush administration is very worried by this, since it viewed Syria's ouster from Lebanon last year as a significant achievement.

Haaretz - August 11

Saving Israel from itself
There were also harsher statements: "Do you understand what they want, where they're going? Because we don't." And with Israel having difficulty defining its goals, Rice decided there was no other way but to close a deal, for better or for worse, as far as the details go. Her people said she did Israel a favor, as it sought a way to stop the bloodshed without seeming to surrender. She saved Israel from itself.

Leila Fadel - 11 August

Longtime Hezbollah member provides glimpse into group
"I'm a soldier," he said. "Across the entire world what Israel is doing is forbidden."

Johnathan Cook - August 12

Suddenly, I'm an 'Islamic Fascist'

So I find myself standing with Bush's "Islamic fascists" in the hope that – just possibly – my solidarity and that of others may dissipate the rage, may give it meaning and offer it another, better route to victory.

Jerusalem Post

Nasrallah supports deployment of army
I support the deployment of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) in southern Lebanon and the boosting of the existing UNIFIL forces, Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah said in a recorded televised address broadcast on the group's al-Manar network on Wednesday night.

Scott Ritter - August 9

The Grave Consequences of Supporting War in Lebanon
This discussion is offered without any thought or recognition of the "other side of the coin," namely the mindset in much of the Arab and Muslim world that if Iran and Syria are targeted for providing military support for Hezbollah, then the No. 1 underwriter for the ongoing Israeli slaughter of Lebanese, the United States, likewise becomes a legitimate military target.

Haaratz - 9 August

Ending the neoconservative nightmare
Disentangling Israeli interests from the rubble of neocon "creative destruction" in the Middle East has become an urgent challenge for Israeli policy-makers. An America that seeks to reshape the region through an unsophisticated mixture of bombs and ballots, devoid of local contextual understanding, alliance-building or redressing of grievances, ultimately undermines both itself and Israel.

Wizard of Beirut - July 30

Crimes against Humanity
Having said that, we believe that President Bush should be tried by an International Tribunal for Crimes against Humanity. The trial of Saddam Hussein is a mockery when compared with the butchery which is taking place in Lebanon.

Courier Post - August 9

God save us
If what is going on in Lebanon is not terrorism, then there is no such thing as terrorism. Bush can call it whatever he likes, but those who have eyes and ears and can think know this government [the US] sponsors terrorism.

Common Dreams

It's All About Who You Sleep With ... a Cautionary Note from Michael Moore
To every Democratic Senator and Congressman who continues to back Bush's War, allow me to inform you that your days in elective office are now numbered. Myself and tens of millions of citizens are going to work hard to actively remove you from any position of power. If you don't believe us, give Joe a call.

Salon - August 2

The war between Bush and Bush
However accurate the various depictions of ideological infighting among the Bushes the carnage darkening the geopolitical landscape in the time of George junior is undeniable. Any responsible father would be seriously worried.

Salon - August 3

The neocons' next war
When asked about the president's optimism, he [Richard Haass] replied, "An opportunity? Lord, spare me. I don't laugh a lot. That's the funniest thing I've heard in a long time. If this is an opportunity, what's Iraq? A once-in-a-lifetime chance?"

Salon - 7 August

Twilight of Lebanon's liberals
The questions [why] get repeated night after night, at dinner after dinner, in the few Beirut restaurants that dare to open these days. And most of my Lebanese acquaintances come up with the same answer -- because Israel hates Lebanon and America doesn't give a damn.

Salon - August 4

How Lebanon rescued me
Today, who threatens Lebanon's freedom -- Israel, Iran, Syria, Hezbollah or some toxic blend -- is debated endlessly. But who has betrayed Lebanon's freedom and its civilians is clearly the United States, which has failed to understand that what was born of the birth pangs of the 15-year Lebanese civil war, the 18-year Israeli occupation of its south, the 14-year presence of Syria, and the ongoing domestic reconciliation process since Hariri's death, was a fragile yet functional coexistence that could have proved to be the viable model in the Middle East that Iraq will never be.

Canadian Press - August 9

Jewish leader in Canada wants crack down on Hezbollah demonstrations in Canada
Baker [Israel's ambassador to Canada] said Israel only targeted a Beirut power plant when its armed forces learned that Hezbollah was using it to launch missiles into Israel. That strike caused a major oil spill, which has killed countless fish and birds in the area.

Red State Son - August 7

What Ales Us
But Juan Cole is at it all week long; weekends, too. A little weariness can be seen in his eyes, but that's the only hint of fatigue Juan gives me. The heat might have something to do with it as we both relax outside in downtown Ann Arbor, drinking pints of home-brewed Hefeweizen ale, discussing the evolving brutality of Israel's assault on Lebanon and Gaza, and Hezbollah's increasingly deadly replies.

Beirut Live - August 9

UNable
As I write this Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah speaks on TV. What will he say? Does it matter anymore? I don't know, but after 4 weeks this seems it doesn't have an end anymore. At least, this will not end at the UN as we all hoped it will. This will be a long one, much longer than any Lebanese ever thought it will be.

Rapture Ready - August 8

Rapture Index 158
Rapture Index above 145: Fasten your seat belts

Cihan News Agency - August 8

Turkish Artillery Opens Fire on PKK Camp in N. Iraq
Local villages quoted by PNA described the artillery fire coming from the Turkish side of the border as “heavy.”

Washington Post - August 9

War Crimes Act Changes Would Reduce Threat Of Prosecution
Retired Rear Adm. John D. Hutson, the Navy's top uniformed lawyer from 1997 to 2000 and now dean of the Franklin Pierce Law Center, said his view is "don't trust the motives of any lawyer who changes a statutory provision that is short, clear, and to the point and replaces it with something that is much longer, more complicated, and includes exceptions within exceptions."

AntiWar - August 8

Was Israel's Aim to Clear Path for US War on Iran?
But he [Steinberg] did say there is "some expectation" in Israel that after the U.S. congressional elections, Bush "will decide that he has to do what he has to do."

Common Dreams - August 8

Israel's Military Invincibility Dented by Hezbollah
One month later, Rabbani said, "the shock and awe in this campaign appears to have mainly been inflicted upon, rather than by, Israel."

TomDispatch - August 8

Destruction, Death, and Drastic Measures
The Israelis, over-valuing the technology of war and, in particular, of air power, began their campaign against Lebanon by using perfectly real bombs and missiles to achieve largely psychological ends -- the humiliation of Hezbollah in the eyes of the Lebanese population. As it turns out, they have indeed changed the psychology of Lebanon -- and possibly of the region. Just not in ways they ever imagined.

Bangor Daily News - August 8

Democrats and the New Axis of Evil
When Democrats lend their voice to military solutions, they are both wrong and politically short-sighted. Americans are coming increasingly to recognize that force is not stabilizing the Middle East or providing them with secure and cheap oil.

Guardian - August 8

Israel Responded to an Unprovoked Attack by Hizbullah, Right? Wrong
First, stop recruiting enemies, by withdrawing from the occupied territories in Palestine and Syria. Second, stop provoking the armed groups in Lebanon with violations of the blue line - in particular the persistent flights across the border. Third, release the prisoners of war who remain unlawfully incarcerated in Israel. Fourth, continue to defend the border, while maintaining the diplomatic pressure on Lebanon to disarm Hizbullah. Here then is my challenge to the supporters of the Israeli government: do you dare to contend that this programme would have caused more death and destruction than the current adventure has done?

The Independent - August 8

Requiem for Baghdad
In all of Iraq, in June, 3,149 civilians are known to have been killed, more in one month than the total death toll in Northern Ireland in 30 years of violence.

TimeUnion - August 5

U.S. soldiers contend Iraq is torn apart by civil war
Staff Sgt. Wesley Ramon, 33, of San Antonio, said, "It's to the point of being irreconcilable; you know, we've found a lot of bodies, entire villages have been cleared out, we get reports of entire markets being gunned down -- and if that's not a marker of a civil war, I don't know what is."

TimesUnion - August 8

GOP sees Iraq as a plus for the fall
Bush: The Iraqi people decided against civil war when they went to the ballot box. And a unity government is working to respond to the will of the people. And frankly, it's quite a remarkable achievement on the political front, and the security front is where there have been troubles."

CBC News -August 9

Antiwar challenger wins
Today, America is no safer, Israel is no safer, Iran is more dangerous, Osama bin Laden is still at large, and our brave troops are stuck in the middle of a bloody civil war. I believe that those leaders who got us into this mess should be held accountable.

The Angry Arab News Service - August 8

A new poll from Lebanon
The survey had one question: "Should Lebanon consent to international resolutions that are in conflict with the seven points that were adopted by the Lebanese government"? 88% of the Lebanese people said no. Shi`ites had the largest percentage of rejection (96.6%); followed by Sunnis (91.4%); followed by Christians (80.4%), and then Druzes (79.4%).

A muslim american journal

Israel, Lebanon and the Truth
Allah’s Apostle said, “Help your brother whether he is an oppressor or an oppressed,” A man said, “O Allah’s Apostle! I will help him if he is oppressed, but if he is an oppressor, how shall I help him?” The Prophet said, “By preventing him from oppressing (others), for that is how to help him.” (Sahih Bakhari)

Haaretz - August 8

Little Satan has big teeth
We have to show them that 'Little Satan' has big teeth.

Haaretz - August 8

Searching for the fateful gambling chip
The day will come when instead of getting a liberal, progressive country to the north - a natural candidate for peace and economic ties, where Christians have most of the positions of power - we will get a radical Shi'ite state controlled by Hezbollah and fully geared to fighting Israel. Did anyone up there think about this beforehand?

Independent - August 8

Brutal US attack on unarmed Afghans captured by photos
Claims that US troops shot dead up to six unarmed Afghan civilians two months ago in Kabul have been given added credibility with a series of photographs offering visual evidence of military misconduct.

Asia Times - August 8

The looser in Lebanon: The Atlantic Alliance
Bolton's continued "cheerleading for Israel" didn't help, according to this same official. 'It's a real row that started with Bolton's statement that you couldn't compare the deaths of Lebanese to the deaths of Israelis,' the official said.

Ran HaCohen - August 8

The End of Lebanon
Not surprisingly, then, a senior Israeli official has already said that 'there would be no international force, because no agreement about it would be reached.' (Ha'aretz, Aug. 7, 2006, Hebrew only; omitted in the English version, and not without reason.)

Sky news - August 7

Galloway: The violence will go on
Please, have a slightly longer memory than four weeks.

Robert Fisk - August 7

The draft shows who is running America's Policy - Israel
And there it all was again, the warmed-up peace proposals of Israel's 1982 invasion, full of buffer zones and disarmament and "strict respect by all parties" - a rousing chortle here, no doubt, from Hizbollah members - and the need for Lebanese sovereignty.

London Protest - August 6

100,000 Strong
Fury at Blair

CounterPunch - August 6

Yes it's a crusade
I only hope al Qaeda, Hezbollah or Hamas do not translate your [Blairs] speech into Arabic since every paranoid paragraph confirms their claim that they are battling a western crusade against Islam.

CounterPunch - August 6

Osama Has Won
Thanks to the imperious policies of the Bush administration and its fervent support for Israel the United States is hated and despised to an almost unbelievable degree.

Toronto Sun - July 30

being sent into the quagmire of Lebanon
Many Canadians must suspect they elected a prime minister who actually may be George Bush's intellectual equal.

Toronto Sun - August 6

The war has backfired for Israel
Those who destroy Lebanon will have to deal with its ugly consequences.

Back to Iraq - August 4

Silence ...
What would people like to see while I'm in the south awaiting a coming Israeli invasion.

Raw Story - August 4

Ambassador claims ...
Galbraith reports that the three of them spent some time explaining to Bush that there are two different sects in Islam--to which the President allegedly responded, I thought the Iraqis were Muslims!

Baghdad burning - August 5

Summer of goodbyes ...
Is it time to wash our hands of the country [Iraq] and try to find a stable life somewhere else?

Under the same sun - August 4

War crimes ...
It's just stunning that this all gets reported without comment. These ... are .. war crimes.

Dahr Jamail - August 5

Black Beaches in Lebanon ...
Now we wait for a miracle, something to take this oil away and stop this war.

Treasure of Baghdad - July 31

Qana's crime ...
Viva Lebanon... Viva Iraq... Down with the Terrorists

Chapter War - August 4

I love the nights ...
[US soldier] The north star can always be found and depended on even when the pink hue of daylight peeks over the horizon. It is our guiding light and protector and my my team mates and I look to it often. I even use it to calibrate my small portable GPS unit.

Someday soon it will take me home....

Siege of Lebanon - August 4

Meta-existentialist piecework ...
So I just got a phone call from this friend of mine in Disney [Israel]. She told me the government is paying people to monitor all the blogs coming out of lebanon and to write pro-israeli remarks.

Beirut Live - August 5

Is there any roof ...
The United Nations' emergency relief co-ordinator, Jan Egeland, said last month that nearly a third of the dead or wounded in Lebanon were children under 12.

Beirut Update - August 5

The rules ...
Be the change you want to see in the world. Mohandas Gandhi

Kerblog - August 5

Testament ...
It is 2:40am in Beirut and there is still electricity. The vultures are revolving above us. I am going to try to sleep. Good night: more drawings, and words and bombs tomorrow.

Informed Comment - August 5

Wiping off the Face of the map ...
Beirut before and after. The difference between Ahmadinejad and Olmert is that the Iranian president is a blowhard. The one who had practical plans to wipe a country off the map was Olmert.

Free Iraq - August 4

They are the terrorists ...
The time has come to decide - just like George Bush, the neocons poster boy, once said - You are either with us or against us.

You are fighting a people who have faith such as no one else on the face of the earth possesses... who take pride in their history, their civilization and culture, who also possess material power, expertise, knowledge, calm, imagination, determination and courage. In the coming days it will be between us and you, God willing.

Independent - August 4

Robert Fisk ...
A terrible and daunting thought occurs to me, day by day. That there will be another 9/11.