The Lowdown on Hezbollah’s Ambush in South Lebanon

[shaayecanaan]

Israel attempted an incursion into Lebanon about a week ago.

It did not go well.

Near midnight on Tuesday, August 6, an Israeli commando unit began to move from the Palestinian side toward Lebanon’s northern frontier. The unit deployed to several points along the fence before starting to cross into Lebanon nearly 20 minutes later.

The unit followed a path that is in the line of sight of both Labbouna and Jall al-Alam, the two largest Israeli outposts in the western area near the southern Lebanese village of Alma al-Shaab. In the area, there is a narrow footpath that Israeli soldiers have been caught using before, carrying out activities of a security nature.

To cross further into Lebanese territory, the Israeli soldiers had almost no choice but to take a road that bypasses the UNIFIL outpost, while also allowing them to go undetected by the Lebanese army post nearby. This road is nearly 1 km. The soldiers took a few minutes to cross it, moving toward another area containing what resembles a ditch, which the soldiers crossed before arriving at slightly higher ground.

At 40 minutes past midnight, an explosive device containing four smaller devices filled with ball bearings exploded. Exactly 20 seconds later, a similar device was detonated. The two explosions had a blast radius of about 15 meters, enough to hit everything and everyone that moved within the blast zone

http://english.al-akhbar.com/node/16676/

[oberliner]

1. Good thing al-Akbar isn't a pro-Hezbollah propaganda mouthpiece

I know how much folks here oppose spreading propaganda on discussion forums.

"...heroic men slipped silently from amongst them to ensure the integrity of their land and honor, and carry out their duties against an arrogant enemy that never learns from its mistakes."

Maybe Ibrahim al-Amin can teach a hasbara class.

[shaayecanaan]

2. The Israeli media have been ordered not to report on the incident...

by the military censor. All part of being the only Democratic State in the Middle East (TM).

[oberliner]

6. Non-sequitor?

Would it better if there was a propaganda-filled tale like this one?

[shaayecanaan]

10. Yes

preferably if it was penned by someone from the IDF themselves. It makes it easier to guess where the truth lies.

Contra the OP, I don't think that Hezbollah managed to actually get advanced warning of the IDF incursion, as I think that they probably would have hit them with more had that happened. The IDF claimed that someone stepped on a mine, and there may have been some truth in that.

Hezbollah said that the incident happened a quarter-mile inside Lebanese territory. Israel said it happened "along the border" which seems to be a weaselly way of conceding that the incident took place in Lebanese territory.

My guess is that the IDF thought with Hezbollah tied up in Syria it would be a good time to chance their arm in Lebanon and do a spot of gardening. "Moderately wounded" in IDF-speak usually refers to the loss of limbs or thereabouts. Whatever they were doing I hope it was worth whatever set of legs got blown off.

[bemildred]

12. I thought it might be a tactical probe, to test the defenses, so to speak.

Just saying.

[oberliner]

13. Personally, I prefer objective journalism

Or at least an attempt to be propaganda-free if at all possible.

Your assessment of what happened, for instance, is quite reasonable speculation.

[delrem]

3. I think you're being overly simplistic in your criticism.

[oberliner]

9. Do you disagree that it is written like hasbara?

If it was painting Israelis that way, wouldn't it be?

[delrem]

14. hasbara is part of Israel's official gov't diplomacy.

You insinuate that Al Ahkbar is "hasbara for Hezbollah", and that is plain false.
Nor is it "hasbara for Hamas", or "for Islamism".

[Alamuti Lotus]

4. as always, your disagreement is entirely bereft of substance

Really, I've stepped through puddles with more depth.

But I do appreciate, of course, that the zionists have precisely no answer for the present situation--I don't expect any remotely decent rationalization to be forthcoming. With whatever bonehead scheme those commandon'ts were briefly up to in their botched raid, the Israelis have found themselves stuck in a river of shit again and they don't have the shoes for it. It is very hard to believe that Palestinian revolutionaries used to be afraid of this Barney Fife Appreciation Society.

[oberliner]

7. What disagreement?

I was just pointing how that this article is ridiculous propaganda. If something like this was published painting the Israeli side positively, it would be called out as hasbara. And rightfully so.

You don't think so?

[shira]

11. Has your opinion of Hezbollah changed in the past year? n/t

Last edited Fri Aug 16, 2013, 07:23 PM - Edit history (1)

[Alamuti Lotus]

15. Yes, it has greatly changed

Exponentially increased for the better with the relative departure of schizophrenic horse-trading that the period of respectability had wrought. More thorough explanation of what I mean by that may follow at a later time, if anybody cares.

[shira]

16. But they're fighting for Assad & Iran, dragging Lebanon into conflict. ??? n/t

[Alamuti Lotus]

17. Do you seriously believe that this is how I also interpret the present situation? *nt

[shira]

18. So how do u interpret it? n/t

[Scootaloo]

5. Uh oh, someone ticked off the hall monitor!

Of course it's propaganda. Everything is - and I'm not being facetious, outside of VCR manuals and math textbooks, I doubt you have engaged in ANY sort of media that did not contain some propaganda. In fact you seem to make a very conscious effort to control propaganda, so that only one angle is "allowed" (thus the "hall monitor" appellation.)

I'm pretty sure no one here is reading this as a flat, objective account of unbiased fact. However, even with the knowledge that it has a pro-Hezbollah slant, an examination of the event and what it means from the "inside" is still an interesting and worthwhile five minutes of reading.

[oberliner]

8. Agreed

Despite your snippy subject line and image of laughing face I agree with everything you've written here.

One line though, about "control" propaganda I don't agree with. I just like to point out where folks might be coming from. I think it's valuable.