Hezbollah's weapons of mass death
From Human Rights Watch via Reuters:
Hezbollah's attacks in Israel on Sunday and Monday were at best indiscriminate attacks in civilian areas, at worst the deliberate targeting of civilians. Either way, they were serious violations of international humanitarian law and probable war crimes, Human Rights Watch said today. In addition, the warheads used suggest a desire to maximize harm to civilians. Some of the rockets launched against Haifa over the past two days contained hundreds of metal ball bearings that are of limited use against military targets but cause great harm to civilians and civilian property. The ball bearings lodge in the body and cause serious harm.
On Monday, Human Rights Watch researchers inspected a three-story apartment building in Haifa's Bat Galim neighborhood after it was struck by a rocket around 3:00 p.m., causing extensive damage to the top two floors and wounding six residents, one of them seriously. They collected metal ball bearings that had pierced the walls of the apartment building across the street and car windshields up to one block away.
When you are struck dead by a weapon that landed over a city block away, and your unfortunate fate was intended by the designers of the weapon, we're talking about a weapon of mass destruction, or if not destruction, then of mass death.
I'm curious to know whether Hezbollah retrofitted these ball-bearing warheads, or they come from the factory that way. Perhaps Louise Arbour can ask the governments of Iran and Syria to answer that question.
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Comments
Hezbollah is going down for the count. They have politically isolated themselves. Any help from Syria or Iran would bring overwhelming response from the US.
The US politically and Israel militarily are flushing the pheasantasies of 'wiping Israel off the map' from the "Bush". The moderate Arab nations realize this, and are standing by to watch the fireworks.
Left wing socialist media pundit types can wail all they want, but they will have to do it in Jerusalem on the Wailing Wall. Ehud Olmert has got it right; the 'wipe Israel off the map' proposition is now in 'end game' status.
Hezbollah is being systematically defanged. The venom of rocketry is being subjected to the antidote of seek and destroy. Hezbollah 'leadership' has only itself to blame.
Posted by: Hans Rupprecht at July 20, 2006 12:15 PM
I have also noticed the muted response from most other Arab nations. Hans may be right here...
Posted by: at July 20, 2006 12:23 PM
From the article above
"In my medical opinion, they [these rockets] are supposed to injure as many people as possible," said Dr. Eran Tal-Or, director of the Surgical Emergency Room at Haifa's Ramban Hospital. "If you wanted to bring down a building, you would make a weapon with a heavier blast. And you wouldn't bother with the balls inside that don't do much harm to buildings; just to people."
Yep, Hezbollah is getting decidedly ugly when you use 'scatter shot' type weapons. Hardly the targeting of the IDF. No precision munitions or laser guided bombs here. Perhaps, Hezbollah can solicit Iran to sell them something more accurate to 'Wipe Israel Off the Map' which is the stated objective of Hezbollah.
Posted by: Hans Rupprecht at July 20, 2006 12:57 PM
Human Rights Watch rightly condemns Hezbollah for attacking residential areas in Israel, a clear violation of international rules of war.
In a separate statement, Human Rights Watch has also urged the Israeli Defence Forces to "provide details about a bombing on Saturday that killed 16 people in a convoy of civilians fleeing a Lebanese village near Israel’s border." According to Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch (who issued the above statement condemning the tactics of Hezbollah), "Having warned civilians to evacuate their village, Israeli forces should have been aware that civilians would be using this road and should have taken great care to avoid harming them."
Posted by: A at July 20, 2006 01:20 PM
I always find it amazing that no one ever mentions mosques being used for weapons storage & firing platforms....or the fact that these mosques are built better than most military bunkers.
Sure enough.. "The Israelis soldiers operating in Maoun a-Ras reported finding rocket launchers, explosives and other munitions and weapons in a mosque there"
Posted by: Levesque at July 20, 2006 01:21 PM
Civilian death is part of the planned campaign by Hezbollah, both on the part of the Lebanese and the Israeli people. The Lebanese by putting the launchers in residences with a dedicated room that opens on the roof, mobile launchers between residences and in Israel by using anti-personell rounds in residential areas.
This death toll is a planned media event by Hezbollah, one that by the sounds of it, is failing, other than the haters-of-western-democracies wailing, sane people see it for what it is.
This is another death cult and the sooner they are killed off (as reasoning is not possible) the better.
Pat
Posted by: pat at July 20, 2006 01:30 PM
Breaking news: According to local police in Beirut, Hizbullah operatives kidnapped two foreign journalists in the center of the city Thursday.
I don't see Israe; doing that.
Posted by: Deeliteful at July 20, 2006 01:36 PM
Mosque contains arms? Level it. Next.
Posted by: Shaken at July 20, 2006 04:42 PM
Angry: Louise Arbour would have no problem with rockets stuffed with ball bearings - it is not a "precision" weapon, after all how is one supposed to control with precision the destination of all the ball bearings? Its this kind of nuance that most of us right wingers are just not well versed in.
Posted by: ward at July 20, 2006 09:54 PM
Louise Arbour is out of her league. It appears it's fair game to shell the hell out of Israel for years but not ok when they defend themselves. Why the sudden opinion it's a war crime if the Israelis fight to defend their country but not a peep when they're repeatedly and for years attacked. Get that woman the hell out of that post and quick, that kind of thinking is dangerously playing into the hands of the Hezbollah.
Posted by: Liz J at July 21, 2006 07:32 AM
 
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