The Israeli Death Balloons

This story is almost too funny to be real. Green balloons used in a promotional stunt in Israel blew into southern Lebanon causing panic among the brainwashed Lebanese populace (h/t LGF):

An Israeli promotional campaign involving balloons caused panic among Lebanese civilians Saturday when the wind carried them over the border into southern Lebanon.

The Lebanese media reported that some civilians were hospitalized after inhaling the gas in the balloons.

However, the photographs published on the Web site of Hezbollah’s TV station Al-Manar show green balloons from a promotional campaign for Ha’ir, a Schocken group newspaper.

Lebanese sources said the balloons reached the southern Lebanese cities of Nabatiyeh and Tyre, and the Lebanese army warned civilians not to touch them. Some were brought to Italian UN troops for examination.

Lebanon’s official news agency claimed that they were “poisoned balloons” dispersed by IDF aircraft.

Why do I suggest the people are brainwashed? Look at how the Lebanese press reported the incident (h/t Gateway Pundit):

Beirut- Eight people were hospitalized Saturday after inhaling toxic gases from poisonous balloons dropped by Israeli warplanes over Upper Nabatiyeh in southern Lebanon, the National News Agency reported.

NNA said among those who were rushed to hospital suffering from nausea and fatigue were a Lebanese staff sergeant, a recruit and An Nahar reporter Rana Jouni.

The agency said Israeli warplanes dropped at least 10 poisonous balloons with Hebrew markings over Upper Nabatiyeh at about 9 am Saturday.

NNA said contacts have been made between the Lebanese army command and the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon, which has instructed an Italian peacekeeping unit to take samples from the balloons for examination.

The agency said the results are likely to come out on Sunday. (That ought to be good!)

NNA had earlier said that the Lebanese army's engineering unit headed to the area and destroyed the balloons by explosives.

The army, in a communiqué issued Friday, warned civilians against messing with the balloons and urged them to report finding them to the closest army unit.

How many people, upon finding a balloon, pick it up and suck out its contents? Maybe they do that in Lebanon, but I don't think that's the norm. It sounds more like a typical hysteria reaction that caused the illnesses. I'm guessing the UN analysis will find latex and a low concentration of helium.