Wednesday, March 2, 2011

US warships head to Libya as officials mull no-fly zone

Two US warships passed through the Suez Canal today and arrived in the Mediterranean, heading towards Libya. US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the ships would be ready to give humanitarian relief and perform emergency evacuations. One of the ships, the USS Kearsarge, features a platform form which its 42 helicopters can take off and land.

US Senator John Kerry said today that the international community should be ready to implement a no-fly zone over Libya to stop Qaddafi's violent suppression of protests. Meanwhile US Defense Secretary said that a Libyan no-fly zone would require an attack on Libyan territory, designed to destroy its air defense weapons.

NATO countries are reportedly drawing up contingency plans modeled on Balkan no-fly zones, but have said that such a move would require a UN Security Council mandate, which is unlikely because Russia has already rejected the idea.

Meanwhile, someone else is discussing a no-fly zone: The Arab League. Today the League's secretary general Amr Moussa said it could impose a no-fly zone on Libya with the coopeartion of the African union if fighting continues.

Might we see the US and the Arab League join forces against Qaddafi?

And, is it just me, or are things heating up for Purim?

No comments:

Post a Comment

Thank you for your interest! Please join the conversation:

Discuss with other readers in real-time