Report: IAF jets fire shots at German warship; Update: Israel vehemently denies

posted at 1:52 pm on October 25, 2006 by Allahpundit

A mistake? Doubtful. The IDF knows peacekeepers are patrolling the Lebanese coast.

Revenge for, ahem, “old grievances”? As delicious as that would be, it’s also doubtful. Germany is one of Israel’s best friends in Europe, largely due to guilt over those old grievances. No sense alienating the few allies it has.

A warning to UN forces — specifically, certain other European powers — that they shouldn’t threaten Israeli aircraft? Perhaps.

DU has already picked this story up and the thread is growing increasingly fragrant. Keep an eye out.

In the meantime, old habits die hard. Pun very much intended.

Update: Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz is unhappy.

Blowback

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Like Randy Quaid in Independence Day fighting the evil aliens.

“Payback’s a b**ch, ain’t it!”

LOL

Lone Star on October 25, 2006 at 1:57 PM

Damn the germans and their brautwurst and sauerbrauten smuggling ring in Israel!

Defector01 on October 25, 2006 at 1:58 PM

Those darn German sailors and their David Hasselhoff music. The IAF couldn’t take anymore of “The Hoff”

KelliD on October 25, 2006 at 2:08 PM

The IDF missed? But they Never Miss!

I believe it was a warning to UN forces.

DannoJyd on October 25, 2006 at 2:23 PM

Why would the Israeli’s threaten Germans to send message to France? That doesn’t seem to make sense.

It was probably an accident.

Otherwise, if we start looking for all these hidden meanings, we get to the point where we start thinking that the attack on the US Liberty was deliberate.

With this reasoning, we could say the following about the Israeli mistaken attack on the U.S. Liberty:

Mistake? Doubtful.

A warning to other powers, specifically the Soviets that they shouldn’t ally themselves with Israel’s enemies? Perhaps.

Doesn’t make sense.

Call it Blue on Blue, or friendly fire, or the fog of war (yeah, there isn’t a war or conflict going on, but its pretty tense) and it makes sense.

But some sort of hidden, conspiratorial message? Doubtful.

EFG on October 25, 2006 at 2:24 PM

Damn the germans and their brautwurst and sauerbrauten smuggling ring in Israel!

Defector01 on October 25, 2006 at 1:58 PM

Dearest Defector:

What is this German operation you speak of?

Best Regards,

Golan Cipel

Kid from Brooklyn on October 25, 2006 at 2:24 PM

It will be interesting to see how this unfolds. As Israel is America’s most favored state, I would imagine that Americans will receive a pro-Israel explanation from MSM, who will undoubtedly cast it as a misunderstanding or miscommunication.

GregH on October 25, 2006 at 2:26 PM

Paint my tail and I’ll paint yours back……Israel will not allow the blue helmets from keeping Israels eyes on her enemies………..

Shalom!

Limerick on October 25, 2006 at 2:34 PM

The Israelis should play very carefully. If they keep pulling stunts like that, they’ll loose whatever little public support they have over here pretty fast.

Wired German on October 25, 2006 at 2:37 PM

I strongly disagree, Israel has played too carefully and they have nothing to show for it. When enite continents, multiple countries and the majority of the press is against you and your right to exist, it is time to play for keeps.

America1st on October 25, 2006 at 2:44 PM

whoops, enite= entire

America1st on October 25, 2006 at 2:46 PM

a pro-Israel explanation from MSM,

Yeah, that happens alot.

Something else tragic on the front page of the Bild..
… did Daisy Die? Thats a bummer.

shooter on October 25, 2006 at 2:47 PM

Why can’t the US have a cool newspaper named Der Tagesspiegel ?

PinkyBigglesworth on October 25, 2006 at 2:48 PM

Clark Kent does…, pinky.

shooter on October 25, 2006 at 2:50 PM

I strongly disagree, Israel has played too carefully and they have nothing to show for it. When enite continents, multiple countries and the majority of the press is against you and your right to exist, it is time to play for keeps.

Yeah, and pissing off the few Allies they still have left of course is the ebst way to do so… *rolleyes*

Wired German on October 25, 2006 at 2:58 PM

Not sure how reliable that “Update” JPost article is… the aircraft photo is captioned as an F-16 but it’s an F-15. MSM factcheckers, ya know…

wowbagger on October 25, 2006 at 3:17 PM

Off topic

Shooter, I missed your comments about Flotsom and Jetsam.

I left you a message here.

Enjoy.

EFG on October 25, 2006 at 3:38 PM

Ehh, the time stamp for that message is 9:37 pm. Near the bottom.

EFG on October 25, 2006 at 3:40 PM

wow; jpost actually does a decent job more times then not
Why is it i get the feeling that this is just a load of horse crap?

Dearest Defector:

What is this German operation you speak of?

Best Regards,

Golan Cipel

Didn’t you get the memo>?

Defector01 on October 25, 2006 at 4:11 PM

Almost like their is a world-war going on, or something. And besides, rules of engagement require being fired upon first pretty much all the time sans a formal declaration of war.

Germans targeting/threatening IAF over-flights of Lebanon exactly as the UN threatened to do? Nahhhhhh.

Neo on October 25, 2006 at 4:15 PM

DU has already picked this story up and the thread is growing increasingly fragrant. Keep an eye out

Yes, they are in full throttle over there. As is GregH here:

It will be interesting to see how this unfolds. As Israel is America’s most favored state, I would imagine that Americans will receive a pro-Israel explanation from MSM, who will undoubtedly cast it as a misunderstanding or miscommunication.

GregH on October 25, 2006 at 2:26 PM

Rick on October 25, 2006 at 4:18 PM

Can you say “USS Liberty”? What sort of a ship was it? That’s the question. If it were a standard destroyer or frigate, it was probably an accident, I’d say. On the other hand, if it were an EW ship….

Puritan1648 on October 25, 2006 at 4:22 PM

Lonestar,

“Welcome to Erff!”

budorob on October 25, 2006 at 4:38 PM

Absent video proof of actual IAF F-16′s firing live ammunition at a German warship, I’m going to treat it just like LIKE THE BOGUS AMBULANCE ATTACKS.

Fool me twice….

georgej on October 25, 2006 at 4:55 PM

Something doesn’t sound right about this – the Germans are selling the Israelis some of the latest-generation diesel-powered submarines – Dolphin-class boats, I think – and the Israelis are supposedly shooting at the Germans in return?

Doesn’t add up, unless some kind of serious mistake was made.

One may accuse the Israelis of many things, but acting contrary to their own self-interest generally isn’t one of them.

Spurius Ligustinus on October 25, 2006 at 5:16 PM

The DUmmies killed the thread.

Iblis on October 25, 2006 at 6:32 PM

Not surprising. In he 1967 Six Day War, the Israelis attacked the USS Liberty, a surveillance ship monitoring the war. Thirty-four fine Americans were killed andone hundred and seventy-four were wounded in the deliberate attack. The ship was strafed by jets, torpedoed by boats, and the life boats machinegunned. There was never any Congressional inquiry. It was swept under the carpet. Israel claimed mistaken identification. For details, check out .

DAT60A3 on October 25, 2006 at 6:54 PM

Hmmm, Methinks thou dost protest too much.

Besides I’m sure that IF the chain gun lit off on the IAF fighter and the spray went up from the ocean, the German Sailors said to each other…their not firing, nah they wouldn’t fire, not at us, would they?
It’s pretty unmistakable.

Why would the German Sailors say they were fired on, if not?
Being fire on at sea would scare the crap out you if nothing else.

Speakup on October 25, 2006 at 6:55 PM

The USS Liberty lnk didn’t come through it is http://www.ussliberty.com.

DAT60A3 on October 25, 2006 at 6:57 PM

From the article…

The jets also activated infra-red countermeasures to ward off any rocket attack, the paper quoted him as saying, in an advance release from Thursday’s edition.

Seeing how Reuters has a history of not being able to “identify correctly” flares (aka infra-red countermeasures) vs live missles.

I am going to have to agree georgej when he posted…

Absent video proof of actual IAF F-16’s firing live ammunition at a German warship, I’m going to treat it just like LIKE THE BOGUS AMBULANCE ATTACKS.

Fool me twice….

georgej on October 25, 2006 at 4:55 PM

F15Mech on October 25, 2006 at 7:20 PM

ref my earlier comment

whoa! JPost changed thier caption, perhaps they’re watching the HotAir comment threads… nahhh

wowbagger on October 25, 2006 at 7:27 PM