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Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Hizbollah leader ‘trapped’
2006-07-20
SHEIKH Hassan Nasrallah, Hizbollah's leader, is trapped in an underground command bunker at Dahiya, a southern suburb of Beirut, and was the target of heavy bombing last night, Israeli intelligence sources claimed yesterday.
A military source said dozens of aircraft took part in the operation sometime before midnight, dropping 23 tonnes of explosives on the bunker. The radical cleric "has not seen the light of day for a week", as Israeli F16 jets cratered roads and bombed bridges to isolate him and members of his ruling council in the area controlled by his terrorist militiamen.

A dedicated strike squadron, the 101st, has been assigned the task of destroying Dahiya and has also been dropping US-made "bunker-buster" bombs to smash Hizbollah bunkers, underground bomb-making factories and weapons' caches.

An Israeli army intelligence officer said: "Nasrallah took to his bunker as soon as we started bombing. He hasn't seen the light of day since." Nasrallah, who was a co-founder of Hizbollah, has not been seen in public since the Israelis retaliated for the murder of eight of their soldiers and the kidnap of two others.
Posted by:Steve

#30  the triple strike may have hit a side artery of the main Hizb tunnel or there may be more than one tunnel complex or Hizb may have strong partitions between tunnel parts
Posted by: mhw   2006-07-20 17:48  

#29  Threatwatch also has this about Nassi surviving:

Posted by: spiffo   2006-07-20 17:04  

#28  Breaking: Al Jiz showing a tape of Nassi the Nazi... not sure of its timing.
Posted by: Capsu78   2006-07-20 16:33  

#27  When deep penetrators such as the GBU-28/27/24 family of bombs it the earth, it is like a massive nail shot from a nail gun. In tests, the GBU-28 has penetrated 100 feet (30.5 meters) of earth or 20 feet (6 meters) of concrete.
Posted by: RB Kinetic Effects Dept.   2006-07-20 16:14  

#26  Anyone out there more knowledgable who can comment on what state 23 tons of bunker busters would leave a bunker like this in?

Rachel state.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble   2006-07-20 15:51  

#25  LOL Capsu78!
Posted by: Tony (UK)   2006-07-20 15:34  

#24  I agree Ptah. 23 tons seems like a lot of ordinance. If that can't bust a bunker, what can? Anyone out there more knowledgable who can comment on what state 23 tons of bunker busters would leave a bunker like this in?
Posted by: Beau   2006-07-20 15:32  

#23  Knock ,knock...
Yes?
Can Nassi come out to play?
Umm- No.
Posted by: Capsu78   2006-07-20 15:30  

#22  Thanks, Tony.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble   2006-07-20 15:27  

#21  Scuppered link NS, Nephilim
Posted by: Tony (UK)   2006-07-20 15:25  

#20  From ThreatsWatch:
Fully nine hours after the strike, Nasrallah has yet to be heard from. Silence from a man who immediately phoned HizballahÂ’s al-Manar TV to confirm his survival after Israel launched a strike that destroyed his home and headquarters five days prior. Never one to shy from cameras or microphones, perhaps this vanity contributed to his apparent demise.

This time, Hizballah has only issued a statement through al-Manar. “The strike hit a building that was under construction for a mosque. It seems that the enemy wants to cover up its military and security failures with lies and claims of imaginary achievements.” But Nasrallah’s personal silence is not imaginary and grows louder with every passing hour.

And as has been witnessed with regularity throughout the war with Iraq, when battling Islamists, mosques are often used for far more than prayer under a perceived blanket of immunity from attack. That once-accurate immunity has been discarded by those under fire.

While Britain’s The Herald reports that Nasrallah is ‘trapped’ in his bunker, they rely solely on an IDF quote from an IDF intelligence officer who said, “Nasrallah took to his bunker as soon as we started bombing. He hasn’t seen the light of day since.” But the quote appears to be referencing the bombing campaign in general and not this particular strike.

After 23 tons of munitions, if Nasrallah was in the bunker, he will not be leaving it under his own power. Were Nasrallah not in the bunker, HizballahÂ’s al-Manar would not have read a written Hizballah statement. NasrallahÂ’s voice would have been heard phoning in once again, boasting of Israeli incompetence and the power of Hizballah.

The Hizballah statement claimed that no members of Hizballah leadership were killed in the attack. But judging by the silence, Imad Mugniyah may be searching for a new Lebanon figurehead to receive his directives, likely from his Tehran office.

Looks like we should alert the accordian lady.
Posted by: Steve   2006-07-20 15:23  

#19  oooh. I like the sound of that! An official denial. As soon as we get our first audio tape from him, we can celebrate.
Posted by: 2b   2006-07-20 14:50  

#18  Hezbollah denial

Hezbollah has denied reports from Israel that its leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah was in a bunker hit by a major Israeli air strike. The Israeli newspaper Maariv quoted a senior military source as saying information obtained by security forces had shown Nasrallah was there. But in Beirut, Hezbollah said none of its leaders were killed during the Israeli attack.

"The following is a statement from Hezbollah: Hezbollah denies that any of its leaders or personnel have been killed in the latest airstrike on a building in Beirut, which the army of the enemy has claimed to be a hideout for the leaders of Hizbollah. The building which was hit with a 23 ton bomb, is a mosque under construction. The enemy is trying to hide its military and security failures through lies and illusionary achievements. This is the end of the statement."

That'a a pretty wimpy statement.
Posted by: Steve   2006-07-20 14:46  

#17  SO, if he is dead, how does this effect the current fighting?
Posted by: Sherry   2006-07-20 14:36  

#16  I'm kinda disappointed and worried: Shouldn't the bunker busters have busted the underground command bunker the first time around? Jeez, how can you expect such weapons to take out the Iranians on the first pass?
Posted by: Ptah   2006-07-20 14:32  

#15  calling him one of the Niphilim might be considered a compliment

how about calling him a 'shaqketz' (insects)
Posted by: mhw   2006-07-20 14:27  

#14  We'll know when we feel that cold chill as the gates of hell open up. Good riddance.
Posted by: 2b   2006-07-20 14:24  

#13  Perhaps Nasrallah will emulate his idol Adolph and take himself out.
Posted by: doc   2006-07-20 14:03  

#12  In 1,000 year's he'll be dug up by an archeological civilization and he will be identified as a Nephilim
Posted by: Nimble Spemble   2006-07-20 13:59  

#11  if he is alive Kofi Amman and the usual dhimmis will be trying to save his ass
Posted by: mhw   2006-07-20 13:54  

#10  Unfortunately, under ground he will not stabilize at room temperature, but at ground temperature.
Posted by: wxjames   2006-07-20 13:52  

#9  Just strafe the area from time to time to keep them from digging him out.
Posted by: Thromoger Groluns2704   2006-07-20 13:37  

#8  I am very careful about recommending this option because it is so horrific. But Israel should, in this case, match evil with evil. Nasrallah fits the description of pure evil.

White Phosphorous: WP warheads contain a chemical compound of phosphorous that burns at a very high temperature. The reaction is ignited by a detonator in the shell casing and the effect is to produce a bright burning impact mark and a vast amount of thick smoke. Initially the use of the shell was purely for chemical smoke, however subsequent adoption of this rather expensive compound is closely related to its secondary function as an anti-personnel weapon.

WP burns at a very high temperature and is extremely difficult to quench, it is also 'sticky' meaning that the burning chemical has a tendency to be difficult to remove from people it comes into contact with. Horrific injuries are frequently caused by WP ammunition, and since the 1960s, WP compounds have been added to the explosive fillers of some air-dropped bombs for attacking personnel targets.
Posted by: Poison Reverse   2006-07-20 12:57  

#7  I hope the bastard is in Hell ,now.
Posted by: Mike   2006-07-20 12:33  

#6  Gathered the same interpretation of the Israeli's words, Capsu78.

I gather that interpretation doesn't do much to sell papers.

Once the embers cool, Nasrallah's room temperature.

Mugniyah will need to find another puppet. This one's lost his strings.
Posted by: Steve Schippert   2006-07-20 12:32  

#5  Answered one of my questions. "US made bunker-busters"

Yeaha! Gives me a warm fuzzy.
Posted by: DarthVader   2006-07-20 12:19  

#4  I found this article last evening and took it to mean he'd been "trapped" underground since last week, meaning no public appearences etc.
I didn't take it to mean he we "playing bridge under the rubble".
Fact of the matter is he hasn't had a comment in over 18 hours, and being the media whore he is, well... you'd expect him declaring victory by now.
Maybe he has a big quarterly review meeting with his bosses and he's unavailble for comment.
Posted by: Capsu78   2006-07-20 12:09  

#3  IAF has the coordinates. Couple more busters might be helpful.
Posted by: BrerRabbit   2006-07-20 11:27  

#2  Enough cracks for the FAE's?
Posted by: 3dc   2006-07-20 11:18  

#1  So, is he stable yet? One hopes so.
Posted by: anonymous5089   2006-07-20 11:16  

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