IDF: HEZBOLLAH RUNNING OUT OF MISSLES

Hezbollah has started to run low on munitions and morale, according to the IDF. Without secure lines of communication to Syria, the terrorists have been unable to resupply, and this has led jihadis in northern Lebanon to avoid joining the fight against Israel:

IDF Military Intelligence (MI) believes the army has 10 days left before diplomatic pressure puts an end to Operation Change of Direction against Hizbullah, The Jerusalem Post learned on Sunday.

In addition, MI - reflecting its latest strategic assessment - believes that the Islamist group has already been dealt a severe blow by the IDF operation launched 12 days ago, and that within a month it will run out of Katyusha rockets to fire at Israel. ...

The unit has been able to recruit reserves, but MI has noticed that it has run into difficulty convincing members of the terror group who reside in northern Lebanon to travel south to participate in the fighting.

Once the unit exhausts the missiles currently in its possession, it will, MI believes, have difficulty acquiring more, since most of the roads and supply routes have been destroyed by the IDF. Several Syrian and Iranian attempts to send supplies to Hizbullah have been thwarted by the IDF.

This shows why asymmetrical warfare cannot beat a true military response. Terrorists thrive on the reluctance of Western nations to actually respond militarily to their attacks. Tactics and strategy that force responses in civilian areas usually lead to law-enforcement tactics in order for nations to avoid the kind of televised images we have seen from Lebanon. In that kind of low-level approach, however, the terrorists can resupply at will and continue with intermittent attacks -- and know that they will get away with them.

Hezbollah got surprised by Israel's military response and by the lack of support they received in the Arab world as a result. IDF operations have forced Hezbollah to fire many more rockets into Israel, trying desperately to hold Israeli cities hostage in order to put an end to the IDF invasion of southern Lebanon and the bombing of the infrastructure. They have fired thousands of missiles and rockets into Israel in less than two weeks, a number that might have taken them five years to reach in the normal asymmetrical mode.

And this shows why Israel has reacted with overwhelming force, and why cries about Lebanon's infrastructure make no sense. Critics have excoriated Israel for setting Lebanon back twenty years by bombings roads, bridges, and communications assets. Some have called it "collective punishment", an odd term to use for the response when at least a portion of a government commits an act of war against its neighbor. It has been clear from the start of the IDF operation that Israel targeted these assets because they consider themselves at war, not as some police force on steroids, and that the first assets one attacks in war are command, control, and communications of the enemy.

The roads and bridges, as well as the airports, would have allowed Syria to resupply Hezbollah.

Now, it appears that Syria cannot effectively rearm their proxy in southern Lebanon. Israel has even attacked convoys coming out of Syria attempting to do just that, destroying the munitions and sending a message to Syria of air supremacy, a lesson Syria has learned over and over again against the Israelis. Starved of missiles and rockets, the Hezbollah terrorists will lose their one weapon of deterrence against Israel and start to collapse.

According to the IDF, that process has already begun. Jihadis in the north have not come to the aid of their brethren, and Sheikh Nasrallah will run out of bodies to throw at Israeli tanks very quickly. Israel may only need a couple more weeks before crippling Hezbollah not only as a military threat but also as a political movement in Lebanon. Nasrallah needs a rescue, but no one will send their cavalry over the hills to effect one -- not even their brothers in terrorism.

KERRY 'BLASTS' RUSH ON ISRAEL

Jean Francois Kerry got out his pack of spitballs and attacked Rush Limbaugh for Rush’s statement that President Bush is the best friend that the Israelis have ever had. Here’s Kerry’s official statement from his website:

“Rush Limbaugh’s ignorance and willingness to divide Americans knows no bounds. His latest statement about Israel is beyond offensive to all of us who have fought to protect Israel in the face of enemies committed to its destruction.”

Kerry’s got a French definition of fighting for Israel. Here’s Kerry’s statement to the Arab American Institute in Michigan:

“I know how disheartened Palestinians are by the Israeli government’s decision to build the barrier off of the Green Line, cutting deep into Palestinian areas. We don’t need another barrier to peace. Provocative and counterproductive measures only harm Israelis’ security over the long term, increase the hardships to the Palestinian people, and make the process of negotiating an eventual settlement that much harder.”

That doesn’t sound like he’s being supportive of Israel. I’d doubt that Israel is looking for that type of ’support’. Here’s what Kerry told a Jewish group right before the NY primary:

“Israel’s security fence is a legitimate act of self defense. No nation can stand by while its children are blown up at pizza parlors and on buses. While President Bush is rightly discussing with Israel the exact route of the fence to minimize the hardship it causes innocent Palestinians, Israel has a right and a duty to defend its citizens. The fence only exists in response to the wave of terror attacks against Israel.”

I think we could call that Kerry’s ‘I supported Israel after I supported the Palestinians’ moment.

“Rush Limbaugh needs to pick up a history book instead of a donut.”

Another shining example of Democratic graciousness in the face of GOP meanspiritedness? Thankfully, most Democrats aren’t into personal attacks. Oh wait….

“It was a Democratic president who first recognized the State of Israel. It was a Democratic President who first sold Israel defensive weapons. And it was a Democratic President who first sold Israel offensive weapons.”

True enough, Mr. Kerry. I wonder if he’d recognize today’s version of his party? I’d doubt it.

“The people of Israel and the Jewish community don’t need Rush Limbaugh to tell them who stands with them, and no one has time for right wing trying to score cheap political points while Israel fights to defend its very existence.”

Wasn’t Mr. Kerry happy with the notion of badgering Ehud Barak into surrendering large chunks of land to Yassir Arafat in the 90’s? Israel doesn’t need that type of support. They need a president that won’t cave to the ‘international community’ just to keep his popularity ratings up.

That’s why President Bush is seen by Israel as the best friend Israel’s ever had in the White House. That isn’t just Rush’s opinion. It’s part of the official record since at least 2002:

Who says that there are no more miracles today? US President George W. Bush’s long-awaited speech on the Middle East, in which he upset the entire applecart of cherished assumptions upon which Middle East diplomacy has been based for more than a decade, certainly qualifies. At least if you believe the pundits, not one of whom came close to predicting what the president would say.

If a speech can be judged by those it ticks off, then Bush’s was a smasheroo. Foreign Minister Shimon Peres was reportedly so revolted that he could not bear to listen to the end. No doubt he was indignant at the snub the president administered to his erstwhile “peace partner” and co-Nobel Laureate. In calling for a new Palestinian leadership, Bush did not even deign to mention Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat by name.

That was written by Jerusalem Post columnist Jonathan Rosenblum in July, 2002. That isn’t the only person saying it. Many is the time that Ed Koch has said that President Bush has been Israel’s best friend.

Instead of Kerry telling Rush to pick up a history book, I’d suggest that he pick up a newspaper. Better yet, he should start reading the Right Blogosphere so he finally gets a clue.

HEZBOLLAH'S FAVORITE NEWSPAPER

By Michelle Malkin

Anonymous blabbers and their stenographers at the NYTimes are at it again:

The Bush administration is rushing a delivery of precision-guided bombs to Israel, which requested the expedited shipment last week after beginning its air campaign against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, American officials said Friday.

The decision to quickly ship the weapons to Israel was made with relatively little debate within the Bush administration, the officials said. Its disclosure threatens to anger Arab governments and others because of the appearance that the United States is actively aiding the Israeli bombing campaign in a way that could be compared to Iran’s efforts to arm and resupply Hezbollah.

Reader Thomas W. writes: "Michelle, the NYT is doing it again. Throwing one of our best allies under the bus, and openly disclosing future military war plans against our enemies." He sends a screen cap of the story:

And adds: "What’s the difference between that and this?"

"All in the Public Interest, right?"

More info on the leakers:

The new American arms shipment to Israel has not been announced publicly, and the officials who described the administration’s decision to rush the munitions to Israel would discuss it only after being promised anonymity. The officials included employees of two government agencies, and one described the shipment as just one example of a broad array of armaments that the United States has long provided Israel.

Who are the blabbermouths? Howell Raines gave a clue at an Aspen Institute talk yesterday:

One audience member asked about the role of media leaks. Raines opted not to go in-depth since he no longer is a working journalist, but offered a bit of a leak of his own:

"Almost all leakers are lawyers. That's the bottom line."

THROUGH SOCIAL SECURITY THE FEDS KNOW WHO HIRES ILLEGAL ALIENS

“There are two dirty little secrets behind the debate over the illegal alien issue that even the advocates of securing the borders first have failed to discuss. The first secret is that the estimated twelve to twenty million aliens living and working illegally in the United States have to commit identity theft to secure employment. The second secret is that without illegals’ payroll tax contributions, filed under stolen or fraudulent Social Security numbers, the Social Security system would collapse years earlier than estimated.

Hard to believe, here are the facts.”

– Townhall.com, July 19, 2006

Why does the government, Social Security, protect illegal aliens using fraudulent social security cards? Since 2% of the employers hire 30% of the illegal aliens, why doesn’t government investigators close those businesses?

These are questions being raised by Herman Cain, a business leader from Georgia and the chairman of Godfathers Pizza.. Worse, the Feds have information, exact information on the name of the every employer that hires illegal aliens (and still pays into Social Security). Is it possible that almost overnight we could end the onslaught of illegal aliens just by enforcing the laws? Imagine if each company that hired illegal aliens were sent a notice that they ha, and the current law allows it, to pay a $10,000 fine per illegal aline that they hired? Just a letter. Then, the Feds could use private collection agencies to collect the money..so no government resources would be needed. This would cause a new industry to be developed, attorneys and collection agencies would get a percentage of the collections, and if the business did not pay, action could be taken to close the business.

Either we get serious about enforcing the laws, or we decide to open our borders and have no laws governing businesses. If we can’t stop people, we know, are using phony ID’s, then how can we do anything else?

What do you think? Is it possible to enforce just this one law, and stop businesses from hiring illegal aliens? What do you think the response from business will be?

—

Steve Frank is the publisher of California Political News and Views and a Senior Contributor to CaliforniaConservative.org. He is also a consultant currently working on gambling issues and advising other consultants on policy and coalition building.

Read more of his work here or at his blog.

SO WHO IS THIS HEZBOLLAH?

If you've been a casual viewer and reader of the mainstream media, you probably know that the conflict currently going on in Lebanon is between Israel and a group called Hezbollah. Do you know Hezbollah? Here's what some Americans may think -- an opinion that could well be garnered from media coverage:

1. Israel is killing innocent people at random, blowing up civilian targets and murdering peace-loving Muslims by the thousands.



2. Hezbollah is the name of peaceful political group.

But what you may not know is that this group Hezbollah...which started the current conflict, by the way, is a terrorist organization. We'll start our brief history back in 1983. President Reagan sent 241 Marines and other military personnel to Beirut as part of a peacekeeping force. All were killed when a Hezbollah suicide bomber drove his truck into the barracks on October 23, 1983. Other terrorist incidents Hezbollah is believed to be responsible for include:

• The kidnapping, torturing and killing of Colonel William Higgins and Beirut CIA Station Chief William Buckley.



• The taking of numerous hostages, including American Terry Anderson.



• The 1983 Beirut U.S. Embassy bombing that killed 63 people.

And on and on. Hezbollah is a terrorist organization through and through. They are now supported militarily by Iran. They started the current conflict by kidnapping Israeli soldiers. By not appeasing Islamic terrorism and taking them on squarely, Israel is doing the world a favor. Which would explain why the International media, the United Nations and various European countries are trying to stop them.

Hezbollah's flag. Nice, eh?

BILL CLINTON SLAMS ISRAEL AS OVERREACTING; BUT HE ALLEGEDLY TRAINED PALESTINIANS

Former President Bill Clinton has joined the critics of Israel by saying Israel has overreacted to the abductions of soldiers and terrorist attacks by mounting a “disproportionate” military operation against Hezbollah and Hamas.

Clinton, who attempted to bring peace between Israel and the Palestinians but failed, called for the world community to pressure the Lebanese, Syrians and Israel to cease fire and allow intermediaries from the United Nations to discuss these nations’ differences.

During the time he was working to broker a peace deal, in 1996 President Clinton assigned the Central Intelligence Agency to train Palestinian security forces, but many graduates used their newfound skills to attack Israel, according to Mike Rubin of the Heritage Institute.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin called for an end to the violence in the middle, but saved his sharpest criticism for the Israelis.

Joining leaders from France, Greece, China and other nations, Putin accused the Israeli government of failing to use “proportionate” military force against Hamas and Hezbollah terrorists and Lebanon, a nation that harbors Hezbollah.

Putin said through an interpreter, “Israel’s use of force is disproportionate and should be balanced.”

However, President Bush who’s attending the G8 summit defended Israel saying there is no one on whom to place blame except Hezbollah. Bush also accused the Syrian and Iranian governments of supporting the terrorists, who are using Iranian built rockets in their attacks against Israeli cities and towns.

Mark Levin, a constitutional lawyer, former Reagan Justice Department official, and talk show host said in reply to the Israeli critics, “What are the Israelis supposed to do? Wait for a repeat of Hitler’s death camps. Never again! Never again!”

Levin pointed out that the United Nations Security Council has been talking about Iran and North Korea for months without producing one resolution to condemn these renegade countries, yet within a few hours they wrote a UN resolution condemning Israel for its actions against terrorists. “I’ll say it again — NEVER AGAIN!” he yelled during his evening talk show.

The UN resolution of condemnation of the Jewish State was blocked by US Ambassador to the UN, John Bolton, who also placed the blame on terror organizations.

Bolton was being blocked last year by a Democrat led filibuster during his Senate confirmation process. Even Republican Senator George Voinovich of Ohio cried on the floor of the senate at the thought of having Bolton represent the US at the UN. Voinovich, however, had no comment when reporters asked about the alleged corruption at the international body.

Besides Putin, the French government also had stinging criticism of Israel’s military action against the Palestinian Hamas and the Lebanese-based Hezbollah, saying in a statement that Israel has gone “too far.”

But political analyst Mike Baker, himself Jewish, sneared, “That’s why France is such a successful “war machine;” when protecting yourself, you go too far if you kill the enemy. Now you know why France is such a military success.”

In the midst of this violence, throughout the day on cable news channels, one appeaser after another goes before the television cameras and pontificates about the need to talk.

“We must sit down and talk.” “Our leaders must have the combatants talk.” “We must send a UN mission to the region to talk.”

What if someone were killing members of your family: sons, daughters, cousins, nieces, uncles, aunts are all being killed or threatened by a maniac. Would you sit and talk to the maniacal murderer? I hope not. Only a coward would do such a thing and consider himself or herself a reasonable person.

—

Read more by this author on our site here. (Scroll down)

Jim Kouri, CPP is currently fifth vice-president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police and he’s a staff writer for the New Media Alliance. He’s former chief at a New York City housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed “Crack City” by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. In addition, he served as director of public safety at a New Jersey university and director of security for several major organizations. He’s also served on the National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers throughout the country. Kouri writes for many police and security magazines including Chief of Police, Police Times, The Narc Officer and others. He’s a news writer for TheConservativeVoice.Com. He’s also a columnist for AmericanDaily.Com, MensNewsDaily.Com, MichNews.Com, and he’s syndicated by AXcessNews.Com. He’s appeared as on-air commentator for over 100 TV and radio news and talk shows including Oprah, McLaughlin Report, CNN Headline News, MTV, Fox News, etc.