Navy Sends Show Of Force To Mediterranean

Three Warships Headed For Region As Tension Grows Between Syria And U.S. Ally Lebanon

(CBS/AP)  The U.S. Navy is sending at least three ships, including at least one amphibious assault ship, to the eastern Mediterranean Sea in a show of strength during a period of tensions with Syria and political uncertainty in Lebanon.

Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters Thursday the deployment should not be viewed as threatening or in response to events in any single country in the volatile region.

"We did not request any warships from any party," U.S.-backed Prime Minister Fuad Saniora said, hours after the U.S. military announced it was sending ships off Lebanon.

He insisted the U.S. ships would cruise off the coast, not in Lebanese territorial waters.

Saniora, who has been accused by the opposition of following U.S. policy, spoke in front of Arab diplomats at government headquarters in Beirut after his Hezbollah opponents denounced the deployment.

"This is an area that is important to us, the eastern Med," he said when asked about news reports of the ship movements. "It's a group of ships that will operate in the vicinity there for a while," adding that "it isn't meant to send any stronger signals than that. But it does signal that we're engaged, we're going to be in the vicinity, and that's a very, very important part of the world."

Another military officer, speaking on condition of anonymity because full details about the ship movements are not yet public, said a Navy guided missile destroyer, the USS Cole, was headed for patrol in the eastern Mediterranean and that it is accompanied by two refueling ships. The Cole is equipped to engage in a variety of offensive actions, including anti-aircraft and land attack missions.

Another group led by the USS Nassau, an amphibious warship, is headed in that direction on a normally scheduled deployment and some or all six ships in the Nassau group might operate in the eastern Mediterranean also, the official said.

The officer said a third ship would go later, but he did not identify it by type or name.

A Navy news release said the Nassau Expeditionary Strike Group entered the 6th Fleet's operational area on Monday. Besides the Nassau, the group included a guided missile cruiser, two guided missile destroyers and two other amphibious warfare ships. The amphibious warfare ships can carry thousands of U.S. Marines.

The U.S. 6th Fleet, whose area of operations includes the entire Mediterranean, is based at Naples, Italy.

The decision to send the ships appeared to be a not-too-subtle show of U.S. force in the region as international frustration mounts over a long political deadlock in tiny, weak Lebanon. The United States blames Syria for the impasse, saying Syria has never given up its ambitions to control its smaller neighbor.

The presidential election in Lebanon has been delayed 15 times. Just this week the date was pushed back to March 11.

Several senior Lebanese officials have been assassinated during the past year, with anti-Syrian officials blaming Hezbollah - the militant Islamic organization based in Syria which the U.S. and most allied countries have long-considered a terrorist group.

Hezbollah has for years been a potent political force in Lebanon and Syria, with members of the legislatures in both countries. Its popularity and clout were increased by the stalemate war fought between its militants in Lebanon and the Israeli military in the summer of 2006.

Friday, Hezbollah rejected the deployment of the U.S. warships off Lebanon, calling it a threat to the country that will not affect the militant group.

"We are facing an American threat against Lebanon," Hezbollah legislator Hassan Fadlallah said. "It is clear this threat and intimidation will not affect us," he said on local television.

The group is believed to be linked to Muslim militants who attacked U.S. forces and diplomats in Lebanon in 1983-84 during the Lebanese civil war, killing about 270.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is to visit the Middle East next week.

Michel Aoun, a major opposition leader to the U.S.-backed government in Beirut, said the ship movements looked like a calculated show of force by the United States.

"There is no need for it," Aoun was quoted as saying by the Al-Manar television of his Hezbollah allies.

Other Arab countries appear to be becoming involved in the Lebanese impasse.

Syria is to host an Arab summit in Damascus in late March, and pro-U.S. Arab states such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt reportedly are threatening to boycott if no president is elected in Lebanon by then. This could be a tactic by the Saudis and Egyptians to force Syrian concessions in Lebanon to save the summit. The Syrians so far have said the summit will go ahead as planned, regardless of who refuses to attend.

Mustafa Alloush, a member of the Lebanese Parliament from the U.S.-backed majority, told the majority's Future television that neither the government nor the anti-Syrian majority had any links to the dispatching of the Cole.

"But we remind what caused the situation to bring the American equation into the arena," he said, blaming Syria indirectly for inviting such American intervention. "It (the deployment) could be aimed directly at Syria or a declaration by the United States of America that it could be part of this equation that could develop if conditions remain the way they are," Alloush said.

Mullen was asked whether the deployment of the ships was linked to the timing of the Lebanese election.

"To say it's absolutely directly tied would be incorrect, but we are certainly aware that elections out there are both important, and they are due at some point in time," he replied.

And when asked whether Syria is the reason for the deployment, he said, "It's not specifically sent to any one country, as much as it is to the region itself."

The Cole was rebuilt after being almost sunk in a terror attack in Aden, Yemen, in October 2000. It was recommissioned in April 2002 and went on its first post-attack deployment in November 2003.

National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said the deployment of the Cole is meant as "a show of support for regional stability." He added that President Bush is concerned about the situation in Lebanon.

The Cole is sailing to the region from Malta.

[radiob-2009]

Sounds like a repeat of 1975 with the exception of this being with Lebanon and Syria instead of Israel and Lebanon. No carriers are mentioned.

[creeper00]

Sabre-rattling...about the only thing Bush is good at.

[cbs_oliver]

Kansas and Lebanon - neighbor states in the Great Empire at last.

I wouldn''t be suprised if George Bush and the John McCain and most Republicans care as much about the common people of Lebanon as they care about the common people of America - which is to say - not at all.

[cbsblogger]

Here we go again sticking in our "up to our axx in debt policeman of the world nose" somewhere where it isn''t wanted.

*** it Bush, we need to fix our own country instead of burning through our resources and dollars flexing our military.

[richnj1]

I wish Bush would simply renounce his claim of being a "Christian" - his supposed faith is in no way consistent with his actions in just about ANY policy area. He is an embarrassment to those who strive to follow the ways of Jesus.

[ourplanet]

Funny book about George bush

King George in his la-la land

[l8c6]

Sic ''em

[popstom1]

Any body think about the Gulf of Tonkin

[caliengineer]

Ah, Syria. The big boy on the block after Iraq dwindled. The aspire to be hegemon, and rape Lebanon of it''s vast resources (which they did during the last occupation.) Remember, the Lebanese blame Syria for the assassinations and Muslim::Christian reciprocal blaming that developed into a civil war. Then, Syria stepped in to "make peace".
Syria, in bed with Iran... what are you planning?

[rudy654-2009]

Posted by caliengineer at 01:58 AM

Didn''t Siria do some torturing for the US?

[summarex]

Looks like they are shaping things to try and make McCain look good against Obama. We can almost surely expect some kind of incident with Syria later this year - just at the right time to sway the voters.

[jamestowncbs]

www.jamestowncalif.com Good Job CBS on the Web Pages, News, Pictures, and Articles. I am very impressed with the overall coverage of the News Friday. James from Anaheim, Ca

[creeper00]

"Looks like they are shaping things to try and make McCain look good against Obama. We can almost surely expect some kind of incident with Syria later this year - just at the right time to sway the voters."

Posted by summarex at 04:48 AM : Feb 29, 2008

I wonder if this is designed to influence the election...or cancel it because of a state of emergency.

I don''t trust these crooks to leave when their term is up. They haven''t obeyed the law yet. Why should they start now?

[brianbwb-2009]

Posted by terrorislama

It is natural that you would find this story so you can cut and paste your anti Islamic death worship.

Mow Syria and Lebanon are no threat whatsoever to the US, so your only possible rationale for supporting this could be simple joy at the prospect of killing more innocent people because of their religion.

[hungry1968]

Here we go again.

Sticking our nose into everyone else''s business, while ignoring our own problems, and making us more susceptible to terrorism.

[hungry1968]

typical of the shill for inbred retarded radical fascist nazi terrorislamic jihadists muslim slavers, murderers and rapists

lez-balless inbred retarded radical fascist nazi terrorislamic jihadists muslim slavers, murderers and rapists

are firing rockets at israel civilians every day

but these are your death cult buttbuddies so that is alright with you

good one

Posted by terrorislama at 06:27 AM : Feb 29, 2008





What? Is Syria a threat now? Are we going to invade them now, since everything in Iraq is going so perfect?

[olebd]

We''re like a deaf and blind substitute teacher in a class full of second graders with ADHD.

I don''t even want to know how much this little excercise is costing us and our future generations.

[ebordin2]

terrorislama: people like you can barely read and wri te.....and it is obvious ignorance is the root of all evil...you are demonstrating it in no uncertain terms.

Personally, this is another act of arrogance and me as an American living in Europe I want my Med to be clean of US warships.........it is not American territory and we are all fed up with being regarded as uneducated, savage, greedy barbarians....that is how far we have come within the last 8 years! being ashamed to be American instead of being proud is painful! ...but it is nothing compared to those people in the middle east who have lost everything thanks to us!

[mcvet]

Well we can now see what the Fascist view as our New Growth Industry. Constant War... War forever more! I can see the ads on TV now. With NEW modern equipment War is as safe as mowing your lawn and the pay is great! These Cowards that are running our country never had the courage to actually fight but they sure do like to see OTHERS die. Sieg Heil Bush

[lewiston14]

I guess I don%u2019t see the point of this. These countries are well aware that we have the ships and can park them in anybodys back yard any time we want to so why waste the money. Very likely we have cruise missile and nuke subs in the Med that nobody even knows about right now. There is nothing that can%u2019t be hit if these ships were in the Atlantic and I think that is a safer place to be. The Med in reality is nothing more then a huge land locked duck pond with potential problems way to close.

[ioweign]

I don''t even want to know how much this little excercise is costing us and our future generations.

Posted by olebd at 07:22 AM : Feb 29, 2008


I was in the 6th Fleet (68 to 72) and we have had Task Forces in the Med for years. Costs - I got paid my normal $0.75/hr.

[hungry1968]

it is up to syria,,,

stop sponsoring terrorism,

stop trying to get WMDs,,,

Posted by terrorislama at 07:54 AM : Feb 29, 2008





What Syrian has sponsored terrorism against the United States?

Why is Israel allowed to have nuclear weapons, but Syria and Iran aren''t allowed to build nuclear reactors for energy production?

[jwind11]

What Syrian has sponsored terrorism against the United States?

Why is Israel allowed to have nuclear weapons, but Syria and Iran aren''''t allowed to build nuclear reactors for energy production?

Posted by hungry1968 at 08:24 AM : Feb 29, 2008

I would bet the government knows more about this situation than you od

[jwind11]

Well we can now see what the Fascist view as our New Growth Industry. Constant War... War forever more! I can see the ads on TV now. With NEW modern equipment War is as safe as mowing your lawn and the pay is great! These Cowards that are running our country never had the courage to actually fight but they sure do like to see OTHERS die. Sieg Heil Bush

Posted by MCVet at 07:44 AM : Feb 29, 2008

wow....you toned down a little....new meds?

[jwind11]

I can''''t wait to hear all you petty little chicken *** liberals when something big comes down.. Who will you blame then? It''''s a shame that you can''''t see how lucky you are that we are in a country that can and will do their best to protect us all even morons like you.

Posted by guyfrompa45 at 08:39 AM : Feb 29, 2008

good post.....the libs dont even realize that they are their own worst enemy in life.

[jwind11]

I admire both Chavez and Osama. THANK YOU both for having the courage to face the hate and bigotry you have faced and one of you will continue to face. YOU have MADE me VERY PROUD!! VERY PROUD INDEED!

Posted by MCVet at 08:06 AM : Feb 29, 2008

Hmmm

[andrew_693]

don''t worry, nothing will happen with Syria, they don''t have enough oil to send idiots to die there. By this time nobody in the world would support another war, so if we don''t have the brits spearheading the thing our high school dropouts will not want to guard the cheesecake truck afterwards.

[rowdytexan2]

The US keeps a battle group in the Mediterranean at all times. This is not news! It is just another Bushit idea to promote fear in its citizens and to promote that he is still chasing boogiemen terrorists!

Son spent nine years on six month deployments hanging out off the coast of all these countries in the Med...why is this big news now?

Big deal!

[runningralph]

In the early eighties the US sent some Marines to Lebanon on a peace keeping mission due to civil discord and violence in that country. The Marines were billeted in a hotel at first before they had time to set up camp. The hotel was suicide bombed and all the Marines were killed as they slept. Over 200 of them. The whole country of Lebanon is not worth 200 US Marines. They went there to help and were murdered. We have no more help for Lebanon. They can come out into the light and be civilized or go down to destruction. The US should stay out.

[quetzal0666]

LOL... this time its offshore where its safe, and you can bomb from a distance.....

i guess you do learn a few things..

[inventagod]

I enjoyed Ashcroft''s Election-Time Color Warning System better than this year''s Fake Fear Tactics from Bu$hCo''s Pentagoons...

Different year, same shiite...

...yawn

[ioweign]

What Syrian has sponsored terrorism against the United States?

Why is Israel allowed to have nuclear weapons, but Syria and Iran aren''''''''t allowed to build nuclear reactors for energy production?

Posted by hungry1968 at 08:24 AM : Feb 29, 2008

I would bet the government knows more about this situation than you od

Posted by jwind11 at 08:31 AM : Feb 29, 2008

Based on 935 statements - this government doesn''t know jack...

[rowdytexan2]

I would bet the government knows more about this situation than you od


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by jwind11 at 08:31 AM : Feb 29, 2008

btw, Jwind11, it''s spelled ''do'' not ''od''. I guess that''s a little toughter than Afghanistan.

[rowdytexan2]

lol, tougher! :)

[notblue]

IOWEGIAN, how does it feel that the "chimp" the "moron" the "liar" the "idiot" could fool the best minds the democratic party has to offer 935 times!??? You people must soo proud of the Democratic leadership, how smart does that make them?

[demslie]

"President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared on Thursday that Iran was the world%u2019s "number one" power." Why not? If Bush came to an American University to speak, his life would be in danger. If Ahmadinejad came to speak Democrats would worship him and give him a hero%u2019s welcome. In every post you read on any subject, The Democrats are spitting hate and anger at anything American. IRAN is right. Forty Percent of our political population, The Democrats, hate America as much as any terrorist. Democrats have a negative conspiracy theory for everything that Bush says, the Federal Reserve says, everything the Military says. Democrats insist "The War is Lost", "The American Economy is a World Wide Failure" and "The United States Military is the Enemy of the World". If your read the posts above you can see that IRAN, Al Qaeda and Democrats have a the exact same negative conspiracy theory for everything America says. And these are the people that offer "Hope for a new Change in America".

[ioweign]

IOWEGIAN, how does it feel that the "chimp" the "moron" the "liar" the "idiot" could fool the best minds the democratic party has to offer 935 times!??? You people must soo proud of the Democratic leadership, how smart does that make them?

Posted by notblue at 09:36 AM : Feb 29, 2008

Who said "they" fooled them ?

They are your talking points - not mine...

I never voted for Bush and what was it 59+ million or so never voted for him either.

[notblue]

IOWEGIAN, I was just pointing out how rediculous the "liar" thing is you people cling to on a daily basis. It''s absolutley obsurd, yet hatred is a powerful motivator that blinds reality. Just read most of the radiculous posts. Move.on knows there are enough idiots to believe any tripe they spew here at leftwing central.

[ioweign]

IOWEGIAN, I was just pointing out how rediculous the "liar" thing is you people cling to on a daily basis. It''s absolutley obsurd, yet hatred is a powerful motivator that blinds reality. Just read most of the radiculous posts. Move.on knows there are enough idiots to believe any tripe they spew here at leftwing central.

Posted by notblue at 09:42 AM : Feb 29, 2008

Actually, it has nothing to do with right or left. It is called "Past Practice" of this Administration. Colin Powell realized it too late and resigned. Now anything put out by this government is questioned.

[rowdytexan2]

IOWEGIAN, how does it feel that the "chimp" the "moron" the "liar" the "idiot" could fool the best minds the democratic party has to offer 935 times!??? You people must soo proud of the Democratic leadership, how smart does that make them?


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by notblue at 09:36 AM : Feb 29, 2008

He never fooled the democrats. If you will remember he had to steal the election.

He never fooled anybody with his 935 lies! However public opinion from idiots that supported him and political manipulation allowed him to do this!

[notblue]

Rowdy, is that "political manipulation" thing and the "robbing the election" thing one of those 935, or are they different ones, it''s hard to keep track. I guess I better head back to the move.on site for clarification.

[rowdytexan2]

Rowdy, is that "political manipulation" thing and the "robbing the election" thing one of those 935, or are they different ones, it''''s hard to keep track. I guess I better head back to the move.on site for clarification.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by notblue at 09:58 AM : Feb 29, 2008

I wouldn''t know, Sir. I''ve never consulted with MoveOn for my opinions, but evidently you check it out every day. How come? Because you don''t have an opinion that doesn''t come from Rush Limpdrug, or Bimbo Coulter, or some other Neocon blabbing fool?

[notblue]

Rowdy, so where do you get your unbiased news and information, CBS? LOL!

[rowdytexan2]

Rowdy, so where do you get your unbiased news and information, CBS? LOL!


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by notblue at 10:09 AM : Feb 29, 2008

lol, all your blabbing about my opinions doesn''t change the fact that you follow Bush like some blind sheep over a cliff! What''d you do vote the idiot son in twice???

[clestes-2009]

This is just another blumbering effort on shrub''s part to start up another military conflict. He wants of war with Iran, he can''t do it, thanks to the NIE, Israel is way too smart to go down that road, Iran is refusing to be provoked so now shrub or Cheney is going to try and force an incident with Syria or Lebanon. You should know that supposed nuclear lab Israel bombed in Syria last fall was a storage area and had zilch to do with weapons of any kind.

I just have to wonder what the hell he thinks is going to happen?? Gen Gates, army chief of staff has stated in plain terms yesterday that MORE troops were going to be needed for both Iraq and Afghanistan. So much for the surge victory. It lasted about 6 months, longer than I expected.

I guess his hope is to drop a nuclear weapon on the middle east, but I still fail to see what he thinks that is going to do but condemn him as a mass murderer on innocent civilians along side Pol Pot, Stalin and Hitler.

I am just sure the middle east diplomats and rulers are praying to allah that they get through the next year with nothing more worse than current conditions. With luck, maybe!

[jn122736]

notblue at 09:36 AM : Feb 29, 2008 said;
%u201Chow does it feel that the "chimp" the "moron" the "liar" the "idiot" could fool the best minds the democratic party has to offer 935 times!???%u201D
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Speaking for myself; it has brought mixed feelings.

First, I am very proud that the office of the president was worthy of such trust that people, even opposition party members, could be fooled (lied to) so easily.

Second, great sadness that Bush has betrayed that trust so badly that such trust may never be regained

[notblue]

rowdy ,I didn''t vote for Bush but I cannot stand the people like you who would rather hate fellow Americans instead of the true enemy in a time of war because of politics, it''s ruining and dividing this country. Do people like you feel some kind of impowerment through hate and critisism? It appears so, there is no other logical solution.

[clestes-2009]

How about this lst notblue.

Al-Ahran Weekly
Al Jazzera English
American Prosptect
Angus Read Global Monitor
Antiwar
Asia Times online
Center for American progress
Counter punch
Consortium news
CounterCurrents
Crooks and Liars
Daily KOS
Dar Al Hayat
EurasiaNet.org
Financial times
Foreign polich in focus
Global research
Glenn Greenwald
TheHill.com
Huffington postIPS
Oil Cjange
Political.Com
Rasmussen Reports
Raw Story
RealClear Politics
Reuter
Slaters
ThinkProgress
Truth dig
US Policy World
National Security Network
Wired News

And this is only a partial list. I read other sites too. In fact, I will bet ya I will bet ys I read more in 1 day than you do in a month!

[mbcsmith]

USS Cole back in action and ready to kick some Syrian a$$. GO NAVY!

[jumkey]

Great, notblue on another thread. "You people" again, brilliant. You "hate" Americans who hate their fellow Americans? Look up irony in the dictionary stupid.

"You people" spent 8 years supporting your dummy dictator and then when thing go wrong (duh) you stamp you feet and are mad at the other side for being right all along. Again, brilliant.

Sorry, there''s nothing in your anti-American authoritarian philosophy "notblue" that is of benefit to me or my country. The Republican Party and conservative politics are a cancer on America.

Eight years ago I thought differently, but it''s "people like you who showed me the truth. Reap what you''ve sown.