Home Fly-By Sends Message to Syrian Leader - AP

* Note to readers: moving back previously moved threads from I/P. THis is news and needs to be in LBN

Home Fly-By Sends Message to Syrian Leader

By JOSEF FEDERMAN
Associated Press Writer



JERUSALEM (AP) -- Israeli warplanes buzzed the summer residence of Syrian President Bashar Assad early Wednesday, military officials said, in a message aimed at pressuring the Syrian leader to win the release of a captured Israeli soldier.

The officials said on condition of anonymity that the fighter jets flew over Assad's palace in a low-altitude overnight raid near the Mediterranean port city of Latakia in northwestern Syria. Israeli television reports said four planes were involved, and Assad was home at the time.

The flight caused "noise" on the ground, the military officials said on condition of anonymity, according to military guidelines.

All it takes is one 'mistake' in this blusterfest, and then the whole enchilada falls off the plate.

I don't mean to make light of these things. War is terrible. But Israel is still techincally at war with Syria. JFYI

Breaking now on CNN... CNN reports that Israeli warplanes have performed a deliberate fly-over the home of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Will update with link when it emerges.

Edit: LINK:

Home Fly-By Sends Message to Syrian Leader - AP

JERUSALEM (AP) -- Israeli warplanes flew over the home of Syrian President Bashar Assad, officials said Wednesday, in a message aimed at pressuring him to win the release of a captured Israeli soldier.

The officials said four warplanes flew over a residence belonging to Assad in the Mediterranean port city of Latakia in northwestern Syria. Israeli television reports said Assad was home at the time.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press.

The back of Assad's pajamas...



Sorry. I could not resist. How often do you get a chance for an image such as this top be so appropriate?

Why not, right?

:scared:

:(

isnt this an act of war? invading a sovereign nations airspace? wouldnt syria have every right to defend their airspace?

They were probably hoping to get hit.

And in true bully fashion, israel knows that little will come of it.

were you just typing phonetically? No flame, just wondering if it's the right guy I'm thinking about.
;-)

I've seen it written as Bashar Al-Assad as well, though.

edit: I spelled it "Ashad" at first... I fixed the typo on edit. :-)

I haven't heard from her in a few days. Might be time for a phone call.

And for Agent Mike, they're there because that's where he's from. They're visiting his elderly parents. He's a pediatrician and she's an all American girl. Not terra-ists. Though they do live in Florida.

the Russians building two naval bases in Tartus and Latakia. If true, it might explain the Israeli "show of strength" there.

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:eyes:

Hey, I'm no fan of the guy either, but seriously?

I doubt that tactic is going to get the soldier released.

The leadership of Hamas is safely housed in Damascus under the protection of the National Socialist government ruled by Assad.

Haniye says, "Hey, not us--we're the *political* wing of Hamas," in his best Gerry Adams impersonator voice.

That leaves Mash'al.

So Mash'al can say, "Yes, that leaves us." In which case Mr. Bad-Assad himself is on the hook and his guests have been acting badly again. Or Mash'al has to say, "Nope, not us," in which case the ball's back in Haniye's court.

:-)

Hi, Cazh! :hi:

Dickhead. Hey, maybe my sister will be collateral damage. Asshole.

will not be a humanitarian diaster

to human beings.

it might soon be.

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Putin sending in special forces to avenge the deaths of their diplomats, I'm sure this is sitting well with US commanders

Gaza has been invaded

Iran, is well nuts

and now jets flying over Syria

oops, I forgot Iraq, it's still a cluster-fuck

... staggeringly stupid.

I can just feel it. ;-)

:spank:

How about it you pussy?

Show some balls and invade a real threat. North Korea.

Don't have the guts? Thought so.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/06/28/israel.soldier/index.html

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Syria said it fired on Israeli warplanes Wednesday as they flew over the home of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, heightening regional tensions over the kidnapping of an Israeli soldier.

In defense of Israel.

This is a thinbg of stupendous un-importance. Not even the particpants care about it.

... staggeringly stupid. And that's about as far as this will go.

:-)

That is about the size of it.

Austrian equivalent of * (son of the Austrian emperor), who was riding in a limo. Nothing surprises me.

gave the Habsburgs a "blank check" to invade Serbia after a Serb partisan organization, the Black Hand, assainated Arch Duke Ferdinand.

Without Imperial Germany's blank check, the Habsburgs would not have invaded Serbia and there would not (at least right then) have been World War I as we know it.

Israeli forces are pissed off, one of their own is missing (we all know what is going to happen) so they fly military planes over Syrian air space. See, these kind of things usually lead to war! Flying over someone elses air space MEANS something. Firing a missile MEANS something.

It is the stupendous, unimportant events that historically start wars.

Airspace violations like this have occured before, and anti-aitcraft fire has been employed before. Countries do not go to war over things like this.

it is exactly this sort of foolishness that causes unexpected foolishness in response. Suppose, for example, Syria had gotten lucky and hit one of those planes? Suddenly an act of arrogant bullying spirals into a military confrontation. Yes, the act itself is of little consequence, in isolation, assumming that nothing unexpected happens. But it wasn't in isolation and we don't know what the consequences will be.

Israel also has had rather bad experiences with actually occupying Arab territory, so the last thing they want to do is to have to hold down Syria.

As I said, the Syrians get lucky and shoot down an Israeli jet and capture the crew. Now what?

Israel's massive army-per-capita is sustainable only in short-term wars of national defense and survival. They have to call up far too much of their population to really "take it" to Syria, and they simply cannot occupy Syria at all. They couldn't occupy Lebanon.

Israel would probably threaten heavy airstrikes while negotiating to get the Israeli pilot back.

This kinda thing is pure foolishness, no matter who does it. Flying military planes over another countries sovereign space can be considered an act of war. I know Israel does all kind of things to and on the Syrian border. Flying over the 'Presidents house' is just stupid.

of terrorist organizations, who are directing attacks against the military and civilians of that country, an act of war? Come to think of it, isn't that basically why the US invaded Afghanistan?

But I am sure you knew that.

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...it could get much, much worse. Right now it appears to be zooming houses and inaccurate anti-aircraft fire.

What was it I've heard people say: "It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye and then it's a sport"

Israel is playing at a dangerous game putting "pressure" on Syria with fly-overs.

PB

Runs "It's only fun till somebidy gets hurt --- then it's hilarious!"

While something can always go wrong, it does not seem either side is being very serious over it, but rather just going through motions and keeping up appearances....

It isn't hilarious when the hurting is happening to yourself tho...

And my children are exposed to me daily....

My own viw of the incident is that it is unneccessary foolishness. As Mr. Goldwyn told his script-writers: "If you want to send a message, call Western Union."

The necessary organs for that emotion were removed surgically at an early age. This is a small burden, but it has not blighted my life overmuch....

considering nuclear deals with Pakistan

LOL

A spokesman for gunmen in the Gaza Strip said they had fired a rocket tipped with a chemical warhead at Israel early on Thursday.

"The al-Aqsa Brigades have fired one rocket with a chemical warhead" at southern Israel, Abu Qusai, a spokesman for the group, said in Gaza.



An Israeli military spokeswoman said the army had not detected that any such rocket was fired, nor was there any report of such a weapon hitting Israel.

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=newsOne&storyID=2006-06-29T013909Z_01_L29258645_RTRUKOC_0_US-MIDEAST-ROCKET.xml

IF true this would be the single worst military decision in recent memory.

screaming about it. So my guess is that the "brigade" guy is full of shit.

A non-story.

Redstone

otherwise Israel would have bombed the living shit out of the place by now.

Let's show off our shiny jets to the bad guys!

What is this, the guy's locker room?

:eyes:

GAZA (Reuters) - A spokesman for gunmen in the Gaza Strip said they had fired a rocket tipped with a chemical warhead at Israel early on Thursday.

The Israeli army had no immediate comment on the claim by the spokesman from the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an armed wing of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah movement.

The group had recently claimed to possess about 20 biological warheads for the makeshift rockets commonly fired from Gaza at Israeli towns. This was the first time the group had claimed firing such a rocket.

"The al-Aqsa Brigades have fired one rocket with a chemical warhead" at southern Israel, Abu Qusai, a spokesman for the group, said in Gaza.

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyid=2006-06-29T013909Z_01_L29258645_RTRUKOC_0_US-MIDEAST-ROCKET.xml&src=rss&rpc=22

For the Palestinian people's sake, I hope they're lying. If they're telling the truth, that'd be a BIG invitation for a even larger attack.

Use of chemical weapons by either side would be a sign of intentional rapid escalation and direct attack on innocent civilians. That would bring instant condemnation from the entire world. And in the end, it would only hurt the Palestinians.

damn!

A pack of war criminals on both sides. A pox on both your fucking houses.

is the hardest thing to do

fill up my tank while I can still afford it.

The last I checked, it was Israel that has a chunk of Syrian territory at the Golan Heights.

If Syrian planes were to buzz the White House, everyone in Congress from Hillary on down would be demanding military retaliation from the US to punish Syria for violating our air space.

American hypocrisy has become as legendary as Roman gluttony!

Remember Afghanistan? We invaded and destroyed the Taliban and changed the government, because we suspected that they were harboring Osama Bin Laden.
Now that's what I call a fly-by.

Syria houses several terrorist groups in Damascus, and Assad is the boss.