Israel says Hizbollah smuggling weapons from Syria

[cal04]

Israel's army said on Tuesday the Lebanese guerrilla group Hizbollah was smuggling weapons from Syria but added it did not regard Syria as a target for attack.

"In the last few days, the smuggling of weapons from Syria to Lebanon has continued," Major-General Gadi Eisenkot of the Israeli army command told a news conference.

"We don't see Syria or the Lebanese army as a target but at the same time we see the smuggling of weapons from Syria to Lebanon to be used in attacks against Israeli civilians."

Eisenkot said several trucks carrying weapons that had entered Lebanon from Syria had been destroyed by Israeli air craft on Lebanese territory.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060718/wl_nm/mideast_israel_syria_dc_1

[Laotra]

1. With their

superman roentgen eyes...

In english: we bomb any and all trucks coming from Syria to Lebanon, just in case...

[Solo_in_MD]

2. With multi-spectrum sensors its fairly easy to see things clearly

And when there are secondaries, the conclusion is inescapable.

[Laotra]

3. So

Why does the superman army with superman vision bomb the roads and bridges to Syria (and all over) if identifying the trucks with arms instead of humanitarian supplies is so easy?

I'm not denying the possibility that Syria is delivering military supplies to Hezbollah, I just don't know. But I don't take Israel word for it.

[sabbat hunter]

4. well it is either

it is either syria or iran. where else do you think they are getting these missiles and rockets from?

[Laotra]

5. My best guess

from both plus from black market. But this is different topic, Israeli officials claimed that Syria is currently smuggling arms to Hezbollah, that may be true or not, but I'm not taking Israel word on that. And my best guess is that Israel is indiscriminately bombing trucks coming from Syria to Lebanon.

[sabbat hunter]

6. wait a minute

your best guess is that they are getting the arms from iran, syria plus the black market, but you dont belive israel that syria is smuggling arms to hizbollah.


you are contradicting yourself.

[Laotra]

7. Read again. n/t

[sabbat hunter]

8. this is what you said

"from both plus from black market. But this is different topic, Israeli officials claimed that Syria is currently smuggling arms to Hezbollah, that may be true or not, but I'm not taking Israel word on that. And my best guess is that Israel is indiscriminately bombing trucks coming from Syria to Lebanon."

the last part you edited in ;)

but in the first part of your sentence and topic you said "my best guess is from both plus from the black market" but then you said "Israeli officials claimed that syria is currently smuggling arms to hizbollah. that may or not be true but you arent taking their word for that"


how can you say the first part doenst contradict the second?

either you think syria is sending arms to hizbollah or you dont.

[Laotra]

9. OK

Notice the word "currently".

1) Hezbollah has stocks of better rockets than before, proven by the fact that it has been using them.

2) It has PREVIOUSLY received the stocks most likely from Iran and/or Syria.

3) Regardles of 1) and 2), Syria may be CURRENTLY trucking more weapons to Hezbollah or may not be.


"either you think syria is sending arms to hizbollah or you dont."

Logical error called either-orism. I'm perfectly capable of pleading a third option, ignorance.

[Solo_in_MD]

11. Easier than you realize

Launch vehicles do not look like regular trucks. Very distinctive. Same thing with larger rockets, which have to be transported on flatbeds. Tarps and nets don't really ask it that well.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/iran/mrl-iran-specs.htm
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/iran/mrl-iran-pics.htm

Also remember that this is the ME. There are not huge fleets of generic semis rolling all over the region. Convoy of trucks headed into southern Lebanon without prior notice? Under circumstances, that would be suspicious.

A key thing to look for is secondary explosions. Those are a good (not perfect) indicator of what kind of material was hit. Yesterday there was an air strike in a Hezbollah controlled section of outer Beirut. There were loud secondary explosions heard afterward.

[bemildred]

10. "Smuggling" doesn't seem like the right word here.

We ought to know what import laws are being broken before using that word. You can call it "war materiel" and bomb it, I suppose, but it's not breaking any law AFAIK.