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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Lebanese: Abduction of senior Hizbulllah member foiled |
| 2006-08-01 |
| Lebanese army and security officials said early Wednesday that special IDF forces attempted to kidnap Sheikh Muhammad Yazbek, a member of Hizbullah’s High Council and one of 12 senior organization members, near Baalbek in the west Bekaa Valley. According to reports, the operation began with at least six rapid air strikes, after which IAF choppers attempted to land ground forces in the city’s western sector. A Lebanese army outpost in the town of Shlifa, west of Baalbek, was also attacked. The Lebanese officials estimated that the IDF forces planned to kidnap the sheikh from the Dar el-Hichma hospital, located north of Baalbek; Yazbek was reportedly surrounded by other senior Hizbullah members. Current reports say the kidnapping attempt failed and gun battles are taking place at the scene. Flares held aloft by parachutes lighted the night sky to a daytime brilliance, a Lebanese official said. It was also reported that Israeli jet fighters attacked targets in the city of Hermel, 75 miles north of the Israeli border in the Bekaa Valley, and Hizbullah said it attacked an IDF outpost in the Shebaa Farms on the border. Meanwhile, Al-Manar aired images of what it said was “booty” left behind by IDF forces near Kila in south Lebanon. The photos released were of two-way radios, shoes, canteens, and other military equipment. It is not clear when the photos were taken. |
| Posted by:Nimble Spemble |
| #23 From Haaretz: The IDF reported at daybreak on Wednesday that its troops returned from the operation to their base in Israel unharmed. IDF also reported that Hezbollah militants sustained some casualties during the fighting and that several militants were captured by the IDF and taken back to Israel. |
| Posted by: crosspatch 2006-08-01 23:50 |
| #22 Debka can be questionable, but, as I recall, they were the first site to talk about the Iraqi WMD moving into the Beeka valley. |
| Posted by: Brett 2006-08-01 23:11 |
| #21 heh heh |
| Posted by: Frank G 2006-08-01 23:03 |
| #20 Reuters is reporting "militants" captured and returned to Israel. AP is reporting 3 captured and all IDF returned safely. |
| Posted by: crosspatch 2006-08-01 22:55 |
| #19 did the Israelis win loose or pause in Baalbeck? |
| Posted by: 3dc 2006-08-01 22:22 |
| #18 Reports are now that fighting has ended and all is now quiet in Baalbek. |
| Posted by: crosspatch 2006-08-01 22:17 |
| #17 i know i know- debka take with a grain of salt |
| Posted by: Legolas 2006-08-01 21:54 |
| #16 DEBKAfile reports: A fleet of helicopters drops large Israeli special forces Tuesday night at the Shiite village of Shraifa west of HizballahÂ’s E. Lebanon stronghold of Baalbek August 2, 2006, 12:44 AM (GMT+02:00) The HizballahÂ’s Beqaa commander Muhammad Yazbek is reported by DEBKAfileÂ’s exclusive sources as having converted the Dar al Hikmeh Hospital in the village into the headquarters for his staff. Israel troops who made for this target are engaged in heavy clashes around the building. Lebanese witnesses report an unprecedented number of Israeli warplanes over the Beqaa valley Tuesday night and aerial strikes against five Hizballah positions near Baalbek. From the Mediterranean, Israel naval artillery pounded Hizballah rocket sites on the Lebanese shore. DEBKAfileÂ’s senior military sources report Israel is going all out Tuesday night in an effort to finally overwhelm Hizballah on all fronts and generate conditions for the deployment of a multinational force |
| Posted by: Legolas 2006-08-01 21:54 |
| #15 There might be differences in size between wartime and peacetime too. Brigades might have some reserve battalions that are not part of the active unit and are only called up in emergency. But different armies have different sized units. A Russian division during the cold war was about the size of a US reinforced brigade. I have seen the Golani Brigade estimated at 2000 in combat so if the journalist was using a 1000 peacetime average number ... that might explain it. |
| Posted by: crosspatch 2006-08-01 21:33 |
| #14 one thing fo sho some shit is going down |
| Posted by: Legolas 2006-08-01 21:31 |
| #13 Or it could be a double fake on the Hizzies : announce the real number, knowing that people will think it is disinformation. Then once the operation is done, point out that you had told everyone the whole truth about the number of troops involved. Gains your spokesman credibility with the media and sets up propaganda opportunities in the future. |
| Posted by: Shieldwolf 2006-08-01 21:28 |
| #12 "We have so far now about six efforts running inside Lebanon ... brigade-size or even bigger than brigade-size efforts in each one of them," Israeli Brigadier General Shuki Shahur said. An Israeli brigade usually has at least 1,000 soldiers. No it is not. There arent 1000 men brigades in conventional armies. Why a BG would say how many efforts are there at time of war it only can be for desinformation. |
| Posted by: Clerert Uneamp2772 2006-08-01 20:59 |
| #11 Reuters: "We have so far now about six efforts running inside Lebanon ... brigade-size or even bigger than brigade-size efforts in each one of them," Israeli Brigadier General Shuki Shahur said. An Israeli brigade usually has at least 1,000 soldiers. |
| Posted by: crosspatch 2006-08-01 20:56 |
| #10 Haaretz is reporting Lebanese sources claiming that another unit has been inserted near Baalbek. |
| Posted by: crosspatch 2006-08-01 20:46 |
| #9 "It will be interesting to see how this pans out. Dropping into Baalbek is pretty much sticking your arm directly into the hornets nest." Indeed |
| Posted by: Clerert Uneamp2772 2006-08-01 20:45 |
| #8 Well, then there's the whole training thing. If they are going to conduct special ops raids like this, they should have the firepower loitering above to back it up. It will be interesting to see how this pans out. Dropping into Baalbek is pretty much sticking your arm directly into the hornets nest. There are probably Syrians, Iranians, and who knows who elseians in there. That is their training base and their logistics base. HQ for the Iranian revolutionary guards in Lebanon and former HQ of the Syrian forces. It would be like Iran trying to pull off a helocopter raid of the hospital at Ft. Bragg. I only hope we aren't getting the whole story. |
| Posted by: crosspatch 2006-08-01 20:42 |
| #7 crosspatch, two words: Lend/Lease |
| Posted by: Scott R 2006-08-01 20:36 |
| #6 Israel should buy some AC-130's if they are going to do stuff like this. |
| Posted by: crosspatch 2006-08-01 20:16 |
| #5 Yes it can move a battalion can. But this is a very risky enterprise. |
| Posted by: Clerert Uneamp2772 2006-08-01 19:57 |
| #4 Raid on a hospital apparently serving as a Hezbollah HQ, dozens of helicopters in the air. I think Israel can move a battalion at least. |
| Posted by: buwaya 2006-08-01 19:22 |
| #3 Israel doesnt have enough heliborn/aerial capacity to put a meaningful (enough to cut) force there. |
| Posted by: Clerert Uneamp2772 2006-08-01 19:18 |
| #2 Sounds like op is on-going. "Failed" may be a little premature. |
| Posted by: Rex Mundi 2006-08-01 19:16 |
| #1 Helo-dropped troops are on the ground in eastern Bekaa - Fox confirms. Making Syria-Hezb resupply trips a little more dangerous? Nabbing Hezb higher-ups? Locating, securing WMD sites? Who knows.... |
| Posted by: Frank G 2006-08-01 19:13 |