Media reports are adhering to the idea that the Lebanon ceasefire continues to hold. However, there is an awful lot of firing in southern Lebanon for that to actually be true. Israel began carrying out attacks on Thursday, and those attacks have escalated significantly over the weekend.
Israel first airstrikes were against the tiny border town of Rab El-Thalathin, in Lebanon’s Marjayoun District. The attacks killed at least two people, and wounded two others. These were the first confirmed fatalities since the ceasefire took effect Wednesday.
Israel also attacked a car in Majdal Zoun, in the Tyre District. This attack wounded three, including a seven-year-old child. Another attack in al-Bisariya, near Sidon, wounded another. Israeli drones were also reported flying over the Lebanese capital of Beirut and its southern suburbs, though as of yet Israel hasn’t resumed attacking the Beirut area since Wednesday.
Israel reported it attacked several targets along the Syria-Lebanon border Saturday which were described as Hezbollah smuggling sites. There have been no reports of casualties from there yet, and neither Syria nor Hezbollah has commented.
Indeed, Hezbollah doesn’t seem to be retaliating at all, which is probably why some media outlets believe the ceasefire is “holding.” Obviously, the ceasefire was meant to stop belligerent actions on both sides, and in that regard, it definitely isn’t holding, and seems very tenuous, at best.
Interestingly, Israel has repeatedly claimed ceasefire violations on Hezbollah’s side, despite none of these actually involving firing on anyone or anything. The claims have centered on vehicles traveling in the south, and Israel has reiterated that it forbids Lebanese civilians from returning to their homes in the south.
The US-led international efforts to broker the ceasefire, which began on Wednesday, were meant to see Hezbollah move north of the Litani River within 60 days, and Israel to withdraw from Lebanon. Israel was supposed to report “violations” to a US-led committee, which would in turn forward them to Lebanon’s Army who would take care of it.
However, this appears never to have been Israel’s plan. Israeli commanders say they don’t expect the Lebanese Army to destroy any Hezbollah assets and that they will do it themselves. Israeli sources also suggest Israeli troops might remain in southern Lebanon after the 60-day deadline “under certain conditions.” That would be a big violation of the ceasefire, too, although as the military is already firing on people left and right, that’s probably not an insurmountable factor to Israel.
So far there is no indication that the US is doing anything about maintaining the ceasefire. The US is ultimately not likely to do so as Israel is doing all the firing, although this is likely to further harm US international credibility.
And what did I say? That this "ceasefire" was a huge scam and a PR stunt.
That Hezbollah is not firing back, however, proves that Qassem is not the guy to run Hezbollah. He needs to be replaced by a more hard line Hezbollah leader.
And Iran needs to get off its ass.
Doesn't look like Iran is planning to do much of anything unless it's attacked more severely directly. The Palestinians are sacrificed both by the hatred of the west and the cowardice and greed in the Islamic world, from Turkey to Egypt to Jordan, the Gulf emirs and deathwish Lebanese Christians. The worst casually Orientalist century old depictions of "thems people" and their nasty nature if anything depicted more honor and self-respect than appears to be there in reality. (I say this as a person who lived and worked in the Islamic world; I'm deeply disappointed.)
Book Review: Policy of Deceit—-Britain and Palestine 1914-1939 by Peter Shambrook
https://www.anphoblacht.com/contents/28710
I submit a foundational book and reading must begin with:
"The Palestine Papers: 1917-1922: Seeds of Conflict”.
by Doreen Ingrams
1st edition (January 1, 1973)
The official British government documents with the words of the elected British Government officeholders and appointed officials, Ms. Ingrams shows clearly and unequivocally the deceit with which British Ministers at that time and subsequently committed themselves to the creation of a Jewish state in Palestine, with a total and deliberate disregard for the rights and interests of the Palestinian Arabs.
The population of Palestine at the time numbered more 92 per cent Arab, with Jews accounting for at most a 2 percent and with Christians accounting 4 percent.
Note, the Christian Palestinians are documented a being more against a Jewish immigration into Palestine, which documents oral and written rejection of any such Jewish immigration.
Doreen Ingrams has sieved through secret British cabinet documents, Foreign and War office memoranda and their cryptic annotations, to observe the creation of a Zionist homeland out of the Palestine Protectorate.
Read Curzon, Churchill, Weizmann, Balfour, T.E. Lawrence, and others in their own words.
dennis hanna
p.s. For more detailed reading:
The Hundred Years War on Palestine
by Rashid Khalidi
State of Terror: How Terrorism Created Modern Israel
by Thomas Suarez
Napoleon’s Egypt,
Invading the Middle East
by Juan Cole
The Iron Wall by Ze'ev Jabotinsky published in 1923
I would add an additional book on this topic:
'One Palestine Complete: Jews and Arabs under the British Mandate' by Tom Segev (published 2000)
One Palestine, Complete explores the tumultuous period before the creation of the state of Israel. This was the time of the British Mandate, when Britain's promise to both Jews and Arabs that they would inherit the land, set in motion the conflict that haunts the region to this day.
Drawing on untapped archival materials, Tom Segev reconstructs an era (1917 to 1948) of limitless possibilities and tragic missteps. He introduces an array unforgettable characters, tracks the steady advance of Jews and Arabs toward confrontation, and puts forth a radical new argument: that the British, far from being pro-Arab, consistently favored the Zionist position, out of the mistaken–and anti-Semitic–belief that Jews turned the wheels of history. Rich in historical detail, sensitive to all perspectives, One Palestine, Complete brilliantly depicts the decline of an empire, the birth of one nation, and the tragedy of another.
I submit an initial reading:
"The Palestine Papers: 1917-1922: Seeds of Conflict”.
by Doreen Ingrams
1st edition (January 1, 1973)
The official British government documents with the words of the elected British Government officeholders and appointed officials, Ms. Ingrams shows clearly and unequivocally the deceit with which British Ministers at that time and subsequently committed themselves to the creation of a Jewish state in Palestine, with a total and deliberate disregard for the rights and interests of the Palestinian Arabs.
The population of Palestine at the time numbered more 92 per cent Arab, with Jews accounting for at most a 2 percent and with Christians accounting 4 percent.
Note, the Christian Palestinians are documented a being more against a Jewish immigration into Palestine, which documents oral and written rejection of any such Jewish immigration.
Doreen Ingrams has sieved through secret British cabinet documents, Foreign and War office memoranda and their cryptic annotations, to observe the creation of a Zionist homeland out of the Palestine Protectorate.
Read Curzon, Churchill, Weizmann, Balfour, T.E. Lawrence, and others in their own words.
dennis hanna
p.s. For more detailed reading:
The Hundred Years War on Palestine by Rashid Khalidi
State of Terror: How Terrorism Created Modern Israel by Thomas Suarez
Napoleon’s Egypt, Invading the Middle East by Juan Cole
The Iron Wall by Ze'ev Jabotinsky published in 1923
The Hundred Years War on Palestine
by Rashid Khalidi
State of Terror: How Terrorism Created Modern Israel
by Thomas Suarez
Napoleon’s Egypt,
Invading the Middle East
by Juan Cole
The Iron Wall by Ze'ev Jabotinsky published in 1923
Looks like the ceasefire was just a ruse.
Of course it was.
From the Minute One…!
The ruse is more and more transparent, thereby arrogant, and looks like a waiting for Jan 20th ploy (pressure on Trump) to beef up chaos toward war with Iran.
War with Iran will never happen…!
Hope you're right. The effort however continues.
I won't rule out occasional fire exchange, ship seizures, shipping attacks, etc… But not a continuous war…!
Maybe but the odd thing is that Iran and its land offensive capabilities against Israel may also be reinforced as result, if Tehran actually makes good on their recent vow to send land reinforcements to Syria (via Iraq?) It may backfire therefore, Chaos can’t be really controlled.
Just heard a description by Alastair Crooke on the point that Israel's manned invasion of southern Lebanon amounted to two kilometers. Netanyahoo certainly delivers and has so much to Blowhard about.
The ceasefire is holding while I beat your door down and rape your wife. You made me do it so you are at fault. It was only an act of self-defense so quit complaining.
It's best if you leave the awkward, uncomfortably unfunny jokes to me. See Taylor Swift's song, Look What You Made Me Do. But seriously, any idea who actually signed this so called, "ceasefire agreement?"
Hezbollah certainly didn't…!
I’m glad I wasn’t the only one who heard that. I made an appointment because I thought I was hearing voices.
Correct Title:
"At Least Two Killed as Israel Steps Up US-Backed Attacks Across Southern Lebanon"
No charge Jason…!
The FAKE Cease Fire, was just another Stall and Kill tactic by Zionist Thugs. The Lebanese Government has to be run by IDIOTS to allow a Zionist to negotiate anything, let alone allow them to step foot on Lebanese soil. Those seeking Peace, seeking a restoration to some form of Humanity, can NOT negotiate with the Zionist. Time for the World to come together and destroy the Zionist Army, destroy the Zionist network and brand Zionism as Nazism.
Of course. Israel never ceased fire. It never did anything at all to live up to the pretense of a cease fire.
This was just gaslighting. It benefits Biden. It benefits AIPAC. It is purely domestic American politics. It is not real on the ground.
Don't forget, Tr ump takes over in less than two months. And he's all in on the Israeli slaughter.