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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Israeli troops reach the Litani River |
| 2006-08-12 |
| Nice spin at the end... By ZEINA KARAM Associated Press Writer JERUSALEM (AP) -- Israeli army units reached the Litani River on Saturday, less than 24 hours after the government ordered an operation to march toward the river in a final push against entrenched Hezbollah guerrillas, Israel Radio reported. The units were part of a massive force that flooded into Lebanon, trying to seize as much territory as possible before a U.N. cease-fire comes into effect. The objective was to control southern Lebanon up to the Litani River, about 18 miles from the Israeli border, before handing over the area to the Lebanese army and U.N. troops. Meanwhile, both sides in the war indicated they would accept a U.N. cease-fire plan to stop heavy fighting still raging in southern Lebanon. Airstrikes killed at least 19 people in Lebanon, including 15 in one village, and Hezbollah rockets wounded at least five people in Israel. Long columns of Israeli tanks, soldiers and armored personnel carriers streamed over the border. More than 50 helicopters ferried Israeli commandos into southern Lebanon in what was called the biggest such operation in Israel's history. It was part of an all-put push to drive Hezbollah fighters behind the Litani River, about 18 miles from the border, before the truce. But Hezbollah fought back hard. Israel said dozen of its soldiers were wounded in the expanded offensive, which has tripled the Israeli troop strength in southern Lebanon. The Islamic militant group said its fighters killed seven Israeli soldiers and destroyed 21 tanks. Israel said its troops had killed 40 Hezbollah guerrillas over the previous 24 hours. A senior Israeli official, meanwhile, said Israel expects a Mideast cease-fire to take effect either late Sunday or Monday, depending on an Israeli Cabinet decision Sunday morning and consultations with the U.N. and input from the Lebanese government. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the sensitive matter with reporters. Israeli media reported that the truce would go into effect at 7 a.m. (1 a.m. EDT) Monday but gave no source for the information. The official's comments contradicted an earlier statement by Israeli army chief, Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz, that Israel expected to fight for another week despite the cease-fire deal. He said Israeli forces - apparently about 30,000 soldiers now - would stay in Lebanon until an international force arrived. Hezbollah's leader, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, said his militia would abide by the cease-fire blueprint, but said the guerrillas would keep battling Israeli troops while they remained in Lebanon, calling that "our natural right." His address was televised as Lebanon's Cabinet met to vote on the U.N. plan. Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora signaled the Cabinet would accept, saying it serves the interests of his country and "shows that the whole world stood by Lebanon." The Israeli Cabinet was expected to approve the cease-fire Sunday, but Israel appeared ready to keep up its full-scale military campaign until the U.N. plan worked its way through the region's political leadership over the weekend. The resolution approved Friday night by the U.N. Security Council would create a peacekeeping force by combining a beefed-up version of ineffective U.N. units already in the war zone and 15,000 soldiers from the Lebanese army. The force, which could number around 30,000, would stand between Israel and Hezbollah's militia. France, New Zealand, Italy and Ireland said Saturday they were ready to provide troops and Turkey said it was inclined to do so. President Bush issued a statement urging the world's leaders to implement the U.N. plan and help bring real peace to the Middle East. "The loss of innocent life in both Lebanon and Israel has been a great tragedy," Bush said. "Hezbollah and its Iranian and Syrian sponsors have brought an unwanted war to the people of Lebanon and Israel, and millions have suffered as a result. I now urge the international community to turn words into action and make every effort to bring lasting peace to the region." Israel has demanded an airtight buffer zone and wonders if U.N. and Lebanese forces are up for the task. A small U.N. military presence - now about 2,000 observers - has been in Hezbollah-controlled southern Lebanon since 1978 and has been overwhelmed by the Islamic militant group's rising power, aided by Iran and Syria. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice specifically cited Hezbollah's two sponsors in a statement Friday for all parties to "respect the sovereignty of the Lebanese government and the will of the international community." But the resolution, approved 15-0 in the U.N. Security Council, did nothing to immediately halt the fighting that erupted exactly a month ago and has claimed nearly 900 lives - including at least 761 in Lebanon and 123 Israelis. Israeli missiles slammed into the southern Lebanon village of Rachaf, about 10 miles from the Israeli border, killing at least 15 civilians, security officials said. Israeli ground forces also fanned out across southern Lebanon hunting for Hezbollah rocket batteries that have fired unending salvos across the border. Three people also were killed in strikes on Kharayeb, and a Lebanese soldier was killed in an air raid near an army base in the Bekaa Valley, officials said. In Sidon, a coastal city between Beirut and the Israeli border, Israeli bombs destroyed a power plant. Farther south, another power facility was hit near Tyre, knocking out electricity to the port, police said. On Lebanon's northern frontier, Israeli airstrikes hit the highway leading to the Arida border crossing about a mile from the Mediterranean coast. It was the last official border post open for humanitarian convoys and civilians fleeing the country. The highway was impassable, but drivers tried to maneuver through ruts and ditches. The only other exits from Lebanon are rugged pathways and back roads through deserts or mountains. Israel seeks to block supply routes for Hezbollah and disrupt their mobility and has warned it would target any vehicles on the roads in southern Lebanon and along other main highways. On Friday, an Israeli aircraft fired on a convoy of more than 600 civilian vehicles and others carrying 350 Lebanese police and soldiers who left the Israeli-occupied town on Marjayoun in southeast Lebanon. Police said three civilians and an army recruit were killed and 28 people were injured. The mayor of Marjayoun, Fuad Hamra, put the death toll at six. Israel said the U.N. troops asked permission to lead the convoy, but it was denied. Previous groups were given permission and traveled unharmed, the Israeli military said. Fighting continued in Hezbollah-held areas around Marjayoun, a strategic hub overlooking valleys used as Hezbollah rocket bases. Israeli commando units and guerrillas engaged in close combat in a valley near El-Ghandourieh, about 10 miles southwest of Marjayoun, according to Lebanese security officials. Other Israeli ground forces, backed by aircraft and drones, met stiff resistance as they tried to reach the Litani River. Israel said its troops destroyed several rocket batteries and killed more than 40 Hezbollah fighters in the last 24 hours. The guerrilla group announced four deaths Friday and three Saturday. After a morning free of Hezbollah rocket strikes in northern Israel, a barrage of 20 missiles at midafternoon injured two people in Amirim and three in Kiryat Shemona. Hezbollah had been averaging nearly 200 hits each day in the monthlong conflict. The Litani is seen by Israel as a crucial boundary in its attempt to push back Hezbollah. Israel repeatedly has insisted that the proposed peacekeeping force cannot allow Hezbollah weapons south of the river. But it will be nearly impossible to rid south Lebanon of the Islamic guerrillas, who are now in the Lebanese Cabinet and run clinics and other charities that are considered essential in rebuilding the region. Their ability to withstand the Israeli military assault has also made Hezbollah heroes across the Arab and Islamic worlds. |
| Posted by:anonymous5089 |
| #23 It is not that Olmert has little faith in his forces. It is that he (and his Defence Minister)has too much faith in his political beliefs. |
| Posted by: Fordesque 2006-08-12 22:55 |
| #22 Come on Israel, just think "Shermans march"! |
| Posted by: 49 Pan 2006-08-12 22:30 |
| #21 ...what IDF is capable of? |
| Posted by: Kalle (kafir forever) 2006-08-12 22:15 |
| #20 Does Iran understand? |
| Posted by: Kalle (kafir forever) 2006-08-12 22:15 |
| #19 Backing up Ptah on this...Olmert was tossed a bone. I don't think he got clsoe to what he actually wanted. IDF just demonstrated their capabilities. Too bad Olmert didn't have such faith in his own forces. I don't think he has the slightest idea of what the IDF is capable of. |
| Posted by: Rex Mundi 2006-08-12 21:26 |
| #18 Hmph. I don't think Olmert had anything to do with the resolution being as pretty for israel as Crosspatch says. They'll have to spin it harder than they have demonstrated talent for in the propaganda arena (MSM/LIBS/Tranzis will cite the Resolution ad Lib and not read it literally). As far as I am concerned, I think the resolution is Bolton's doing. |
| Posted by: Ptah 2006-08-12 20:27 |
| #17 There was a discussion among us old men: 1. When an Arab gives you permission to do something (like attack Hesb'Allah), look very closely at the 'something'. Likely it is to his benefit, and your detriment. 2. Israel is not fighting just Hesb'Allah and its sponsors Iran and Syria. They are fighting the United Nations, the Arab world, the world media, the European Left, and Iran and Syria's sponsors. 3. The U.S. and others on Israel's side, but the U.S. and others also have their own interests. It is an election year and there are also other domestic pressures. They too face nearly the same opposition as those in #2, plus their own domestic enemies. 4. If the cease-fire is what it is purpoted to be, then it is a diplomatic jujitsu move. Most of those in #2 will have been co-opted. At the very least, it places the UN in a precarious position if the cease-fire fails. It gives those supporters in #3 a fig-leaf, especially against their own enemies. 5. If it does not work, well, the tanks and troops are in place. Munitions are only a plane-flight away. |
| Posted by: Fordesque 2006-08-12 18:42 |
| #16 I'll go out and drop a crow, just in case. I'd enjoy it immensely. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2006-08-12 17:43 |
| #15 I'd love to share Crosspatch's optimism, too. Crows are not that bad. ;-) |
| Posted by: twobyfour 2006-08-12 17:32 |
| #14 "Enjoy the war... The Peace is going to be terrible!" |
| Posted by: borgboy 2006-08-12 17:26 |
| #13 Ok if this goes as crosspatch says , I will be the first to eat the crow. |
| Posted by: djohn66 2006-08-12 17:19 |
| #12 Thanks for the comments crosspatch, they help to put some perspective on what's going on. I keep thinking of disinformation, and the obligatory Sun Tzu quote;
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| Posted by: Tony (UK) 2006-08-12 17:16 |
| #11 Another way to look at this ... August 22 is in 10 days. Iran's strategic planning probably involved Hezbollah being positioned pretty much as they were before all of this started thinking Israel would lob a few shells across the border and maybe launch an airstrike. When August 22 rolls around, there are now going to be no Hezbollah in Southern Lebanon. No Iranian proxy army to use as a threat for whatever Iran is going to announce on the 22nd. Israel is overall in a much more secure position and Iran in a weakened position relative to what was the status quo before all of this. |
| Posted by: crosspatch 2006-08-12 16:18 |
| #10 It looks like Israel may have gotten behind the Hezs, with some of them at the Litani and a lot of Hezs at Marjayoun (wherever that is). Unfortunately as soon as Israel starts wiping them out, the UN will probably try to find some way to make them stop. |
| Posted by: Cartman 2006-08-12 16:15 |
| #9 What crosspatch said. When you're dealing with Israelis you gotta watch what they DO more than what they say. Olmert to UN: "Yes, yes, we'll have a cease-fire Monday morning." Olmert to his Generals: "Ari, Uri, Shlomo, I want a massive air mobile operation into southern Lebanon NOW! Triple the number of soldiers we have there overnight! We only have a week or so to finish off as many Hezbers as we can." |
| Posted by: Parabellum 2006-08-12 16:00 |
| #8 Is it enough to push Hizb'Allah beyond the Litani? |
| Posted by: Kalle (kafir forever) 2006-08-12 15:53 |
| #7 Israel now has something they have never had before: UN justification to continue wiping out Hezbollah. The agreement specifically allows Israel to contiue as long as they are being attacked. It calls for a UN force only once the fighting stops. Nasrallah has said he will continue fighting until Israel withdraws. The agreement says Israel doesn't have to withdraw until Hezbollah stops ... so ... Israel for the first time in history has a UN okay to continue the fight. Stop listening to so much political rhetoric and look at the real physical situation on the ground. This is absolutely brilliant. Israel has cleared Hezbollah from all villages within about 5 miles from the border. Israel is now in the process of ejecting Hezbollah from the rest of the area South of the Litani and preparing the area for a UN force to have a shot and keeping Hezbollah from returning and rebuilding and they have de facto UN approval for continuing to do so until Hezbollah either submits or is defeated in the area. But the absolute key and the one thing Israel has never had before is justification under a UN resolution to continue an operation until her goals are met. You guys are really giving Olmert short shrift. |
| Posted by: crosspatch 2006-08-12 15:12 |
| #6 But...they have been fighting for 30 days and it only took 24hrs to reach the Litani? I wonder what they were waiting for. And seeing has how Hezbollah will continue to fight despite the ceasefire, and no work on how long it will take to get UNFIL forces into the battle zone.... Clearly the IDF knows it can conquor but cannot hold Southern Lebanon. |
| Posted by: john 2006-08-12 14:11 |
| #5 Lets dont stop the rockets for 30days and then act 5min from ceasefire |
| Posted by: Clerert Uneamp2772 2006-08-12 14:07 |
| #4 Just kill 'em ALL. The only good Islamist is a dead Islamist. |
| Posted by: Scooter McGruder 2006-08-12 14:07 |
| #3 Dang, that was a fast week! IDF: It'll take week to reach Litani. From yesterday's 'Burg. |
| Posted by: Angie Schultz 2006-08-12 14:07 |
| #2 Now chase the Shiites into Syria. |
| Posted by: ed 2006-08-12 13:53 |
| #1 A month late and more than a few shekels short. Olmert should be hung from a lamppost like Mussolini. |
| Posted by: RWV 2006-08-12 13:31 |