Israel/Lebanon War Updates

Affairs in the Middle East are breaking at such a fast pace that I've decided to use this post as a place to add updates as they happen.

Here's a look at the chaos surrounding the reporting of these events from CNN's site:

• Two rockets hit Israeli port city of Haifa, IDF said
• Reuters: Hezbollah denies firing rockets at Haifa
• Israeli ambassador: Haifa attack "major escalation"
• Israel bombs Beirut airport; blocks ports
• Hezbollah launches scores of rockets into Israel
• Israel, Lebanon officials: Violence amounts to "acts of war"

- The UN has sent a team into the region to "urge restraint". Good luck with that.

- Bush is sending mixed messages:

"The democracy of Lebanon is an important part of laying a foundation of peace in that region," Bush said. "We've worked very hard to get Syria out of Lebanon" through various U.N. resolutions.

"Israel has a right to defend herself," Bush said.

"The concern is that any activities by Israel to protect herself will weaken that government," he said, referring to Lebanon.

- Haaretz reports that "Israel has concrete evidence that Hezbollah plans to transfer the two Israel Defense Forces soldiers abducted Wednesday to Iran". You have to ask yourself if that's just propaganda to widen this conflict, especially after reading this:

"We have concrete evidence that Hezbollah plans to transfer the kidnapped soldiers to Iran. As a result, Israel views Hamas, Hezbollah, Syria and Iran as the main players in the axis of terror and hate that endangers not only Israel, but the entire world," AFP quoted Deputy Director General of the Foreign Ministry Gideon Meir as saying.

'axis of terror'. Sound familiar?

- Israeli gunboats have struck fuel tanks at the Beirut airport. CNN showed the video.

- Wrong anchorperson to be covering these events: CNN's Kyra Phillips just finished arguing with Syria's ambassador with her clearly pro-Israel bias. Hopefully, Crooks and Liars will post the clip. Can we just have the facts please, CNN? Leave the debate to the experts, of which Phillips is not one.

- Tourists stuck in Lebanon as a result of the attacks are being taken in by Syria.

- 'Israeli jets struck a Lebanese air force base on Thursday'.

- Ynet News reports that the Lebanese government has asked for a ceasefire and an emergency UN Security Council meeting. (Update: The UN will hold an emergency debate on Friday). The news service also has the EU reaction: 'The European Union on Thursday criticized Israel for using "disproportionate" force in its attacks on Lebanon'.

- Raw Story has video of a FOX news crew being shot at in Israel. (The FOX news guy on the right in the studio is clearly clueless).

- CNN TV banner: 'Mideast: Brink of War?' Let's see: Hezbollah kidnaps 2 Israeli soldiers; Israel calls it an 'act of war'; Israel attacks Lebanon; Hezbollah attacks Israel. Which part of the word 'war' doesn't CNN understand? Then again, their banner for the Iraq war was 'Attack on Iraq' for months on end, so who knows what their definition of 'war' is?