(the quote was from Patton, if you were curious…)
French May Fire On Israeli Overflights
After injecting themselves into the Lebanon crisis and making all kinds of promises they didn’t intend to keep, France and the United Nations have made it explicitly clear that they will not use force to disarm Hizballah, or to prevent weapons from being smuggled in from Syria.
But Israeli Air Force overflights, to keep watch over the terrorists? Now there’s something the French are willing to fight against: Peretz: French UNIFIL say will fire at IAF overflights. (Hat tip: Shiplord Kirel.)
Commanders of the French contingent of the United Nations force in Lebanon have warned that they might have to open fire if Israel Air Force warplanes continue their overflights in Lebanon, Defense Minister Amir Peretz told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Monday.
Peretz said that nevertheless, Israel would continue to patrol the skies over Lebanon as long as United Nations resolution 1701 remained unfilfilled, adding that such operations were critical for the country’s security, especially as the abducted IDF soldiers remain in Hezbollah custody and the transfer of arms continue.
Over the past few days, Peretz said, Israel had gathered clear evidence that Syria was transfering arms and ammunition to Lebanon, meaning that the embargo imposed by UN Resolution 1701 was not being completely enforced.
from LGF
And on the same day French Special Forces tracking Bin Laden have been sent home by President Jacques Chirac because of the worsening security situation. The Washington Times reports that the team was badly shaken by the recent death of nine members during a combat mission.
Nine deaths? The French lost 348,000 during one battle in WWI. (Verdun)
So let me see if I have this right:
They won’t use force to disarm Hizballah.
They won’t stop weapons from being smuggled in from Syria to Lebanon.
9 deaths are too high a price to honor their NATO treaty obligations and kill a man dedicated to overthrowing Democracy.
But they will fire at the overflights of a friendly Democracy.
And these are the allies the Democrats want us to use in the War Against Terror….
Blogs at Orbys.net
I agree with Mikes America.
The only reason they are willing to fire on the Israelis is because they know that in all likelihood (SP?) wont fire back.
I say the Israelis shoud target and destroy any and all UNIFIL positions that fire on them.
I will also go one step further and say let the IDF do the job that the Useless Nations and France wont do…disarm hezbollah once and for all.