Israel Rushes More Troops To Gaza Border - It Sure Looks Like A Ground Invasion Is Coming

This is looking more and more like the Israelis are set to move on to the next phase of their operation in Gaza as they have hurriedly moved more troops to the border of Gaza. It wouldn't surprise me if ground forces don't cross into Gaza any moment. I think it has become obvious to the Israeli leaders that the rocket firing capabilities of Hamas have not been removed sufficiently as nearly 60 rockets have been launched into Israel just today. I have not been a fan of a ground invasion but it's obvious to me that Hamas is more armed than I had thought and that if Israel were to stop the operation today, nothing will have changed. Here's some of the details from the article here at Breitbart:

Israel sent more troops to the Gaza border Wednesday, rapidly moving forward with preparations for a possible ground offensive as the next stage of its military assault on the coastal territory's Hamas rulers.
Israel rebuffed calls by world leaders for a truce, and Hamas was cold to a cease-fire.
Instead, both intensified their fire. Israel bombed a mosque that it said was used to store rockets as well as vital smuggling tunnels along the Egyptian border, and the Islamic militants hammered southern Israeli cities with about 60 rockets.
Israeli troops trudged between dozens of tanks in muddy, rain-sodden fields outside of Gaza, assembling equipment, cleaning weapons and scrubbing the insides of tank barrels. Their commanders moved forward with preparations for a ground operation, said an Israeli defense official who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the information.

With a shrinking number of targets to hit from the air and top Hamas leaders deep in hiding, a ground operation seemed all the more likely. In five days of raids, Israeli warplanes have carried out about 500 sorties against Hamas targets, and helicopters have flown hundreds more combat missions, a senior Israeli military officer said on condition of anonymity in line with military regulations.

I hope and I pray that the Israelis are safe in a gound invasion - I have no doubts that they will meet stiff resistance but will be victorious and once they are in Gaza, they have to gather the will to finish this job, once and for all. Hamas simply must be destroyed.

Israel sends more troops to Gaza border

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) - Israel sent more troops to the Gaza border Wednesday, rapidly moving forward with preparations for a possible ground offensive as the next stage of its military assault on the coastal territory's Hamas rulers.
Israel rebuffed calls by world leaders for a truce, and Hamas was cold to a cease-fire.
Instead, both intensified their fire. Israel bombed a mosque that it said was used to store rockets as well as vital smuggling tunnels along the Egyptian border, and the Islamic militants hammered southern Israeli cities with about 60 rockets.
Israeli troops trudged between dozens of tanks in muddy, rain-sodden fields outside of Gaza, assembling equipment, cleaning weapons and scrubbing the insides of tank barrels. Their commanders moved forward with preparations for a ground operation, said an Israeli defense official who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the information.
The U.N. Security Council scheduled emergency consultations Wednesday night to discuss an Arab request for a legally binding and enforceable resolution to ensure an immediate cease-fire in Gaza. Egyptian Ambassador Maged Abdelaziz said he was on instructions from Arab League foreign ministers who met in Cairo.
Diplomatic efforts by U.S., European and Middle Eastern leaders appeared to be having little effect. A French proposal for a 48-hour cease-fire to allow humanitarian supplies into Gaza failed to gain traction. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said the time was not ripe to consider it. A separate proposal by Turkey and Egypt, two of Israel's few allies in the Muslim world, also seemed to be attracting little serious study in Israel or Gaza, where Hamas has also dismissed talk of a truce.
With a shrinking number of targets to hit from the air and top Hamas leaders deep in hiding, a ground operation seemed all the more likely. In five days of raids, Israeli warplanes have carried out about 500 sorties against Hamas targets, and helicopters have flown hundreds more combat missions, a senior Israeli military officer said on condition of anonymity in line with military regulations.
The government has approved the call-up of more than 9,000 reserves. Heavy cloud cover that could encumber ground forces was expected to lift Thursday.
U.N. humanitarian chief John Holmes said the death toll was estimated to range between 320-390, and injured from 1,500-1,900.
Between 20 percent and 25 percent of the dead are either women or children, said U.N. Relief and Works Agency commissioner Karen Abu Zayd.
Hamas says some 200 uniformed members of its security forces have been killed, and the U.N. says at least 60 Palestinian civilians have died.
In Israel, three civilians and a soldier have been killed by rocket fire, which has reached deeper into Israel than ever. The sites of the missile hits have drawn curious crowds.
In the Negev desert city of Beersheba, people visited a school where a rocket made a direct hit Tuesday evening, slamming through the ceiling and showering debris on students' desks. A visitor illuminated by a shaft of light through the hole in the roof said with some astonishment, "This is my daughter's seat."
In Gaza, the sites of airstrikes have also attracted the curious and the defiant, including a Palestinian man who planted a green Hamas flag atop a mound of debris at a flattened mosque, its minaret still thrusting toward a stormy sky.
The Israeli military, which attacked it Wednesday, said it was being used as a missile storage site and that the bombs dropped on it set off secondary explosions. It was the fifth mosque hit in the campaign.
The chief of Israel's internal security services, Yuval Diskin, told a government meeting that Hamas members are hiding inside mosques, believing they'll be safe from airstrikes and using them as command centers, according to an Israeli security official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not allowed to share the information.
Other militants were hiding in hospitals, some disguised as doctors and nurses, Diskin said, according to the official.
Echoing Israel's cool response to truce proposals, a senior Hamas leader with ties to its military wing said now was not the right time to call off the fight. Hamas was unhappy with the six-month truce that collapsed just before the fighting began because it didn't result in an easing of Israel's crippling blockade of Gaza.

Video: More Hamas Rocket Launchers Destroyed By IAF

Video: Israeli Man in Ashkelon Narrowly Escapes Hamas Rocket

Video: Big Surprise - Gaza Mosque Full Of Rockets and Munitions

Lashkar-e-Taiba Operatives Admit To Mumbai Massacre

Whoa! This article here at The Long War Journal is absolutely damning to both Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Pakistani government's cover up of Lashkar's guilt - read the whole thing! The Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives that were rounding up by the Pakistanis after the Mumbai attack are singing like canaries and now, the U.S. and Britain have provided even more damning evidence of more Lashkar-e-Taiba responsibility. Here's some of the article:

A Lashkar-e-Taiba leader in Pakistani custody admitted to his role in last month's terror assault in the Indian city of Mumbai, Pakistani sources told The Wall Street Journal. The confession comes as the US and UK provided recording of another senior Lashkar leader speaking to one of the Mumbai terrorists during the operation.

Zarar Shah, "is singing," a Pakistani official involved with the interrogation told the newspaper. Shah is the Lashkar-e-Taiba communications expert who set up the network that allowed the Mumbai terrorists to speak with Lashkar-e-Taiba commanders in Pakistan during the attack. He also serves as a key liaison between the terror group and Pakistan's Inter-Service Intelligence agency. Pakistani police detained Shah earlier this month during raids on Lashkar's offices and train camps.

Meanwhile, the United States is pressuring Pakistan to turn over Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi, the military commander of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, Dawn reported. The US has provided Pakistan with communications intercepts between Lakhvi and the Mumbai terrorists. Lakhvi was also detained by Pakistani police during the sweeps against Lashkar offices and camps.

Now, here comes the sticky part and believe me, this could really bring some trouble in the region between India and Pakistan:

Pakistan has rejected the evidence of Lashkar’s complicity in Mumbai that was turned over by India, the US, and the UK. Pakistani officials said the information is "inadmissible in court," Dawn reported. "They said that since the confessions had been obtained under severe pressure by the Indians, this could not be admissible in judicial process. They have insisted that the information provided would not stand scrutiny in any court."

As you can see, there is a MOUNTAIN of evidence that this attack was planned, executed and now being covered up in Pakistan. If the Pakistani government goes down this road of rejecting this evidence and if these operatives who planned this mission are set free or get a slap on the wrist, I thoroughly expect India to take action INSIDE of Pakistan against Lashkar-e-Taiba and that of course will bring serious trouble. The Pakistanis better suck it up and realize that the terror group in their midst is caught red-handed and best give them up.

Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives directly linked to Mumbai

Ajmal Amir Kasab, the only Mumbai terrorist captured by Indian police, admitted his 10-man team trained in Lashkar camps in Pakistan with the support of the Inter-Service Intelligence agency and launched their attack from the Pakistani port city of Karachi.
Sabauddin Ahmed and Fahim Ansari, two other Lashkar operatives detained earlier this month, also confirmed elements of Shah and Kasab's account.

Since the Mumbai attack, Pakistan's president, prime minister, and national security advisor have said evidence on Kasab's nationality was insufficient. "Have you seen any evidence to that effect," President Asif Ali Zardari said when asked if Kasab was a Pakistan during a BBC interview in mid-December. "I have definitely not seen any real evidence to that effect."
Yesterday, National Security Adviser Mahmud Ali Durrani refused to admit Kasab was a Pakistani citizen. "Could be," Durrani said when asked if Kasab was a Pakistani citizen. "I am not saying more than that because we don't have, I hate to say this we don't have proof."
But Pakistan has been given proof of Kasab's nationality. Kasab himself admitted he is from Pakistan and submitted a request for consular access. The request is "under review" by Pakistan's foreign office.
Kasab's father and neighbors were interviewed by Pakistani television and news outlets and confirmed he was indeed from Pakistan. His own father identified him and provided a nearly identical account of his son's background as Kasab gave to Indian intelligence. "This is the truth," Kasab's father told a Pakistani news outlet. "I have seen the picture in the newspaper. This is my son Ajmal."

Rift Between Hamas and Arab Nations Revealed In MEMRI Article

This is quite an article here from MEMRI that exposes a good deal of the rift that now exists between Hamas in Gaza and surrounding Arab nations. I encourage you read the entire article. Here's some of the excerpts:

Hamas and Its Ilk Are More Loyal to Iran Than to the Arab Cause

"It is very hard to accept national positions like those adopted by [Hamas and other] groups, because they support Iran's policy even though doing so harms their own countries and their relations with the UAE and [other] Arab states. [The truth is that] there is no difference between the Iranian occupation and the Israeli occupation, [since both] occupy Arab lands…
"Abu Marzouq would like to be seen as an opponent of the state that occupies his country, and he is demanding the right [to independence for the Palestinians] - while at the same time denying this right to another country, and [even] seeing its demands as surprising."

Iran and Hamas Are Political Entities that Exploit Religion

"Upon careful scrutiny, [however,] this problem seems negligible in comparison to the positions of [different] religious groups vis-à-vis their respective homelands. Iran uses [these groups] as strategic cards [to harm] the interests of [different] countries, despite sectarian differences - thus, Hamas is a Sunni [organization], while Iran is a Shi'ite country. One need not be [exceptionally] perceptive [to realize that] Iran and these groups are first and foremost political entities and only then religious entities - and that for them, religion is nothing but a tool for attaining their [political] aims...

You can see vividly here how the Sunni nations in the Middle East have HUGE issues with Iran and of course, with the fact that Iran is nearing a nuclear warhead capability, the Arab Sunnis are quite frankly, freaking out. At the same time, countries such as Egypt have seen Hamas become much more armed in recent days and the assaults by Hamas into Egypt have been well documented.

This is why we are seeing nothing but some obligatory lip service from Arab nations regarding Israel's bombing of Hamas in Gaza. We all know that countries like Egypt and Jordan wish the Israelis well in decimating the Iranian back legion of asshats.

UAE Columnist: Hamas's Claim to Palestine Must Be Questioned

In October 2008, Moussa Abu Marzouq, deputy head of the Damascus-based political wing of Hamas, gave an interview to the Qatari daily Al-Raya [1] in which he expressed surprise at the UAE's demand for sovereignty over the three islands Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Abu Moussa, which have been in Iranian possession since the Shah's era. Abu Marzouq's statements sparked anger against Hamas; in one reaction, a columnist for the UAE daily, Al-IttihadMuhammad Khalfan Al-Sawafi, [2] extrapolated from Abu Marzouq's statements that Hamas's claim to Palestinian territory could likewise be questioned, and that the agendas of Hamas and Iran were political rather than religious.
Following are excerpts from Al-Sawafi's article:

Hamas Is Selling Arab Territories out of Greed
"…Mussa Abu Marzouq, deputy of the political wing of Hamas… expressed surprise that the UAE had set a deadline for restoring [to its sovereignty] the three islands that are currently under [Iranian] occupation, [i.e.] Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Abu Moussa. [Marzouq's statement] raises questions regarding [Hamas's] demands to regain control over the occupied Palestinian territories. In addition, these statements can be [construed as] undeniable proof that the religious groups' and movements' loyalty to an external [element] is greater than their loyalty to their respective homelands.
"These statements, by a senior Hamas official, are by no means trivial, since they intimate that these groups are prepared to sell territories in return for Iran's economic support, and to give up their lands for the sake of its [Iran's] interests…
"The problem with [Abu Marzouq's] declaration is twofold. Firstly, he ignores [the fact] that the Palestinian cause has been supported by all Arab countries - not just UAE. [HoweverAbu Marzouq] praises not [the Arab countries] but Iran [for supporting the Palestinians].
"The second issue is related to [the fact that, as] we, i.e. the UAE, know, Hamas has [common] interests with Iran, manifested by [Iranian] economic support for [Hamas] - making it only natural [that Hamas] adopted its current position [on the sovereignty of the three islands].
"It is unfortunate, however, that a senior Arab official who opposes occupation, and who is so sure that he, of all people, understands the bitterness of [living under] it, should publicly come out with a shocking statement… to the effect that there is [such a thing as] bad occupation [i.e. Israel's occupation of Palestine] and good occupation [i.e. Iran's occupation of the three islands]."

Video: Palestinian Sympathizers - Watch and Learn

Video: Hamas' Long Range Grad Rockets Taken Out Just Before Firing

Video: IAF Obliterates Hamas' Government Complex In Gaza

WTF Video of the Day: Do NOT Leave A Video Out For Teenagers To Post To LiveLeak

Video: IAF Takes Out 40 Hamas Smuggling Tunnels

Notice all of the secondary explosions when these tunnels are hit.

Israel Tells The Appeasers To Shove It, It's Still On !

Great, great news! I have to admit...I was surprised that Israel did not opt for a 48 hour truce because that is what they have done so many times in the past 5 years- bent to world opinion. And it is pretty obvious what the main reason is for Israel continuing the barrage of air strikes against Hamas in Gaza - the new weapons that Hamas is now firing into southern Israel. Here's some of the details from Breitbart:

Israel rejected international pressure for a two-day cease-fire with Hamas and sent warplanes Wednesday to demolish smuggling tunnels that are the lifeline of Gaza's Islamic rulers.
The diplomatic efforts to forge a truce were set in motion by the scale of destruction in Gaza since Israel unleashed an offensive Saturday against Hamas militants firing barrages of rockets that are striking closer to the Israeli heartland than previous attacks.

And here's the section that deals with the real reason that Israel will not let up:

Underlying the Israeli decision to keep fighting are the more powerful weapons that Hamas has smuggled into Gaza through underground tunnels along the border with Egypt.
Previously militants relied on crude homemade rockets that could reach 12 miles north of Gaza to terrorize Israeli communities near the border. Now they are firing more accurate weapons manufactured in factories in China and Iran that have dramatically expanded their range and put more than one-tenth of Israel's population in their sights, Israeli defense officials say.
More than two dozens rockets and mortar shells were fired by midday Wednesday, including five that hit in and around the major southern city of Beersheba, 22 miles from Gaza. One hit an empty school. Another landed in a small farming community about 20 miles southeast of metropolitan Tel Aviv, the country's most populated urban area. No serious casualties were reported.

It appears that the Israelis just don't think they have taken out the network of smuggling tunnels that lead into Gaza from Egypt sufficiently and I see that as the final phase of this operation. I still don't think that a ground invasion is being planned. But all in all, this is fantastic news that Israel has finally, FINALLY stood up to the pali sympathizers in the world and decided to defend their people first.

Israel rejects truce call, attacks Gaza

Israel Prime Minister Ehud Olmert discussed the idea of a two-day truce with his defense and foreign ministers overnight, but the trio decided to pursue the punishing aerial campaign.
Olmert told ministers Israel launched the operation to fundamentally change the situation in the south, and would not leave the job half done with a unilateral cease-fire.
"If conditions ripen to the point that we assess they promise a safer existence in southern Israel, we will consider it. We're not they're yet," Olmert said, according to a participant in the meeting who spoke on condition of anonymity because the meeting was closed.
The chief of Israel's internal security services, Yuval Diskin, told Cabinet ministers that Hamas' ability to rule had been "badly impaired." Weapons development facilities have been "completely wiped out," and the network of smuggling tunnels has been badly damaged, a participant in the meeting quoted Diskin as saying. He spoke on condition of anonymity because the meeting was closed to the media.
Underlying the Israeli decision to keep fighting are the more powerful weapons that Hamas has smuggled into Gaza through underground tunnels along the border with Egypt.
Previously militants relied on crude homemade rockets that could reach 12 miles north of Gaza to terrorize Israeli communities near the border. Now they are firing more accurate weapons manufactured in factories in China and Iran that have dramatically expanded their range and put more than one-tenth of Israel's population in their sights, Israeli defense officials say.
More than two dozens rockets and mortar shells were fired by midday Wednesday, including five that hit in and around the major southern city of Beersheba, 22 miles from Gaza. One hit an empty school. Another landed in a small farming community about 20 miles southeast of metropolitan Tel Aviv, the country's most populated urban area. No serious casualties were reported.
Before the latest offensive, rockets had only occasionally landed around Ashkelon, a coastal city of 120,000 located 11 miles north of Gaza. Over the past few days, a raft of new targets have come under fire including Ashdod, Israel's largest southern city with a population of 207,000 located 23 miles north of Gaza. Beersheba, with 186,000, is the second-largest city in southern Israel.
School was canceled in large swaths of Israel's south because of the rocket threat. The 18,000 students at Ben-Gurion University in Beersheba, southern Israel's only university, were also told to stay home.
Early Wednesday, Israeli aircraft pounded smuggling tunnels under the Gaza-Egypt border in another attempt to sever the lifeline that keeps Hamas in power by supplying weapons, food and fuel.
Israel and Egypt blockaded Gaza after Hamas violently seized control of the territory in June 2007, and have cracked open their borders only to let in limited amounts of humanitarian aid.
A huge explosion rocked a tunnel that housed a fuel pipeline, and aircraft also smashed the house of a smuggling kingpin. In all, two tunnels were destroyed in the raid, Egyptian security officials in Rafah said.
An Egyptian official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said Israel has destroyed 120 tunnels since the aerial campaign began. According to conservative estimates, there were at least 200 tunnels before Israeli warplanes began striking.

Hamas Rockets Hit Deeper Into Israel Than Ever Before

Two rockets from Hamas landed in Israel near the city of Beersheba, and while not causing injury or death, those two rockets represent the furthest any Hamas rocket has ever reached into Israel. Beersheba is approximately 28 miles from Gaza. Here's some of the details from the Breitbart report:

Police say Gaza militants fired two rockets at the Israeli city of Beersheba—reaching deeper into Israel than ever before.
The strike came as Israel's prime minister, defense minister and foreign minister meet in Jerusalem to decide on Israel's next move against Hamas.
Beersheba is located 28 miles from Gaza.
Police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld says the long-range rocket landed in an open area outside the city on Tuesday evening. The mayor of Beersheba has told Israel television that the other rocket hit an empty kindergarten.

This, of course, is pretty disturbing stuff and at the same time, certainly has to weigh into the decisions of Israeli leadership to halt the offensive. Israel simply cannot exist with Hamas gaining these longer range rocket capabilities and although I have been adamant about not having the current Cast Lead Operation reach the point of a land invasion in Gaza, this to me is the last straw.

I feel that the Israelis need to gut Gaza of Hamas and all of these weapons - they probably won't get it completely cleaned out but they need to assure the Israeli people that Hamas does not have this capability any longer. These were rockets that travelled 28 miles...what's next? Do the Israelis wait until the rockets reach 50 miles? Do they wait for missiles to come to Hamas that reach Tel Aviv? The Israelis have already reached a point in world opinion where the worse is over - I think it is time to finish this war.

Palestinian rocket reaches deep into Israel

JERUSALEM (AP) - Police say Gaza militants fired two rockets at the Israeli city of Beersheba—reaching deeper into Israel than ever before.
The strike came as Israel's prime minister, defense minister and foreign minister meet in Jerusalem to decide on Israel's next move against Hamas.
Beersheba is located 28 miles from Gaza.
Police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld says the long-range rocket landed in an open area outside the city on Tuesday evening. The mayor of Beersheba has told Israel television that the other rocket hit an empty kindergarten.
Israel is currently conducting an air offensive to crush Gaza's rulers, militant group Hamas. They have vowed to strike deep into Israel. More than 360 Palestinians and four Israelis have died so far.

Video: Pali TV Interview Implodes, Little Pali Girl Blames Hamas!

This was a live interview of a palestinian girl after her home was hit - notice how the live feed is pulled as soon as she blames Hamas for all of the trouble!

Spell Check In Aisle 7

Who says that Pali sympathizers aren't sharp as tacks?

(hat tip: Atlas Shrugs and Knowledge Is Power)

Tension Ratchets Up Between Egypt and Hezbollah, Iran

We saw Hezbollah's leader Nasrallah the other day take a shot at the Egyptians - not just criticizing for lack of action in the Gaza conflict but in essence, trying to stir up the Egyptian people to revolt against the government...and since that statement, the Egyptians have been firing back verbal assaults on Hezbollah and now Iran. If one thing is obvious in this latest operation by Israel on Iran-backed Hamas in Gaza, it is the fact that the Sunni nations of the Middle East have drawn a line in the sand in their disdain for the Iranians and their influence in the Middle East. Here's some of the details of the commentary by Egyptians from the article at Reuters:

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit mocked the military records of Iran and the Lebanese Shi'ite Muslim movement Hezbollah in an escalating war of words over Egypt's cooperation with Israel in the blockade of Gaza.
Aboul Gheit, in an interview with Egyptian television broadcast on Monday night, said Hezbollah destroyed Lebanon in 2006 and that its Katyusha rockets and rocket-propelled grenades were nothing compared to the Egyptian army.
Addressing Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, he said: "You are a man who used to enjoy respect, but you have insulted the Egyptian people."
The Egyptian minister also attacked Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who criticised Arab governments on Monday for their lack of response to Israeli raids which have killed some 348 Palestinians in Gaza.
"It's as if hundreds of thousands of Iranians shed their blood over the last 30 years," he said, referring to the Egyptian view that its army bore the brunt of the suffering in wars with Israel for the sake of the Palestinians.
Egypt fought four wars with Israel between 1948 and 1973, losing tens of thousands of soldiers. In 1979, it became the first Arab country to make peace with the Jewish state.

You can see where Arabs in the Middle East have about had it with criticism that flies from Tehran - the Egyptian minister is basically saying, "hey Ayatollah, how many Iranian lives have been lost in fighting the Israelis over the years?" And of course that is true - the Iranians are the chicken shits of the muslim world and the Arabs very well know it. The last war that Iran fought was against neighbor Iraq and they nearly got their asses handed to them.

I'm not sure the Israelis dreamed all of this infighting between islamist countries and groups would come about due to Operation Cast Lead but they must be grinning from ear to ear knowing that the division among the islamists has never been greater. On a scale of 1 to 10, the success of the Israeli operation has got to be rated at an 8 as of now.

Egypt mocks Iran, Hezbollah on military record

CAIRO, Dec 30 (Reuters) - Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit mocked the military records of Iran and the Lebanese Shi'ite Muslim movement Hezbollah in an escalating war of words over Egypt's cooperation with Israel in the blockade of Gaza.
Aboul Gheit, in an interview with Egyptian television broadcast on Monday night, said Hezbollah destroyed Lebanon in 2006 and that its Katyusha rockets and rocket-propelled grenades were nothing compared to the Egyptian army.
Addressing Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, he said: "You are a man who used to enjoy respect, but you have insulted the Egyptian people."
The Egyptian minister also attacked Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who criticised Arab governments on Monday for their lack of response to Israeli raids which have killed some 348 Palestinians in Gaza.
"It's as if hundreds of thousands of Iranians shed their blood over the last 30 years," he said, referring to the Egyptian view that its army bore the brunt of the suffering in wars with Israel for the sake of the Palestinians.
Egypt fought four wars with Israel between 1948 and 1973, losing tens of thousands of soldiers. In 1979, it became the first Arab country to make peace with the Jewish state.
"There are Iranian motives driving Arab parties to play in the interests of Iran," the minister added.
Nasrallah, whose guerrilla forces withstood the Israeli invasion of south Lebanon in 2006, angered the Egyptian government with a speech on Sunday calling on Egyptians to take to the streets in protest at Egyptian policy.
Aboul Gheit replied: "Egypt is big and strong and no one outside it can move anything inside it. Egypt moves when the Egyptian people and the Egyptian leadership ask it to."
The minister also lashed out at accusations that Egypt has obstructed the delivery of emergency aid from Arab governments to the people of Gaza through the Gaza-Egypt border.
"The allegations are many, the injustice is obvious and the plotting is clear," he said.
But he later called for calm between Arabs. "There is much pulling and pushing in the Arab arena which requires much wisdom and calm for us to protect the (Arab) nation, which is going through extremely difficult circumstances," he said.
He said plans for an Arab summit should wait until Arab foreign ministers have met in Cairo on Wednesday.

Video: Reason #23 Why Israel Has To Destroy Hamas

Video: Dead Hamas Jihadists Stacked Up Like Cordwood

Hezbollah Sits On The Sidelines As Ally, Hamas, Burns

There's a great article on the non-action of terrorist group Hezbollah in Lebanon while their jihadist brothers in Gaza, Hamas, continue to get their asses handed to them here at Breitbart. Here's a bit from that article:

Lebanon's powerful Hezbollah guerrilla movement—widely seen as the Arab world's most effective force against Israel—is a staunch Hamas supporter but has so far held its fire as its Palestinian ally faces down Israel's assault in Gaza.
Hezbollah possesses a formidable arsenal of rockets and missiles that bloodied Israel during a monthlong war between them in 2006, but is constrained by its own domestic political goals and fears of Israeli retaliation.

Nasrallah put his men on alert in southern Lebanon in case Israel attacks and claimed he was ready to fight back if provoked. He promised not to abandon Hamas. The Islamic Sunni group is also backed by Hezbollah allies Iran and Syria.
But he made no threat to open fire on northern Israel to relieve Gaza—an act that would certainly provoke another war with Israel.
Hezbollah "cannot afford to enter a full-scale war with Israel, which would be devastating for Lebanon," said Paul Salem, Beirut-based director of the Carnegie Middle East Center, an arm of the Washington-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Some of us expected some sort of action already out of Hezbollah but I think there are several factors that have caused the mighty Hezbollah to sit on their hands during Israel's Cast Lead Operation:

1. First off, even though the Israelis made some major blunders in the 2006 Lebanon war, they actually did kick the shit out of Hezbollah at that time and Hezbollah commanders remember it well.

2. Hezbollah's sugar daddy, Iran, is a bit nervous about being included in the latest Israeli rage and my guess is that they have told Hezbollah to lay low.

3. Hezbollah knows that their new found place in the Lebanon government is fragile - if they are seen as an aggressor that brings Israeli wrath down on the people and government of Lebanon, they could find themselves losing all of their political gain.

4. Finally, I think Hezbollah has seen so far in the Gaza operation that Israel is not fucking around this time. In fact, Hezbollah I'm sure has sensed that the Israelis actually would relish an operation that could send air support into southern Lebanon and wipe out a good share of Hezbollah's rocket arsenals. Also, let's not forget that Hezbollah typically fights better on the defensive.

With all that being said, I still think Hezbollah is having a hard time not dipping their toe in the water here. I think if the opportunity presents itself, Hezbollah could try another IDF soldier grab in the next week or so. But as each day passes, it appears that Hezbollah has lost much of its spine.

Hezbollah watches for now as Israel hits Hamas

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) - Lebanon's powerful Hezbollah guerrilla movement—widely seen as the Arab world's most effective force against Israel—is a staunch Hamas supporter but has so far held its fire as its Palestinian ally faces down Israel's assault in Gaza.
Hezbollah possesses a formidable arsenal of rockets and missiles that bloodied Israel during a monthlong war between them in 2006, but is constrained by its own domestic political goals and fears of Israeli retaliation.
Once considered as just a fighting force backed by Iran and Syria, Hezbollah has seen its political power in Lebanon grow since 2006. With Israel threatening massive retaliation if Hezbollah renews its rocket bombardments, that influence could come into doubt by Lebanese reluctant to be drawn into another war.
So Hezbollah is instead calling for protests in Lebanon and across the Middle East to pressure Arab governments to act against Israel.
That call hasn't drawn any action for now—Egypt on Tuesday said it would not end its blockade of Gaza as long as Hamas remains in power there, and no Arab government has offered anything stronger than words and humanitarian assistance in response to Israel's assault.
Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah drew tens of thousands, waving Palestinian, Hezbollah and Lebanese flags, for a rally Monday in his south Beirut stronghold. He professed that Israel's Gaza offensive will ultimately fail.
Nasrallah put his men on alert in southern Lebanon in case Israel attacks and claimed he was ready to fight back if provoked. He promised not to abandon Hamas. The Islamic Sunni group is also backed by Hezbollah allies Iran and Syria.
But he made no threat to open fire on northern Israel to relieve Gaza—an act that would certainly provoke another war with Israel.
Hezbollah "cannot afford to enter a full-scale war with Israel, which would be devastating for Lebanon," said Paul Salem, Beirut-based director of the Carnegie Middle East Center, an arm of the Washington-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
The 2006 war was sparked when Hezbollah guerrillas snatched two Israel soldiers from northern Israel. Israel unleashed a massive bombardment of southern Lebanon and other parts of the country and Hezbollah fired thousands of rockets into Israel. The violence devastated much of southern Lebanon, and more than 1,000 Lebanese and about 160 Israelis were killed.
In May, Hezbollah gained significant clout by joining a national unity government with pro-U.S. rivals in Lebanon. The country is now enjoying an unusually long stretch of relative calm and prosperity—and many Lebanese fear anything that could disturb the stability.

Video: Benjamin Netanyahu Explains Gaza Operation

World Cries Out For Israel To End Gaza Operation, Hamas Responds With More Rockets Into Israel, 3 Israelis Killed

Hamas is slow to learn, apparently and while their home in Gaza is burning to the ground under the firepower of the IAF and Israeli Navy, Hamas jihadists continue to fire rockets into southern Israel accounting for 3 more dead Israelis and two injured. So, let it continue Israel...I say, don't stop until there isn't any movement left in that devil-inhabited strip of land. Here's some of the details of the rocket attacks by Hamas from the article at Breitbart:

Palestinian militants sent a deadly barrage of missiles flying deep into Israel on Monday, demonstrating that Hamas still had firepower three days into Israel's punishing air offensive in Gaza.
Three Israelis were killed and two seriously wounded. Palestinian health officials put the three-day death toll in Gaza at 364; the U.N. said the total included at least 62 civilians.

In a barrage Monday night, a missile crashed into a bus stop in Ashdod, 23 miles from the Gaza Strip. A woman died and two others were wounded, one seriously—the first casualties in the city of 190,000 residents.
Another Israeli was killed and one seriously wounded by a rocket strike in the Negev desert community of Nahal Oz, closer to the Gaza border. Earlier, a missile killed a construction worker in the city of Ashkelon. In all, four Israelis were dead since the Gaza offensive began Saturday, bringing to 19 the number of people killed in attacks from Gaza since the beginning of the year.

Israeli officials have been very vague as to what the eventual goals are in the Operation Cast Lead scenario while they have said it is all out war. But the fact that Hamas continues the rocket attacks certainly will push the Israelis closer to sending troops and tanks into the Gaza Strip. I, personally, don't favor IDF forces going into Gaza but I wonder if there isn't some sort of plan to back up the Hamas jihadists deeper into Gaza and take away some of their new found range from their rockets.

Defiant Hamas hits Israel with dozens of rockets

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) - Palestinian militants sent a deadly barrage of missiles flying deep into Israel on Monday, demonstrating that Hamas still had firepower three days into Israel's punishing air offensive in Gaza.
Three Israelis were killed and two seriously wounded. Palestinian health officials put the three-day death toll in Gaza at 364; the U.N. said the total included at least 62 civilians.
In Monday's attacks, Israel focused its bombing on the houses of Hamas field operatives in a campaign meant to tear at the roots of the extremist group ruling Gaza. Israel's defense minister promised a "war to the bitter end against Hamas" and allied militants.
Intensified rocket strikes by Gaza militants, which triggered the Israeli offensive, have revealed the expanding range of missiles that are making larger cities farther inside Israel vulnerable.
In a barrage Monday night, a missile crashed into a bus stop in Ashdod, 23 miles from the Gaza Strip. A woman died and two others were wounded, one seriously—the first casualties in the city of 190,000 residents.
Another Israeli was killed and one seriously wounded by a rocket strike in the Negev desert community of Nahal Oz, closer to the Gaza border. Earlier, a missile killed a construction worker in the city of Ashkelon. In all, four Israelis were dead since the Gaza offensive began Saturday, bringing to 19 the number of people killed in attacks from Gaza since the beginning of the year.
The targets chosen by Israel on Monday pointed to an intention to chip away at Hamas' foundation. Israeli aircraft staged five separate strikes on the houses of field operatives, though there was no confirmation that any of them were killed.
A grainy video taken by an Israeli drone airplane showed several men loading a pickup truck with what the Israeli military said were medium-range Grad rockets. Moments later, a big explosion from an Israeli missile strike envelops the image.
One Israeli attack targeted a house in the Jebaliya refugee camp, killing seven people, but the Hamas activist was not there, Hamas security and relatives said. Another hit the Jebaliya home of Abdel-Karim Jaber, a Hamas political figure who is a senior administrator at Gaza's Islamic University. He was not at home and it wasn't immediately clear if anyone was hurt in the strike.
In another air assault, an Islamic Jihad commander was killed as he was walking near his house, said Abu Hamza, a spokesman for Islamic Jihad's military wing.
Israel's airstrikes on more than 320 sites since midday Saturday reduced dozens of buildings to rubble, overwhelmed hospitals with wounded and filled Gaza's deserted streets with smoke and fire. The military said Israeli naval vessels had also bombarded targets from the sea.
On Monday, aircraft pulverized a house next to the home of Hamas Premier Ismail Haniyeh, a security compound and a five-story building at a university closely linked to the Islamic group—all symbols of Hamas strength in the coastal territory it has ruled since June 2007.
Israel's offensive has rattled the Middle East and capitals around the world, triggering street protests and fiery speeches by adversaries of Israel like the militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon. In the day's biggest outpouring of anger, tens of thousands of Hezbollah's supporters stood in a pouring rain in a Beirut square to condemn Israel.

Video: Israeli Naval Missiles Find Their Hamas Mark

Video: IAF Takes Out Hamas Jihadists Loading Rockets Onto Truck

Video: CNN Reporter Gets Firsthand Look At Hamas Rockets

Terror Report: Al Qaeda Leaders In Trouble In Pakistan, Britain Is Next Al Qaeda Target

Although this is a fairly brief article here at Dawn, there are some very good year end observations regarding the state of world terror and especially the situation for al Qaeda leadership in Pakistan as well as the most probably new targets of al Qaeda in 2009. Here are some of the details:

However, before discussing the likely targets of Al Qaeda during the next year, Observer correspondent Jason Burke in his report claims that the terror organisation leadership itself was now on the run because of attacks from US drones in Pakistan’s tribal areas and also that Bin Laden was under attack from within the jihadi movement for failing to stage any major attack since 9/11.

“The Al Qaeda leadership, said by security sources to comprise between 20 and 30 key figures, has been having a hard time of it recently. A concentration of attacks from unmanned American Predator drones in Pakistan’s western tribal zones has meant surviving has become as much of a priority as trying to organise spectacular militant attacks across the world aimed at radicalising and mobilising the world’s Muslim masses. These strikes have taken such a toll that Al Qaeda has launched a series of internal investigations aimed at finding the mole passing intelligence to the Americans.

“Britain has close transatlantic links and a substantial community of people who have links with, and can easily travel to, Pakistan. If anywhere is in the firing line, it is,” asserts Jason Burke, author of Al Qaeda: Casting a Shadow of Terror.

It's good to see some verification of the trauma that the U.S. predator attacks are having on al Qaeda leadership in Pakistan - the point of all of those airstrikes has been to disrupt al Qaeda from planning world wide attacks and it seems that it has been working.

As for Britain being the next major target, it's important to see that the expert here is pointing out the terror links that live in Britain - not only has Britain's lax stance on muslim immigration brought it an unruly and vengeful minority population, it has allowed in the very jihadists who will seek to destroy it. How any muslim can continue to live in Britain and travel back and forth to Pakistan is beyond me.

Al Qaeda may hit UK next: report

LONDON, Dec 28: Where is Al Qaeda going to hit next? tops a list of 14 key questions the Observer said would dominate the headlines in 2009 and concluded that the most likely next target would be the UK.However, before discussing the likely targets of Al Qaeda during the next year, Observer correspondent Jason Burke in his report claims that the terror organisation leadership itself was now on the run because of attacks from US drones in Pakistan’s tribal areas and also that Bin Laden was under attack from within the jihadi movement for failing to stage any major attack since 9/11.“The Al Qaeda leadership, said by security sources to comprise between 20 and 30 key figures, has been having a hard time of it recently. A concentration of attacks from unmanned American Predator drones in Pakistan’s western tribal zones has meant surviving has become as much of a priority as trying to organise spectacular militant attacks across the world aimed at radicalising and mobilising the world’s Muslim masses. These strikes have taken such a toll that Al Qaeda has launched a series of internal investigations aimed at finding the mole passing intelligence to the Americans.“Also, Osama bin Laden is under attack from within the jihadi movement. There are increasing numbers of senior Islamic militants who, though they are still very much committed to the cause, are now less convinced by the Saudi-born chief’s leadership. Without a major attack of a genuinely dramatic nature, the confidence of even Bin Laden’s more loyal followers may flag. Many already see the attacks of 9/11 as deeply counter-productive,” Mr Burke claimed.Discussing the likely targets of Al Qaeda next year, Mr Burke said Britain was easier to get to than the US.“Britain has close transatlantic links and a substantial community of people who have links with, and can easily travel to, Pakistan. If anywhere is in the firing line, it is,” asserts Jason Burke, author of Al Qaeda: Casting a Shadow of Terror.He said attacks in the Middle East, Asia or Africa are easier to organise – as are strikes in Pakistan and Afghanistan – “but have much less global resonance than a direct strike in the West.”“One exception would be India, where a big new strike could spark war with Pakistan,” Mr Burke speculated.But, he said it was in Europe where Al Qaeda had won recruits, “Currently Germany’s most wanted fugitive is a 21-year-old former skateboard rider and Muslim convert, who is somewhere in Afghanistan or Pakistan. Algerian groups are increasingly threatening France.”The best target for Al Qaeda would be the US, said Mr Burke. But this, according to him, has been made hard by a combination of a huge security effort and the lack of Muslims to answer the call to arms.

Video: Insurgent 101: Once You're Hit, You're Ours

Video: Jordanian Islamist Leader Demands People Defy Govt, Kill Jews

Video: Footage of the Taliban Car Bomber's Massacre of Afghan School Children

In the video, you will see Afghan school children walking to school along the side of the targeted building. You will notice how the VBIED driven by the Taliban has to snake through and around the barricades set up and the attacker literally steers INTO the children.

Israel Doesn't Let Up - The Third Day Of Gaza Siege

The Israelis began Monday in the same way they spent Saturday and Sunday and that is by bombing the ever living shit out of Hamas jihadists and targets in Gaza. And many of us our rejoicing at this determination to finally subdue Hamas and damage it permanently. The death toll in this article is 315 total but I just saw an update that puts it at 345 so approximately 60 have been killed on Monday and those dead continue to be PREDOMINANTLY Hamas police and assassins. Here's some of the details from the latest out of Breitbart:

Israel obliterated symbols of Hamas power on the third day of what the defense minister described Monday as a "war to the bitter end," striking next to the Hamas premier's home, and devastating a security compound and a university building.
The three-day death toll rose to at least 315 by Monday morning, with some 1,400 wounded. The U.N. said at least 51 of the dead were civilians, and medics said eight children under the age of 17 were killed in two separate strikes overnight. Israel launched its campaign, the deadliest against Palestinians in decades, on Saturday in retaliation for rocket fire aimed at civilians in southern Israeli towns.
Since then, the number of Israeli troops on the Gaza border has doubled and the Cabinet approved the call-up of 6,500 reserve soldiers.

I would have to say that the next 48 hours are going to be critical in the Israeli operation because as it drags on, the world pressure WILL increase but even today, the White House stood firm and blamed Hamas for this situation:

On Monday, the White House released a statement saying "in order for the violence to stop, Hamas must stop firing rockets into Israel and agree to respect a sustainable and durable ceasefire."

I think it is pretty clear that the Israelis intend to leave nothing with a Hamas logo on it standing and that there will simply be no Hamas infrastructure left in Gaza. This is going to create a huge vacuum in the area and I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see the Palestinian Authority try to flex its muscle in the aftermath and try to regain control of Gaza.

Israel says Gaza assault 'war to the bitter end'

Israeli security officials have warned that the militants' range now includes Beersheba, a major city 30 miles (50 kilometers) from Gaza. Resident Mazal Ivgi, 62, said she had prepared a bomb shelter. "In the meantime we don't really believe it's going to happen, but when the first boom comes people will be worried," she said.
Israel began Saturday's assault by targeting Hamas security installations, and has broadened the attacks since then. On Sunday planes struck dozens of smuggling tunnels under the Gaza-Egypt border, cutting off a key lifeline that had supplied Hamas with weapons and Gaza with commercial goods.
In Jerusalem, Israel's Cabinet approved a call-up of 6,500 reserve soldiers Sunday in apparent preparation for a ground offensive. The final decision to call up reserves has yet to be made by the defense minister, and the Cabinet decision could be a pressure tactic. Military experts said Israel would need at least 10,000 soldiers for a full-scale invasion.
Israel has doubled the number of troops around Gaza and also deployed an artillery battery. Several hundred reservists have already been summoned to join their units, but no full combat formations have been mobilized so far.
The assault has sparked diplomatic fallout. Syria decided to suspend indirect peace talks with Israel, and the U.N. Security Council called on both sides to halt the fighting and asked Israel to allow humanitarian supplies into Gaza. Israel opened one of Gaza's border crossings Monday, and about 40 trucks had entered with food and medical supplies by midday, military spokesman Peter Lerner said.
Egypt also opened its borders to Gaza and allowed trucks loaded with humanitarian aid to enter the Rafah terminal Monday. It was also taking in wounded Palestinians from Gaza, with more than a dozen Egyptian ambulances waiting at the crossing.
The Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, who heads a moderate government in the West Bank and is holding peace talks with Israel, issued his strongest condemnation yet of the operation, calling it a "sweeping Israeli aggression against Gaza" and saying he would consult with his bitter rivals in Hamas in an effort to end it.
Israel is trying to avoid civilian casualties, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni told reporters Monday, while "Hamas is looking for children to kill."
"Hamas is targeting deliberately kindergartens and schools and citizens and civilians because this is according to their values. Our values are completely different. We are trying to target Hamas, which hides among civilians," Livni said.
The carnage inflamed Arab and Muslim public opinion, setting off street protests in Arab communities in Israel and the West Bank, across the Arab world, and in some European cities.

Hamas Goes Postal - Threatens To Assasinate Livni,Barak,PA Officials

(Hat Tip: iam)

I am laughing my ass off here - Hamas, bloodied and crippled...scrounging through rubble that they brought down on themselves are lashing out with....words. Hamas is threatening to assassinate Israel leaders, specifically Livni and Barak and they also threaten to be going after Palestinian Authority officials in the West Bank and to top it off, they have a long list of other Arab leaders they think were in on the operation to get them. Like I said, it's hilarious. Here's some of the details from Haaretz:

Hamas on Sunday threatened to respond to an ongoing Israel Defense Forces assault on the Gaza Strip by assassinating senior Israeli officials. Senior Hamas official Fatah Hamad specifically threatened Livni and Defense Minister Ehud Barak. He also threatened that Hamas would go after senior Palestinian Authority officials in the West Bank, as well as "those in the Arab world who have conspired against us," - an apparent reference to Egypt.

Let's face it...Hamas can't even get within 500 yards of Israel at this point in time so I think their targets in the West Bank and in Egypt might be a better bet but it is almost comical to see these pukes hunkered down, 50 feet below the earth's surface in Gaza acting all tough, isn't it?

There's more interesting items in the Haaretz article:

Early Monday, Israel bombed the Islamic University and government compound in Gaza City, centers of Hamas power. Witnesses saw fire and smoke at the university, counting six separate airstrikes there just after midnight.

Most of the targets, however, were in Gaza City, including Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh's office and the offices of various Palestinian security services. The air force also hit several targets in northern Gaza, the main launching pad for Palestinian rocket strikes on Israel.

All in all, the Israeli efforts of the past two days have severely crippled Hamas - that will be seen over the next few months. And while Hamas did get off 30 rockets into Israel today, I gotta believe the Israelis were expecting more like 4 times that.

In response to Gaza raids, Hamas threatens to assassinate Livni, Barak

Hamas on Sunday threatened to respond to an ongoing Israel Defense Forces assault on the Gaza Strip by assassinating senior Israeli officials. Senior Hamas official Fatah Hamad specifically threatened Livni and Defense Minister Ehud Barak. He also threatened that Hamas would go after senior Palestinian Authority officials in the West Bank, as well as "those in the Arab world who have conspired against us," - an apparent reference to Egypt. PA President Mahmoud Abbas, however, said that Hamas could have prevented Israel's assault had it only agreed to extend the cease-fire, and he urged it to do so now.

Earlier Sunday, the IDF massed troops near the Gaza border in preparation for a possible ground operation against Hamas. In parallel, the cabinet approved a relatively small call-up of the reserves - some 6,700 soldiers - in case they are needed for the operation. Defense sources said, however, that additional reservists may be called up as the fighting continues. By comparison, only a few thousand reservists were called up in the first days of the Second Lebanon War in 2006. By the end of the war, however, some 62,000 reservists had been called up. The air force struck more than 100 targets Sunday, the second day of Israel's aerial bombardment of Gaza. According to Palestinian sources, the bombings killed 43 people, bringing the death toll for the two-day operation to 294. Among the targets were 40 smuggling tunnels under the Gaza-Egypt border, which Israel bombed in an effort to shut down Hamas' main conduit for arms. That operation took exactly four minutes. Most of the targets, however, were in Gaza City, including Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh's office and the offices of various Palestinian security services. The air force also hit several targets in northern Gaza, the main launching pad for Palestinian rocket strikes on Israel. Palestinians fired about 30 rockets at Israel on Sunday, bringing the number of rockets and mortars fired at the country over the last two days to about 150. That is far fewer than the army had predicted, though defense sources expect the number to increase in the coming days. For the first time, however, Sunday's launches included two enhanced Katyusha rockets with a 40-kilometer range. Both landed near Ashdod.

Taliban Suicide Bomber Kills 14 Afghan Children Near School

The Taliban, just the other day, vowed to kill all Afghan girls who attended schools beginning in January and apparently, a signal was to be sent today that these murdering coward Taliban that they have no qualms in murdering innocent little boys and girls. A suicide car bomber set off his bomb near a school in eastern Khost province killing 14 school children as well as six others Afghans. Here's some of the details from AFP:

Fourteen children were among 20 Afghans killed in new extremist attacks in insurgency-hit Afghanistan that also left two Canadian soldiers dead, security officials said Sunday.
The children and two adults died in a powerful suicide car bombing in the eastern province of Khost, said the NATO-led force, which has troops across the country to fight the insurgents

The blast was near a school where pupils were receiving their exam results and end-of-year education certificates, police said.
District governor Dawlat Khan Qayomi said his information was that 12 children and two soldiers -- one with the national army and another with a pro-government militia -- were killed.
"The blast was so powerful that some of the casualties were turned into pieces," said Qayomi, who had been hosting the meeting with tribal elders.

Besides the maniacal evil that is behind this type of attack by the Taliban, we have to remember that the Taliban are deadset against any muslim girl receiving an education and at the same time, when the Taliban were in power in Afghanistan years ago, they saw to the closing or destruction of hundreds of schools. It was all part of the dumbing down of the society. You know, if people are dumb enough, they actually will believe in the lunacy.

So, today as the MSM and the world's leaders call out Israel for defending itself, there has not been a single instance of outcry over this attack on 14 innocent school children. Apparently a Hamas jihadist's life is worth more to Reuters and AP than an 8 year old Afghan child.

Fourteen children among 22 killed in Afghan attacks

KHOST, Afghanistan (AFP) — Fourteen children were among 20 Afghans killed in new extremist attacks in insurgency-hit Afghanistan that also left two Canadian soldiers dead, security officials said Sunday.
The children and two adults died in a powerful suicide car bombing in the eastern province of Khost, said the NATO-led force, which has troops across the country to fight the insurgents.
The attacker blew up a bomb-filled car outside local government offices in the district of Ismail Khail, also known as Mando Zayi, as local leaders were discussing security and elections due next year, police said.
"In the process he killed 16 Afghans and wounded 58 others," NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said in a statement.
"Fourteen children were amongst those killed, and one was an Afghan National Army soldier."
The blast was near a school where pupils were receiving their exam results and end-of-year education certificates, police said.
District governor Dawlat Khan Qayomi said his information was that 12 children and two soldiers -- one with the national army and another with a pro-government militia -- were killed.
"The blast was so powerful that some of the casualties were turned into pieces," said Qayomi, who had been hosting the meeting with tribal elders.
He blamed the attack on Taliban insurgents who have been behind a wave of suicide bombings in Afghanistan.
Provincial health director Amir Badsha Rahmatzai said 50 wounded were in the public hospital. "Thirteen of them are children, 12 are government soldiers and three are in critical condition," he said.
One of the other wounded taken to an ISAF hospital had died, he said.
The blast was condemned by President Hamid Karzai and the United Nations.
It showed that the "enemies of Afghanistan" are "not aware of the Islamic teachings which outlaw the killing of innocent people," Karzai said.
It was not clear who was responsible for the attack, but militants from the Taliban, who were in government between 1996 and 2001, have carried out scores of similar suicide bombings as part of an insurgency against Karzai's government.
In another blast on Sunday, a remote-controlled bomb exploded outside a music shop in the southern town of Tirin Kot, killing one person and wounding two, police said. The austere Taliban regime had outlawed non-religious music.

Video: Footage Of IAF Strikes On Weapons Caches In Gaza Yesterday

Note the secondary explosions coming from munitions cooking off in several of the airstrikes.

Is Israel Planning A 'Surprise' For Hezbollah's Nasrallah Speech Today?

I find this fascinating - there are reports coming from DEBKA, that Israel is filling the skies of Lebanon with fighter jets and recon flights today and while one might think that is just a precaution to be sure that Hezbollah doesn't have something up their sleeves to take some heat off of their Hamas brothers in Gaza, I find it perhaps a bit too coincidental that today, Sunday, is the day that Hezbollah leader Nasrallah is supposed to make a major speech about what is going on in Gaza. Interesting, huh? Here's some of the details from DEBKA:

A Lebanese security official reported that five Israeli aircraft overflew Bin Jbeil in South Lebanon and then headed for the Mediterranean port town of Tyre further north. He also reported a reconnaissance aircraft cruised over the South all night. Hizballah leader Hassan Nasrallah is due to speak later Sunday, Dec. 28, about the air operation Israel launched Saturday against Hamas military and missile sites and resources.

Now, I'm sure this is normal IAF procedure when they are in operations in Gaza but I just can't help drooling a little bit over the thought of a well-placed JDAM on the podium of Nasrallah just about the time he is uttering a threat to Israel regarding Gaza. (wiping drool off of keyboard).

I don't expect much out of Nasrallah today other than the usual hot air the billows out of this piglet's mouth - I think the coward has seen that Israel is not messing around with Hamas in this operation and Nasrallah is probably paranoid enough to realize that an Israeli attack as surprising as the one in Gaza could certainly come close to knocking off the Hezbollah leader.

At the same time, I don't think the Israelis, at this point, will put up with even one rocket or missile coming out of southern Lebanon.

Lebanon reports intense Israeli air activity

A Lebanese security official reported that five Israeli aircraft overflew Bin Jbeil in South Lebanon and then headed for the Mediterranean port town of Tyre further north. He also reported a reconnaissance aircraft cruised over the South all night. Hizballah leader Hassan Nasrallah is due to speak later Sunday, Dec. 28, about the air operation Israel launched Saturday against Hamas military and missile sites and resources.
On the night of Dec. 25, Lebanese sappers defused 13 rockets shortly before their timing devices would have sent them hurtling towards the northern Israeli cities of Nahariya and Maalot. They were loaded on eight new Iranian-made rocket launchers located in a wadi 5 km from the Israeli border, the site used by the Hizballah to pummel northern Israel in the 2006 Lebanon War. Three were primed to fire 107mm RAAD rockets and five loaded with 122mm Grad Katyushas.
DEBKAfile's military sources were certain that Hizballah handed the rockets to Hamas terrorists at the Ain Hilwa camp in south Lebanon and guided them to the exact launching site for hitting the two Israeli towns. Their point was to demonstrate that Hamas could hit Israel with rockets not just from Gaza but also from a second front in Lebanon in the event of an Israeli military operation against Hamas.

Iran's Ayatollah Orders All Muslims of the World To Defend Palestinians (except Iranians, of course)

Iran's Ayatollah Khamenei has ordered all of the world's muslims to rush to the defense of the "poor" Palestinians - it wasn't specified by the Ayatollah whether Iran's muslims were included in that religious order (haha). Here's a bit of what the head clown in the Iranian circus had to say from the article at Haaretz:

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a religious decree to Muslims around the world on Sunday, ordering them to defend Palestinians against Israel's attacks on Gaza, state television said. "All Palestinian combatants and all the Islamic world's pious people are obliged to defend the defenceless women, children and people in Gaza in any way possible. Whoever is killed in this legitimate defense is considered a martyr," state television quoted Khamenei as saying in a statement.

Don't you find it odd how just over the past six months, Iran has been boasting to the world how mighty they are - they have flaunted videos of their new "super missiles" that can reach Tel Aviv - they have dared anyone to test the mighty strength of Iran's power...yet at a time like this, the Ayatollah sits in his little bunker in Tehran and calls on every poor sap of a muslim in the world to walk their ass to Gaza and help the Palestinians? Where's all that firepower now, Ayatollah Khamenei?

One other part of the article I found hilarious is this:

Meanwhile, Hamas' political leaders in the Gaza Strip have gone into hiding in the wake of Israel's operation on the coastal territory, fearing that they will once again be targeted in the attacks.

Priceless, isn't it? And of course, there's always the inevitable threat of destruction of Israel by a jihadist leader in Gaza who is hunkered down under fifteen bed mattresses:

Abu Ubeida, spokesman for the organization's military wing, the Iz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades vowed harsh retaliation: "The Israeli occupation needs to know that it has cast itself into the fire," he said.

More than likely, Ubeida made that statement via a note he sent to ground level from his little spider hole in south Gaza.

Iran orders all Muslims to defend Palestinians against Israeli Gaza raids

In his statement on Sunday, Khamenei also criticized some Arab governments for their "encouraging silence" towards the Israel's raids on Gaza. Meanwhile, Hamas' political leaders in the Gaza Strip have gone into hiding in the wake of Israel's operation on the coastal territory, fearing that they will once again be targeted in the attacks. In Damascus, Syria, Hamas' top leader, Khaled Meshal, called on Palestinians to rekindle their fight against Israel and renew suicide bombings against Israeli targets. "This is the time for a third Intifada," he said. In a speech broadcast on local Gaza television, Hamas' prime minister, Ismail Haniyeh, declared his movement would not be cowed. "We are stronger, and more determined, and have more will, and we will hold onto our rights even more than before," Haniyeh said. Abu Ubeida, spokesman for the organization's military wing, the Iz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades vowed harsh retaliation: "The Israeli occupation needs to know that it has cast itself into the fire," he said. Meanwhile, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Sunday the Islamist group Hamas could have avoided the Israeli attacks on Gaza. "We talked to them and we told them 'please, we ask you, do not end the truce. Let the truce continue and not stop' so that we could have avoided what happened," he said in Cairo. The leaders spoke as Israel Air Force strikes on the Gaza Strip killed nearly 230 Palestinians, at least 15 of them civilians and other three top officers in Hamas' security force. Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said on Sunday that Hamas was not allowing Palestinians wounded in Israel's attacks on Gaza to cross into Egypt for treatment. "We are waiting for the wounded Palestinians to cross. They are not being allowed to cross," he told reporters. Asked who was to blame, he said: "Ask the party in control on the ground in Gaza." Gheit said that said that Cairo, which has mediated between Hamas and Israel and between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, summoned the Israeli ambassador to the Foreign Ministry on Sunday for the second day in a row to complain about Israeli military operations. "We object to this and we demand a stop and that the Israeli army does not carry out a new invasion," he said. The Egyptian minister said a ceasefire would be the aim of a meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Cairo on Wednesday. Several Arab leaders have also proposed an Arab summit to respond to the attacks on Gaza but Aboul Gheit suggested that a summit could be some way off.

Video: AH-64 Removes Another Al Qaeda In Iraq Jihadist From The Planet

Video: Hamas' Rocket Strategy

Israeli Airstrikes Now Targeting Hamas Tunnels At Egypt/Gaza Border

Israel's IAF airstrikes are systematically destroying the tunnel system that Hamas utilizes in southern Gaza at the Egyptian border to smuggle in weapons from Egypt in the second day of the operations in Gaza. Here's some of the report from Breitbart:

Palestinian security officials and area residents say Israeli airstrikes are targeting smuggling tunnels under the Gaza-Egypt border.
The tunnels are a major lifeline for Gaza's Hamas rulers. Israel's military declined comment.
Palestinian security officials reported multiple air strikes in the border area where smugglers have dug dozens of tunnels in recent years.

Now, it is obvious that the Israelis are trying to cut off this method of continuing weapon and bomb material flow into Gaza but I believe there is another strategy happening here. I believe the Israelis are trying to completely cut off this secondary flow of other items like food and oil and that will further isolate Hamas' rule and drag it down - let's face it, if conditions in Gaza deteriorate even further over the next six months, the people of Gaza are going to take things into their own hands and I would guess it is the Israelis' opinion that they might undermine Hamas' control of the strip.

Hopefully, these tunnels have been full of hiding Hamas.

Israeli airstrikes target Gaza smuggling tunnels

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) - Palestinian security officials and area residents say Israeli airstrikes are targeting smuggling tunnels under the Gaza-Egypt border.
The tunnels are a major lifeline for Gaza's Hamas rulers. Israel's military declined comment.
Palestinian security officials reported multiple air strikes in the border area where smugglers have dug dozens of tunnels in recent years. Weapons and commercial goods are brought in through the passageways.
Gaza has been under Israeli and Egyptian blockade since a violent Hamas takeover in June 2007. The tunnels have helped Hamas stay in power by relieving shortages.

Video: IAF Attack Footage Shows Rocket Launching Target Hit In Gaza

Cowardly Palestinians Hiding In Canada Condemn Israeli Retaliation

Okay, so we have a bunch of cowardly yellow bellied terrorist sympathizing palestinians living in Canada who are now raising holy hell asking Canada to immediately provide aid to Gaza and denouncing Israel. I'll get into what I think of these pieces of shit below the excerpt of part of the article here from Breitbart:

Palestinian-Canadians mourning the deaths of more than 200 people Saturday in Gaza are urging Ottawa to send aid in the wake of Israeli air strikes targeting security compounds that have also wounded hundreds of others.
One community leader who represents about 12,000 Palestinian-Canadians in the Mississauga, Ont., area is calling the strikes "genocide ... a Hanukkah gift from the Israeli government."
"We have many of our community members, their background is from Gaza, and we cannot talk to them because they're still waiting to hear if they lost family members or not," said Farid Ayad, president of Palestine House.
"So this is a sad day."

I do want to take the time to point out the sane and rational statement put out by Canada's ministry of foregin affairs:

Lawrence Cannon, Canada's minister of foreign affairs, issued a statement Saturday expressing concern about the escalating situation and loss of life and suffering on all sides.
"Israel has a clear right to defend itself against the continued rocket attacks by Palestinian militant groups which have deliberately targeted civilians," he said.
"First and foremost, those rocket attacks must stop. At the same time, we urge both sides to use all efforts to avoid civilian casualties and to create the conditions to allow safe and unhindered humanitarian access to those in need in Gaza."

Now, back to these pali pukes living in Canada, all snug in their little government paid apartments bitching at Israel. The one doofus called it a "sad day" - well, I agree with that...it's a sad day that there aren't 2000 dead Hamas instead of the current 200. As for the piece of shit that calls this genocide...first of all, genocide is only possible when you kill human beings...in the case of dead Hamas, that is debatable. Secondly, Hamas asked for this, they got it. Israel even went so far as to warn several international agencies that they would not stand for more rocket attacks and Hamas laughed and sent the rockets in.

I say take these pissed off palis living in Canada and ship em over to Gaza...they can man a few of the rocket launchers and see how long they last. But I feel for the poor Canadian brothers and sisters that have to live next to these excrement.

Palestinians in Canada condemn Israeli attacks in Gaza, urge Ottawa to send aid

TORONTO - Palestinian-Canadians mourning the deaths of more than 200 people Saturday in Gaza are urging Ottawa to send aid in the wake of Israeli air strikes targeting security compounds that have also wounded hundreds of others.
One community leader who represents about 12,000 Palestinian-Canadians in the Mississauga, Ont., area is calling the strikes "genocide ... a Hanukkah gift from the Israeli government."
"We have many of our community members, their background is from Gaza, and we cannot talk to them because they're still waiting to hear if they lost family members or not," said Farid Ayad, president of Palestine House.
"So this is a sad day."
The violence, some of the worst in years, comes as Israel retaliates for recent rocket attacks by Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.
In Montreal, Laith Marouf of Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights reacted with sorrow and shock.
"Most Palestinian people are trying to call their family, trying to figure out if everybody is alive and well," he said.
"It's hard to contact people under these circumstances. Most of the community is probably glued to their televisions and radios and are very worried about their relatives - across Palestine, not only in Gaza."
Both Ayad and Marouf said the Conservative government must push Israel to stop the siege and then send food and fuel to civilians.
"We urge our government to interfere for a change and to put pressure on the Israeli government," Ayad said.
"I know the Conservative government has good relations with the Israeli government and I'm sure Canada could play a peaceful role in the region."
Lawrence Cannon, Canada's minister of foreign affairs, issued a statement Saturday expressing concern about the escalating situation and loss of life and suffering on all sides.
"Israel has a clear right to defend itself against the continued rocket attacks by Palestinian militant groups which have deliberately targeted civilians," he said.
"First and foremost, those rocket attacks must stop. At the same time, we urge both sides to use all efforts to avoid civilian casualties and to create the conditions to allow safe and unhindered humanitarian access to those in need in Gaza."
Cannon also pushed for renewed efforts to reach a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, and for Israeli and Palestinian leaders to remain committed to creating a peace deal.
Moshe Ronen, chairman of the Canada-Israeli Committee, said he's not surprised by the events of the past day, calling the Hamas strikes an "intolerable situation."
"The injury and the death of any civilian is a tragedy," he said in a telephone interview from Tel Aviv.
"But we have to understand that the Israeli military has clearly announced that it's directing its fire at the militants, its directing it at specific targets. Most of the attacks were surgical in precision."
Hamas builds many of its bases in civilian areas, which leads to inevitable loss of life and becomes their responsibility, he said.
Coincidentally, Ronen was meeting the Knesset's chair of security and foreign affairs at the time the strikes were launched.
"I know initial reports he received, both from officials and staff ... were that (the Israel Defence Forces') orders were to pinpoint and be very precise in targets that were laid out well before this attack took place."
Ayad, however, believes the attacks are part of an Israeli election campaign orchestrated by officials hoping to make gains in popularity as voting nears. The elections to the Knesset are set for Feb. 10.