Hezbollah Warns U.S. To Not Set Up Base In Lebanon
LAT:
BEIRUT, Lebanon — Hezbollah’s deputy leader warned the U.S. on Sunday against setting up a military base in Lebanon, saying the guerrilla group would consider such a move “a hostile act.”
Sheik Naim Kassem’s warning came days after a senior Pentagon official said the U.S. military would like to see a “strategic partnership” with Lebanon’s army to strengthen the country’s forces so that Hezbollah would have no excuse to bear arms.
Eric Edelman, undersecretary of defense for policy, spoke on Lebanese television Thursday after holding talks on military cooperation with Prime Minister Fuad Saniora. He did not say the U.S. government wants to build a military base in Lebanon.
But Hezbollah and Lebanon’s opposition seized on Edelman’s comments as subtle confirmation of a pro-opposition newspaper’s claim that Washington was offering a treaty that provides for bases and training in the country.
“We consider any American military base in Lebanon a hostile act,” Kassem told a group of supporters.
Since last year’s war between Hezbollah and Israel, the U.S. has increased its military assistance to Lebanon to $270 million — more than five times the amount provided a year ago — in a show of support to Saniora’s Western-backed government.
Hezbollah has argued that Washington’s attempts to boost military ties with Lebanon are a ploy for domination and could turn the country into another Iraq. Some in Lebanon have expressed fears that a foreign military presence in the country could attract al-Qaida and other militants.
Lebanon’s top Shiite Muslim cleric accused the Bush administration of trying to force the Lebanese to choose between turning their country into an American military base or face new strife.
“The Lebanese, who have seen the American failure in Iraq … must be aware that what the administration of President Bush is aiming at is something else other than supporting the Lebanese army,” Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah said in a statement faxed to The Associated Press.
In the mid 1980s, bombings linked to Hezbollah by Western intelligence agencies killed some 270 American military personnel and diplomats in Beirut. The attacks helped drive the U.S. military out of Lebanon, ending its peacekeeping efforts during the 1975-90 civil war.
Hezbollah denied involvement in the attacks.
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Don’t worry, you bitches are next. Right along with Iran. Make all the threats you want.
October 22nd, 2007 at 1:47 amGWB won’t lose much sleep over any threats from these pissants.
October 22nd, 2007 at 3:42 am“a hostile act”; gorsh, y’think? What was your first clue?
October 22nd, 2007 at 5:25 amI just love it when some dipshit with a couple of sparklers wants to tell The USofA what to do. Shut the fuck up and get a pre need plan.
October 22nd, 2007 at 6:40 amGuess this gang of thugs didnt see the bloody nose we have given to al qaeda in Iraq. do I hear a bell?, ding ding ding round 2
October 22nd, 2007 at 7:17 amDiplomacy with these terrorist should last about as long as the barrel on a chain gun.
October 22nd, 2007 at 9:44 amI can think of 270 reasons to build a massive base right in the middle of Lebanon.
Just the fact that they are vocalizing the fact that they don’t want one built should be reason enough to do it right away, bitches.
October 22nd, 2007 at 1:15 pmThis reminds me of one of those little yappie dogs you just want to kick the shit out of…just once and for all.
October 22nd, 2007 at 3:44 pm“We consider any American military base in Lebanon a hostile act,”…uh, I’m sorry, and who are you again?
October 22nd, 2007 at 5:33 pmhezbollahs very existence is hostile. an american military presence in lebanon will raise the animus in lebanon as Islamist gear up to fight, but the influx of fighters to lebanon from adjacent countries will be lessened due to the lessons from the iraq war (the lebanese wont welcome you, they will fight you)
the best way to keep islamists at bay is to spread our forces out across the globe and let them send their fighters there. Let them kill more arabs and muslims as they struggle against the Us, and help the peaceful muslims to see the true nature of their will.
The islamic renaissance will not come until muslims feel the brunt of islamic extremism and see how it never builds up lives but tears them apart.
October 22nd, 2007 at 6:33 pm[…] Nader Veloz wrote an interesting post today on Hezbollah Warns US To Not Set Up Base In LebanonHere’s a quick […]
October 28th, 2007 at 1:04 pm