tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24622549.post115280280117649243..comments2023-10-19T06:59:20.135-07:00Comments on Kishkushim خربطات קישקושים: Setting Realistic GoalsAmoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03465114506715277544noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24622549.post-1152854514313802422006-07-13T22:21:00.000-07:002006-07-13T22:21:00.000-07:00Yes, as always, the IDF, contrary to popular opini...Yes, as always, the IDF, contrary to popular opinion, is weighing the humanitarian costs of doing this from the air. I don't think a ground operation is out of the question, but it was certainly not an option in the first few days (except for a few special forces inserted behind enemy lines). Anyway, I find, frankly speaking, perverse for someone like the Russian FM to call the response "disproportionate," given what the Russians did to Grozhny. Although Israel has attacked civilian infrastructure in Lebanon, it has been fairly selective until now. Power plants, for example, have not yet been targeted. Most of the targets are strategic - bridges, roads, airports, and of course Hizubllah bases and missile silos (a number of which have been successfully destroyed).<BR/><BR/>Israel has no choice but to make it clear to the Lebanese that it will not tolerate missile attacks on its cities from Lebanon's territory. <BR/><BR/>How long do you think it will take until they are able to hit Tel Aviv? I think 1 year is a long estimate.Amoshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03465114506715277544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24622549.post-1152809791388060442006-07-13T09:56:00.000-07:002006-07-13T09:56:00.000-07:00I'm not sure if this is the guy John was talking a...I'm not sure if this is the guy John was talking about before, the ex-pat opinion editor for the Daily Star in Beirut, Michael Young, but he's doing a live chat on washingtonpost.com right now (9:51 PST) that's worth checking out.Noah Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13201220883843640147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24622549.post-1152808568741315602006-07-13T09:36:00.000-07:002006-07-13T09:36:00.000-07:00Is it realistic to expect a third front to open up...Is it realistic to expect a third front to open up? What would it take? Just "taunts," as one of Haaretz's commentators put it? Debka.com claims that the Iranian national security advisor (and chief nuclear negotiator incidentally) has posted up in Damascus. <BR/><BR/>It sounds like there are just so many voices of analysis in Israel right now; it must be bewildering...Are people weighing the humanitarian/collateral damage costs of doing most of this cleaning up from the air vs. the risk of putting ground troops in a combat zone? <BR/><BR/>I think that something that this has to underscore for casual observers of the Middle East is that Hezbollah really is a different animal altogether than Hamas. Though perhaps George Clooney made that clear in Syriana...Noah Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13201220883843640147noreply@blogger.com