What DID happen on Sept. 6?

Anyone catch the president's presser today? Dave Gregory asked about the Sept. 6 Israeli airstrike in Syria, and Bush clamped shut. Conspicuously. Very odd. Israel has a news blackout on the subject, and U.S. will only confirm that IAF planes hit something.

Don't want to stir the conspiracy broth here, but it was just so damned odd. Boston Globe says it was nuke material.
http://www.boston.com/news/world/articles/2007/09/18/n_korea_suspected_of_nuclear_aid_to_syria/

Syria cries foul
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070918/ap_on_re_mi_ea/syria_israel

Jesus.

 

Thanks, Killick, I didn't know about any of this. Sorry to say, but its just a matter of time before something very very bad happens to Israel.

 

Newsweek's take on it from this week's issue: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20789359/site/newsweek/

I wouldn't necessarily doubt that Syria has been trying to get nuclear tech from North Korea, but so far it doesn't seem like there has been any hard evidence to suggest that it's happened.

I think Israel wants to do the same to Iran, and wants the U.S. to join it.

 

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu has broken an official silence over Syria's accusations that Israel bombed its territory, hinting the reported mission was of strategic significance and a success.

Asked during an Israeli television interview on Wednesday to comment on "that operation that is so cloaked in secrecy," Netanyahu said: "I was privy to the matter from the outset and I gave my backing. But it's too early to be discussing this."

...

Opinion polls indicate that patchy reports on the Syrian incident have buoyed Olmert's popularity, which has been in the doldrums since last year's war with Hezbollah. One poll showed his rating up 10 points. That stirred speculation that Netanyahu was vying for credit ahead of a future bid to retake top office.
http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2007/09/20/netanyahu_breaks_israeli_silence_over_syria_sortie?mode=PF

 

Cue the meme that what Israel hit was Saddam's nuclear material that was spirited out of the country.
And on a week in which Fredo wants his wiretapping powers made permanent.
Who'd have guessed this material would be flying around now?
Wow.

 

Everyone's passed it off on North Korea so far, not Saddam.

 

Anyone else see a pale rider galloping past Gaza? (Yeah, like he hasn't been for decades?) While I'm not thriled with a nuclear Syria, or at least a suspected nuclear Syria, I'm really spooked by Israel's lack of restraint and bravado after the fact. To quote FD Thompson, during his more palatable acting days: "This business will get out of control. It will get out of control and we'll be lucky to live through it."

 

Disclaimer before the fact: I am speaking in purely geo-political terms, not religious ones.

What do we get out of our relationship with Israel? Stability? Tenuous. Economic benefits? In a roundabout way, if you consider that open war involving Israel doesn't threaten oil supply, but scant direct benefits. Other than that, what?

I've always thought we should play both sides in the Middle East to our benefit, not support one camp and face the rancor of the other. Always has seemed stupid to me.

We need more Bismarckian principles in our foreign policies.

 

Anybody remember that massive North Korean railroad explosion that killed, among others, a bunch of Syrian technicians?

 

We need Israel so we have some terrorists on our side.

 

Sorry F_B, I think you jumped the shark with this one.

A more provocative notion I've heard floated is that the airstrikes may have been intended to cover up a large-scale secret incursion into Syria to recover nuke material. At any rate, thank goodness Israel still has the political will to get the job done when it needs doing.