Israel prepares Beirut strike; Hezbollah to bomb Tel Aviv in response.

[Grimmlok]

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah warned on Thursday that if the Israel Defense Forces attacks Beirut proper, his guerillas would launch rockets that would hit Tel Aviv.

Israel Air Force jets scattered leaflets over southern Beirut Thursday evening, warning residents of three neighborhoods to evacuate their homes.

"If you bomb our capital Beirut, we will bomb the capital of your usurping entity... We will bomb Tel Aviv," Nasrallah said.

For the first time since fighting began 22 days ago, Nasrallah also said that his group would stop firing rockets on northern Israel in return for an end to air strikes throughout Lebanon.

"Anytime you decide to stop your campaign against our cities, villages, civilians and infrastructure, we will not fire rockets on any Israeli settlement or city," he said in a taped television speech.

A senior defense source told Channel One television that Israel would destroy Lebanon's infrastructure if Hezbollah fires rockets at Tel Aviv.

Hezbollah guerillas launched more than 160 rockets at northern Israel on Thursday, killing eight people and wounding 37.

Defense Minister Amir Peretz on Thursday told the IDF to prepare for the next stage of Israel's military offensive, which would extend the IDF's control to all Lebanese territory south of the Litani River. Three IDF soldiers were killed Thursday in ground fighting with Hezbollah guerillas in south Lebanon.

Nasrallah called the IDF commando raid on Baalbek in which five Hezbollah militants were captured and at least 10 more killed a "military failure," and said that the ground fighting between IDF troops and Hezbollah guerillas were becoming more intense and widespread.

Well, the stupidity continues unabated. If the IDF bombs the shit out of Beirut that'll be a huge rallying call to Hezbollah, and if Hezbollah bombs Tel Aviv that'll be a rallying call for the west, and the whole thing is going to devolve into even more of a nightmare.

Way to go, middle east retards. You're earning your misery. Hope you enjoy it.