Lebanese Warned To Flee to North

Of course, the Israeli Jews — as opposed to the Israeli Arabs — are systemically attacking anyone who is heading north. Gee, I wonder why this is the case? It wouldn’t have anything to do with the wide-spread anti-Arab bigotry felt by the vast majority of Ashkenazi Israeli Jews, now, would it? Nah, it couldn’t possibly be that reason (Even thought it’s a dirty secret in Israel that first class citizens are Ashkenazi — read caucasian — Jews, second class citizens are Sephardic — read Arab –Jews, and third class citizens are Arab Muslims.).

A poll in Friday’s Maariv newspaper showed overwhelming support for the war among Israeli citizens. Of those queried, 95 percent said the Israeli military campaign was justified and 90 percent said the attacks should continue until Hezbollah is pushed back from the border.

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The Israeli military called up reserve troops Friday and broadcast urgent radio warnings for civilians of battered southern Lebanon to leave “immediately” for relative safety north of the Litani River, adding to the growing indications that Israel is planning a large-scale ground operation to root out Hezbollah guerrillas and their missile caches.

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The Beirut-Damascus highway, a vital artery for Lebanon’s economy, has come under repeated attack by Israeli warplanes, forcing travelers to take back routes over the jagged mountains. Jets firing volleys of air-to-ground missiles Friday further damaged a key bridge connecting two steep hillsides that had shaved half an hour off the trip between the two capitals. The bridge’s 1.6-mile span, the country’s longest, was completed only several years ago and was regarded as a particularly proud symbol of Lebanon’s recovery from the destruction of previous wars.

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Israeli warplanes have been firing on civilian cars and other vehicles regularly since the conflict began, and Lebanese trapped in the south said they feared they could become targets if they heed the warnings to flee. The French foreign minister, Philippe Douste-Blazy, said during a visit to Beirut that France wants to open an air and sea supply line for delivery of relief to besieged Lebanese civilians. He demanded that Israeli forces agree to respect a “humanitarian corridor” that would allow international aid to reach the estimated 500,000 Lebanese who have been driven from their homes during the past 10 days of warfare.

A Greek warship in Beirut to pick up Greek nationals fleeing the fighting brought in boxes of aid supplies and unloaded them at the port. It was unclear whether the aid would reach the people who need it in southern Lebanon, however, because Israeli air attacks have made travel down the coastal road highly dangerous.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/21/AR2006072100968.html