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Syria-Lebanon
Syrian public outrage over attack
2003-10-07
Many ordinary Syrians have voiced their anger over Israel's air strike near Damascus, with some calling for reprisals and others enraged by US reaction.
"We're so angry! Wanna see us seethe?"
The raid, Israel's deepest into Syria since the 1973 Middle East war, was a violent shock. One taxi driver, Mahir Awad, echoed others around him who hoped for a military response on the eve of the 30th anniversary of the war. Awad said: "I couldn't believe my ears when I heard. I wish I was there with a shotgun in my hand."
"I'da gotten myself killed!"
A university student, Jamal, said he hoped the government would send its own air force "to show them what Syrians can do".
I don't think you want to do that. Really.
Posted by:Fred Pruitt

#21  you're right there OldSpook , it never was the oil, then again it never was WMDs, it was their geographical location which made it so inviting
Posted by: Igs   2003-10-7 9:18:18 PM  

#20  As for "flying to Iran", thres a little problem - they have to cross Iraq to get there

Whoa! Didn't think of that minor detail. I wonder if they could make it to Cairo N. via the Med.
Posted by: Shipman   2003-10-7 7:07:23 PM  

#19  As for Syria v. Israel, 1982 air war, I think the air-to-air score was 47-0, Israel. Including anti-aircraft fire from the ground the score shifts to 82-3, Israel. Probably doesn't include the Syrian Mig-25 the PLO shot down because they thought it was an F-15.
Posted by: OminousWhatever   2003-10-7 6:21:49 PM  

#18  "Syrian jets with Kill Switches" = redundant statement.

As for "flying to Iran", thres a little problem - they have to cross Iraq to get there.

Now, I wonder why Bush wanted Iraq, its not the fact that its geographically central to the middle east region, cutting lines from Iran to Syria... isolating them between Israel and a very well armed US Army Group.

Oh, thats right, Indymedia reminds me: it was the oil

[The most overlooked part of the Iraq action - and probably the most brialliant part of the whole thing: geopolitically, this one puts the hole in the donut, puts the US in the drivers seat: central area, easy to react outward in many different directions, no more paying off gulf states and the Soddys]
Posted by: OldSpook   2003-10-7 3:15:37 PM  

#17  Yank, I think Shipman's crack was meant to mean, "Those Syrian blowhards ain't gonna do nuthin'."
Posted by: Carl in N.H.   2003-10-7 2:13:58 PM  

#16  I could be wrong, but didn't we sell Syria a bunch of fighter jets with kill-switches in them?
Posted by: Charles   2003-10-7 1:30:38 PM  

#15  Here is an article in Newsday titled Assad Says Air Strike Will Enhance Syria. On one level it is a laughable assertion, but getting bombed by Israel will probably actually improve Assad's credibility on the Arab Street. That would be Arbstreetcred.
Posted by: Superhose   2003-10-7 1:10:23 PM  

#14  I suspect they'll fly to Iran.
Posted by: Shipman   2003-10-7 12:56:25 PM  

#13  Jamal is just uninformed. Decades of propoganda probably rotted his mind and filled him with bogus facts and excuses.

I'm curious what Shipman means by the Syrians not losing any aircraft to air-to-air combat this time. Do you think they'll be destroyed on the tarmac, or that they will be shot down by anti-aircraft weapons before they can engage?
Posted by: Yank   2003-10-7 12:35:21 PM  

#12  Jamal's a laugh riot. The Syrians can get their asses handed to them, just like the last two times they stuck their collective genitalia in the Israeli grinder.
Posted by: mojo   2003-10-7 11:50:54 AM  

#11  I hope the Syrian air force does try something--Our Patriot III systems in Israel could use some more field testing. So could our Sidewinders and Sparrows. And our F-16s. And that new Israeli integrated pilot helmet that was described on StrategyPage.com recently.
Posted by: Dar   2003-10-7 10:58:50 AM  

#10  A Cessna 172 with a glider in tow was sighted heading to Israel piloted by a taxi driver armed with a shotgun and a University student with a beer bong. it is suspected the Syrian Air Force will so Israel what they can do.
Posted by: Yosemite Sam   2003-10-7 10:29:56 AM  

#9  I was amused by the claim that the target wasn't a training camp. ( I'm sure it was a baby duck & kitten farm ) Yet they refused to let any reporters into the area. Nice.
Posted by: eyeyeye   2003-10-7 10:17:15 AM  

#8  I don't think any (IDF planes) were lost in air-to-air combat, and very few to ground fire.

The Syrians will do much better this time. Matter of fact I don't expect them to lose any aircraft in air-to-air combat.
Posted by: Shipman   2003-10-7 10:04:37 AM  

#7  So, what was the official score in the 1982 Bekka Valley Mig Derby? I've heard 100-1 before...
Posted by: Laurence of the Rats   2003-10-7 9:15:39 AM  

#6  A university student, Jamal, said he hoped the government would send its own air force “to show them what Syrians can do".

Hot Damn! Break out the Mig 23s.


Posted by: Shipman   2003-10-7 7:37:34 AM  

#5  Thanx .com,

I found it, he does resign. At least one thing he does right in a lifetime.
Posted by: Murat   2003-10-7 6:34:50 AM  

#4  Murat - I can't find anything confirming it on Google, but my connection is particularly sucky at the moment and some pages are failing to load.

While looking...

I think this article from March where Clown Prince Abdullah and Khadaffy bitch-slap each other is where the ball really got rolling. Entertaining reading, no matter what!
http://www.worldpress.org/Mideast/986.cfm
Very funny exchange...
Posted by: .com   2003-10-7 6:23:46 AM  

#3  Is it true that Khadaffi resigned from the Arab league? Does anyone have information?
Posted by: Murat   2003-10-7 3:32:38 AM  

#2  A university student, Jamal, said he hoped the government would send its own air force “to show them what Syrians can do".

Like "landing" their fighters without the use of the landing gear?
Posted by: Bomb-a-rama   2003-10-7 1:55:08 AM  

#1  A university student, Jamal, said he hoped the government would send its own air force “to show them what Syrians can do".

yea go ahead and lose another 82 planes in one day
Posted by: Anonymous   2003-10-7 12:57:20 AM  

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