Do you think that Syria was actually behind that attack in Lebanon?

[Goldmund]

...two weeks ago?

Why or why not?

[Maple]

1. No

No motive. No reason.

Suicidal in fact.

[Goldmund]

2. Bingo.

Notice how they aren't bringing up that glaringly obvious question in the media?

[FreedomAngel82]

3. I don't think so either

I think they're too worried protecting themselves to be in Iraq. :shrug:

[BrendaStarr]

15. The biggest problem is that no one will even check the simplest clues!

There was supposed to be a tunnel under the street where a state sponsored bomb was placed. This was what "proved" state (Syrian) sponsorship.

A major hotel near the area says that there is no tunnel, they wanted to build it, but the plans were never approved.

Yet, no one goes and looks around for evidence of that tunnel. Not the news media for pity sake.

This would be the first thing to do!

Then we need to check for clues about whether Mossad or CIA might have done it.

Some of this I got from anti-war.com http://www.antiwar.com/justin/?articleid=4958

But I've been thinking since the news broke and the Bushies jumped all over Syria that they were offering no proof that Syria rather than Mossad or CIA or even other terrorists did the deed.

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. The Lebanese want to talkl to 8 aussies

there's your clue

[WillieWoohah]

12. Do you mean these guys?

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8961

Australians cleared of Lebanon bombing
19:30 AEDT Mon Feb 21 2005



Forensic tests had cleared 10 Australian men of any involvement in the Beirut bomb which killed former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri, Australian Federal Police (AFP) said.

An AFP spokeswoman said tests on a substance found on the men's airline seats had revealed no trace of explosives.

"Based on information the AFP has received, we do not believe there is any link between the 10 Australians spoken to by the AFP and the Beirut bombing," she said.

The AFP would liaise with Lebanese police, but at this stage were treating the investigation as over, she said.

The men arrived in Sydney last Wednesday night after leaving Beirut just a few hours after the blast that killed Mr Hariri.

Sniffer dogs trained to hunt explosives reacted to the substance on the men's airline seats, and the 10 men were taken in for questioning.


The group was cleared of suspicion, and earlier tests of the substance had already returned negative results.

The AFP were called by Lebanese authorities and asked to investigate the men after they left Beirut for Australia on the day of the bombing that killed Mr Hariri and 16 others.

The men had been on a pilgrimage to Mecca.

[Clark2008]

5. I know at least two Lebanese-Americans who think it wasn't Syria

either.

Of course, they both know about the PNAC, thanks to me. :)

[GainesT1958]

6. I get this feeling they were..

I would think it to be a CIA operation, but Hariri was--believe it or not--a Saudi citizen (must be a dual-citizenship thing). Have a hard time believing that Dub & Co. would do ANYTHING to upset their love-buddies, the Saudi Royal Family. It could well have been a Hezbollah operation, though...:shrug:

It's just that, up to now, very little behind the scenes in Lebanon takes place without the Syrians at least KNOWING about it, or sanctioning it.

Whatever happens, I just hope Lebanon can ride this wave to a new, independent government, and eventually get the Syrian army--and Hezbolllah--out.

B-)

[Goldmund]

7. By the way,

I'm not necessarily suggesting that Syria and Bush (through some kind of a conspiracy) are the only two possible options.

[Selatius]

9. It's an opportunity for Lebanese to finally push for true independence

The Syrians have had their boot on Lebanon for too long, and I'm happy that they're starting to push for freedom.

I think there could be several parties that wanted assassination. If he had big connections with Saudi Arabia, he could have just as easily been an Al-Qaeda hit. The House of Saud is not loved by many. Of course, it could have been a CIA hit as well, and it could also be a Mossad operation to try and get back at Syria.

[LynnTheDem]

11. Hizbollah out??? That's not very likely, considering they're a Lebanese

group responsible for liberating Lebanon from the Israeli occupation and are a major force in Lebanon society and politics.

[Vladimir]

19. Quite

Lebanon is 40% Shia after all. If Hizbollah have any sense they will emerge from this with a sizeable portion of the new parliament, not expulsion...

[LynnTheDem]

20. They have 8 seats now.

The way things are going, they'll gather more.

[Sandpiper]

8. This was the work of the CIA or Mossad

That's my gut feeling.

[Ms. Clio]

13. Or both n/t

[smitty]

25. gut feeling

A gut feeling isn't enough. Do you have any proof?

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

26. Isn't enough for what?

For speaking about it, admitting it IS no more than a gut feeling? I don't think so. This isn't a court of law, it's a web chat.

[LynnTheDem]

10. No, I don't think it's likely to have been Syria.

Because, as Syria said, "it would be political suicide".

They're not that stupid.

[Toucano]

14. But could there exist a faction

within Syria that's been promised things by the neocons?

I don't think Syria officially is responsible, but it's possible someone within the Syrian intelligence forces acted without authorization. Especially if they were promised something by someone who WOULD benefit.

That would be an iron-clad frame job.

[LynnTheDem]

16. It could have been a nutcake who happened to be Syrian. Is bush/ USA

responsible if my next-door American neighbor did it? No of course not.

Just like all the 911 hijackers -none of whom were Taleban, Afghanistan or Iraqi- were all living in America, some for several years (the lead hijacker even graduated from a US university) but we don't accuse ourselves of "harboring" them. (Although we did then attack nations EXCEPT the nation the terrorists actually came from & were financed by.)

But of course should a Syrian be found guilty of the deed, America will blame Syria.

[applegrove]

17. I saw on a report tonight that the wealthy Lebannese leader who was

killed had been PM for a decade but had quit last year because of his disgust with Syrian interference in Lebannon. He had just decided to run for the leadership again when he got blown up. Definitely a Syrian Job.

[The Magistrate]

18. In My View, Mr. Goldmun

The thing was done by Syrian "special service" agency. The man killed was a prominent opponent of Syria's continued occupation of Lebanon, and was very likely to be elected Prime Minister on the strength of that opposition in the near future. The planners clearly felt they would remove a popular rallying point for opposition against them, and thus prevent its coalescing into a unified movement, so that they could continue playing off factions opposing them against one another and so maintain their hegemony over that land. That this proved a miscalculation is no argument against the proposition; believers in the universal utility of force very often miscalculate the effects of its use.

"The future is hard to predict, on account of it ain't happened yet."

[Padraig18]

22. I agree, sir.

A very cogent analysis of what is known, rather than what is speculated about.

:thumbsup:

[Cuban_Liberal]

21. I'm undecided.

There are several groups that could have done it. The question to ask is "Cui bono?," or 'who benefits'?

[Goldmund]

24. Exactly -- the motive question.

I can't see any way that Syria could possibly benefit from this.

[hector459]

23. I do remember Israelis trying to get Aussie passports and being caught

http://search.netscape.com/ns/boomframe.jsp?query=israeli+australia+passports&page=1&offset=1&result_url=redir%3Fsrc%3Dwebsearch%26requestId%3Dc5358d4649de1ee3%26clickedItemRank%3D1%26userQuery%3Disraeli%2Baustralia%2Bpassports%26clickedItemURN%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.kuro5hin.org%252Fstory%252F2005%252F2%252F21%252F235826%252F884%26invocationType%3D-%26fromPage%3DNSCPSuggestion%26amp%3BampTest%3D1&remove_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kuro5hin.org%2Fstory%2F2005%2F2%2F21%2F235826%2F884