Israeli air raid hits U.N. observation post

Well, Kofi seems to think it was intentional (someone said that he had intimated as much, on another thread, and so I went looking for validation):

www.usatoday.com...

Of course Israel says it was a mistake, and that they will conduct an investigation into the incident.

I dunno...

Originally posted by ThePieMaN





I doubt anything much will happen to them at all though. They seem to have immunity from this kind of thing it seems.

now thats igronance

Can you imagine if the western world told the Jews in 1945 where was no real need for the Nuremberg Trials.

I guess justice mean JUST-US JEWISH PEOPLE ?

[edit on 25-7-2006 by helium3]

The attack was a direct hit to the shelter of the UN military observers, not to a peace keeper camp... Israel had the knowledge of the shelters location, but it may not have been visible from air.
Israel has nothing to win by killing observers, because there are enough journalists in S Lebanon to give credible account on Israeli actions, so i'll give IDF the benefit of the doubt for now, and i feel that Mr Annan was a bit hasty on his comments, he is the UN secretary General, so such outbreaks should wait till facts are known.


If this indeed was a deliberate attack on UN personel, i'm ready to pick up my rifle to avenge for my dead countryman

Originally posted by northwolf
If this indeed was a deliberate attack on UN personel, i'm ready to pick up my rifle to avenge for my dead countryman

If I were you I would tell your government to get your soldiers out of there. Trusting the safety of soldiers to the UN in a war zone has historically been unwise, particularly in Lebanon.

Darksided

We only have a few observers down there and those "boys" should know what they're doing

Officers and seasoned operators each and everyone...

It is unbelieveable that Israel with its high tech weaponary, intel etc. could mistakingly hit a U.N. observation site. If hezbollah shoot rockets into israel and claimed to be aiming for military targets, then hit civilian targets, would you believe it? Yet hezbollah's arsenal is much more primitive and inaccurate than what the IDF has.
I feel like this 'investigation' will blow over quietly, with my personaly feelings is for the U.N. to label Israel as a rouge state.

Wang it wasn't an open observation post,
It was a Accomodation for Military observers with a shelter (reinforced cellar) so it's not as clear UN-Zone as a Peace keeper camp. It might have just been an ordinary looking house etc..

Originally posted by ThePieMaN
Thats the second time. They want to eradicate any witnesses to their crimes.

Yes, quite obvious...very little media attention and now the UN is bombed.
The UK Minister that mouthed off against Israel has also been told to 'tone it down!'

Israel's operation will last much longer than just another week, more likely it will take weeks or even months, as they want to go up to Tyre.
They resolutely want to accomplish their mission without any intervention from a UN or intervention force. Such a force would prevent them from continuing their crimes.

The point on which they decided to attack the outpost is very crucial, like the brutal attack on the USS Liberty was back then. This time they committed the attack just before the meeting of Arab and Western leaders in Rome today.

One of the agenda points is the intervention force. The readiness among the UN and non UN members to do such a mission will not be very strong, exactly what Israel had in mind.

Frankly I am quite surprised Israel didn't claim Hezbollah arms where being stored in the UN base. These days the Mossad is everywhere, they know exactly in which mosks, ambulances, and civilian houses, terrorists hide and weapons are being hide.

[edit on 26-7-2006 by Mdv2]

Originally posted by northwolf
Wang it wasn't an open observation post,
It was a Accomodation for Military observers with a shelter (reinforced cellar) so it's not as clear UN-Zone as a Peace keeper camp. It might have just been an ordinary looking house etc..

Thank you for clearing this up northwolf. The reports ive heard on my local news programs has been very vague. Yet still it is no excuse, im sure Israeli Intelligence knew of the location and in the crisis its in at the moment, you would think they would be careful about bombing near a known U.N site. Also as you state it had a shelter, it must of been a direct hit if people died.

A Source in Finnish military said that the shelters around there are not made to whitstand direct hits.
He allso stated that Finnish army thinks it was an accident by the Israeli side, there may have Hezbollah activity in the immediate vicinity of the shelter, but the Observers haven't been "active" since the fighting began.

My source used to be part of the top brass of the UNIFIL some years ago.

Interesting.

What did they(UN) see or filmed, to get bombed?

Something is fishy.

This is a picture of the destroyed "OP" taken before the attack.



Source: Finnish Defence Forces

Well that image makes it clear then. A white painted building with UN in large letters (I'd expect the UN signage on the roof too) that has been in the same location for quite some time could easily be bombed by mistake

CNN has an interesting story to tell:

BEIRUT, Lebanon (CNN) -- The U.N. observers killed when an Israeli bomb made a direct hit on their bunker in southern Lebanon Tuesday called an Israeli military liaison about 10 times in the six hours before they died to warn that the aerial attacks were getting close to their position, according to a U.N. officer.

After each call, the Israeli officer promised to have the bombing stopped, an officer at the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) base in Noqoura said.

Source

With friends like this, who needs enemies?

Doesn't sound like an accident to me. I wonder what the Israeli investigation turns out, but I'm not holding my breath...

It was no accident. It has been reported that the UN sought specific assurances that that specific UN post would "be spared". Here's what Kofi Annan had to say:

"I am shocked and deeply distressed by the apparently deliberate targeting by Israeli Defense Forces of a U.N. Observer post in southern Lebanon," Annan said Tuesday in a statement made in Rome, where he is to attend a high-level international meeting on Lebanon on Wednesday.

He called the act a "coordinated artillery and aerial attack on a long-established and clearly marked U.N. post," and said he had received "personal assurances" from Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert that United Nations' positions would be spared.

UPI

So we're meant to believe that Israel didnt know that was UN position? Riiiiiight...

Now we can sit back and expect a USS Liberty style "investigation" that will maintain throughout that it was a tragic case of "mistaken identity" and that Israel is sorry but not liable for its actions.

How many Finnish, Canadian, Chinese and Nigerian soldiers has Hezbollah killed? How many has Israel?

Appears that, as expected, this was no accident.


news.bbc.co.uk...

"UN peacekeepers in south Lebanon contacted Israeli troops 10 times before an Israeli bomb killed four of them, an initial UN report says."

Thanks again northwolf, that picture to me clarifys my earlier claims. The building was clearly marker and "well-established" it was no temporary building set up next to a hezbollah outpost as some will claim. Then now with the news reports flowing about how the u.n soliders called the IDF 10 times, again shows it was no acciedent.
Israel should now be considerd a rouge state, the same with North Korea and Iran, and Israel would be at the top of the list for the possibility for breaking world peace.

Well the last news I got Kofi said that Israel was very well aware of the post because the General in charge of the people was on and off on phone communications with Israel and even warned them that their bombs were getting to close to the post.

So with that information I will have to lean on the intentional side.

Or Israel have very bad coordination and their strategic targeting is lacking even with smart guarded bombs.

Point 1: The UN is weak and almost fangless.

Point 2: The UN needs to get with the times. Their outlook post is something fit for WWII. In today's modern wars, they need mobilization on the ground and air. The UN, if they should be monitoring, should be doing so from the air otherwise they risk death by entering a war zone. maybe this will cause the UN to act for once, but I doubt that...