"Shipment of 12,000 missiles"?

According to an article in today's National Post, the Lebanese government might not be as innocent as they claim to be. Of course, with 23 seats in Parliament controlled by Hezbolah, (and a couple in cabinet, if I recall correctly) it stands to reason that they would use their government connections to get the weapons shipped in from Syria, where they had been shipped to from Iran.

The Iranian consignment was transported in a military convoy through Syria and along Lebanon's Bekaa Valley to Hezbollah bases in south Lebanon. The convoy had received an official transit permit from the Lebanese government, which knew not only the precise nature of the shipment but also its destination.

The sources say the consignment included some 12,000 Katyusha rockets, as well as various other types of missiles. Of particular concern to Israel's military strategists was that the range of the new rockets had been substantially extended. They were capable of reaching Israel's main port city of Haifa, and possibly well beyond.

The headline... "The opening salvo of a new war". It very well could be. This is the first major conflict involving Israel that I can remember, so all this is a first for me.

If this is true, that thousands of missiles have been shipped into the country by Hezbolah, that would mean that Israel was under a clear and present danger... how can we, a way off in the safety of the West, complain when several Canadians are killed? They're in the middle of a war zone... how can anyone expect Canada to get them extracted the moment a conflict breaks out somewhere in the world? It's most unfortunate, but certainly it should not be unexpected given the circumstances.

The Canadian government, in the meantime, has chartered seven cruise ships to get Canadians out of the country. But these things take time.

From what I understand, (this is, of course, what the IDF is saying) each of the bombed areas were given lots of warning... leaflets dropped saying "Get out of this area". If that is also true, and these warnings were ignored by the Canadians, then that is too most unfortunate, but again, should not be unexpected.

UPDATE: On my above point, HERE is a notice from the Israeli Embassy in Ottawa, expressing their condolences to the Canada for the death of our citizens. They again re-iterate that these deaths were a direct result of the "human shield" tactics of Hezbollah, and that everyone in the area was warned prior to the attack.

"Regrettably, Hezbollah terrorists make a point of locating their organizational infrastructures, missile launchers and firing positions in villages, houses and residential neighbourhoods, thereby deliberately placing Lebanese citizens and others in the cross-fire in violation of all humanitarian norms.

Prior to Israel's armed actions in such areas, Israel has consistently called upon Lebanese civilians to vacate those locations with a view to avoid their coming into harm's way. Regrettably, and tragically, some people did not heed those warnings."

(end update)

I'll be honest... the other day, I took a look at some of the passages in the Bible involving Tyre and Sidon, two cities that have been bombed by the IDF, and that are often connected with "End Times" prophecies. No conclusions to share, but interesting to consider, none the less.