Rockets Fall on Haifa

El Jefe Maximo has an excellent analysis of what’s happening as Israel steps up its attacks in Lebanon and Hizbullah rockets fall in northern Israel, including Haifa

May need to revise that Katyusha range figure. Carl from Jerusalem reports that two Katyushas fired from somewhere in Lebanon hit Haifa this morning. Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the country’s largest port, about 26 miles from the Lebanon border. I wonder if the rockets that landed in Haifa are the usual Katyushas, or if they are instead Iranian Fajr-5’s? The Fajr-5 has a range of about 45 miles, and is believed to be in the possession of Iran’s Hezbollah clients.

Hezbollah has just demonstrated an ability to hit major Israeli cities. Hezbollah is in Iran’s pocket — the specific pocket is that of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC — Sepah-e Pasdaran-e Enghelab-e Islami). I really do not think that Hezbollah would fire on Haifa without an okay from the IGRC command. Is this whole business Iran’s response to what is going on in the UN as to the Iranian nuclear program ?

When the Iranians have a nuclear warhead for the Hezbollah’s missiles, Mahmoud “Mad Jad” Ahmadinejad’s threats — and those of the mullahocracy generally — to destroy Israel will no longer be idle bluster. All the relevant players know this...

The chances of general Middle East War have, today, increased exponentially.

You’ll have to visit his post to get all the background links; I didn’t include them here.

El Jefe notes the reaction of the UN and the EU, acting as the megaphone for Arab grievances against Israel. Notice that the EU has condemned Israel’s “use of disproportionate force”. Also notice that only Israel (and maybe the United States) are ever accused of such a thing. Presumably, when the Russians leveled Grozny, it was not a “disproportionate” response.

Any response by Israel that has a chance of being effective in discouraging more murderous attacks by Hamas and Hizbullah will be condemned as “disproportionate”. The only proportionate response that the “international community” will allow Israel is to take the victims away in ambulances and hearses.

It’s heartening that John Bolton has condemned and vetoed the proposed Security Council resolution concerning Israeli actions in Gaza. Wretchard quotes from the text of Ambassador Bolton’s statement:

Notwithstanding these new developments [the Hizbullah attacks], there were many other reasons to reject this draft. The draft Resolution before the Council was unbalanced. It placed demands on one side in the Middle East conflict but not the other. This draft Resolution would have exacerbated tensions in the region and would have undermined our vision of two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side-by-side in peace and security.

Finally, someone is willing to say it: the Emperor is butt-nekkid.