Israel Attacked by Northern Rocket Attacks

[The Grim Squeaker]

At least three Lebanon rockets hit north Israel; IDF responds with shells

By Jack Khoury, Haaretz Correspondent, and Haaretz Service

At least three Katyusha rockets fired from south Lebanon exploded in northern Israel early Thursday morning, leaving two people lightly wounded and a number of others suffering from shock.
Israel Defense Forces troops immediately fired five artillery shells at Lebanon in response to the rockets, an Israeli security source said.

A military spokesman said Israel aimed "a pinpoint response at the source of fire."

This was the first time a Katyusha fired from Lebanon struck Israeli territory since the Israel Air Force began its offensive against Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip on December 27.

Residents of the western Galilee on Wednesday reported that between three to five rockets hit their communities, with one falling near Nahariya.

At least one of the rockets hit next to an old-age home in Nahariya, according to Channel 10. One person was wounded from shards of glass which exploded from the shrapnel.

Shlomi Regional Council head, Gabi Na'aman, told Channel 1 that local residents have been told to open their bomb shelters and that school has been canceled. The Home Front Command said, however, that no orders have yet been given to cancel school.

Lebanese security sources said that schools in south Lebanon were closed, however, due to fear of Israeli reprisal.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Wednesday warned that should Israel attack Lebanon, it would suffer an even greater defeat than the one he claimed it suffered in 2006.

"We are prepared for every possibility and are ready for all aggression... The Zionists will discover that the war they had in July was a walk in the park if we compare it to what we've prepared for every new aggression," Nasrallah said, referring to the Second Lebanon War.

Posted without comment.

[CJvR]

Posted without comment.

Well lets see if the Hizbs want in on the action.
They and their bosses in Teheran have been remarkably quiet so far.

[Chardok]

Posted without comment.

Well lets see if the Hizbs want in on the action.
They and their bosses in Teheran have been remarkably quiet so far.

I wonder if Israel starts a full-on fight on two fronts as in (1967?) - could they maintain such a comittment, or would they beg for western assistance - and further, would the west assist militarily beyond "Okay, here's some more tanks/jets/missiles"

[Guardsman Bass]

The New York Times is saying that Hezbollah has distanced itself from those particular attacks - take that as you will. We'll have to see if any more come south.

[Serafina]

I wonder if Israel starts a full-on fight on two fronts as in (1967?) - could they maintain such a comittment, or would they beg for western assistance - and further, would the west assist militarily beyond "Okay, here's some more tanks/jets/missiles"

I guess they will need "western" assistance (Isreal is normally included into the "western hemisphere").
After the last war (Lebanon), they needed lots of ammo and other supplies.

But if they have those, their military could propably fight and win this war.

[Coyote]

The New York Times is saying that Hezbollah has distanced itself from those particular attacks - take that as you will. We'll have to see if any more come south.

There are other, smaller groups in southern Lebanon. I don't remember if George Habash's PFLP is still around or if they got absorbed by someone, but there were, at one point, at least three different major groups operating out of different regions of the south over the years.

It could even be some small-time agitators trying to roll with the big boys.

[CJvR]

I wonder if Israel starts a full-on fight on two fronts as in (1967?) - could they maintain such a comittment, or would they beg for western assistance - and further, would the west assist militarily beyond "Okay, here's some more tanks/jets/missiles"

The terrible "two front war" is mostly a media construction to get a nice headline. As long as the fronts are against Hamas/Hizb there is no immediate problems.
Seriously what could the Hizbs do? They will be massacred the moment they leave their tunnel complexes and civi-shields and try operating in the open. They can shoot loads of rockets at Israel, but so what? That wont alter anything - it would be like two besiged bunkers and the IDF wondering where to use the flamethrower first.

[Sea Skimmer]

My guess is this was a pseudo rouge operation by a couple Hezbollah fighters incensed that there commanders wont authorize full scale attacks. They just grabbed some rockets out of a doubt and fired them off. Its possible Hezbollah might just be testing the water, but I really doubt they feel like tying themselves so directly into the fate of Hamas.

[Posner]

My guess is this was a pseudo rouge operation by a couple Hezbollah fighters incensed that there commanders wont authorize full scale attacks. They just grabbed some rockets out of a doubt and fired them off. Its possible Hezbollah might just be testing the water, but I really doubt they feel like tying themselves so directly into the fate of Hamas.

That makes a lot of sense. Hezbollah might not want to get involved now because it might back Israel into a corner where they strike back hard without a whole lot of concern for collateral damage or international opinion. Of course, one could argue that is just par for the course for Israel. Regardless, Hezbollah probably doesn't want to get in the middle of it and get smacked down.

[CJvR]

There is still loads of Palestinians in Lebanon with their own small groups of militants. They are the prime suspects for this little incident.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

Well, if memory serves, it was a bunch of Palestinians who led an armed uprising in one of the refugee camps in Lebanon a few years back.

[Pelranius]

Nasrallah already got what he wanted from going to war with Israel and he has it pretty good in Lebanon right now, so why go looking for trouble?

It's almost certainly some sort of splinter group or one of the Palestinian remnants. Or it could be Syria, but Assad probably doesn't think this is going to be worth the trouble it'll cause.

[Sarevok]

It would be ironic if Hezbollah starts cracking down on "terrorists" to avoid full might of Israeli military coming down on them.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

It would be ironic if Hezbollah starts cracking down on "terrorists" to avoid full might of Israeli military coming down on them.

There stands a good chance that their chief patron might be rather low on cash to dispense.

[Pelranius]

Mr. Nasrallah probably wouldn't mind the Israelis attacking again (at least not too much), considering how well Mr. Olmert did the last time. However he's certainly not going to go through the trouble of provoking them since there aren't any clear gains for him to be had this time (Hezbollah has already as much influence in the Lebanese government as they can reasonably expect).