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Israeli warplanes performed incessant maneuvers over Lebanese airspace on Wednesday evening, in operations labeled inflammatory by United Nations officials.
The Lebanese Army issued a statement Thursday morning detailing the extent of overflights, noise from which could be heard across large swathes of the country.
“Continuing their violations of Lebanese sovereignty and [UN Security Council] Resolution 1701, Israeli warplanes violated Lebanese airspace … beginning at 21:05 until 6:25, circling at a medium altitude over various parts of Lebanon,” the statement said.
Israeli jets could also be seen over the area of Jezzine and parts of the Bekaa Valley on Thursday morning.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon, following a meeting with Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Barak at the Security Council in New York, expressed his “continuing concern” over Wednesday night’s operations.
Retired army General Elias Hanna said Israel’s intensive activity throughout Wednesday night had several purposes.
“It’s updating the intelligence, to see if there’s any movement; it’s about reassessing and changing intelligence,” he said. “It’s a part of a major war if it should happen in the future. It’s also trying out new pilots.
“Israel can’t keep up this type of intensity unless there is something, unless they have information and they are trying to assess the veracity of this information.”
Former long-term UNIFIL adviser Timur Goksel said that the overflights meant “that there is an activity of some sort” of interest to the Israeli Air Force in Lebanon. He also pointed out the muscle-flexing encompassed in regular overflights.
“[Israel] says the UN complains about [violations] when Hizbullah is arming and active and so they will keep on doing this,” he said. “It’s a display of power because there is nobody challenging and there is nothing to stop them doing this.”
Hanna said that such violations were intended to send a message to Israel’s enemies throughout the region.
“You have to put it in with the saber-rattling that has been going on [with Iran and Syria.] It’s a message to the UN and the US that if they don’t put more pressure on Iran [Israel] can do something in Lebanon,” he said.
“It’s telling Hizbullah that Israel has the means to fight day and night,” Hanna added.
2012 has got to fit in there somewhere...
Originally posted by seethelight
Down to the last 36 hours... or so...
I'm guessing the US will nuke Russia, but blame Switzerland, who will try and send poison chocolate to England in retaliation.
England will try and nuke Switzerland, but will "accidentally" nuke Birmingham.
France will send a congratulatory letter to Gordon Brown who will be so outraged he'll blow-up the Chunnel.
Those are my 100% predictions.
All will happen within the next 12 hours.