JINSA Report #587 Ball Bearings

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July 20, 2006

JINSA Report #587

Ball Bearings

We admit we almost missed it. The PowerPoint presentation on the damage
in Haifa caused by Hizballah rockets was produced by one "LennyM" and
sent by a friend. At first the photos were just buildings wrecked by the
attack. Comparable to the damage done in Lebanon by Israel, maybe. The
cement construction is similar, the furnishings not too different.

We were, in fact, struck by the odd damage done to the façade of the
buildings - little round scoring marks in the cement. Then, small holes
in the windshields of cars. Then, holes in the metal bodies of the cars
- each one neat and round. What could make round holes in car bodies?
Ball bearings - shown in the later photos.

This should ring a bell. Palestinian suicide bombers put ball bearings
and nails in their explosives to increase the lethality of the bombs.
Sometimes they were coated with anti-coagulants to increase the internal
bleeding of the victims; sometimes with Hepatitis-C in a crude attempt
to create "biological" weapons. Ball bearings in a rocket are not a
military weapon - they are a terrorist weapon used simply to increase
the suffering of civilians. It tells you something truly awful.

This has to be contrasted with Israel's attempts to limit the damage in
Lebanon.

* For all you read about Israel bombing the Beirut Airport, a symbol of
Lebanese sovereignty, only the runways were taken out - not the control
towers or the terminals - because, we were told, "The Lebanese will need
it again."

* Bridges south of Beirut have been taken out to keep Hizballah from
moving its longer range missiles closer to the border - but there has
been no blanket bombing of villages. The bombs in Beirut proper are in
the "Forbidden Quarter," where Hizballah command and control facilities
share space with the families of their senior officers.

* There is a naval blockade to keep Iran and Syria from reinforcing
Hizballah from the sea, but the American and French rescue ships move in
and out safely.

* Roads from Lebanon to Syria have been bombed to prevent reinforcements
entering for Hizballah, but one road in the north remains open to allow
civilians (and maybe some terrorists) to escape.

* Even the Lebanese soldiers in the radar stations Israel bombed after
they were used to guide the Hizballah missile that struck the Israeli
ship were warned to leave - one group remained and suffered 10 deaths,
the others evacuated their stations and were not harmed.

Israel has, as it always has, tried to strike a balance between its
primary obligation to protect its citizens from attack and a
self-imposed obligation to do as little harm to innocents in enemy
territory as possible. Would that it was the standard on both sides.

To view this JINSA Report online click on the link below.
http://www.jinsa.org/JINSAReports/3466

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