Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Minute by Minute: Day 2 Details in Lebanon

(I was not able to follow up minute by minute what was going on, so I decided to translate it from the Free Patriotic Movement's site (politically and regionally in my opinion subjective. I have to warn that I disagree with them and denounce their movement as Right Winger and part of the crisis between the government/opposition leader, but their media did a nice job in assembling the info on the current battle, I took the liberty for my foreign readers to translate it for them). Link taken from here in arabic

00:32: Heavy artillery targeting Fatah Islam locations

22:47: Minister Aridi, after the held meeting of the Ministers, announces that the government, after discussions with the leaders of the security leaders (Army/Security Forces), that this situation of terrorism needs amputation.

22:30: Dense spread-out for Jund-el Sham (MFL notes: also under accusation to be affiliated with al-Qa’eda), supposed to be Palestinian, in Ain el Hilwi (Saida) in front the Lebanese Army locations.

22:28: Islamic Fatah Islam movement assault leaves three martyrs for the Lebanese Army, and several casualties in the Northern Nahr el Bared camps.

21:22: Lebanese Army Leadership announced that between 23/5/2007 and 24/6/2007, the Lebanese Air Force (MFL notes: we have those?!?!?!) will do Night Flights between 19:00 till 21:00, and that is above Rayaq Aerial Base and neighboring villages.

21:20: Serg Brametz arrives to Beirut on a plane coming from Paris

21:05: Discussions are being held to achieve a seize fire in the Nahr el Bareh Camp

21:00: the overall dead has risen to 71

19:40: Head of the Popular Front For the Liberation of Palestine – General Command (not to be mistaken for Habash’s Group) Anwar Raja accuses Future militants to trigger this problem, and the Future Movement denies (to be exact, those were ex-Stalinists, who ended up pawns in Assad’s hands, btw if my memory serves me correct, they still got heavy militants in Lebanon).

18:43: Heavy shoot-out continues between the Lebanese Army and Fatah Islam militants in Nahr el Bared camp.


18:32: Canada advised its citizens to avoid going to Lebanon due to the on-going clashes between the Lebanese Army and the fundamentalist Fatah el Islam in the Northern Parts of the country.


18:31: The Palestinian Government declared its objection on the assault occurring on the Lebanese institutions and the Army, requesting the careful protection of the Palestinian refugees inside the camps of Lebanon.

18:16, German Minister of Foreign Affairs Kim Hawlz considered that the presence of extremists who sympathize with al-Qa’eda in Lebanon contains large threats to the nation, and the region on a larger scale, and the worst will backfire on the Palestinians.


18:07: The Special Envoy of the General Secretary of the UN, Tierry Rod Larson, called all Lebanese political parties to behave in a responsible manner to avoid the total collapse of the situation in Lebanon. After Larson met with the General Secretary of the Arab League (MFL notes: the mini-chat forums for the Arab leaders who “keep loving Lebanon” with words) and announced that his talk with Omro Moussa was extensive on Lebanon which assured the coherence of vision between the Arab League and the UN (MFL notes: definitely, they can never do anything, except sit and watch, as well as issue statements).


18:06: Exchange of heavy fire between the Lebanese Army and Fatah Islam (MFL notes: who was the smart ass who was proposing to have Lebanon’s army weak because that would be its greatest defense back in the 1950’s? Oh yeah, ex-President Sham’oun!). Solana announced that he will arrive to Beirut tomorrow to talk with the Lebanese political leaders (oh right, that would help). Solana, Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, and Prime Minister Seniora will meet and a conference will take place in the Governmental Palace at 4:00 in the afternoon.


16:59: Manar Reporter: Lebanese Army bombarding all entrances of Nahr el Bared (MFL notes: why didn’t they use these outdated ammunition on the Israelis last year?)

16:53: Eye witnesses: Military reinforcements to the Lebanese Army arrive, as well as Machinery and Tanks pass towards the route which leads to the Nahr el Bared region.


16:46: Heavy combat occurs meantime between the Lebanese Army and Fatah el Islam

16:45: Fatah Islam militants shoot Red Cross and Red Hilal cars

16:33: Shootout in the Nahr el Bared Camp parameter despite he decision of seize fire


15:41: The International Red Cross succeeds in establishing a two hour long truce which starts at four in the morning and lasts till 6:00 , to evacuate the dead and wounded from the Nahr el Bared camp, whose death tolls are expected according to primary sources to be 30 Dead and 90 wounded.

15:17: Ossama Hamdan, Hamas’s representative, assures to al-Jazeera that the seize fire has begun, and that occurred after coordination with Prime Minister Seniora


15:08: Reuters reports that 8 civilians are killed due to Lebanese artillery for Nar el Bared Camp

15:04: Announcement of a seize fire in the Nahr el Bared Camp for the purpose of evacuating the wounded and bringing food supplies to the Camp.

15:03: Confrontations has been the Lebanese Army and Fatah Islami have seized for the past 30 minutes, and the Red Cross arrives to the borders of the Camp for assisting the wounded.


14:59: The Lebanese Army established total control of all the hills surrounding the South and South –East for the Nahr el Bared region in al-Mhammara, whereby the Fatah Islam units were totally eradicated.


14:53: The Lebanese Army locates the stolen money from the Bank Mediterranean in one of the apartment busted by the Lebanese Army.


14:48: Total silence spreads through out Ain-Hilwi, after efforts conducted by the Palestinian and Lebanese leaders which led to place a siege on that camp (Saida) , and caused the Jund el Sham to be highly alert.


14:15: Different effort are sought to establish a temporary seize fire for one hour in order to allow the Red Cross to enter the camp Nahr el Bared and extract the wounded.


14:08: Death count rises to 57 killed


13:55: Exceptional Meeting takes place for the Cabinet in the Governmental Palace


13:28: Certain info from Lebanese News Agency contacts reports that active contacts are taking place between Lebanese and Palestinian leaders in Saida and Ain el Hilwi, which caused to siege the alertness and readiness of the Jund el Sham inside the camp in the morning because of info of the death of a brother of one of the figureheads in Jund el Sham inside Nahr el Bared Camp


13:20: Fatah Islam bombs the Lebanese Army with heavy artillery to which the Lebanese Army retaliates with artillery of type 155


13:03: Fatah Islam blocks the Red Cross from entering Nahr el Bared


12:55: Reuters agency reports that 9 are killed and 20 wounded inside Nahr el Bared


12:28: Abbass Zaki (MFL notes: PLO Chair in Lebanon) declares at the Governmental Palace: 1) Lebanese Army is protecting both Lebanese and Palestinians while Fatah Islam is not related by any means possible to the Palestinians. 2) They are ready to cooperate in annihilating this phenomenon on the condition that the civilian death toll would not be large. 3) They do not want the Camp (Nahr el Bared) to be the spark for a civil war inside Lebanon.


12:11: The tension is reported to reach Ain el Hilwi in South Lebanon (Saida) as Jund el Sham (MFL notes: al-Qaida affiliated, supposed to be Palestinian), while schools are closed inside the Camp.


12:05: Fatah Islam are present in large numbers at the Northern Entrance to Nahr el Bared Camp


12:04: Demonstration inside al-Badawwi Camp (Palestinian) in support of the Lebanese Army and denounces what Fatah Islam elements are doing.


12:02: The Army Continues to siege the Nahr el Bared Camps, and strengthened its control on all entrances

11:55: News that two Fatah Islam militants were killed at the Northern Gate of Nahr el Bared Camp


11:11: Lebanese Army artillery continues to bomb Fatah Islam locations in Nahr el Bared Camp


10:33: Criminal Evidence section begin investigating the four apartments that were used by members of Fatah Islam in Zaharia Region (Tripoli)


10:28: Battles in the Nahr el Bared Parameter intensifies whereby heavy weapons are used.


10:26: The Lebanese Army warns people to cross the International Route as dangerous, and any person wants to cross it, they can cross it on their own responsibility.


10:25: The Lebanese Army intercepts Fatah Islam Offensives at the Nahr el Bared parameter


10:22: Heavy Lebanese Army bombardment towards Nahr el Bared might become a prelude for its entry.


8:00: Al-Jazeera reports that confrontations takes place at the gates of the Camp Nahr el Bared. Eye witnesses report that corpses fill the street and the Camps’ buildings, ambulances are not able to reach it

1 comment:

Graeme said...

thanks MFL.