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Israel on alert for Hezbollah strikes
ISRAEL had put its army on high alert for possible strikes by Lebanese militia Hezbollah after Israel's Gaza incursion and flyover of Syrian territory, a military spokeswoman said."This measure has been taken due to concerns that the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah or other organisations will try to trigger an escalation of hostilities by launching border attacks,'' she said. The spokeswoman said Israel was not preparing an offensive operation but merely preparing its units along the northern border to "be prepared to face any likely scenario''. Hezbollah, allied with Syria, has carried out several deadly attacks along the Israeli-Lebanese border since Israel withdrew its troops from southern Lebanon in 2000. Israel launched a military offensive in the Gaza Strip early yesterday in a bid to hunt down a teenage soldier captured days earlier by Palestinian militants. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert vowed to use ``extreme measures'' to free conscript Gilad Shalit, as Israeli ground troops move deeper into the Palestinian territory late Wednesday, setting up roadblocks and arresting a Palestinian minister near Ramallah. Israeli warplanes also overflew Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's palace in northern Syria while the leader was inside. "This operation was launched due to the support and protection Syria gives Hamas, which is responsible for the kidnapping of our soldier (Shalit),'' the military spokeswoman said. Syrian state television confirmed the incident, calling it an "aggressive act and an unacceptable provocation'.' Posted by: Oztralian 2006-06-28 |
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