An escalation in saber-rattling from Syria's foreign minister while in Beirut, the first such visit by a senior Syrian official since its military withdrew last year. From AP: "Syria official: ‘Ready to be soldier’ for Hezbollah"
BEIRUT, Lebanon - Syria’s foreign minister offered on Sunday to join Hezbollah and said his country’s army had standing orders to respond immediately to any Israeli attacks.
“If you wish, I’m ready to be a soldier at the disposal of (Hezbollah chief) Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah,” Walid Mouallem told reporters on arrival in Lebanon in a symbolic gesture.
Asked about concerns that the war in Lebanon could spill over into a regional war, Mouallem said: “Most welcome.”
“Syria is readying itself and doesn’t hide its (military) readiness. We will respond to any Israeli aggression immediately,” he added.
Mouallem said later after talks with President Emile Lahoud: “If Israel attacks Syria by any means, on the ground, in the air, our leadership ordered the armed forces to reply immediately.”
Mouallem, the first senior Syrian official to visit Lebanon since Syria ended three decades of military presence in April Last year, criticized a U.S.-French draft of a U.N. Security Council resolution to end the war.
Alawites, Alawites, Alawites. Nasrallah is helping, and being helped by, the Alawites, worshippers of Miryam and hence guilty of shirk, not real Muslims, but murderers of real Sunni Muslims at Hama and Haleb. Alawites, Alawites, Alawites.
Is it beyond the wit of our government to spread this word, and make this threat, and have Mr. Big -- Saudi Arabia -- in its own special way -- make the threat known to the Alawite rulers of Syria. That there will be article and then another, and then tne more, and then programs broadcasting the story of how the Alawites murdered the true, the blue, the real Muslims, and have been ruling over them ever since, and are now trying to establish their "Muslim" credentials by playing a double-game --- pretending to help the Sunnis enter Iraq "to help Sunni Arabs" but really serving as a running-dog (oops, that from the lexicon of the Chinese Communists), no serving as a willing concubine of Shi'a masters in Teheran, hoping thereby to maintain their cruel rule over real Muslims.
Alawites, Alawites, Alawites.
Use what you have. They are not scared of American threats, except insofar as America or Israel can, by inflicting a humiliating defeat (say, wiping out large parts of the Syrian Air Force or missile emplacements) can wound the regime so much, that some disaffected officers, no doubt Sunni Muslims kept from rising to the top by the Alawite generals, and enraged at Syria's poor performance, its -- you guessed it -- "humiliation" -- will start making troulbe for those Alawites. And that is what those Alawites fear most -- their own survival in Syria. For they now have nowhere else to go. Not in the Muslim Arab Middle East. Not in Lebanon. Not in Iran, where that imam's declaration they received some decades ago that they should be permitted to be considered as Shi'a Muslims was merely honoris causa, a tribute to the long Alawite effort to be a standard-bearer of Arabism and in the front ranks of the Jihad against Israel (the better to keep Syria under their Alawite thumb).
Alawites, Alawites, Alawites. Tell the Saudis this is the message they should get out -- if indeed they want us to handle Iran, and want us to overlook their craven pretend-enthusiasm for Hezbollah, which in the end will threaten them, as does Iran, and their regime, and of course further unsettle the already restive Shi'a in the Eastern (oil-bearing) Province, already giving signs of such unsettlement.
Alawites, Alawites, Alawites. The failure of this Administration to understand what that means, just as it has failed so singularly to understand Islam, as have all the American governments before it, cannot continue. Exploit this Alawite business to threaten them and worry them, and make clear to them that the more they support Hezbollah, the more the nature of those Alawites, their doctrines, their despotism, their massacres of Sunni Arabs, will be written about, spoken about, broadcast hither and yon.
It will get their attention.
Also, why just the Foreign Minister? Let everyone in the regime - from Assad on down, declare war, and send troops back into Lebanon, so that they can fight Israel just like in 1982.
As for the Israelis - don't stop until you've captured Damascus.
since so many dhimmi dumbies or barely concealed Judeophobes have bought the claim by Hizbullah that they kidnapped soldiers merely out of concern for Lebanese and other Arab prisoners in Israel. In fact, when Mu`allem came to Lebanon, a Lebanese politician asked him about the hundreds of Lebanese prisoners in Syria about whom little information is known to their families.
I remember that about 20 years ago, LeFigaro reported that some 500 political prisoners were released from the jail in the oasis of Palmyra [Tadmor] in Syria. After they left the jail and were walking toward buses, helicopter gunships came and shot them to death on the road. This is Syrian concern for Arab prisoners. Yet, foolish Americans, Europeans, bbc presenters, "leftists" [gauche folk], etc., actually believe these transparent pretexts.
They will stap a suicide vest on him and send him on a "diplomatic mission' to Tel Aviv.
Brilliant Hugh, brilliant.
If someone at Foggy Bottom isn't plugged into your contributions, they are fools bereft of great and vital opportunities.
some might think this knowledge about the Alawites in Syria is unknown, but on Fox Sunday, former Rep. speaker of the house talked about this with Chris Wallace, he seemed to be quite informed about the all the different types of muslims, and how the Saudi do not want this Iranian controlled mobots stretch over to Lebanon.
I second the notion. I think that Hugh's dissertations should be forwarded to those who control our government, albeit after some serious editing for readability.. Compound and complex sentences are difficult to read and comprehend, especially for Republicans.
Also it would help if he spoke in the vernacular, example: only a JW insider knows what the New Duranty Times or Bandar Beacon refers to, and how many Americans (especially Washington insiders) can speak French or Russian - certainly not Dubya, for him anything beyond My Pet Goat is a reach, and I doubt seriously that he read Natan Sharansky..an incurious mind does not read.
"difficult to read and comprehend, especially for Republicans"
Especially for Republicans? We love you too, Nazi. Oops, I mean Nariz.
ditto Champ.
Nariz please quote and fondle yourself.