what do you think about the Entire Lebanese family killed in Israeli attack on hospital?

Question

An attack on a hospital, the killing of an entire Lebanese family, the seizure of five men in Baalbek and a new civilian death toll - 468 men, women and children - marked the 22nd day of Israel's latest war on Lebanon.

The Israelis claimed that helicopter-borne soldiers had seized senior Hizbollah leaders although one of them turned out to be a local Baalbek grocer. In a village near the city, Israeli air strikes killed the local mayor's son and brother and five children in their family.

The battle for Lebanon was fast moving out of control last night. Lebanese troops abandoned many of their checkpoints and European diplomats were warning their colleagues that militiamen were taking over the positions. Up to 8,000 Israeli troops were reported to have crossed the border by last night in what was publicised as a military advance towards the Litani river. But far more soldiers would be needed to secure so large an area of southern Lebanon.

The Israelis sent paratroopers to attack an Iranian-financed hospital in Baalbek in the hope of capturing wounded Hizbollah fighters but, after an hour's battle, got their hands on only five men whom the Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, later called "tasty fish". The operation suggests what Hizbollah has all along said was the purpose of the Israeli campaign: to swap prisoners and to exchange Hizbollah fighters for the two Israeli soldiers who were captured on the border on 12 July.

Hizbollah continued to fire dozens of missiles over the border into Israel, killing one Israeli and wounding 21, with Israeli artillery firing shells back into Lebanon at the rate of one every two minutes. For the first time, a Hizbollah rocket struck the West Bank as well as the Israeli town of Beit Shean, the longest-range missile to have been fired so far. Yet still the West seems unable to produce an end to a war which is clearly overwhelming both Hizbollah and the Israelis.

Hizbollah obviously has far more missiles than the Israelis believed - there is not a town in northern Israel which is safe from their fire - and the Israeli army apparently has no plan to defeat Hizbollah other than the old and hopeless policy of occupying southern Lebanon. If Hizbollah had planned this campaign months in advance - and if the Israelis did the same - then neither side left room for diplomacy.
The French have wisely said they will lead a peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon only after a ceasefire. And to be sure, they will not let this become a Nato-led army. France already has a company of 100 soldiers in the UN force in southern Lebanon, whose commander is himself French, but Paris, after watching the chaos in Iraq, has no illusions about Western armies in the Middle East.

Outside the shattered Dar al-Hikma hospital in Baalbek yesterday stood two burnt cars and a minivan, riddled with bullet-holes. Hizbollah, it seems, fought the Israelis there for more than an hour. The hospital, which includes several British-manufactured heart machines, was empty when the Israeli raid began and was partly destroyed in the fighting.

The Lebanese army, which has tried to stay out of the conflict - heaven knows what its 75,000 soldiers are supposed to do - was attacked again by the Israelis yesterday when they fired a missile into a car which they claimed was carrying a Hizbollah leader. They were wrong. The soldier inside died instantly, joining the 11 other Lebanese troops proclaimed as "martyrs" by the government from a logistics unit killed in an Israeli air raid two weeks ago.

The obscene score-card for death in this latest war now stands as follows: 508 Lebanese civilians, 46 Hizbollah guerrillas, 26 Lebanese soldiers, 36 Israeli soldiers and 19 Israeli civilians.

In other words, Hizbollah is killing more Israeli soldiers than civilians and the Israelis are killing far more Lebanese civilians than they are guerrillas. The Lebanese Red Cross has found 40 more civilian dead in the south of the country in the past two days, many of them with wounds suggesting they might have survived had medical help been available.

Robert Fisk

Answer 1

Death to all terrorists

Answer 2

The war was started by Hezbollah. Citizens were warned of an impending attack, and Hezbollah fires rockets from urban centers and neighborhoods. How about Hezbollah stop launching rockets and make peace. Remember, they killed 8 Israeli soldier in Israel and kidnapped two Israeli soldiers - that was the beginning. They are responsible for the situation in Lebanon, the blood is on their hands.

Who knows what the truth is. How come there were no men killed in the bombing that killed only women and children. Why did the men leave them behind and why did they not heed the warnings that were made several days and weeks in advance of Israeli military operations?

Answer 3

If one of our neighbors infiltrated our borders kidnapped 2 military personnel and killed 8 others, then I would hope the US would destroy any military asset in the other country. Now if that government is using civilian homes as tactical vantage points then there will be civilian casualties. Its sad, but that's not Israels fault.

Answer 4

I think Hizbollah should not have fired rockets and captured soldiers in the first place, they started the whole thing, obviously a families killing is tragic, but it's their own fault for bringing it upon themselves and allowing hizbollah free reign

Answer 5

Israel has every right to protect herself. the Lebanese people should direct their hatred towards Hezbollah. Israels army is clear and defined as an army. its easy for Hezbollah to kill an army member because they're dressed in fatigues and fighting out in the open. Israel has asked for all civilians to flee southern Lebanon. Hezbollah acts as terrorist in street clothes fighting from civilian buildings making it hard to separate civilian from fighter. a lot of the "civilian" deaths could be deaths of Hezbollah fighters and everybody would be none the wiser because these terrorist fighters are hard to identify. they shoot and run! no numbers are accurate. nobody knows whats really going on.


And people are always quick to criticize the U.S. **** bush **** American blah blah blah.

What do you want us to do? go in their and fight the Hezbollah fighters and then get condemned for doing so?

Want us to stop Israel and allow terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah to get away with acts such as this?

We're taking a back seat to this one to allow the REST OF THE WORLD to finally play leader and were being condemned for it!

we can never win.

Answer 6

If The terrorists weren't hiding among civilians like the cowards they are, innocent Lebanese would not be killed as they are.

Blame the Game not the Player.

Answer 7

Abdul or whatever your real name is. You are a propaganda hack for terrorists who attack the United States as soon as you destroy Israel.
Don't fire hundreds of rockets into Israel daily and then complain about people killed due to war. People die in war espcailly when your terrorist brothers site their offices, ammunition dumps, and rocket launchers among civilians.
d.

Answer 8

Hezbollah should quit using them as human shields. The entire world knows what Hezbollah is doing. Your crying about civilian deaths won't work. They are not civilians--they are collaborators.

Iran is using and duping the people in Lebanon.

Hank Feral

Answer 9

Yes, Lebanon should not have allowed all of those terrorists to hide out their country and it would not have happened. They are responsible for this not Israel. Israel has every right do defend itself against those Low-Life Killers.

Answer 10

i don't want to think about it
but i wish they would stop war in whole world.
Bush = Terrorist

i am really sorry for those people who think that terrorist r hidden between civilians( that's bcz of advertisements in TV or newspapers. which is wrong)
and for those people who think Hezbollah started the war

Answer 11

I felt very sorry learning details of such human killings.I felt further pathetic about world bodies like UN being silent spectators.