Iran warns Israel not to attack Syria
 

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L13460060.htm

TEHRAN, July 13 (Reuters) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Thursday an Israeli strike on Syria would be considered an attack on the whole Islamic world that would bring a "fierce response", state television reported.

"If the Zionist regime commits another stupid move and attacks Syria, this will be considered like attacking the whole Islamic world and this regime will receive a very fierce response," Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying in a telephone conversation with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

The president made the comments after Israel struck Beirut airport and military airbases and blockaded Lebanese ports in reprisals that have killed 55 civilians in Lebanon since Hizbollah guerrillas captured two Israeli soldiers a day earlier.

"He (Ahmadinejad) also said it was a must for the Organisation of the Islamic Conference to become more active regarding the new crisis created by the Zionist regime," state television reported.

Iran's Islamic government has never recognised Israel and routinely refers to the Jewish state as the "Zionist regime".

Iran has close ties with Syria, and with Hizbollah.

This is getting so ugly... I don't even want to think about it!

This area of the world is always Armagadeon waiting to happen....I certainly hope it deesculates:distress:

Everything seems to have gone to hell rather quickly. This is not good news.

chill.
hopefully it'll all end by tuesday.

what happens tuesday?

http://rawstory.com/showarticle.php?...D8IRVGT8I.html

Bush Rejects Lebanon's Call for Cease-Fire


ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) - President Bush rejected Lebanon's calls for a cease-fire in escalating Mideast violence on Friday, saying only that Israel should try to limit civilian casualties as it steps up attacks on its neighbor.

"The president is not going to make military decisions for Israel," White House spokesman Tony Snow said.

Lebanon's prime minister asked Bush, during a phone call Friday, to pressure Israel for a cease-fire. But Bush told Prime Minister Fuad Saniora that Israelis have a right to protect themselves.

"We think it's important that, in doing that, they try to limit as much as possible the so-called collateral damage, not only on civilians but also on human lives," Snow said.

Israeli war planes have been bombing sites around Lebanon, including the main airport, bridges and power stations, to punish Hezbollah for the capture of two Israeli soldiers. At least 61 people in Lebanon have been killed.

On the other side, Hezbollah militants have fired hundreds of rockets at northern Israel. At least 10 Israelis have been killed.

Saniora's office issued a statement saying Bush "affirmed his readiness to put pressure on Israel to limit the damage to Lebanon as a result of the current military action, and to spare civilians and innocent people from harm."

Snow said that wasn't so. Bush merely "reiterated his position" that Israel should limit the impact on civilians, he said.

"It is unlikely that either or both parties are going to agree to" a cease-fire at this point, Snow said.

Bush's conversation with Saniora as he flew from Germany to Russia was part of a round of telephone diplomacy aimed at quelling the flare-up in violence. The president also spoke with a pair of allies, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Jordan's King Abdullah II, and thanked them for trying to help ease the violence in their neighborhood, Snow said.

Bush was pleased that a number of major Muslim nations such as Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia "do not look on Hezbollah as being a legitimate government entity," Snow said.

Hezbollah is an Iranian-backed militant Shiite faction which has a free hand in southern Lebanon and holds seats in parliament. The Lebanese government has no control over Hezbollah but has long resisted international pressure to forcibly disarm the group for fears of igniting sectarian conflict.

Bush has not spoken with Israeli leaders, but Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Snow said. Snow did not provide details of the conversation.

The president flew to Russia for discussions with President Vladimir Putin and a weekend summit of industrial powers being held here. Israel's attacks on Lebanon and the counterattacks on Israel were sure to be heavy discussion topics - on an issue where Bush is at odds with some of his allies.

Russia, the host of the Group of Eight summit, and France, another summit nation, have criticized the Israeli attacks. But Bush's strong defense for Israel's right to defend itself has been tempered only by concern that the offensive could weaken or topple the fragile democratic government in Beirut.

The crisis threatened to dash Bush's hopes to see the G-8 summit produce a united stand against Iran's nuclear ambitions and North Korea's long-range missile test.

Snow said it seemed inevitable that the G-8 members would issue some kind of a statement on the Mideast situation, but it was unclear what it would say. Rice said a three-person team sent by the United Nations to the region should get a chance to try to defuse the crisis.

Several drafts concerning violence in the Middle East were already on the table. "With the pace of events, they're going to have to redraft them," Snow said.

"It is important that everybody talk with one voice," Snow said.

In St. Petersburg, Bush's first stop was a monument honoring those who defended Leningrad - the Soviet name for the city - during the 900-day World War II siege. More than half a million people died, most of hunger. Bush and his wife paused there for a long moment of silence.

In what amounted to a gentle statement about democratic backsliding under Putin's leadership, Bush went from there to sit down with 17 representatives from civil society groups whom he called "young, vibrant Russian activists who loved their country" but who also are concerned about human conditions there. The president said he planned to convey some of their worries directly to Putin.

"I assured them the United States of America cares about the form of government in Russia," Bush told reporters afterward. "I hope I was encouraging for them. It was instructive to me."

The highlight of Bush's first day here was a social dinner with Putin at a villa on the grounds of the opulent 18th century Konstantin Palace, the luxurious venue Putin chose for the Group of Eight meetings.

Beforehand, the president spent part of the afternoon on a bike ride in a wooded area near the site of the summit.

Bush and Putin meet as U.S. and Russian negotiators try to conclude a deal to let Russia join the World Trade Organization. Russia hoped to have the presidents announce it as early as Saturday.

But while officials reached a breakthrough in banking, officials said U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab and Russian Economics Minister German Gref continued working Friday on a number of other sticking points.

"There is no resolution at this point," said Sean Spicer, Schwab's spokesman.

HAHAHA!!! Cowboy's really in a position to lecture others!! HAHAAA!!!

HAAHAA!!! You got that right, Mr. President!! HAHAHAAAHAAA!!!!

What a jackass.

I certainly hope everything work+s out.:)

I find this significant. Aside from the obvious hypocrisy of the Bush Administration re: the Middle East, I happen to find it encouraging that Hezbollah is not considered "legit" by its fellow Muslim nations. This also points out Iran's bias, which right now is important considering their nuclear aspirations........

what i meant by "tuesday" was that it's going to end really soon. that's because the only beneficiaries at the moment are iran and syria, israeli society can't handle this state of war for long, lebanon is a tiny country and all bombed out by now, and even bush will start losing sleep once the price of oil's gonna pass the 80$ per barrel stage.

but again, this could all be just wishful thinking, coz if this crap won't be solved in a matter of days, my entire summer's gonna get all screwed up.

what are you on?

On the wrong forum...? :wavey:

By the way, there are 25 member states of the EU, so someone's got a hell of a lot of catching up to do :rolleyes:

what hmcannally has to say is indeed realitive to the thread, others have said this whole thign scares them. The only difference is hmcannally put the religious angle on it. Nothing wrong witht that. And seriously does it really mattter if some crazy nuclear war were to break out if its biblical or not

Geesh it looks like maybe not going toi see Tom Petty has me with negative outook on things. Im projecting nuclear war now :laugh:

what part of israel are you in, tommer? and, if you don't mind my curiosity, have you lived in israel all your life?

i ask only because i find your response interesting - you seem to be taking it quite lightly. from this part of the world, it looks and sounds to be monumental. scores of civilians in both israel and lebanon have been killed in just a few days, israel is now fighting in both gaza and lebanon, iran is getting involved... syria...

do you truly feel that this is something that is going to calm down in a few days, and if it doesn't, is it merely an inconvenience to you?

(i am not asking this at all with any snark to my voice. i simply found your posts surprising, and i'm wondering if we are missing something over here, or if you were maybe being sarcastic?)

no, i do not read Tim Lahaye, i also don't watch the 700 club, and Daystar is blocked in my cable receiver too.
trying to blame me in having no clue as to what's hapenning in the middle east or the EU doesn't make you sound high anymore, it makes you sound plainly dumb. i lived in the middle my entire life, i visit the EU at least once a year, and i happen to read the papers instead of mythologies and religious fiction.

As it happens, I'm actually in Jerusalem right now! I'm taking a three week course which ends on Wednesday. I'd originally planned to take an extra few days to soak in unusual areas, but I've cut that out of the itinerary and am heading home on Thursday.

Strange. The conflict in the North is very real. Yet people in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv act as if it's happening so far away. In reality, it's on;y 1.5 hours north of my hotel. Eerie.

The average citizen of Jerusalem is going about his/her day as usual. I'm a little cautious and am anxious to leave.

CNN-International is quite exhaustive in its coverage of the problem, which is--in some respects--heightening.

Say a prayer for the safe return of a fellow Mac fan!

i donnow, in my opinion you are a little overreacting... i'm more than an hour and a half north to you (Caesarea), and it's perfectly peaceful and quiet. and besides, even if jerusalem was in the missiles reach (and it's certainly isn't), they'd never ever dare fire at this city, simply because it's too holy to them. anyway, even if you're scared to go north, you still have the dead sea, Eilat, and so much more in the south. coming here and visiting only jerusalem is kinda wasteful i think.

Everyone on here (to my knowledge) take a minute and appreciate your peace of mind here in the US. Even w/ Bush being an idiot, we have little fear of such atrocities in our backyard. Anything is possible, nowhere is ever safe, but it's also not a common "every couple years or so" epidemic as it is in these countries.

Many of you know my husband is Lebanese, and has been unable to get thru to his family for 4 days. His mother, all siblings, neices, etc. The whole fam is there. Imagine being on the other side of the world while your family has to worry about going to the market that morning.

I could give a shiit less about politics. Don't care who thinks they are right, or why each person does what they do. It's human nature, and no amt. of voteing or pleaing is going to disuade people from their motives. What does concern me is the loss of life both our soldiers and innocent bystanders in these Mid-East countries.

Not trying to be a bummer, just this sux. Hub is moody and irretable, and not one thing I say could ease is mind. It sucks. WTF do you say right??? Here, I'll voice that it's BS, I hardly get what ANY of these countries are on about, but......lets pray it'll be over soon. :(

It's good to know it's peaceful and quiet. By the way, I've been to a few places since I've been here--Massada, The Dead Sea, Tel Aviv, Jaffa, Golan Heights, Galilee, Mt. Scopius (sp?)--and have had a great time in every place.

That said, I'm still a bit nervous by what I''ve seen on CNN-International.

I'm sorry to hear about your husband's family. There's no doubt the average Lebanese person has suffered in this. A tour guide on my bus yesterday went into great detail about Israeli's justification for doing this. he actually said it was their way of "forcing" the Lebanese to take a stand against the terrorists in their own country. I don't know if his opinion is common here, but I was a bit horrified by its righteousness. Certainly the Hizbolla (sp?) should be stopped, but at what cost? This is an issue of contention. I don't pretend to know more or have an opinion beyond that of the ignorant, incidental traveler.

yeap, this is exactly what's happening.
most lebanese distance themselves from hizbulla's actions, but in actual fact every sovereign country is responsible to every military action that originates from their territories. lebanon doesn't disarm this militia, in fact, they are even a part of their political coalition, hizbulla actually have ministers in the lebanese government!
while this private army targets 1/3 of israel, lebanese don't feel accountant for those actions, despite being responsible by every known international law.
as much as i hate seeing all those innocent victims, i think that a country which doesn't make the effort to keep its (undisputed) border safe, should realize that it carries some heavy and painful consequences. in a way, once this ordeal is over, lebanon may become the biggest beneficiaries by gaining their full independence from those rivalry forces.
so as to your question "at what cost?" my answer would be- at any cost.

we've hundreds of channels here, and most of the programming is in english. switch. you're on vecation.

too bad you can't hear my giggling wherever you are. please don't take me personally, i've nothing against you, it's just that i'm against most conspiracy theorists and crazy bible thumpers.

I just read a piece regarding Iran that had a similar summation: Countries need to realize that if they dont take a stand against terrorists in their midst, they will appear to be SUPPORTING terrorism, and thus suffer the consequences (whatever those might be).

do you know, there are actually hard-core Christian fundamentalists who are doing all they can to help Jews return to Israel or donate funds to Israelis in an effort to speed the "end times" along? They are so desperate for the second coming and the rapture etc, that they are busily helping the Jews any way they can (again, the Jews are the Chosen people, thus what better side to support?)

The article states that while some Jews appreciate the support/money from these folks, they are ambivalent about their motives.....as they should be! Thank GAWD these do-gooders dont have their collective fingers on that red button!

you're missing something here.
i know all about that theory, but i rather treat it like any other ancient mythology. also, my true colours are well known around this this neck of the wood for quite some time.
and yeah, a 3 floor building just collapsed in Haifa, after being directly hit, that's very sad, but i'm sorry to disappoint you, i never pray, and i ain't about to start even now.

Honestly, thank you for this response. It was clear and it helps me understand the situation from another point of view.

By the way, I am most certainly NOT on vacation :lol: I am taking a course in the Holocaust that starts promptly at 8 am and ends at 6-7 pm each night. Any trips I've made have largely been done on my day off--shabbat.

The course has been amazing. But when I get home I'll need a true vacation.

Give it a rest. You've made your point, but you're not helping your own cause by verbally bludgeoning people and saying "you're having a battle of wits with an unarmed person." Tommer is a respected member of this board and his point of view is considered by many of us to be of great value since, among other reasons, he is an Israeli citizen.

And I don't think he's attacking you, simply saying he doesn't believe what you believe. Again, you aren't helping your cause by insulting members of this board.

This response is why people who are like Tommer turn a deaf ear to you. I believe in God, and end times scenarios, however, they don't. And I'm not going to force it down their throat. You have to stop and respect others opinions and views, and not get mad because they dont' take you seriously. It's their point of view. No matter if you feel your right, that's your opinion. Tommer has his opinion. That's OK. Please let's not turn this into a religious war. We who have been on this board for years have seen it time and again. Neither side wins.

Simmer down, home skillet..........

hmmcnally and tommer please stop the mud slinging at each other. Hm, tommer has been on here for a long time, he was stating his opinion and you've taken it personally. Most of us on this board don't believe the extreme religious beliefs regarding the end of times. You're going to keep encountering resistance because we just don't and won't believe it. Just like you don't and won't believe in our point of view. It is what it is.

I don't want to see any more posts directed toward one another. The topic isn't off limits, of course, but personal attacks are. No more calling each other "crazy" or making accusations about low self-esteem. This isn't the place for that.

okay, i had my fair share of fun, and willing to quit.
http://home.att.net/~earthenjoy/3bd8ca80.gif

Thank you for the insight. I will light a candle to pray for your safe return.

I hope your in laws are safe and that this whole thing is over soon.

Let's hope this ends quickly. I'm trying not to be terrified.

So, let me get this straight.

Israel invades Lebanon because they've captured two Israel soldiers. The Lebanese government is backed by Syria, and, as we've just learned, is receiving long-range missiles from Iran. In the meantime, a hundred people are being killed in suicide bombings, roadside bombs, and drive-by shootings every day in Iraq.

Isn't that just f***ing swell? :shocked:

Our president, a real class act. :rolleyes: Actually, I really don't care that he cussed, but I thought I should post the article.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/07/...ape/index.html