Syria and Iran Target again the UN forces in Southern Lebanon
By: Elias Bejjani
July 17/07

A second fiery terrorist message to the UN forces operating in South Lebanon (UNIFIL) has been delivered today July 16, 2007, with hatred and grudgers, by the two pillars of the Axis of Evil, Syria and Iran, through their militia and fundamentalist instruments positioned in Lebanon. The message targeted a UN position manned by the Tanzanian Brigade on the newly repaired Qassimiyeh bridge. Fortunately no lives were lost.

The first bloody message sent last month, on June 14, had caused six fatalities amongst the Spanish UN brigade. It was the first attack ever against the UN forces after a series of flagrant and overt Syrian, Iranian and fundamentalist public threats. It all started after passing  and implementation of the UN security Council Resolution 1701 which stopped the July 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel. A war that was triggered by Hezbollah’s attack against Israel across the international border and the kidnapping of two of its soldiers and the murder of several others.

We condemn today's new criminal Syrian-Iranian assault against UNIFIL in South Lebanon whose objective is quite clear. Meanwhile, We draw the attention of the concerned local, regional, and international parties to the following facts:

It makes no difference whatsoever which Palestinian, Lebanese, or fundamentalist organization claimed credit for this crime, because all terrorist and militia organizations stationed in Lebanon today, whether Lebanese, Arab, or foreign mercenary, are financed, armed, controlled, and commanded by the intelligence services of the two Axis of Evil nations, Syria and Iran.

This attack comes one day after the conclusion of inter-Lebanese talks in France, where the so-called Lebanese “opposition”, with sweet talk, torpedoed the French proposals for finding solutions and setting priorities to the Lebanese crisis. This crisis is directly caused by Syria and Iran through the “Lebanese opposition” with the aim of destroying Lebanon’s constitutional, administrative, security, and economic institutions, and to lead the Lebanese to despair in order to create a security and constitutional vacuum, so that they can establish their total control on Lebanon’s government and force it to join the Axis of Evil.

Any “appeasement” negotiation, whether regional or international or by the UN, with Syria, Iran or Hezbollah, that is conducted at the expense of
Lebanon’s sovereignty, democracy, or constitution, or at the expense of a total war on terror in order to guarantee the safety of the UNIFIL forces in South Lebanon, will transform these forces into hostages, and consequently sabotage the implementation of UN resolutions 1559 and 1701, as well as the decision to institute the International Tribunal to try the murderers of Prime Minister Hariri. It will also embolden the terror-fundamentalist organizations not only in Lebanon, but in Europe, America, and all the nations of the free world as well as the Arab and Islamic moderate nations.

In order to guarantee the success of UNIFIL, the Security Council must directly and forcefully charge Syria and Iran for today’s attack and for all previous attacks, with a warning against future attacks, and penalize them using all means, including legal, judicial, military, economic, and punitive sanctions.

Logic and past experience show, without any shred of doubt, that dealing with these two regimes with anything but forceful means, is simply a waste of time and lives. It would provide them with further opportunities to kill and terrorize the Lebanese, attack the international community, and spread
terrorism and anarchy, in ideology and practice, to all nations of the world, especially the Free World.

The wolf cannot be entrusted with the sheep unless you extract all its teeth, tie up its feet, put a leash around its neck, and tranquilize it.


BACKGROUND
Bomb Hits U.N. Peacekeepers in Lebanon
Monday, July 16, 2007; BEIRUT, Lebanon AP) _ A roadside bomb planted in Lebanon's coastal south exploded Monday near a U.N. post as a peacekeeping vehicle drove past, the second attack targeting the force in less than a month. No one was hurt. The bomb struck the U.N. jeep as it drove through a village near the southern port city of Tyre, according to a statement from the United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon, known as UNIFIL. A U.N. official at the site of the explosion said the bomb was planted near a bridge on the road to Qassimiyeh. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation television showed Lebanese troops directing traffic and searching the blast scene for evidence. "We can confirm that a small explosion occurred in the area of the Qassmiyeh bridge, involving one UNIFIL military police vehicle," Yasmina Bouziane, a spokeswoman for the U.N. force, said in a statement. "No casualties have been reported. Only damage to the vehicle." Security officials in southern Lebanon said two Tanzanian peacekeepers parked their jeep on the coastal road near the Qassimiyeh bridge to monitor the speed of U.N. vehicles in southern Lebanon. Minutes after the two soldiers stepped out of the jeep, the bomb exploded, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
UNIFIL, made up of 13,000 members from 30 countries, is tasked with implementing a U.N. Security Council resolution that ended last summer's war between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas.
 

**Elias Bejjani
Chairman for the Canadian Lebanese Coordinating Council (LCCC)
Human Rights activist, journalist & political commentator.
Spokesman for the Canadian Lebanese Human Rights Federation (CLHRF)
E.Mail phoenicia@hotmail.com
LCCC Web Site http://www.10452lccc.com
CLHRF Website http://www.clhrf.com