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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| IDF exchanges heavy fire with Hizbullah in south Lebanon |
| 2006-08-01 |
| Intense clashes erupted on Tuesday morning between IDF paratroopers and Hizbullah terrorists in the southern Lebanese town of Ayta a-Shab. Heavy gunfights were reported involving light machine guns and rockets. The IDF said that the guerrillas fired anti-tank rockets at troops from a house in the town. There were no reports yet of any casualties. Earlier, the security cabinet approved expanded ground operations in Lebanon, while the IDF, under the assumption that only a few days were left for the operations against Hizbullah A self-fulfilling prophecy, geared up Monday night for a massive ground incursion into Lebanon on three different fronts, utilizing the Golani, Nahal and the Paratroopers infantry brigades. Meanwhile, several Hizbullah-fired Katyusha rockets landed in open territories in Nahariya on Tuesday morning. No one was wounded and no damage was reported. Deputy Chief of Staff Maj.-Gen. Moshe "Look Ma, No Ground Troops! Kaplinsky said Tuesday that the IDF needed "several more days" to complete its operations against Hizbullah in southern Lebanon. Which controls? objectives or a schedule? "Hizbullah's might MIGHT? Cowards who hide behind children and women have might? was known three weeks ago and we need several more days [to complete the operation and I believe we will get them." Kaplinsky said the IDF's objective was to deal a fatal blow to Hizbullah in Lebanon. And they only need a few more days. Concurrently, Defense Minister Amir Peretz dismissed criticism Tuesday from former defense officials that Israel had waited too long to launch a massive ground invasion into Lebanon. "There is no room for such criticism. The way we operated was the correct way and the operation should only be judged at its conclusion, "he declared while talking to troops of Brigade 300 near Shomera in the north. Clearly it was correct. That's why Mighty Hezb'Allah is so clearly destroyed. Peretz said he was sorry that there were people who under appreciated the IDF's achievements, which he said have "changed the reality in southern Lebanon." Regarding diplomatic initiatives to end the conflict, Peretz said the IDF had presented different types of operations, which could accommodate various diplomatic windows made available to Israel. He said that the IDF was taking into consideration that the window might be narrow. Peretz also mentioned that the 48-hour suspension of aerial attacks ended Tuesday night. He added that Israel was not interested in waging war on Syria but would continue to target convoys smuggling weapons across the border into Lebanon. I hope they aren't playing the radio in Sharon's room. The IDF reported that ground forces had taken up positions in the southern Lebanese town of A-Taybe and were carrying out operations in Al-Adaysa and Rav a-Taltin, west of Metulla. Officials said that the above-mentioned towns were being used as Katyusha rocket launching sites. During clashes with Hizbullah guerrillas in the area, anti-tank missiles and mortar shells were fired at troops, causing no casualties. Meanwhile, the IDF said that in recent operations in the region, 20 Hizbullah operatives had been killed and troops had discovered stockpiles of anti-tank missiles. The cabinet-approved plan, according to senior IDF sources, was to utilize the last remaining days of the operation, which they estimated would be over by week's end, to push Hizbullah back as far north as the Litani River in central Lebanon. In addition to the attempt to push Hizbullah north to the Litani, the IDF is also working on carving out a two-kilometer security zone along the northern border, under which all of the Hizbullah outposts there would be completely razed and guerrillas would not be allowed to return to the borderline area. At the moment, the IDF said Monday that it did not intend to send the thousands of reservists who had been called up under emergency orders into Lebanon. Sources said the reservists would be used the earliest by Wednesday, although the decision was dependent on decisions made at the late-night cabinet meeting. Also Monday, in accordance with a decision by the political echelon and in light of security assessments, a general closure was imposed on the West Bank. Throughout the duration of the closure, the IDF said there would be an easing of restrictions for the population, and humanitarian cases would be handled and approved by the District Coordination and Liaison offices. The IDF said it would continue to exercise sensitivity said like Michael Savage, no doubt towards the West Bank population, while performing thorough inspections at checkpoints and crossings. The army added that it would continue to operate to ensure the security of the citizens of Israel, while preserving, to the best of its ability, the fabric of life of the Palestinians. Touchy-feely warfare. What happened to "To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of the women!" Syrian President Bashar Assad also called on his army Monday to increase readiness to cope with "regional challenges." Travelers from Syria have reported that some reservists have been called up for military duty _ a sign that Syria is concerned the fighting in Lebanon could spill over. |
| Posted by:Nimble Spemble |
| #5 Ah, it's an arab - kill kill kill I mean no... it's a joo - kill kill kill Ah well, doesn't matter they all look alike anyway - kill kill kill |
| Posted by: Mel 2006-08-01 18:57 |
| #4 Cause nothing has changed. Except your tan. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2006-08-01 10:53 |
| #3 boy, I go on vacation and come back, and NS is STILL pushing doom and gloom. |
| Posted by: Frank G 2006-08-01 10:52 |
| #2 Granted Israel's military command have made mistakes as has its political leaders. However, having the major ground op after 3 weeks of bombardment of enemy positions is not necessarily a horrible idea (compared to having the group op without such bombardment). |
| Posted by: mhw 2006-08-01 09:33 |
| #1 The Israeli Minister of Defense needs to be sacked and put in charge of egg production. This "3rd way" artist is a fool who is wasting Israel's advantages for his leftist idology and PC stupidity. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2006-08-01 08:33 |