An Israel Air Force drone fired missiles into a convoy of refugees fleeing attacks in the southern town of Marjayoun on Friday afternoon, killing and wounding as many as 15 people, witnesses and security officials said. The convoy, consisting of more than 100 civilian vehicles and those carrying a detachment of 350 Lebanese soldiers and police from the area around Marjayoun, was hit near Chtaura on the west side of the Bekaa Valley. Two armored UN peacekeeping vehicles had led the convoy out of Marjayoun on Friday afternoon,

When this all started, neoconservatives were in full bloodthirsty glory, salivating over the complete obliteration of Hezbollah and much of Southern Lebanon, as the start of the "great opportunity" -- "our war" -- in which we would do the same to Syria and Iran. Instead, they got a joint U.S.-French U.N. resolution engineering a cease-fire dependent upon French troops protecting Israel from the Hezbollah militia, and even Israeli hawks lamenting the humiliation suffered at the hands of Hezbollah (assuming Hezbollah, which clearly has the strongest hand here, agrees to all of this). Watching Fox News right now discussing this is like being at a wake. Paul at Powerline is calling for the downfall of the Bush administration. The neoconservative dream for broader war, at least for the moment, has collapsed on its shattered foundations. Nobody should consider a Hezbollah victory to be anything remotely a cause for celebration; that should go without saying. But the plan the neoconservatives harbor - and thought they were finally able to execute - is as dangerous a threat as anything else in the world, and anything which puts a stop to it, and which drives a wedge between them and their enablers in the Bush administration, is something which, independent of all else, is a constructive development.

U.N. deal reached on Mideast crisis...... UPDATE: Israel launches ground offensive.... ".... after expressing dissatisfaction over an emerging cease-fire deal, government officials said." UPDATE II: The U.N. Human Rights Council on Friday condemned Israel for "massive bombardment of Lebanese civilian populations" and "systematic" human rights violations, and decided to send a commission to investigate. The resolution contained no mention of Hezbollah.  2:19 pm | Comment (94)

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan is expected to announce in the coming days a precise time when hostilities are supposed to stop. It could be more than a day at the earliest before the shooting is supposed to end..... That delay is likely to lead to a dangerous last-minute escalation that could jeopardize the tenuous cease-fire agreement.

DonS - Death is never trivial. Why would you think it is? But if you do, I would guess we have a ton of widows in Israel, the NYC area and all around the country who can talk to you about it. Enjoy the conversation.

Given that the UN watched Hezbolla rearm and dig in for the past 10 years

Death is never trivial. Why would you think it is?

I would guess we have a ton of widows in Israel

Patrick - cant argue the facts so try a "swift boating" I see

Kinda calls his "facts" into question no?

I await more information, which we may never get, on the strategic coordination between the US and Israel. This stuff is buried in secrecy and may not start to emerge until some of the actors start pointing fingers, and that skews the information.

Israel left Lebanon years ago, and everything has been fine since then, hasen't it? Yet anyone who questions the anti-Israel line year is labeled a racist by those who refer to Israel as "the Zionist terror state".

Because he reads your posts advocating death to civilians and torture to muslims? Just guessing

And the US sold illegal weapons to israel the whole time

Roger, we may know in time what "caused" the explosion. For now, the cross border raid

Roger, we may know in time what "caused" the explosion. For now, the cross border raid Uh, like to rethink that "even handed" comment? He's so even handed he can't see that a cross border attack that killed 8 and kidnapped 2 is an act of war.

I would think it premature to conclude that Don is racist, though there are others here who appear to be.

Uh, like to rethink that "even handed" comment? He's so even handed he can't see that a cross border attack that killed 8 and kidnapped 2 is an act of war.

that killed 8 and kidnapped 2 is an act of war.

And how many of these weapons sales violated a UN resolution? And the answer us....... None.

the United States maintained a moratorium in the 1980s on selling cluster munitions to Israel, after it learned civilians in Lebanon had been killed with the weapons during the 1982 Israeli invasion.

Let's see a link sailor. Oh. You can't?

by not condemning in strong and public terms actions, such horrible actions as this, the Left has nothing remaining to haggle with.

Posted by PPJ (aka Jim) February 18, 2005 06:12 PM The objective is to kill'em, not convict them.

That's why I like "jubophobia" because it separates the two.

It appears to be more acceptable to some to allow mass murder than it is to condemn it in no uncertain terms.

And PPJ's "They started it" is about the middle school level of discussion we've come to expect from him.

SD - You don't need to be associated with MIT to be able to say the obvious.....

Jim, Perhaps you'd be so kind as to firmly define "Judophobia" so we all understand the wisdom you impart by its use?

Many here just hate Jews

you sound just like the chimp and his black and white thinking when he says 'you're either with us or against us'.

Report: Israel to end war 7AM Monday. "Israel, meanwhile, flew hundreds of commandos into southern Lebanon on Saturday, tripling its troop strength to 30,000 and sending some army units as far as the Litani River even as both sides indicated they would accept a U.N. cease-fire plan to stop the heavy fighting," the AP reports.

(This is from me from an earlier comment) Given that the UN watched Hezbollah rearm and dig in for the past 10 years (This is from Sailor.) And the US sold illegal weapons to israel the whole time.

And how many of these weapons were used against Lebanon and Hezbollah PRIOR TO HEZBOLLAH CROSSING THE BORDER AND KILLING 8 AND KIDNAPPING 2 ISRAELI SOLDIERS???? And the answer is........ None. And how many of these weapons sales violated a UN resolution? And the answer us....... None.

the United States maintained a moratorium in the 1980s on selling cluster munitions to Israel, after it learned civilians in Lebanon had been killed with the weapons during the 1982 Israeli invasion.

Because he reads your posts advocating death to civilians and torture to muslims? Just guessing.

Posted by PPJ (aka Jim) February 18, 2005 06:12 PM The objective is to kill'em, not convict them.

Posted by PPJ (aka Jim) February 18, 2005 06:12 PM Osama - The objective is to kill'em, not convict them. The problem is, we tried a CJ system approach for about 25 years. It didn't work. The terrorists became bolder, and bolder and bolder. 9/11 was the result.

Posted by Osama_Been_Forgotten February 18, 2005 01:04 PM If the guy WAS a terrorist, then we should gather the evidence (like the video), put him up in front of a jury, find him guilty (if the evidence merits it - sounds like it does if the account of the Spanish video is to be believed) and punish him at the end of a rope. .......Yet after 9/11, we "took off the gloves", and not only have we utterly failed to capture Osama bin Laden, we have also utterly failed to convict ONE single damn terrorist, even without "our hands tied behind out bracks by due process".

Posted by PPJ (aka Jim) February 18, 2005 07:42 AM Dearest No Name - No, the Marines don't kill their own recruits, dodo. Walter - Omar is not a US citizen and has not been picked up for robbing a QuickiMart. As before, investigate, etc., and go after the guards if you have proof.