clocker bob wrote:Hey, MVS- are most evacuees just making brief stops in Cyprus before heading back to Europe, or is there hope among many that they can stay in Cyprus for a week or two and then return if a cease fire is brokered?
Mose Varty-Seppanen wrote:CB,
I'm not totally clear about it but it looks to me like most are only stopping briefly here. It seems dependent on the nationalities of the evacuees. For instance, Belgium just had all of it's people sent to Larnaca airport and flown back immediately. All the British and Americans are being taken care of on the various military bases.
It looks like five US warships are in route with helicopters to the Lebanon coast, escorting a cruise liner, so maybe the US evacuees will bypass the stop in Cyprus and remain on ships. With the Beirut airport destroyed, this whole evacuation is going to take ten times longer.
Mose Varty-Seppanen wrote:My Greek is not so good so I have trouble following the cypriot news but from various evacuees interviewed, the gist seems to be that Lebanon is in such a state of chaos and destruction that everybody was terrified and thanful to just get the hell out. The embassys are all in total chaos overun with people rushing to escape. A french /German kid whose parents were both killed arrived here today with serious spinal injuries.
Jesus, that's nice. I've been sticking with BBC world and the web, obviously, everything on the US networks is hopelessly slanted, and stories of injured evacuees are numerous.
Mose Varty-Seppanen wrote:Many had difficulties making it to the ships on time because so many roads and bridges have been destroyed. It sound like there won't be much to go back to, that it doesn't look as though Israel is going to stop it's bombardments anytime soon and that Lebanon has been set back maybe 70 years or so. One evacuee claimed that Beiruit is totally in ruins.
It looks bad in the photos and videos I've seen, like an earthquake hit the bridges, lots of burn victims, more reports of cluster bombs, terrible shrapnel injuries, I saw what I think was an arm and some intestines being carried in a blanket. Also depleted uranium has been reported and possible chemical weapons.
Mose Varty-Seppanen wrote:One ship was told by the Lebanese to evacuate for it's own safety ahead of schedule leaving 400 people stranded.
Canadian government has chartered I think 10 Cypriot boats to rescue the up to 50,000 canadians living in Lebanon.
Greeks, French and the Swedish (predictably) seems to have been pretty quick and efficient in getting their people out.
I just heard that Israel are trying to pin the blame on Iran. Saying that Iran is behind the kidnappings to inflame the situation to distract attention from it's nuclear program! Ha, not funny.
Even if hezbollah did capture the IDF troops to distract from the G8, the response is grossly excessive. And perfect for the Likud and PNAC plans for the region.
Mose Varty-Seppanen wrote:Not sure what else to add. It doesn't look good.
I have to crash.
Thanks for the report and for the blood donation.