LATEST NEWS - Israel/Lebanon (Graphic Images)

[Pille1234]

Looking at the damage (below the waterline) it was a small missile not C.802. A ship of this size wouldn't survive such a hit. Also the platform to fire C.802 is huge and would be easily identified by IAF recce.

That isn't damage, that is diesel exhaust and very common on ships.

Look at that video (lower one)
http://www.hnn.co.il/index.php?module=albums;task=view;id=892

you can see very little damage at the hangar, but the port side is not shown (intentionally?). So certainly it wasn't a full scale anti ship missile.

[daily666]

I think you are just watching an exhost-outlet here, not a missile impact.


Yeah, I think you're right. So we don't have any pics or really, any idea what hit that vessel?

[Tamir]

Looking at the damage (below the waterline) it was a small missile not C.802. A ship of this size wouldn't survive such a hit. Also the platform to fire C.802 is huge and would be easily identified by IAF recce. That's not damge, it's exhaust marks.

p.s. didn't notice it's mentioned already..

[saigonsmuggler]

I think you are just watching an exhost-outlet here, not a missile impact.
I think this is only a filed clip of the ship and not the actual homeward trip this time around. You can see the helicopter on the pad. According to the reports I have read, that was the impact area. Did not see any damage in that area at all from the clip.

They said ship was on fire - did not see any fire damage.

[He219]

Nice video.


Looking at the damage (below the waterline) it was a small missile not C.802. A ship of this size wouldn't survive such a hit. Also the platform to fire C.802 is huge and would be easily identified by IAF recce.
That's not the damage. The C 802 (http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/missile/row/c-802.htm) can be mounted on a truck.

http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/afp/20060715/capt.sge.qvc37.150706162213.photo01.photo.default-512x343.jpg

A rocket hovers in the skies above Beirut before hitting an Israeli warship off the coast of the Lebanese capital. At least one Israeli sailor was killed and three were missing after Hezbollah struck the warship in a dramatic show of the Shiite guerrilla group's military capabilities.(AFP/Joseph Barrak)
http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/afp/20060715/capt.sge.qvc37.150706162213.photo00.photo.default-512x322.jpg

Flames light up the night sky as a Hezbollah missile hits an Israeli warship off the coast of Beirut. At least one Israeli sailor was killed and three were missing after Hezbollah struck the warship in a dramatic show of the Shiite guerrilla group's military capabilities.(AFP/Joseph Barrak)

[daily666]

That isn't damage, that is diesel exhaust and very common on ships.

Look at that video (lower one)
http://www.hnn.co.il/index.php?module=albums;task=view;id=892

you can see very little damage at the hangar, but the port side is not shown (intentionally?). So certainly it wasn't a full scale anti ship missile.


Thanks for that, it's really difficult to see the damage. Is that a helicopter on the deck? I read some Israeli sources and they all say it was an C.802 Iranian build missile. It's really hard to believe. Or it really was an C.802 but the hit was not critical

Very nice ship by the way.

[perdurabo]

maybe it wasn't direct hit? maybe it exploded near hit by phalanx?

[daily666]

Nice video.


That's not the damage. The C 802 (http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/missile/row/c-802.htm) can be mounted on a truck.

http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/afp/20060715/capt.sge.qvc37.150706162213.photo01.photo.default-512x343.jpg

http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/afp/20060715/capt.sge.qvc37.150706162213.photo00.photo.default-512x322.jpg


He, do you really believe that was an actual hit? So close to the shore?

[One?]

I guess you none of you want to hear what the IDF has said. LIke that guy that posted yesterday that it was AA fire even though the IDF said it was misisle.

[Tamir]

I posted what I heard from someone reliable... ("afaik" was mentioned as well)

[nagant_m44]

That c802 looks like a copy of the harpoon...

[tanks_alot]

I guess you none of you want to hear what the IDF has said. LIke that guy that posted yesterday that it was AA fire even though the IDF said it was misisle.

IDF says it was a missile.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3276221,00.html

[alexz]

The automatic anti missile system on board was TURNED OFF.
The reason was that they were affraid to hit IAI planes in the area
and that they did not expect the hezzbullah to have anti ship missiles.

[He219]

He, do you really believe that was an actual hit? So close to the shore?
Yeah, you got a point there ... I Just reposted that media-caption.

The second image could have the wrong caption though.
It may well turn out to be images of the launch only, out of sequence.
http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/afp/20060715/capt.sge.qvc37.150706162213.photo00.photo.default-512x322.jpglaunch?
http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/afp/20060715/capt.sge.qvc37.150706162213.photo01.photo.default-512x343.jpgin flight?
The missile scales about right though ...


'Still waiting to see images of the damage.

[-=P=-]

That report talks about 50kg explosives so it was definatly no C.802.

btw. here is a picture of how a C.802 launcher would look like

http://sinodefence.com/navy/navalmissile/yj84lg.jpg

The Iranian variant is very similar.

[Greek soldier]

Athens News Agency - From Wednesday till today 100 people had been killed and 266 wounded, according to Lebanese Police authorities.

Also, an Egyptian cargo ship was hit while it was in the middle of the fight between the Israeli Navy and Hizballah. All 12 crewmembers are fine.

[daily666]

IDF says it was a missile.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3276221,00.html



The initial investigation revealed that at 8:45 p.m. crewmembers on board the vessel were preparing for Shabbat dinner when a loud blat was heard. One of the ship’s commanders has informed the Navy’s control command: “We’ve been hit.” In the first few minutes after the strike, it was unclear what hit the boat, and the sailors concentrated on extinguishing the fire that broke out at the landing pad after 50 kilograms of explosives penetrated the vessel’s body.

Haaretz:

Four Israel Navy sailors were reported missing after an Iran-manufactured C-802 missile hit the ship. Initially, the army was not certain whether a missile or explosives-laden drone hit the vessel on Friday night.

How on earth it was C-802 if in the ynetnews they say 50kg of explosives while C-802 has an 165kg warhead. I think the media spread a lot of bulls*it. As usuall.

[He219]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v101/He219/notgonnadothismuchlonger/more/more/more/30707879.jpg

** FILE ** A British Royal Air Force Harrier GR7 is launched from the deck of HMS Illustrious at an undisclosed location, in this March 9, 1997, Royal Navy hand out file photo. The Ministry of Defence said Saturday evening, July 15, 2006 that two British ships, HMS Illustrious and HMS Bulwark, are to be sent to the Middle East as part of the planning to deal with the situation in Lebanon. (AP Photo/Royal Navy)
To deal with the situation, how?

They'd better steer clear of those anti-ship missiles ....
;)

[Greek soldier]

Hey, the HMS Illustrious was stationed this week in the Port of Pireaus! :)

[welshmann]

over 10,000 brits in leb:.....


Royal Navy sails to crisis area
Two British ships are being dispatched to the Middle East amid planning for a possible evacuation of British nationals from Lebanon.

The Ministry of Defence said that aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious and assault ship HMS Bulwark were to be sent to the region.

Earlier, the Foreign Office warned members of the public against all travel to Lebanon as the situation in the Middle East worsened.

A spokesman said they were keeping the situation under "close review" and urged Britons in the area to "get ready for departure at short notice", including having travel documents in order.

The advice warned: "If you are currently in Lebanon, you should stay put for the time being, exercise caution, keep in touch with the Embassy and heed local advice."

It is thought there are an estimated 10,000 Britons in Lebanon, a figure calculated from the 3,500 families registered with the British embassy in Beirut.

There are also an additional 10,000 people with dual British and Lebanese nationality.

Earlier, Prime Minister Tony Blair called for "calm" following the air strikes in Lebanon by Israel in retaliation for the kidnap of two of its soldiers.

Speaking at a press conference with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Mr Blair said the most important thing was to support the United Nations' mission to "try and get some restraint" into the situation.

He said: "The only way we are going to get this situation resolved is if we support the UN mission, get some calm into the situation and then as soon as possible - and I want to emphasise how important I think this is for world security - get back in to the road map towards a two-state solution that offers the only chance for stability and peace in the future."

http://news.uk.msn.com/Article.aspx?cp-documentid=662080

to protect the embassy in needs be?lot of airlifting power there.plus marines?

[daily666]

Yeah, you got a point there ... I Just reposted that media-caption.

The second image could have the wrong caption though.
It may well turn out to be images of the launch only, out of sequence.
http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/afp/20060715/capt.sge.qvc37.150706162213.photo00.photo.default-512x322.jpglaunch?
http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/afp/20060715/capt.sge.qvc37.150706162213.photo01.photo.default-512x343.jpgin flight?
The missile scales about right though ...


'Still waiting to see images of the damage.

Well, you're right I didn't get that idea of pics being in wrong sequence. The Launch pictuce is more like it because of all the shiny white fire which is propably from solid rocket propellant.


Hey, the HMS Illustrious was stationed this week in the Port of Pireaus! :)


So they're not far away.

I think they will support the evac operation of foreigners in Lebanon, and won't interfere in the conflict

[Pille1234]

The automatic anti missile system on board was TURNED OFF.
The reason was that they were affraid to hit IAI planes in the area
and that they did not expect the hezzbullah to have anti ship missiles.
That always sounds as if there was only a switch allowing missile defence on and off.
Usually a set of rules is defined to when and how to react to potential threats and in case of doubt it is the captain's responsibility to decide. We don't have enough information to judge what really was going on, but it does appear the crew let down the guard. That is at least how I interpret the 'missile system was turned off'.

[daily666]

That always sounds as if there was only a switch allowing missile defence on and off.
Usually a set of rules is defined to when and how to react to potential threats and in case of doubt it is the captain's responsibility to decide. We don't have enough information to judge what really was going on, but it does appear the crew let down the guard. That is at least how I interpret the 'missile system was turned off'.

Pille turning off the AA or surface radar can be interpreted by mindless journalists as turning the missile defence system off. In this kind of attacks the ship would solely rely on CIWS systems (Mk-15 and Barak). If the EW systems are off because the captain has completely no info on the threats from the coastline, the attack was easy task for the Hesbollah.

[Greek soldier]

So they're not far away.

I think they will support the evac operation of foreigners in Lebanon, and won't interfere in the conflict

It is actually a 2-day trip, unless they make a stop in Cyprus.

[Nano]

It is actually a 2-day trip, unless they make a stop in Cyprus.

Israel's operations should be over by then no?Someone on the forums said the U.S. gave them "permission" to do so until Sunday take that for a grain of salt
because it sure looks like this could last much longer and spread before Sunday. Hope foreigners uninvolved are evacuated ASAP cause things could get worse if more countries get entangled trying to get their people out if Syria, Iran or Israel decide they want to get the real party started.

[Greek soldier]

Actually US officials say that if the tension escalates even more, then they expect a land invasion within 6 days...

As for the foreigners that are trapped in Lebanon, now they are completely isolated and it is extremely difficult to go to the Lebanese-Syrian borders and leave by plane from Damascus.

[Kaplanr]

I know. I'm referring to the picture of the Saar 4.5.

The Saar 5 is a beauty. ;)

I'll take time out from bashing Hizb. and Lebanese government for not exercizing control over the south of their country.

No offense Lords but the Saar 5 is one Butt UGLY piece of marine engineering. THe Saar 4.5 would be ok except for the hyper tall, thick radar tower behind the command bridge.

The Saar 4 (Reshef Class) is the prettiest of the classes. IMO.
http://www.israeli-weapons.com/weapons/naval/saar4/saar4_80.gif

[Nano]

Looks like many countries believe it will get worse before it gets any better. It of course only makes sense to get your citizens out of any harms way.
Aljazeera.net reports that many governments are making plans to get their people out as quickly as possible. Anyone have any news on the evacuation of foreign nationals from Israel there only seems to be news on the one's in Lebanon.

[tanks_alot]

Actually US officials say that if the tension escalates even more, then they expect a land invasion within 6 days...

As for the foreigners that are trapped in Lebanon, now they are completely isolated and it is extremely difficult to go to the Lebanese-Syrian borders and leave by plane from Damascus.

Well a short cease fire in order to evecuate foreign citizens might be an option but i don't think it's a burning issue just yet.

as for a land invasion, something VERY serious would have to take place in order for that to happen but than again alot of things happend in the last week that i didn't think would, so who knowes....

[tanks_alot]

Looks like many countries believe it will get worse before it gets any better. It of course only makes sense to get your citizens out of any harms way.
Aljazeera.net reports that many governments are making plans to get their people out as quickly as possible. Anyone have any news on the evacuation of foreign nationals from Israel there only seems to be news on the one's in Lebanon.

Evacuation of foreign nationals from Israel....? cant they just catch a flight out of Israel?

[Greek soldier]

If Hizballah attacks Tel Aviv and keeps on firing Katjusha's missiles everywhere, the a land invasion is going to happen.

As for the cease-fire, no, won't happen.

My belief: There is a possibility some terrorists to flee to Lebanon and then head to Syria or, maybe, Iraq, during the cease-fire.

[One?]

The foreign nationals are mainly composed of lebanese with foreign passports. There is a large number of lebanese people who have dual citizenships. American, canadian, british, french, german, autstralian, danish, swedish etc...


When they start evacuating nationals that means there might be a ground invasion. Similar to the 82 situation.

[Nano]

Evacuation of foreign nationals from Israel....? cant they just catch a flight out of Israel?

I was thinking they could just do that, but no news on the areas being hit by rockets and foreign nationals there. I just don't know if they are just waiting it out in bomb shelters or leaving asap. just assumed the longer they stick around the greater the need maybe for their governments to extract them themselves.(This is worse case scenerio if the fighting spreads to Syria before they can take a flight out of Israel)

[One?]

If Hizballah attacks Tel Aviv and keeps on firing Katjusha's missiles everywhere, the a land invasion is going to happen.

As for the cease-fire, no, won't happen.

My belief: There is a possibility some terrorists to flee to Lebanon and then head to Syria or, maybe, Iraq, during the cease-fire.

I guess you don't know who fights with hezbollah. And apprently you dont know geography or lebanese politics or the history of wars in Lebanon. I don't mean this as a flame or to be an asshole just my opnion. During the 1982 invasion the lebanese fought with AKs and RPGs and they never fled.

[tanks_alot]

If Hizballah attacks Tel Aviv and keeps on firing Katjusha's missiles everywhere, the a land invasion is going to happen.

As for the cease-fire, no, won't happen.

My belief: There is a possibility some terrorists to flee to Lebanon and then head to Syria or, maybe, Iraq, during the cease-fire.

Deciding that the red line is rockets droping on Tel-aviv would be a double standard for all the rest of the towns and cities that are under constant shelling, not to mention Sderot and i'm saying that as a Tel-avivian.

people are alredy fleeing to Syria now, it's not like there are IDF troops all along Lebanon's/Syria border, a 12 hour cease fire or something like that wouldn't make much diffrence.

to get a ground invasion going something major will have to happen, like a very large number of dead civilains or some other crazy rabbit getting pulled out of hezbollah's hat.

[He219]

I have a question for you One, did Hezbolla use their own costal radar to target that Israeli warship or is Hezbolla integrated with the Lebanese defense forces?

[One?]

I have a question for you One, did Hezbolla use their own costal radar to target that Israeli warship or is Hezbolla integrated with the Lebanese defense forces?

Israel could be right. Everyone in lebanon knows that the army and hezbollah coordinate together. So could they have given them radar support? Maybe. I mean if the misisle required some sort of radar it could of been the army's. Its possible that Iran gave the army these radars too or the syrians left them behind after they withdrew.

No one on lebanese tv is reporting on this issue which is kind of weird.

[Greek soldier]

I guess you don't know who fights with hezbollah. And apprently you dont know geography or lebanese politics or the history of wars in Lebanon. I don't mean this as a flame or to be an asshole just my opnion. During the 1982 invasion the lebanese fought with AKs and RPGs and they never fled.

1) Most of Hizballah militants are of Palestinian origin
2) Geography? Saw the map now. Lebanon is a small country.
3) Yes, I don't know much about Lebanese wars, even though I have talked with some (3-4) Christian and Muslim Lebanese who fled to Cyprus in the 1980's.

to tanks_alot: When the enemy is attacking the capital, it is a casus belli.

[tanks_alot]

1) Most of Hizballah militants are of Palestinian origin
2) Geography? Saw the map now. Lebanon is a small country.
3) Yes, I don't know much about Lebanese wars, even though I have talked with some (3-4) Christian and Muslim Lebanese who fled to Cyprus in the 1980's.

to tanks_alot: When the enemy is attacking the capital, it is a casus belli.

Most of hezballah are not palestinian and Jerusalem is the capital of Israel.

[One?]

1) Most of Hizballah militants are of Palestinian origin
2) Geography? Saw the map now. Lebanon is a small country.
3) Yes, I don't know much about Lebanese wars, even though I have talked with some (3-4) Christian and Muslim Lebanese who fled to Cyprus in the 1980's.

to tanks_alot: When the enemy is attacking the capital, it is a casus belli.

Thanks for showing everyone how ignorant you are on that matter. I'm not gonna even bother explaining. But I would suggest to keep your analysis to yourself. Because apprently you lack knowledge about the situation.

[Greek soldier]

As I said on another thread, for some years I wasn't following the situation on the ME, since even the Greek Media never bothered to. They consider "ordinary stuff" the suicide attacks in cafeterias and bus stops and the IDF's bombings in the Gollan Heights. I was showing more attention on Iraq, due to the 2003 invasion.

BTW, concering Israel's capital, for so many years I knew it was Tel Aviv. The school books were teaching us Tel Aviv, not Jerusalem. And the Greek State recognizes Tel Aviv AFAIK.


Most countries do not recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital; the reasons for this are political, and they ignore the basic right of every state to determine its capital. The State of Israel has exercised that right and determined, very naturally, that its capital is Jerusalem.

http://www.israelforum.com/board/archive/index.php/t-1760.html

[tanks_alot]

Thanks for showing everyone how ignorant you are on that matter. I'm not gonna even bother explaining. But I would suggest to keep your analysis to yourself. Because apprently you lack knowledge about the situation.

How about relaxing a bit? he didn't write anything that bad and your belief that if Israel would invade everyone would pick up their AK and go kamikazi isn't the most accurate assessment as well you know....?

[One?]

How about relaxing a bit? he didn't write anything that bad and your belief that if Israel would invade everyone would pick up their AK and go kamikazi isn't the most accurate assessment as well you know....?

I am relaxed!

You're right not everyone is going to pickup a weapon. But if israel invades a majority will. Not because they support hezbollah, but because they don't want a foreign army on their ground.

NEW: Israel will consider cease fire under these conditions

1) Hezbollah to be stationed before Litani River
2) Hezbollah to hand over all katyushas to lebanese army

On these conditions Israel is willing to have a complete cease fire. Anyone have a source for this?

[tanks_alot]

I am relaxed!

You're right not everyone is going to pickup a weapon. But if israel invades a majority will. Not because they support hezbollah, but because they don't want a foreign army on their ground.

NEW: Israel will consider cease fire under these conditions

1) Hezbollah to be stationed before Litani River
2) Hezbollah to hand over all katyushas to lebanese army

On these conditions Israel is willing to have a complete cease fire. Anyone have a source for this?

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3276269,00.html

[Nano]

I find it doubtful that Israel's current conditions for a cease-fire would be accepted. I think if they were and Hezbollah refused a civil war would break out once again in Lebanon. The situation is going to get much worse if neither side budges. It seems like both sides have a lot to loose if they do budge and the only question now is how far is either side willing to take this? It would only take one side to spread the conflict and the other would have no choice but to respond unkind.

[UZI4U]

BTW, concering Israel's capital, for so many years I knew it was Tel Aviv. The school books were teaching us Tel Aviv, not Jerusalem. And the Greek State recognizes Tel Aviv AFAIK.



http://www.israelforum.com/board/archive/index.php/t-1760.html

And in Iran you can't find Israel on the map... doesn't make a difference.

[One?]

I find it doubtful that Israel's current conditions for a cease-fire would be accepted. I think if they were and Hezbollah refused a civil war would break out once again in Lebanon. The situation is going to get much worse if neither side budges. It seems like both sides have a lot to loose if they do budge and the only question now is how far is either side willing to take this? It would only take one side to spread the conflict and the other would have no choice but to respond unkind.

Some lebanese analysts are saying Israel is planning on the civil war aspect. Thats why they are heavily bombing civilian targets. Make life hell for them and they will turn against hezbollah.

Will there be a civil war? I highly doubt it. All the political leaders (hariri, jumblat, aoun, jaajaa, 14 march group etc..) are trying to avoid that. Some of them disagree with what hezbollah is doing but they dont want the lebanese to fight eachother at the same time. The ones that worked with israel in the past are now saying Israel is an enemy. I don't think hezbollah will accept the terms either.

How far are they willing to take this? I would say as far as the civilians can handle. Whoever breaks down first will break the government.


Updates: TV reports that an israeli unit was ambushed by hezbollah after trying to cross the border. 1 vehicle (tank or APC) was blown up according to hezbollah. What is israel saying?

[callous]

Iranian troops helped Hezbollah attack

JERUSALEM - A missile fired by Hezbollah, not an unmanned drone laden with explosives, damaged an Israeli warship off Lebanon, the army said Saturday. Elite Iranian troops helped fire the missile, a senior Israeli intelligence official said.

One sailor was killed and three were missing.

The intelligence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the information, said about 100 Iranian soldiers are in Lebanon and helped fire the Iranian-made, radar-guided C-102 at the ship late Friday.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13875121/

[Nano]

Some lebanese analysts are saying Israel is planning on the civil war aspect. Thats why they are heavily bombing civilian targets. Make life hell for them and they will turn against hezbollah.

Will there be a civil war? I highly doubt it. All the political leaders (hariri, jumblat, aoun, jaajaa, 14 march group etc..) are trying to avoid that. Some of them disagree with what hezbollah is doing but they dont want the lebanese to fight eachother at the same time. The ones that worked with israel in the past are now saying Israel is an enemy. I don't think hezbollah will accept the terms either.

How far are they willing to take this? I would say as far as the civilians can handle. Whoever breaks down first will break the government.


Updates: TV reports that an israeli unit was ambushed by hezbollah after trying to cross the border. 1 vehicle (tank or APC) was blown up according to hezbollah. What is israel saying?

I am glad I got to know something about the Lebanese point on this from you. Anyone have any news on the two Israeli soldiers taken by Hezbollah wonder what became of them.

[sferrin]

Iranian troops helped Hezbollah attack

JERUSALEM - A missile fired by Hezbollah, not an unmanned drone laden with explosives, damaged an Israeli warship off Lebanon, the army said Saturday. Elite Iranian troops helped fire the missile, a senior Israeli intelligence official said.

One sailor was killed and three were missing.

The intelligence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the information, said about 100 Iranian soldiers are in Lebanon and helped fire the Iranian-made, radar-guided C-102 at the ship late Friday.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13875121/

If that's true what will that do to the situation?

[akd]

If that's true what will that do to the situation?

Show that Iran is providing material support to Hezbollah. *gasp* shocking...

[shocker1]

Lebanon recalls its Ambassador to US
Thursday, 13 July, 2006 @ 8:24 AM

Beirut- Lebanon's Ambassador to the US Farid Abboud was recalled to Beirut on Wednesday night after expressing his support for Hezbollah in the US media.
Abboud was reported as saying that Israel was the only one who could bring about the release of the kidnapped soldiers by agreeing to negotiate with the movement via mediators.
Officials in Beirut stressed that Abboud's view did not represent that of Lebanon's government, which is totally opposed to Hezbollah 's actions on Israel's northern border.

History of misrepresentation by Abboud
This is not the first time Abboud misrepresents the country. He has been criticized on several occasions by the anti-Syrian opposition. They accused him of working for the Syrian-Lebanese security agencies rather than the Lebanese Foreign Ministry.
In April 2005 Ambassador Abboud's name was added to the list of outcasts (http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2005/04/opposition_adds.php)by the March 14 alliance "because of his endeavor to delay the formation of the U.N. reinvestigation commission and because he systematically fed the Lahoud regime with deliberately twisted information about Lebanon-related events." Jumblatt said in the nationally televised conference last year.
Also in April 2005 Minister Marwan Hamade called for ousting Abboud (http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2005/04/hamade_calls_fo.php)because:
Abboud had tried to "convince the UN Security Council to eliminate the words 'terrorist act' from its Resolution 1595," when describing the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
Former Justice Minister Bahij Tabbara said he wondered who might be behind the "attempt to abolish the words 'terrorist act' to describe the crime, especially that (outgoing) Foreign Minister Mahmoud Hammoud" hadn't assigned Abboud to do so.
In May last Ya Libnan reported that prime Minister Najib Mikati was seriously considering http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2005/05/lebanese_ambass.php"replacing Farid Abboud (http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/<br%20/) in Washington DC and relocating him elsewhere. But the pro-Syrian president , Emile Lahoud vetoed the plan.
Many political advisers think Abboud, just like Lahoud have become completely ineffective... His presence in Washington does not serve Lebanon's interest. It is expected that as soon as Lahoud goes so will Abboud.
By Ali Hussein- Ya Libnan Volunteer

http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2006/07/lebanon_recalls.php

[sferrin]

Show that Iran is providing material support to Hezbollah. *gasp* shocking...


I meant besides the obvious :roll:

[Bert]

As I said on another thread, for some years I wasn't following the situation on the ME, since even the Greek Media never bothered to. They consider "ordinary stuff" the suicide attacks in cafeterias and bus stops and the IDF's bombings in the Gollan Heights. I was showing more attention on Iraq, due to the 2003 invasion.

BTW, concering Israel's capital, for so many years I knew it was Tel Aviv. The school books were teaching us Tel Aviv, not Jerusalem. And the Greek State recognizes Tel Aviv AFAIK.



http://www.israelforum.com/board/archive/index.php/t-1760.html
That's because recognizing Jerusalem would make Greece a partisan. Ooh, wouldn't want that! Might clash with the Eurabians in France and get kicked out of the EU or something.

[Greek soldier]

Bert, it will affect historic relations with the Arab countries. Greece is openly a pro-Arab country.

Athens News Agency - Condoleeza Rice said that the US is upset with the increasing death toll of Lebanese civilians, but added an immediate cease-fire won't solve the problem

[Darth Vidar]

According to Haaretz breaking new, the bodys of the 3 remaining missing sailors have been found inside the damaged part of the ship.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/738748.html

May you rest in peace, brave sailors.....

[Alex-L]

According to Haaretz breaking new, the bodys of the 3 remaining missing sailors have been found inside the damaged part of the ship.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/738748.html

May you rest in peace, brave sailors.....

RIP sailors

[DeltaWhisky58]

Opened by special request.

Post your breaking news here, do not open any further threads.

Anything remotely flaming/trolling will be removed and the offenders banned.

Abuse this thread and it will be closed.



Only news here please

[alexz]

Four Israeli soldiers killed on second day of major Maroun er Ras battle in S. Lebanon Thursday

DEBKAfile’s military sources report the epic battle evolved from a small Israeli special forces operation just inside Lebanon at noon Wednesday, July 19, to blow up Hizballah positions and destroy small fortified tunnels riddling the hills.

The tunnels were assumed to be unoccupied. The Israel force were horrified to find the first packed with Hizballah fighters heavily armed with automatic weapons, mortars and anti-tank missiles. The force took casualties in the first blast of fire. At least one tank was blown up. The combat quickly spread to additional sectors of the warfront, joined by Hizballah fighters who sprang out of more secret tunnels which the Israeli force had not known were there.

After several hours of heavy exchanges, Israel’s top brass and northern command were forced to look at a number of painful facts:

1. Hizballah had pulled the wool over their eyes. While pretending to be forced back by massive Israeli air attacks, its fighters went underground. When chief of staff Dan Halutz and other generals announced the Hizballah’s first line of fortifications had been flattened, the line had simply dropped out of sight. Building small tunnels over large areas to conceal small fighter squads was a favorite Vietcong ruse against the Americans in the 1960s and 1970s.

2. Hizballah was not fighting a static war out of the tunnels but working to an organized mobile battle plan. As the fighting grew fierce, and the IDF pumped reinforcements into the battle arena, so too did Hizballah, moving them nimbly from tunnel to tunnel in defensive and offensive roles.

3. By afternoon, the engagement had escalated from a contest over the Maroun er Ras tunnels to a decisive battle between Hizballah and the IDF for control of the Lebanese-Israeli border.

4. The two sides were locked in such close combat that the Israelis were constrained from bringing their helicopter gunships into play for decisive strikes against Hizballah fighters. The same difficulty confronted IDF tank guns.

5. In addition to engaging Israeli special forces at three points in south Lebanon from Maroun er Ras in the east to Rosh Hanikra in the west, Hizballah commandos staged incursions of their own. They made repeated attempts to breach the Israeli border and capture stretches of land in Western Galilee. Israeli forces engaged them in heavy battle Wednesday afternoon at Rosh Hanikra.

[alexz]

IAI spreads lealflets telling South Lebanses villigers to move North of the
Litani river and snitch on the where abouts of Hizzbullah fighters for a
generous reward (via phone and email).

[For_israelis]

Halutz just showed a video of IDF soldiers next to a mosque in Lebanon and right near the mosque (in the court of the mosque) there was a rocket launching vehicle that was destroyed by the soldiers.

[akd]

Chief of Staff: IDF will carry out limited ground operations in Lebanon

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz said Friday during a press conference that the IDF would carry out "limited ground operations against terror infrastructure. Terrorists made a grave error," he said.

Close to 100 Hizbullah operatives have been killed since the beginning of IDF operations in Lebanon, "but we won't publish names," he said. (Hanan Greenberg)

[saigonsmuggler]

Report: German intelligence trying to secure release of IDF soldiers

By DPA

German and Russian intelligence services are using contacts to Hamas and Hezbollah in a bid to win the freedom of three Israeli soldiers being held by militants, the Berlin Zeitun newspaper said Friday.

The German Federal Intelligence Agency (BND) - in tandem with Russian intelligence - is seeking to activate long-standing links to both Hamas and Hezbollah, unnamed officials told the newspaper.

Hamas is holding an IDF soldier kidnapped in Gaza and Hezbollah has two IDF soldiers it captured on a raid earlier this month.




Advertisement

BND chief Ernst Uhrlau is an experienced negotiator with Mideast militants.

[DeltaWhisky58]

This thread was requested by the guys on the ground in Israel for people to post pertinent Breaking News.

The first post clearly explains that. I have already deleted four pointless posts.

Please read the warning again - NEWS ONLY. I will not be so lenient again.

[Snoshi]

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice ruled out a quick cease-fire Friday as a "false promise" and defended her decision not to talk to officials from Hizbullah or Syria.



"Syria knows what it needs to do and Hizbullah is the source of the problem," Rice said at the State Department as she outlined US hopes for a diplomatic solution to the current crisis. (AP)

[alexz]

Israeli chief of stuff, Dan Halutz anounced both Golani and Givati brigades
have been trandfered to the Lebanese border. He also claims 100 hezbullah
fighters have been killed so far.

[Vorian]

JERUSALEM (*******) - Israel could have three to four army divisions massed on the border with Lebanon by the end of the weekend as signs grow the military is preparing for a ground invasion, the YNET News Web site reported on Friday.

The army said it could not confirm or deny the report.

An army division normally comprises about 5,000 soldiers and around 100 tanks and many other armored vehicles.

YNET News -- the Web site of the mass circulation daily Yedioth Ahronoth -- said the army was preparing to move thousands more troops to the border this weekend as Israel steps up an offensive against Hizbollah guerrillas.

"In addition to a division deployed in the area, another two divisions will be deployed and be given missions. In addition, thousands more soldiers, a large part -- reservists -- will reach the area," the Website said in a report.

"That means army (forces) in the north would reach three to four divisions."

It gave no source for the information.

Israel earlier on Friday ordered several thousand reserve soldiers to report for duty.

Israel has been massing troops, tanks and artillery pieces near the border with Lebanon since the crisis with Hizbollah guerrillas erupted on July 12.

© ******* 2006. All Rights R

[SOG]

cnn news live:
The lebanese president just stated on cnn that if israel came enmass into lebanon that the lebanese 61000 strong army would join hezzbola along with other militant groups and fight israel.

cnn then compared the two armies tanks/ships/helocopters and personell wise, israel out did lebanon by three times as much on every level except dedicated combat jets in which lebanon has 0.

cnn then covered protests/riots in egypt/iran/syria/lebanon where protestors were burning israel, american and british flags.

cnn: now covering lebanese wounded:
more than 300 lebanese killed
1100 wounded


out.

[PG18]

Body of Israeli soldier found in south Lebanon: TV
http://i.today.*******.com/misc/genImage.aspx?uri=2006-07-21T220311Z_01_L21892680_RTRUKOP_2_PICTURE0.jpg
DUBAI (*******) - Al Arabiya television said on Friday the Israeli army had found the body of an Israeli soldier who had previously been reported missing.
It later said the body was found in southern Lebanon, but gave no more details.
Earlier on Friday, Israel's army confirmed that four soldiers had been killed and several wounded in fierce clashes with Hizbollah guerrillas just inside Lebanon on Thursday.
Israel has so far failed to stop Hizbollah cross-border rocket attacks, despite 10 days of bombardment which have killed 345 people in Lebanon and forced half a million to leave their homes. About 90 percent of those killed were civilians.


At least 34 Israeli troops and civilians have been killed, almost all in fighting with Hizbollah guerrillas or by rockets fired by the Lebanese group.


© ******* 2006. All Rights Reserved.

[alexz]

IDF chief of stuff said Israel has the bodies of 13 hizzbulah fighters killed
in yesterdays fighting.

[alexz]

Report: US to deliver 'smart bombs' to Israel

New York Times reports that Israel asked US delivers shipment of smart bombs under deal signed last year; Washington believes Israel has long list of targets in Lebanon requiring precision-guided missiles
Yitzhak Benhorin, Washington

Washington - Smart bombs on the way: The Bush administration has complied with Israel's request for an expedited delivery of satellite and laser-guided bombs, the New York Times reported Saturday.

The newspaper reported that the decision could anger Arab countries who have accused Washington of giving Israel the green light to push ahead with its offensive against Lebanon.

Israel and the United States have kept silent on the type of bombs and the size of the delivery.

The delivery is part of a multimillion-dollar arms sale deal signed between Washington and Jerusalem last year, which Israel can draw on as needed.

But US officials said the arms delivery is not similar to that supplied by Washington to Israel during the Yom Kippur War of 1973, which helped Israel gain momentum against the attacking Arab armies.

Estimates are that Israel needs a large number of precision-guided bombs to bombard Hizbullah bunkers with little collateral damage.

Although the Pentagon refused to give details of the delivery, the newspaper said last year's agreement included 100 precision-guided bombs weighing two and a half tons each. The bombs are used to destroy underground concrete bunkers.

Israel is eligible to purchase "bunker buster" bombs capable of penetrating underground Hizbullah bunkers. The bombs can be fitted on F-15 jets.

The Bush administration has also approved a six-billion arms sale deal with Saudi Arabia, which the newspaper say is aimed at soothing Arab anger at Washington's support for Israel.

http://www.ynet.co.il/home/0,7340,L-8,00.html

[Clearday-TRForce]

Hundreds of Turks are fleeing from Lebanon by private cars, taxis or buses chartered by the Turkish Embassy in Beirut, while foreign evacuees are using Turkey as a transit point to return to their home countries. Some 206 people, 167 of whom are Turks, have come to Turkey so far by buses chartered by the Turkish Embassy. Another 104 Turks were evacuated from Lebanon by their own means, Foreign Ministry officials said yesterday.

Turkish authorities have already made necessary arrangements to help foreign nationals stranded in Lebanon safely return to their own countries via Turkey. So far 150 Brazilians, 110 Mexicans, 12 Argentineans, 1,000 Swedes, 200 Germans and 34 Moldovan citizens have reached Turkey via the Yayladağı and Cilvegözü border gates or via the Turkish port of Mersin, said ministry officials. On Monday, Turkey will be dispatching a ship to Lebanon to evacuate around 800 more Turks, officials said.

MERSIN HARBOUR - TURKEY
http://aafoto.anadoluajansi.com.tr/getFileServlet?sfx=2&arcId=538090
http://aafoto.anadoluajansi.com.tr/getFileServlet?sfx=2&arcId=538084
http://aafoto.anadoluajansi.com.tr/getFileServlet?sfx=2&arcId=538086



Some 500 Canadians who were evacuated from Lebanon arrived at Mersin by ship yesterday morning, officials from the Canadian Embassy were quoted as saying.

The first group of Canadian evacuees arrived in the port of Mersin by ship late on Thursday and were flown home from the nearby city of Adana, the officials said.

So far, more than 700 Canadians have arrived in Turkey from Lebanon. Some 4,000 Canadians were expected to pass through Turkey as Canada tries to evacuate some 30,000 Canadian-citizen Lebanese residents.

The Brazilian government is trying to evacuate hundreds of its citizens via Turkey. The Brazilian Foreign Ministry spokesman reportedly said Foreign Minister Celso Amorim asked the Israeli government not to bomb the roads that would be used as a transition for evacuation from Lebanon.

The Brazilian government was reportedly preparing for the evacuation of its 1,000 citizens in Beirut, Damascus and Amman via Turkey.


The United States will begin to use Turkey's Mediterranean port of Mersin on Saturday as a stopover as part of government efforts to evacuate thousands of Americans stranded in war-torn Lebanon, the U.S. administration said on Thursday.
Washington already has started evacuating its citizens through south Cyprus, but transport capabilities there have proved to be insufficient to carry larger numbers of Americans from Lebanon, prompting U.S. officials to seek Turkey's assistance.

"We are now ramping up operations at Mersin, Turkey, to assist American citizens, given that the numbers we are bringing out are beginning to stretch the capacity we had previously established in Cyprus," Maura Harty, U.S. assistant secretary of state for consular affairs, told reporters here.

"Our mission in Turkey is prepared to use the port of Mersin as an overflow reception center for American citizens choosing to depart Lebanon," Harty said. "Travelers will be bused to İncirlik Airbase for onward travel to the United States."

The first passengers in this phase of the operation will likely arrive in Mersin on Saturday, she said.

"Special thanks to Turkey for facilitating our efforts to use the port of Mersin to help Americans leave and get on home after their departure from Lebanon," Marty said.

A commercial vessel, the Saudi-owned Rahmah, was to take 1,400 Americans to Turkey yesterday, the Associated Press said.

In Ankara, the U.S. Embassy announced yesterday it was rescheduling non-immigrant visa appointments at the embassy in Ankara and the U.S. Consulate General in Istanbul due to urgent requirements relating to the evacuation from Lebanon.

Accordingly, appointments scheduled between Monday, July 24 and Friday, July 28 are cancelled. Existing appointments between July 31 and Aug. 4 will remain as scheduled for the time being but no new appointments will be accepted during this period.

The embassy also said U.S. citizens would be transiting Turkey on the way to the U.S. from Lebanon over the next several days

“We are deeply grateful to the government of Turkey, the Turkish military and the authorities in Mersin for the outstanding assistance they are providing in facilitating this process,” it said.

The United States believes it has about 25,000 citizens in Beirut.

U.S. Marines waded ashore on a Beirut beach on Thursday and evacuated about 1,000 Americans to Cyprus, where thousands of foreigners have fled to escape Israeli air strikes against Lebanon. Harty said some 2,250 Americans left Lebanon on Thursday.

http://aafoto.anadoluajansi.com.tr/getFileServlet?sfx=2&arcId=538026
http://aafoto.anadoluajansi.com.tr/getFileServlet?sfx=2&arcId=538043
http://aafoto.anadoluajansi.com.tr/getFileServlet?sfx=2&arcId=538044
http://aafoto.anadoluajansi.com.tr/getFileServlet?sfx=2&arcId=537758
http://aafoto.anadoluajansi.com.tr/getFileServlet?sfx=2&arcId=537684
http://aafoto.anadoluajansi.com.tr/getFileServlet?sfx=2&arcId=537675
http://aafoto.anadoluajansi.com.tr/getFileServlet?sfx=2&arcId=537674
http://aafoto.anadoluajansi.com.tr/getFileServlet?sfx=2&arcId=537673
http://aafoto.anadoluajansi.com.tr/getFileServlet?sfx=2&arcId=537611
http://aafoto.anadoluajansi.com.tr/getFileServlet?sfx=2&arcId=537625




regards,
CDTRF

[gustavski]

Lebanon president: We will fight invaders


CNN) -- President Emile Lahoud has urged the Lebanese to remain united in the face of an Israeli offensive against Hezbollah and logistical targets in Lebanon that was in its tenth day Saturday.
In an interview with CNN's Nic Robertson, Lahoud again called for a cessation of the violence and said that if a cease-fire can't be brokered, the Lebanese army is prepared to defend the country -- and Lebanese solidarity ultimately will save the nation.
ROBERTSON: Mr. Lahoud, it's now 10 days into this war. Is your country any closer to a cease-fire?
LAHOUD: I'm afraid to say it is not. And really all the time, massacres are happening in Lebanon. All the infrastructure is being hit and we are paying very high price. We have women, children, all are being hit by planes. And they never stop, people think that they will stop for a few hours. They go out to get their food or anything and suddenly they are hit again. This is a real massacre. (Watch Lahoud's complete interview -- 10:25 (javascript:cnnVideo('play','/video/world/2006/07/21/robertson.lahoud.interview.cnn','2006/07/28');))
ROBERTSON: Do you think that the war is spiraling out of control and getting worse?
LAHOUD: It is getting much worse, and day after day more targets are getting hit. As you know the airport has been hit, all bridges, big bridges, small bridges, and now the roads. Only yesterday, only 200 meters from here, at 11 at night, they hit the road. Just like this, they are creating fear and, really, it is cycling to the point of no return. That is why that as soon as possible we are asking that there be a cease-fire.
ROBERTSON: Is there enough diplomacy under way, international diplomacy, to bring that cease-fire?
LAHOUD: Yes, we've had lots of visitors coming from abroad. But unfortunately they are talking, going, and coming and talking all the time but with no result. And this makes us think, is there anything behind that? Do they want to give more time to Israel to hit more?
ROBERTSON: Do they?
LAHOUD: Well, I think they are giving more time to Israel to hit, thinking that maybe Hezbollah will give up. Hezbollah will not give up. And because of that there will be more casualties, more destruction.
ROBERTSON: But as commander in chief of the army, why don't you tell the Lebanese army to stop Hezbollah and then bring an end to this?
LAHOUD: Well, if you knew the interior politics of Lebanon, you will understand that in 2000 Hezbollah was the main liberator of our land. And at the time, the Lebanese army was and still is with what is happening on the frontier. Because, you see, what was happening was Israel with airplanes ... but having the resistance, they think twice. And because of that there is no animosity between the army and the resistance. ... The resistance are Lebanese.
ROBERTSON: Do you mean the army supports Hezbollah at this time in their fight against Israel?
LAHOUD: Believe me, what we get from our side is nothing compared to if there is an internal conflict in Lebanon. So out thanks comes when we are united, and we are really united, and the national army is doing its work according to the government, and the resistance is respected in the whole Arab world from the population point of view. And very highly respected in Lebanon as well.
ROBERTSON: If you were to call on the army now to stop Hezbollah from attacking Israel, to stop Israel therefore attacking Lebanon. Would that divide the army along sectarian lines? Would the Shiites in the army go with Hezbollah?
LAHOUD: In the first place, I wouldn't give such an order. Believe me, Hezbollah has done a lot for Lebanon in liberating this land. ... Hezbollah is part of the government.
ROBERTSON: Would you call upon the Lebanese army to join the fight if Israel invades on a land invasion in large numbers across the border? (Watch how mismatched the Lebanese army would be against Israel -- 1:45 (javascript:cnnVideo('play','/video/world/2006/07/21/mcintyre.israel.and.lebanon.cnn','2006/07/28');))
LAHOUD: Of course, the army is going to defend its land, and inside Lebanon they can do a lot. They cannot be strong enough to be against Israel on the frontier, because they have much more stronger materiel and weaponry. Inside [Lebanon] they know the land and, of course, they will fight the invading folks of Israel if it tries to come inside.
ROBERTSON: You will give them an order to go fight along the border?
LAHOUD: It's not Lahoud who gives them the order, it's the government. And I'm sure the government will give the order not to allow Israelis to invade Lebanon, for sure.
ROBERTSON: How close is this country to moving its army into the fight now?
LAHOUD: Well, I can't tell you now. What we're thinking is to have a cease-fire. That's what we're thinking because things that have been happening have not been happening before. I'll give you an example: Only yesterday, 23 tons of ammunition explosives came on one building, one mosque that is being built. That is more than is a tactical nuclear bomb. That means that they are using like a tactical nuclear [bomb]. But because [it is] conventional weaponry, no one is saying anything. But the result is really havoc, and we can not accept it. So before thinking about anything else and telling the army what to do and all that, the international community must really, as soon as possible, stop this killing, stop this fire. And then after that we can talk about what to do.
ROBERTSON: What are the terms of a deal that have to be worked out, and who is going to tell Hezbollah to stop fighting?
LAHOUD: If there is a cease-fire then they will start talking about everything. ... And they were discussing it, and they postponed the meeting for the end of this month to talk about the same subject. So why not let the Lebanese between themselves solve this thing?
ROBERTSON: Can the Lebanese government accept a buffer zone, an international buffer zone, with the strength of U.N. force between Lebanon and Israel?
LAHOUD: All of these subjects can be talked about after the cease-fire, because if you talk about it now it's up to the decision of the Lebanese to decide that and the government. Now, if we start talking about this, this is between the Lebanese, and probably that is what Israel is trying to do because by hitting all the time it makes maybe some Lebanese have conflict with other Lebanese. And it has been trying six years to do that. ... And now that the Lebanese are united they are trying to find a way to divide them.
We're going to stay united, and that's what makes the strength of Lebanon. And we want ourselves to solve our problems, not to force these problems on us. Because when you force these problems, believe me, when we are united nobody can do it. And the proof is that when in 2000 nobody believed we could liberate our land but we could do it because the Lebanese were united and the national army was with the united Lebanon and with the resistance.
ROBERTSON: Not everyone supports Hezbollah, and there are divisions in this community. And this country fought a 15-year civil war over those divisions. Those divisions are re-emerging below the surface of support of the attacks that are going on. Those figures could realistically grow bigger.
LAHOUD: Yes, but we're not going to let them. Because the Lebanese have learned the lesson. Because when they fight between themselves it's much worse than having someone come from outside. Because we've seen what happened in '75 because we paid a very high price. Now, being united, whatever Israel can do we stay strong, because this makes the morale of the Lebanese stronger when they are united and no one can beat them.
ROBERTSON: Having so many displaced people moving around the country, half a million according to the U.N., raising tensions. We saw a situation yesterday where displaced people told us they were being turned away from collection centers along sectarian, religious and ethnic lines.
LAHOUD: Believe me, this is not true because they are welcome in all our homes. And all Lebanese are saying whoever wants to come is very welcome, and they have made centers all over Lebanon to welcome them. ... So let's live together and, like the late Pope John Paul said, let Lebanon, who has 17 different religious sects, is a message to the world that we can live together. So, if we can live together under stress like now, and after this finishes we can become even stronger. And it will be a strong message to the world that religious sectarians and people in the world can live together in peace and harmony.
ROBERTSON: Are there any behind-the-scenes diplomatic talks under way that are going to de-escalate the situation right now?
LAHOUD: Well, we hope so. Talks are being made and many are trying to find ways how to solve things but they are slow.
ROBERTSON: Is there anything concrete on the table? Any concrete plans?
LAHOUD: Until now, no. We have just heard secretary-general of the U.N. He proposed the plan and said we'll talk about it. But children are being killed, massacred. And we don't see these pictures of these children in the international media because of political reasons. If you see them, well you can't wait to talk about it and wait for these children and women with nowhere to go and live under bombs and shells. They just live outside. They don't have a shelter. We can't wait for the talks to go on. Meanwhile the aircrafts are bombing whatever they want in Lebanon. It never happened. ... I don't see anything in history that has happened like what is happening now. Airplanes are hitting civilians all over the country and [there is no] retaliation on these airplanes because they are civilians. Now, they want to solve this, they must stop the fire and sit around the table and talk about this.
ROBERTSON: But if there is nothing on the table right now, the implication is that this is going to spiral out of control, get worse, and spread throughout the region.
LAHOUD: Exactly, and that's why we're saying we don't want to reach the point of no return.
ROBERTSON: Are you at the point of no return yet?
LAHOUD: Not yet.
ROBERTSON: How close?
LAHOUD: We are close, but not yet. We can do a lot if we can stop the fighting now.
ROBERTSON: Days or weeks?
LAHOUD: I hope ... that we solve this problem before it escalates and then we can't stop it. Believe me, violence brings violence, and it will be a cycle that no one will be able to get out of and everybody will lose. If Israel thinks it's going to win, it's very mistaken. You cannot solve things and have peace in the region with violence. It might be now they have all this weaponry. But what about the children and the people who have brothers and sisters now dying? Well, they're pushing them to, really, well, they don't have anything to lose. For them, their life is nothing, so whatever will do to them. In the future they will seek revenge. So the only way [is] to stop the firing right now for the good of everybody.
ROBERTSON: There's no timeframe yet for Secretary Rice to visit the region, how much does that concern you?
LAHOUD: Well, I can tell you it was said two days ago that she was coming and she didn't come. ... But it's not coming and going that counts, it's the solution that counts. We hope they have a solution for the cease-fire.
ROBERTSON: What's the solution that's going to work here?
LAHOUD: Cease-fire and then we talk.
ROBERTSON: How do you get the cease-fire? The Israelis want their soldiers back.
LAHOUD: There were three in Lebanon that have been in prison since 30 years. And there were many, and there was an exchange. So why now, suddenly, after taking two soldiers they have done such a retaliation? Because I believe all was planned from before and, unfortunately, they were waiting for the moment. And when the moment came and these two soldiers were taken, they had the plan of attack. It's not for the reason that the soldiers were taken, it's for other reasons. Because since 2000 they have wanted to take their revenge because they had to leave Lebanon. They have other things in mind as well.
ROBERTSON: Why didn't the government keep Hezbollah under control if the situation is so potentially divisive?
LAHOUD: All I can say is now two soldiers have been taken and in response they are doing massive destruction in Lebanon. Is that right? I don't think so because it is very disproportionate. Two soldiers have been taken, and in the past soldiers have been taken and they exchange. So now, why they are doing that? Because they have a previous plan and they are executing that plan in that way thinking they will do what they did in '82. But things have changed since '82.
ROBERTSON: How?
LAHOUD: Because it's not like '82 that they can come in Lebanon and make a promenade until they reach Beirut. These people, underground Lebanese, are ready to die for their land.
ROBERTSON: Hezbollah?
LAHOUD: Not only Hezbollah, many people are ready to die for their land. Wouldn't you do that if they go inside your country? You'd do the same. And the Lebanese army as well. We're not going to let anyone take our land. We've done it in the past, we liberated our land. We're not going to let them come back and take it from us.
ROBERTSON: How bad is the humanitarian situation right now?
LAHOUD: It's a catastrophe. If I told you there's nothing to eat, nothing to put fuel in their cars, electricity is nearly always stopped. You can't go on the road because you don't know when an aircraft hits you. ... And we know very well, by the satellite you can see the number of the part. So how can they make that mistake? They're using these ways to make people afraid and leave the country and then bring down the morale of the people. And then at the end they come and occupy and do what they did at the end of '82, or change everything in Lebanon and have it the way they want it like they did in '82. We're not going to let them.
ROBERTSON: How bad is the destruction? How long will it take the country to rebuild? How much will it cost the country?
LAHOUD: Only today I [was] told that everything is going up quickly. Now it's $3 billion, only two days ago it was $2 billion. ... Well, some bridges take five years to build, so it will take the same. But even then we don't want to reach the point of no return. Because once you reach the point of return, it becomes desperate, and he's ready to die for his country and this becomes a big problem for everybody.
http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2006/WORLD/meast/07/21/cnna.lahoud/story.robertson2.cnn.jpg
Lebanese President Emile Lahoud is calling for a cease-fire but says the country will defend itself if invaded.

[Snoshi]

Israeli tanks, bulldozers and personnel carriers knocked down a border fence and entered Southern Lebanon on Saturday.



The equipment, carrying about 25 soldiers, raced past a UN outpost and headed into a village where other Israeli soldiers already had control. Artillery based inside Israel was firing into the area. (AP)

[alvarito]

New York Times reports that Israel asked US delivers shipment of smart bombs under deal signed last year; Washington believes Israel has long list of targets in Lebanon requiring precision-guided missiles
Yitzhak Benhorin, Washington

Washington - Smart bombs on the way: The Bush administration has complied with Israel's request for an expedited delivery of satellite and laser-guided bombs, the New York Times reported Saturday.

The newspaper reported that the decision could anger Arab countries who have accused Washington of giving Israel the green light to push ahead with its offensive against Lebanon.
Israel and the United States have kept silent on the type of bombs and the size of the delivery.
The delivery is part of a multimillion-dollar arms sale deal signed between Washington and Jerusalem last year, which Israel can draw on as needed.
But US officials said the arms delivery is not similar to that supplied by Washington to Israel during the Yom Kippur War of 1973, which helped Israel gain momentum against the attacking Arab armies.
Estimates are that Israel needs a large number of precision-guided bombs to bombard Hizbullah bunkers with little collateral damage.
Although the Pentagon refused to give details of the delivery, the newspaper said last year's agreement included 100 precision-guided bombs weighing two and a half tons each. The bombs are used to destroy underground concrete bunkers.
Israel is eligible to purchase "bunker buster" bombs capable of penetrating underground Hizbullah bunkers. The bombs can be fitted on F-15 jets.

The Bush administration has also approved a six-billion arms sale deal with Saudi Arabia, which the newspaper say is aimed at soothing Arab anger at Washington's support for Israel.




I thought Israel had this kind of weapons, and that it has also the ability to produce them????????

[DeltaWhisky58]

The warning at the start of this thread is quite specific - it was opewned at the request of several of our Israeli members for breeaking news only.

Last chance - any more non-news posts and I will close the thread. There are plenty discussion threads on similar topics, use those.

[Snoshi]

Al-Jazeera: Land Forces Commander Israeli army to declare control Maron head and Bint Jbeil in southern Lebanon

[Snoshi]

Exclusive: IDF has started building detention compound to be used for holding Hizbullah members that will be captured during fighting in north. Officials: Project attests to government's plans for large-scale ground incursion in Lebanon
Sharon Roffe-Ofir


Preparing for an extended ground operation: The IDF has started constructing a temporary detention center designed to hold the Lebanese prisoners that will be captured during army operations in Southern Lebanon, Ynet has learned recently.


A truck convoy carrying barbed-wire fences, containers, and mobile showers and toilets started unloading equipment at the Filon military base near Rosh Pina Friday, and construction works at the place are already underway. According to plans, the structure should be able to hold up to hundreds of Hizbullah prisoners at any given time.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7...279762,00.html

[khukuri]

Israeli troops seize Lebanese village

Some 2,000 Israeli troops entered Lebanon on Saturday



Hundreds of Israeli troops have crossed the border and taken control of a village in south Lebanon, despite Israel saying it has no plans for a full-scale invasion for now.

Israeli soldiers, backed by artillery and tank fire, moved into the village of Maroun al-Ras on Saturday and took control, military officials said on condition of anonymity.

Israeli tanks, bulldozers and armoured personnel carriers knocked down a border fence and entered the area at about 3pm.

Up to 2,000 troops entered the area on Saturday, but some returned to Israel during the day. No Israeli or Hezbollah casualties were immediately reported

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/34DB2F67-87F8-48E3-A463-2BC9219E0454.htm




ps: This is a great thread! Where you can get the info only. PLz dont **** this up people...

[Snoshi]

Israeli troops have ousted Hizbollah guerrillas from the key southern Lebanese town of Maroun al-Ras after several days of fierce fighting, ground forces commander Major-General Benny Gantz said on Saturday.

Six commandos have been killed in clashes around Maroun al-Ras, which Israel said had served as a staging ground for attempted Hizbollah attacks on nearby Israeli border towns such as Avivim during a more than 10-day-old regional flare-up.

Gantz told reporters at a daily briefing that Hizbollah had suffered dozens of casualties in and around the town.

"In summary, it can be said that the area of Maroun al-Ras, that had served as a (Hizbollah) vantage point over Avivim, now serves as an (Israeli) vantage point over Bint Jbail," Gantz said, referring to a suspected Hizbollah stronghold nearby.
http://today.*******.com/news/newsar...News-TopNews-2

[tanks_alot]

Israel starts building a detention center for lebanese captives:http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3279762,00.html

[saigonsmuggler]

Troops moving on to "Hizbollah capital" Bint Jabel after capturing Marun a-Ras - ynetnews reporting. Residents and Hez fighters deserted towns ahead of advancing IDF troops.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3279867,00.html

[Abu_Elvis]

What was found in Maroun Ras:


GOC Northern Command Major General Udi Adam said Friday that Israel is at war and that human life is important, but now is not the time to count the dead.

The Northern Command believes that the fighting in the north will continue for several more weeks, with additional casualties and fatalities.

"We must change our way of thinking. Human life is important, but we are at war, and it costs human lives. We won't count the dead at present, only at the end. We'll cry for the dead and will encourage the fighters. There are more places like Maroun Ras, and unfortunately we'll have to reach them."

Adam refused to disclose details on the number of ground forces operating in southern Lebanon. According to Adam, the operation includes "many" soldiers, but is not a "massive" incursion.

Adam said that 20 Hezbollah fighters have been killed in south Lebanon during clashes in recent days. Four Israel Defense Forces soldiers were killed in the clashes Thursday.

According to Adam, soldiers in the village of Maroun Ras found a stockpile of Katyusha rockets in a mosque, as well as weapons used by the militants.

He said that rockets were fired from the vicinity of Maroun Ras at Safed and Tiberias, and that the IDF ground operation in the area may have been one of the factors for fewer Katyusha rockets fired at Israel on Thursday.

When asked about concerns that Israel would sink in the Lebanese mud, Adam said, "I suggest that everyone exercise patience. This is not a short story, but it is not never-ending."

Pointing at a nearby mountain range, Adam said, "Until a week ago, there were Hezbollah militants in this area, and now there aren't." He went on to say that in nine days of fighting, a great deal of Hezbollah infrastructure had been damaged.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/741318.html

[saigonsmuggler]

Syria reportedly offered to negotiate with UN for end of Lebanon violence.

[Abu_Elvis]

Makes me wonder, who is more insane, hezbolah or PETA?

PETA has sent an urgent letter (http://www.peta.org/MC/NewsItem.asp?id=8624) to Brig. Gen. Carl Jensen—the military commander in charge of U.S. evacuation operations in Lebanon—begging him to instruct his officers to help evacuees take their animals with them to safety and bringing international attention (http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,19850320-23109,00.html) to the government’s failure to serve all Americans trapped in Lebanon.
PETA also dashed off a letter to Siyabonga Ponco, chargé d’affaires of the South African Embassy in Cairo, urging him to permit South African nationals who are being evacuated to take their companion animals with them rather than forcing them to abandon their animals in the rubble to starve. The plea (http://www.albawaba.com/en/countries/Lebanon/200994) stemmed from an e-mail message that Ponco sent to PETA in which he suggested that evacuees with animals should “not demand more than they could be given”—implying that a request to help South African citizens take their beloved cats, dogs, and birds with them would be asking too much.
http://www.helpinganimals.com/f-lebanon.asp

[Abu_Elvis]

WaPo interview with ex SLA fighters living in Israel:

Views Complicated By Dual Loyalties
Lebanese Who Fought Alongside Israel Watch New Conflict on Familiar Terrain

By Jonathan Finer
Washington Post Foreign Service
Saturday, July 22, 2006; A10



NAHARIYA, Israel, July 21 -- Along with almost every other resident of this seaside city, where more than 80 rockets have landed in the past week, the four old friends now spend their days in an underground bomb shelter, playing cards with their children and arguing about what the future holds.
Veterans of Israel's previous war in Lebanon, they know better than just about anyone the terrain and the people being bombarded by Israeli warplanes and artillery. After all, it's their homeland.

The men once belonged to the South Lebanon Army (SLA), a small militia composed mainly of Lebanese Christians that worked closely with Israeli forces battling fighters from the Palestine Liberation Organization -- and later from Hezbollah -- during Israel's 18-year occupation of a self-declared security zone. Fearing retribution by neighbors who labeled them traitors, they and thousands of others fled Lebanon, along with their families, when Israel withdrew in 2000.

One is now a house painter, one a builder, one an unemployed cook and one a retiree.

With Israel again engaged in conflict in Lebanon, their views are more complicated than those rooted firmly on one side of the escalating standoff involving their new country and their old one.

"We are afraid for our families. All of our relatives are still there, in the villages, where the bombs are falling, and we have not heard from them since all of this began," said George, 33, who, like other former SLA members interviewed Friday, spoke only on the condition his last name be omitted because he feared retribution against his family in Lebanon.
"We don't want any more civilians to get hurt or die. But I am pleased, very pleased, with one thing. They are kicking Hezbollah. With the help of God, no one with the smell of Hezbollah will be left when this is done."
More than 2,000 former SLA members and their families, about 80 percent of the total who moved to Israel, settled in Nahariya, a coastal city of more than 50,000 that lies less than 25 miles south of the Lebanese border, according to the city's mayor, Jacky Sebag.

When they came to Israel six years ago from a country still technically at war with the Jewish state, the Israeli government treated them much as it does other new arrivals, Sebag said, offering assistance with finding housing and jobs and, unlike most Israeli Arabs, settling them in Jewish cities and towns. Most carry identification cards that identify them as former SLA soldiers, which they say spares them the extra hassles other Arabs face here.

"They are part and parcel of the community here, they attend our schools, some even work for the municipality, and they are involved in the social and cultural life of the city," Sebag said. "This is the least we could do for them in return for what they did for the state of Israel."

Israeli soldiers who fought alongside them also remember them fondly. "They were as eager to fight as we were, maybe more," said Betzalail Lev Tov, who fought in the 1982 invasion and now lives in Mitzgav-Am, a kibbutz, or collective farm, on the Lebanese border.

But their immersion into their adopted country has been challenging. Few have earned citizenship, which would bring the right to vote, a passport and other benefits. Many of the SLA members who came to Israel have since moved on to other countries, including hundreds who returned to Lebanon after Hezbollah said they could do so with impunity.

Neither Jewish nor accepted by Israel's Arab community, those who remained here say they have long lacked a true sense of belonging. The Lebanese government and human rights organization have accused the SLA, which once boasted a few thousand fighters in southern Lebanon, of torturing Lebanese prisoners in detention facilities, an allegation that has further inflamed many in the Arab world against them.

The group was originally formed in the 1970s by former Lebanese soldiers to fight the PLO as it gained influence in the country's south. Entire Maronite Christian towns enlisted to fight. Eventually, some Sunni and Shiite Muslims did, too.

"If you meet an Arab here and you tell him you're from Lebanon, he gives you a strange look and calls you a traitor, a collaborator," said Atiyeh, 37, a former SLA corporal who now works as a janitor at Haifa's Rambam Hospital. "We protected our Lebanon, our land, our homes and our dignity, and Israel helped us. We are not traitors, we are patriots."

In Nahariya, the former fighters very much looked the part of Israelis under siege, lounging on mattresses dragged from their apartments to the cement basement, watching MTV with their children. Three Israeli families shared the shelter with them.

Most SLA fighters said they would favor a ground invasion of Lebanon to root out Hezbollah, despite the high number of casualties that would probably result. "It is the only way," said Michael, a former SLA lieutenant. "A ground fight would be very, very hard. They are the experts at shooting and then vanishing into the civilians. They shoot from churches and mosques, and schools, and houses with people in them. Many people would be killed. But otherwise they will never, ever leave."

Michel, another former soldier, said that what all former SLA soldiers want more than anything else is is to return to Lebanon -- but only if Hezbollah is eliminated. When the rockets began to fall on Nahariya last week, "all of us celebrated, because we knew it meant Israel would fight."

"It is such a hard thing to leave your country. We have been waiting for this moment for six years," he said. "It is painful inside to see what is happening to the families. But Lebanon needs change. They used to call it the bride of the Middle East, but now it is like a joke. We want to be able to go back to our home with respect and honor, but with Hezbollah there, we can't."

As with every SLA member interviewed Friday, Michel said Israel's offensive should continue. While the current clashes were triggered by Hezbollah's capture of two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid last week, Michel saw their wider cause as the Jewish state's decision to leave Lebanon in 2000 without signing a truce -- a move many Arabs saw as a triumph for Hezbollah. Cutting their old Shiite foe down to size meant more hardship ahead, the former soldiers warned.

"Only God can save Lebanon now," Michel said.
"God or George Bush," George corrected.

[daily666]

CNN reports 2 killed, 4 wounded as Haifa comes under rocket attack by Hezbollah.

[DeltaWhisky58]

Israeli jets bomb Lebanese cities


http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41919000/jpg/_41919978_sidon_ap203b.jpg
Families have been fleeing Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon

Israeli warplanes have struck at suspected Hezbollah sites in Lebanon in the port of Sidon and the capital, Beirut, as well as the Baalbek area.


The air strikes come a day after Israel said it had taken the village of Maroun al-Ras, said to be a Hezbollah rocket base, after days of heavy fighting.

Hezbollah said the village was the scene of an "epic battle".
Meanwhile at least two people have died after Hezbollah militants launched rockets at the Israeli city of Haifa.

A volley of explosions on Sunday set sirens wailing and emergency services racing through the streets, says the BBC's Raffi Berg in Haifa, on Israel's northern coast.

Reports say a car travelling on a main road in Haifa was hit, and a house was badly damaged.

Envoys to press Israel

Three European envoys are to hold talks with Israel on Sunday, ahead of a visit by the US Secretary of State.

Israeli officials are scheduled to meet German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy, who has warned of a spiral of violence.

UK Foreign Office Minister Kim Howells will also travel to Israel for talks, having already accused its government of imposing a collective punishment on Lebanon in its 12-day campaign against Hezbollah fighters.

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gifhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/06/middle_east_enl_1153635144/img/laun.jpg (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/06/middle_east_enl_1153635144/html/1.stm)
An Israeli air raid on a village near the city of Baalbek sends a plume of smoke into the sky
http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/inline_dashed_line.gif

And US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is travelling to the Middle East on Sunday.

As thousands of people try to leave southern Lebanon, the United Nations has warned of a humanitarian crisis.

Its humanitarian chief Jan Egeland has arrived in Beirut, as the UN seeks to secure safe routes out for fleeing civilians.

Mr Egeland said half a million people needed assistance - and the number was likely to increase.

One-third of the recent Lebanese casualties, he said, appeared to be children.

As concerns about hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians grew, Israel eased restrictions on Lebanon's blockaded ports to allow aid into the country.

Angry protests condemning Israeli attacks have been held in European cities. London saw the biggest with about 7,000 marchers, according to police.

'More incursions'

Israel's latest aerial attacks focussed on the southern port city of Sidon and the southern suburbs of Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold.

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gifhttp://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41916000/gif/_41916290_leb_is_gaz2_launch203.gif
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/inline_dashed_line.gif

Mid-East crisis map (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/629/629/5177932.stm)


Hours earlier, Israel said its forces had driven Hezbollah guerrillas out of the hilltop village of Maroun al-Ras, where six Israeli commandos were killed earlier this week.

The report has not been confirmed independently and Hezbollah's al-Manar TV station reported earlier on Saturday that fighting was under way in the village.

According to the BBC's Crispin Thorold in Jerusalem, the village has a strategic value, overlooking several other sites said to have been used as launch pads for Hezbollah rockets.

Hezbollah continued to fire dozens of rockets into Israel on Saturday, hitting the towns of Carmiel, Kiryat Shmona and Nahariya, and wounding several Israelis.

There are substantial numbers of Israeli forces near the border, and military sources suggest that there will be continued incursions in the coming days.

Israel insists it has no plans for a large-scale invasion and its ground forces are only entering Lebanon to destroy Hezbollah hideouts that cannot be attacked from the air.

Fleeing civilians

Israel issued a specific warning to civilians in 14 villages, telling them to leave by Saturday evening.

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41919000/jpg/_41919988_pilots_gi203b.jpg
Israel has urged the US to hasten the delivery of weapons


The warnings issued to 14 villages came a day after Israel dropped leaflets warning Lebanese civilians to flee a broad swathe of the south.

The BBC's Martin Asser in the southern city of Tyre described long queues of taxis and cars negotiating bomb-cratered roads and making detours around destroyed bridges.

Many civilians from villages in the region had gathered in the city during the week and are now trying to leave. However, many people say they are reluctant to move without UN protection.

On the 11th day of fighting, Israeli jets knocked out TV and phone masts in the east and north of Lebanon, disrupting broadcasts for Hezbollah's Al-Manar television and the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation.

Israel also briefly occupied the village of Marwahin, but has now withdrawn.

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gif
The New York Times daily has cited US officials saying the US is rushing a delivery of satellite and laser-guided bombs to Israel.

The latest crisis was triggered by the capture of two Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah militants on 12 July.

More than 350 Lebanese have been killed in the 11 days of violence, many of them civilians. Thirty-four Israelis have been killed, including 15 civilians killed by rockets fired by Hezbollah into Israel.

BBC News Online (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/5207152.stm)

[DeltaWhisky58]

Israel 'seizes' Hezbollah village


http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41919000/jpg/_41919840_fleeinglebanese_ap203b.jpg
Lebanese civilians waving white flags have been fleeing attacks

Israeli forces say they have seized the Lebanese border village of Maroun al-Ras, an apparent base used by Hezbollah to fire rockets into Israel.

Exchanges of fire can be still be heard in the village, said by Hezbollah to be the scene of an "epic battle".

Israeli planes reportedly bombed Beirut and the city of Sidon early on Sunday, the 12th day of the campaign.

Thousands of people have been trying to leave southern Lebanon and the United Nations warns of a humanitarian crisis.

Its humanitarian chief is en route to Beirut, as the UN seeks to secure safe routes out for fleeing civilians.

The UN's Jan Egeland said half a million people needed assistance - and the number was likely to increase.

One-third of the recent Lebanese casualties, he said, appeared to be children.

As concerns about hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians grew, Israel eased restrictions on Lebanon's blockaded ports to allow aid into the country.

Angry protests condemning Israeli attacks have been held in European cities. London saw the biggest with about 7,000 marchers, according to police.

'More incursions'

Israel's latest aerial attacks focussed on the southern port city of Sidon and the southern suburbs of Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold, news agencies say.

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gifhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/06/middle_east_israeli_troops_gather/img/laun.jpg (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/06/middle_east_israeli_troops_gather/html/1.stm)
Israeli troops gather on the country's northern border
http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/inline_dashed_line.gif


Hours earlier, Israel said its forces had driven Hezbollah guerrillas out of the hilltop village of Maroun al-Ras, where six Israeli commandos were killed earlier this week.

The report has not been confirmed independently and Hezbollah's al-Manar TV station reported earlier on Saturday that an epic battle was under way in the village.

According to the BBC's Crispin Thorold in Jerusalem, the village has a strategic value, overlooking several other sites said to have been used as launch pads for Hezbollah rockets.

Hezbollah continued to fire dozens of rockets into Israel on Saturday, hitting the towns of Carmiel, Kiryat Shmona and Nahariya, and wounding several Israelis.

There are substantial numbers of Israeli forces near the border, and military sources suggest that there will be continued incursions in the coming days.

Israel insists it has no plans for a large-scale invasion and its ground forces are only entering Lebanon to destroy Hezbollah hideouts that cannot be attacked from the air.

Fleeing civilians

Israel issued a specific warning to civilians in 14 villages, telling them to leave by Saturday evening.

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gifhttp://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41916000/gif/_41916290_leb_is_gaz2_launch203.gif
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/inline_dashed_line.gif

Mid-East crisis map (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/629/629/5177932.stm)


The warnings issued to 14 villages came a day after Israel dropped leaflets warning Lebanese civilians to flee a broad swathe of the south.

The BBC's Martin Asser in the southern city of Tyre described long queues of taxis and cars negotiating bomb-cratered roads and making detours around destroyed bridges.

Many civilians from villages in the region had gathered in the city during the week and are now trying to leave. However, many people say they are reluctant to move without UN protection.

On the 11th day of fighting, Israeli jets knocked out TV and phone masts in the east and north of Lebanon, disrupting broadcasts for Hezbollah's Al-Manar television and the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation.
Israel also briefly occupied the village of Marwahin, but has now withdrawn.

'Terrorist group'

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is travelling to the Middle East on Sunday, as is German Foreign Minister Frank Walter Steinmeier, who helped broker a prisoner exchange between Israel and Hezbollah in 2004.

In his weekly radio address, US President George Bush stressed the need for "confronting the terrorist group that launched the attacks and the nations that support it".

He described Syria as "a primary sponsor" of Hezbollah, and accused Damascus of helping provide the group with Iranian weapons.

His comments followed a report in the New York Times, citing US officials who said the US was rushing a delivery of satellite and laser-guided bombs to Israel.

The crisis was triggered by the capture of two Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah militants on 12 July.

Israeli government spokesman Avi Pazner told the BBC Israel was not interested in invading, conquering or occupying Lebanon, from where it withdraw troops in 2000.

"We only want to get rid of Hezbollah," he said.
Senior Lebanese officials have warned the country's army will go into battle if Israel invades.

More than 350 Lebanese have been killed in the 11 days of violence, many of them civilians. Thirty-four Israelis have been killed, including 15 civilians killed by rockets fired by Hezbollah into Israel.

BBC News Online (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/5206966.stm)

[DeltaWhisky58]

Israel 'presses US on bomb sale'

By Nick Miles
BBC News, Washington
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/999999.gif


http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41919000/jpg/_41919918_pilot-*****-203body.jpg
Israel has been bombing suspected Hezbollah sites in Lebanon

Reports from the US suggest Washington has been asked to speed up a shipment of precision bombs sold as part of a deal with Israel last year.

According to a report in the New York Times, Israel made the request after it began its air assault on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon 12 days ago.
The weapons, including five-tonne laser-guided bombs, are part of a sale signed last year.
Unnamed US officials say the request to speed up delivery is unusual.
The disclosure is likely to anger Arab governments because of the appearance that the United States is actively aiding Israel at such a sensitive time.
Precision-guided missiles are playing a key part in Israel's military strategy, which has included attempts to destroy bunkers it says are used by Hezbollah.
Israel is one of the largest customers for US armaments. It also receives several billion dollars a year in direct and indirect aid from Washington.

BBC News Online (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/5207066.stm)

[Snoshi]

Syrian minister of propaganda Mohsen Bilal said that if the IDF troops will invade Lebanon and get close to the Syrian border the Syrian army will not sit down and watch.They will join the lebanese side and fight Israelis.

[DeltaWhisky58]

Lebanon's two fighting forces


By Martin Patience
BBC News, Beirut
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/999999.gif


http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41918000/jpg/_41918370_lebanon_ap203_body.jpg
Hezbollah guerrillas have been firing rockets into northern Israel

Lebanon is a country with two fighting forces - the Lebanese army and Hezbollah's guerrilla outfit.

For now, the Lebanese army has remained in its barracks during the current conflict with Israel.
It is Hezbollah that is launching attacks against Israeli soldiers and civilians from the south of Lebanon.
The issue of military strength is a sensitive subject in a country torn apart by 15 years of civil war.
Soldiers are drawn from Lebanon's main religious groups - Shia, Sunni, Druze and Christians - in an effort to make the army a truly national force.
With 38,000 soldiers, it is a small conventional army designed to keep the peace on Lebanese soil.
But it is ill-equipped for the job, says former Lebanese army general Amin Hoteit.

Secretive

The army lacks basic military equipment - such as anti-aircraft missile defences - to fight Israel. The Lebanese air force has no jets and the navy no warships.

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41918000/jpg/_41918414_soldier_ap_203body.jpg
Lebanon's army has been watching while the country is being bombed

"The Lebanese army don't have anyone to fight," says Gen Hoteit. "They can't fight the Israeli aircraft in the sky."
With a weak Lebanese army the importance of Hezbollah's military capabilities increases, he adds.
Gen Hoteit describes Hezbollah as "an integral part of Lebanon's defences" although he insists there are no official links between the two fighting forces.
Whereas the Lebanese army is a conventional fighting force, Hezbollah is non-conventional force launching guerrilla raids on Israeli targets.
It is a secretive organisation making it difficult to gauge its strength.
But military analysts believe the organisation has thousands of fighters who are highly trained and well equipped to fight a guerrilla war.

Fighting image

Led by Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah emerged in the early 1980s, following the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982.

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gifhttp://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/start_quote_rb.gif The Lebanese nation privatised the liberation of the south country http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/end_quote_rb.gif
Elias Hanna
Former Lebanese general


A group of Shia Muslims clerics decided to form a group of fighters to drive Israeli troops from the south of Lebanon. Israel withdrew its forces in 2000.
It was the impotence of the Lebanese army in the south that bolstered Hezbollah's image as a fighting force.
"The Lebanese nation privatised the liberation of the south," says former Lebanese army general Elias Hanna.
"Hezbollah restored dignity of the Arab world by liberating the south of Lebanon for the first time in our history."
Most Lebanese citizens were thankful that Hezbollah had ended Israel's occupation there. But now some of these civilians believe Hezbollah have pulled them into a war not of their choosing.
They view Hezbollah as Lebanon's "second army", accountable only to its supporters and not the government.
Veiled threat
There have been repeated calls to disarm Hezbollah, including a UN resolution in 2004. But Hezbollah have rejected all such suggestions.

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41912000/jpg/_41912284_buildings203_afp.jpg
Some Lebanese blame Hezbollah for the crisis

While the clamour grows ever louder in the international diplomatic arena, Gen Hanna says the Lebanese army would be unwilling to move against the organisation.
Many of the soldiers in the Lebanese army are Shia Muslims, the constituency of Hezbollah.
"How can a Shia soldier go and disarm another Shia who he believes has the right to resist Israel," asks Gen Hanna.
Currently, Israel says it only has Hezbollah in its targets. But the Lebanese government has launched a veiled threat it might start fighting if Israel deploys a large ground force in southern Lebanon.
"We will defend our land until the last soldier, we will pay the price for our land," Lebanese Defence Minister Elias Murr told the BBC. But for now, it is Hezbollah doing Lebanon's fighting.

BBC News Online (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5205930.stm)

[DeltaWhisky58]

Limits of air power lead to ground attacks


By Paul Reynolds
World Affairs correspondent, BBC News website
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/999999.gif


http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41915000/jpg/_41915020_israeliltanks_ap203b.jpg
Israel is mobilising army reservists



Israel appears to be preparing to extend its ground operations in southern Lebanon to set up some kind of buffer zone, recalling its invasion of 1978 which took it up to the Litani River some 20 km to the north.

Its need to put in ground forces shows the limitations of air power. Air strikes have been used, in a version of the tactics developed by the US air force in the two Gulf wars, to pound Hezbollah targets in Beirut and closer to Syria - source of Hezbollah's arsenal, according to the Israelis.
The aim has been to hit missiles, firing and storage sites and transport links. The effect has also been to cause civilian casualties and huge damage.
Now warnings are being given to those civilians left in Southern Lebanon to get out, though how they can do so easily and quickly along blown up roads is unclear.
And Human Rights Watch has urged Israel to allow civilians safe passage. Its Middle East director Sarah Leah Whitson said: "Israel should warn people of attacks, but those warnings can't be used to justify harming civilians who remain. Civilians who can't evacuate are still fully protected by international law."

Aims not fulfilled

The prospect of major ground incursions indicates that Israel is some way off its stated aim of trying to destroy Hezbollah's capability.
Nine days after its operations began, it is still fighting just inside Lebanon within sight of its northern border.
On Thursday four soldiers were killed by Hezbollah in an ambush there.
Brigadier-General Alon Friedman told the Israeli paper Maariv: "It's possible that in the coming days our ground operations will increase."
It looks therefore that this conflict will go onto well into next week.

Mountainous region

It is worth knowing something about the ground in Southern Lebanon. This helps explain why infantry troops are invaluable.

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41913000/jpg/_41913384_get203bodysoldiers.jpg
Israeli ground troops are pushing further into Lebanon


It is very mountainous and the rock has allowed the formation of innumerable caves in which Hezbollah fighters (and before them Palestinians) can hide.

The irregular terrain is ideal guerrilla country and not easily traversed by Israeli tanks and other armoured forces.
So troops have to get out and fight, which leaves them vulnerable to the firepower and local knowledge of the Lebanese guerrillas. Israel has already taken casualties in the limited fighting that has taken place already.

Hezbollah regrouping

Because of the delay in Israel entering southern Lebanon, Hezbollah forces have had a chance to regroup and re-infiltrate the area to set up positions.
Its main strength might be in missiles but it has fighters as well and their moment might have come. In the meantime, it has presumably moved some of its rockets back and has held others in reserve that could be fired over the top of any buffer zone.

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gifhttp://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/start_quote_rb.gif It's possible that in the coming days our ground operations will increase http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/end_quote_rb.gif
Israeli General Friedman


It is also not impossible that elements of the Lebanese army might resist an Israeli invasion, though its forces in the south are extremely limited, only a few hundred.
It is difficult to see how Israel can fulfil its intentions without entering southern Lebanon in some force and some observers had been expecting such a movement before now.

The Litani operation

In 1978, 25,000 Israeli troops moved rapidly about ten kilometres into Lebanon before going onto the Litani River.
Their aim in that invasion was to remove fighters from the PLO. They later largely withdrew their troops and set up a buffer zone (they called it a security zone) and encouraged a local Christian militia to police it.
The plan ended in failure and the Israelis withdrew in 2000, hoping that the Lebanese army would deploy but fearing, as happened, that Hezbollah would take over.
In 1982, Israel went all the way to Beirut.
The obvious question therefore, if it goes for a buffer zone, is - how long will it stay? It is easy enough for the Israelis to get in - they seem prepared to accept losses in this effort - but how quickly would they leave?
They say they do not want to stay but intentions and deeds do not always coincide.
That brings in the diplomacy, which has been ineffective so far.
The Americans are supporting the Israeli demand that there can be no return to the status quo under which Hezbollah watchtowers were overlooking Israel.
That means no ceasefire without a radical shift in the balance of power and influence first. And that means more Israeli attacks. The US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is expected in the region next week, so the ball is beginning to roll, though only slowly.

BBC News Online (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5202752.stm)

[Clearday-TRForce]

Flash


U.S: President George W. Bush called Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Saturday to discuss the Mideast crisis and PKK attacks in their second telephone conversation in three days, and White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said "the president told the prime minister that the United States will work with Turkey to deal with this terrorist threat (by the PKK)."

[janosik]

Jon Snow confronts Dep. Israeli Ambassador on Israeli terror

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oS2ESHKhBQY

[Resurrection]

Israel's defense minister calls for NATO force on Lebanon border.

JERUSALEM Israel's defense minister is quoted as saying Israel is willing to accept a temporary international peace force along its border with Lebanon.

Aides to Amir Peretz (ah-MEER' PEHR'-etz) say he thinks any such force should be temporary and preferably headed by NATO. The purpose would be to keep Hezbollah guerrillas away from Israel.

Peretz's reported comments came in a private meeting today with Germany's foreign minister. The Israeli defense chief's office says the goal is to have Lebanon's army deployed along the border but that given how weak that army is, Israel would accept a nultinational force in the meantime.

http://www.kfvs12.com/Global/story.asp?S=5185568&nav=8H3x

[Abu_Elvis]

The British Broadcasting Corp. (BBC) has admitted that many of the victims of Israeli retaliation in Lebanon are terrorists and not innocent civilians. A BBC reporter said he saw Hizbullah terrorists using a private home and added, "It is difficult to quantify who is a terrorist and who is a civilian."

Media reports have emphasized that Israeli air strikes have killed more than 350 Lebanese civilians, prompting accusations that the IDF is carrying out "collective punishment" on the country.

---------------

A United Nations observer was seriously wounded in southern Lebanon by Hezbollah fire, a UN spokesman said Sunday.

"One unarmed observer in Lebanon was seriously wounded by small arms fire in the UN position in Maroun al-Ras. He has been evacuated to the nearest hospital in Israel," UNIFIL spokesman Milos Strugar said in a statement.

Strugar added that the observer seems to have been wounded during clashes between Hezbollah and Israel Defense Forces troops.

[Abu_Elvis]

Hezbollah fired 20% of its arsenal, and much more was destroyed...

Defense Minister Amir Peretz told the Cabinet Sunday that Hizbullah terrorists have fired 2,200 rockets on northern Israel. Previously, IDF officers have estimated that the terrorist organization holds about 11,000 rockets. In addition to the missiles it has used in its war against Israel, Hizbullah has lost dozens of Katyusha launchers and a large number of weapons destroyed by Israeli Air Force strikes.

Minister Peretz also said that Hizbullah is the only terrorist organization in the world that possesses ground-to-ground missiles. He added that it also possesses longer range rockets which it has not yet used.

[DeltaWhisky58]

Mid-East faces uncertain future


By Roger Hardy
BBC Middle East Analyst
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/999999.gif


Diplomats, officials and experts around the world are anxiously debating what the Greater Middle East will look like when this current crisis finally draws to a close.

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41916000/jpg/_41916492_karachi2afp203body.jpg
Crises like these often inflame anti-American and anti-Israeli feeling



Will it make it easier or harder to resolve the pressing problems of Palestine and Iraq - and the much bigger battle against Islamic extremism?
The more immediate question is: Who will emerge with what?
Ehud Olmert, the Israeli prime minister, says he wants three things: to secure the release of Israeli soldiers, to clear Hezbollah fighters from south Lebanon and to see Hezbollah disarmed and dismantled.
He wants some form of guarantee that Israel will be free from rocket attacks, whether from Gaza or from south Lebanon.
Some believe he would also like to see the collapse of the Hamas-led Palestinian government.

Israel's dilemma

Few experts think Mr Olmert will secure all these goals, even if the fighting continues for some days.
Israel may be able to weaken Hamas and Hezbollah in military terms, but it is unlikely to force them out of business.

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gifhttp://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/start_quote_rb.gif [For Israel] there needs to be in place a Lebanese government and a Palestinian Authority strong enough to prevent rocket or other cross-border attacks. Air strikes coupled with limited military incursions in both territories have made this less, rather than more, likely http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/end_quote_rb.gif


Both enjoy a significant level of grass-roots support.
Israel's actions may indeed be counter-productive, by boosting support for these groups beyond the immediate circle of their core Islamist constituencies.
Israel's underlying dilemma remains unchanged.
If it does not wish to re-occupy either Gaza or southern Lebanon, then there needs to be in place a Lebanese government and a Palestinian Authority strong enough to prevent rocket or other cross-border attacks.
Air strikes coupled with limited military incursions in both territories have made this less, rather than more, likely.
Mr Olmert needs to emerge from this conflict with something he can call victory.
If he does not, that will weaken his own political position and jeopardise his ambitious plan to withdraw from large parts of the West Bank by 2010.

Underlying problems

It is unlikely this crisis will leave the underlying problems of the Palestinian territories and Lebanon any nearer a solution.

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gifhttp://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/start_quote_rb.gif As Arab rulers are only too well aware, the current conflict has inflamed anti-Israeli and anti-American feeling to a new pitch. In this sense its impact extends well beyond the Middle East http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/end_quote_rb.gif


At the same time it is making the West's closest allies in the Arab world distinctly nervous.
Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan have taken the unusual step of pinning the blame for the conflict on Hezbollah and Hamas and their regional backers, Syria and Iran.
This reflects a genuine fear of where the crisis is heading, together with annoyance at what they see as an Iranian attempt to hijack the Palestinian cause.
As Arab rulers are only too well aware, the current conflict has inflamed anti-Israeli and anti-American feeling to a new pitch.
In this sense its impact extends well beyond the Middle East.

Hearts and minds

The issue of Israel and the Palestinians still has the power to mobilise Muslims as far away as Indonesia - or for that matter Muslims living in the West.
Moreover the conflict comes against a backdrop of other events which have aggravated tensions between Islam and the West.
Last year's London bombings, the riots by young Muslims in the suburbs of Paris and the more recent controversy over cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed - all these events have had a negative and polarising effect.
They have made it harder for the West and its allies in the Muslim world to turn the tide in the global struggle against Islamic extremism.
They have made it harder for them to win the hearts and minds of the Muslim mainstream. Many believe that the longer the current conflict in the Middle East continues, the more it will play into the hands of the radicals.

BBC News Online (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5204346.stm)

[Abu_Elvis]

What lebanese think of Hezbollah, satire on hezbollah on lebanese TV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-nipIdnU6k

[Abu_Elvis]

It could be over in Gaza...


Hamas leaders in Gaza are interested in separating the negotiations over the Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Gilad Shalit from Hezbollah's negotiations over Lebanese prisoners. [Dr Salah al-] Bardawil [Head of the Hamas 'parliamentary faction'] stressed that there is no cooperation between Hamas and Hezbollah about the prisoner exchange negotiations.

"We don't intend to reach a joint deal. Hezbollah entered the picture after Hamas was already in it, they want their prisoners and we have ours," he said.

It is not clear whether Meshal is also in favor of a separate Hamas deal with Israel.

Fatah sources said that Hamas' Gaza leadership does not want its name mixed up with the fighting in Lebanon, especially in view of the sharp international criticism of Hezbollah.

Hamas leaders believe Hezbollah has harmed the Palestinian cause by its actions and are striving to reach a separate deal with Israel.

However, Fatah officials are doubtful about the chances of reaching an agreement, due to the unclarity of the position of Hamas' overseas leadership, headed by Meshal.

[DeltaWhisky58]

Abu Elvis - sources please!

[saigonsmuggler]

DW, this is the link for Abu Elvis article above...

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/741409.html

it is near the end of the article.

[Abu_Elvis]

Abu Elvis - sources please!
sorry... http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/741409.html

[Abu_Elvis]

DW, this is the link for Abu Elvis article above...

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/741409.html

it is near the end of the article. Posted at the same time.

[Abu_Elvis]

Netanyahu explains in WSJ why cease fire is not an option
http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110008694

No Cease-Fire
Remove Hamas's missiles--or destroy them.

BY BENJAMIN NETANYAHU
Sunday, July 23, 2006 12:01 a.m. EDT

JERUSALEM--Some 44 years ago, when Soviet missiles in neighboring Cuba threatened American cities, John F. Kennedy set one goal and ultimately prevailed in achieving it: Remove the missiles. Today, when Israel's cities are pummeled by Hezbollah missiles launched from neighboring Lebanon, our goal should be the same: Remove the missiles. Or destroy them.
It is not enough to push Hezbollah 30 kilometers north of the border. Hezbollah rockets have a range of up to 200 kilometers, and could easily be fired from Beirut. Nor is it enough to achieve a cease fire. With its missile arsenal intact, Hezbollah could re-emerge triumphant a year or two from now and again menace Israel's population.
The objective of the military campaign currently being waged on Israel's northern border, as well as any diplomatic effort to bring that campaign to an end, must therefore be to disarm Hezbollah, first and foremost from its missile arsenal. A failure to do so would be a great victory for that terror organization and for its sponsors in Tehran and facilitators in Damascus. It would enable Hezbollah to rebuild its lethal capacity for waging war, continue to threaten the people of Israel and hold hostage the people of Lebanon, and sow the seeds for an even greater conflict in the future. In contrast, disarming Hezbollah would help restore Israel's deterrence and security, give hope to a peaceful, prosperous and democratic future for Lebanon, and deal a heavy blow to the forces of international terrorism.
Since Israel's unilateral withdrawal in 2000 to an internationally recognized border, Hezbollah has established in Lebanon a terror state-within-a-state, and, working on behalf of Iran and Syria, it has sought to undermine the emergence of a free and democratic Lebanon. In crossing an international border, murdering and kidnapping Israeli soldiers and firing rockets at Israeli cities, Hezbollah has also committed blatant acts of war. Like any nation exercising its right of self-defense, Israel is responding not only to the specific incidents that occurred but is also working to eliminate the threat posed by this clear and present danger.
In direct violation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1559--which specifically calls for the disarming of all militias in Lebanon--Hezbollah has used its de facto territorial control over southern Lebanon to amass a deadly arsenal of over 12,000 rockets. Some of these missiles are Iranian-made and bring over one-half of Israel's population within range of the terrorist proxies of a fanatic Iranian regime that denies the Holocaust and is planning a new one with its promise to "wipe Israel off the map."
Imagine what the U.S. would do if, on its northern border, a terror state-within-a-state pledged to its destruction was established from which flurries of missiles were fired at Chicago, its third-largest city. With that in mind, to suggest, as some have, that Israel is not acting with restraint is preposterous. Unlike Hezbollah, which is indiscriminately launching hundreds of missiles at Israeli cities and towns to kill as many civilians as possible, Israel is using only a fraction of its firepower and is in fact acting with great care to minimize harm to civilians. But because Hezbollah not only targets civilians but also uses them as human shields by hiding its missile launchers in population centers, Hezbollah has deliberately placed innocent Lebanese civilians in harm's way.

http://www.opinionjournal.com/images/storyend_dingbat.gif
At stake in the current operation is not only Israel's security, Lebanon's democratic future, and stability in the region, but a central principle in the war on terror. Soon after Sept. 11, President Bush made clear that America would no longer make a distinction between the terrorists and the regimes that harbor them. This policy is essential because international terrorism cannot survive without the support of sovereign states.

In order for the global terror network to be dismantled, its support by sovereign states must end--whether that supports comes in the form of actively perpetrating terror attacks (as in the case of Iran and the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority), providing safe havens for terror groups (as in the case of Syria) or not acting against terror groups within their borders (as is the case in Lebanon). A world in which the international community does not hold states accountable for the terrorism that emanates from within their borders is a world in which the war on terror cannot be won.
That is why any cease-fire or diplomatic effort that does not have as its objective the disarming of Hezbollah will only strengthen the forces of terror. And that is also why the world should fully support Israel in disarming Hezbollah--for Israel's sake, for Lebanon's sake and for the sake of our common future. Mr. Netanyahu is a former prime minister of Israel and the current opposition leader.

[Irish]

Link; Israel would accept peace force: minister (http://www.rte.ie/news/2006/0723/lebanon1.html)http://www.rte.ie/news/images/audio_sml_but.gif

[Abu_Elvis]

Syrian doublespeak game, works so well with european journalists selective quoting:

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3280154,00.html


Syria wants talks with US to solve Lebanon crisis
Syria is ready to engage in dialogue with the United States to solve the confrontation between Hizbullah and Israel, Deputy Foreign Minister Fayssal Mekdad said on Sunday.

"Syria is ready for dialogue with the United States based on respect and mutual interest," Mekdad told ******* in an interview. He said the solution to the crisis lies in an immediate ceasefire brokered by international powers, followed by diplomacy. (*******)


http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/741719.html

MADRID - Syria will enter the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah if Israel Defense Forces ground troops enter Lebanon and approach Syria, Syrian Information Minister Mohsen Bilal said in an interview published on Sunday.

"If Israel invades Lebanon over ground and comes near to us, Syria will not sit tight. She will join the conflict," he told newspaper ABC.

Following a meeting Sunday with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Defense Minister Amir Peretz said a multinational force should act to prevent the smuggling of weapons from Syria into Lebanon. Peretz also noted Israel has no intention of entering into a war with Syria.


http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1153291975981&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

There have been attempts to smuggle weaponry from Syria into Lebanon in order to aid Hizbullah, said IDF Deputy Chief of the General Staff Maj. -Gen. Moshe Kaplinsky, Sunday, at a cabinet meeting.
The IDF avoided the Syrian-Lebanese border in order to keep the focus on southern Lebanon.

[Abu_Elvis]

Why air raid sirens didn't work in nazareth (2 boys died from katyushas):



Home Front Commander Yitzhak Jerry Gershon told government ministers: "The city of Nazareth asked to be disconnected from the system of air raid sirens because it interfered with them on remembrance days for IDF martyrs and on Holocaust Day."

Gershon was responding to claims that the siren didn't work in the city when it came under rocket attack in which two brothers were killed last week. (Ronny Sofer)
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3280234,00.html

To be honest, they had it coming. What goes around, comes around. They find holocoust remembrance day offensive, and don't want to be pluged into the siren grid? Well, now they get katyushas without warning.

[Abu_Elvis]

Lebanese bloger:
Hizbullah s Filthy Methods (http://www.ouwet.com/n10452/personal-opinions/hizbullah-s-filthy-methods/)

For the past 11 days, we have seen Israel bomb all sorts of targets and i am sure most of us were wondering why would Israel bomb a certain factory or a truck or a construction yard or a truck ..
If we can for a moment turn off all those local and international channels who have nothing to do but show little children killed and bodies and touch the viewer to a certain degree that ll blind him, and think about the reasons behind those hits.
From a military point of view, you have a full equiped army, ranked in the top 5 armies in the world against a guerrilla with absolutly no info on its fighters, weapons , locations.
Even though the Israeli army is way superior in terms of weapons and technology and numbers than Hizbullah, its war must be a very cautious and tactical one since its fighting a guerilla.
We ve seen Israel for example hitting a factory for tissues in a small village in the South. It appeared that Hizbullah guys operate using trucks, meaning they move around with a missile in a truck, park nearby a factory for ex and shoot the rocket and flee.
The origin of the rocket being the factory, Israelies respond by hitting it.
A witness for a similar action urged on TV the Hizbullah fighters to stop coming into his village to shoot rockets and then run away since the village is being destroyed.
Same for the truck that was carrying civilians and that became very suspicious when it was not allowed to enter the UN offices.
Fighting a guerrilla is very hard and knowing that they could shoot from anywhere, we should expect hits on unusual places.
Innocent people r dying, this is true but i believe the way Hizbullah is operating and its filthy methods in infilitrating villages and using them as launch positions is causing all those casualties.
Of course Israelies have hit bridges recklessly during the day killing innocent civilians passing on the bridge, but its war and you always have victims.
On the other hand, the one hitting civilians randomly and threatening innocent lifes r the Hizbullah launching rockets with no direction whatsoever. I ve seen rockets land on balconies, small cafes, walls … anything but military targets.
Finally, i heard that Hizbullah has accepted that the government negociates on the prisoners fate today, therefore i hope that they realized they havent achieved anything but destroy themselves politically and militarily and most of all destroy Lebanon and ruin its economy for the next 5 years.

http://www.ouwet.com/n10452/personal-opinions/hizbullah-s-filthy-methods/

[chomstein]

Abu_Elvis...you and you alone are going to get this thread shut down with you editorializing and non-news posts. If you truly need to provide your .02, do it on another thread.

[alexz]

The body of a fifth Israeli soldier killed in the battle of Maroun er Ras Thursday July 20 was recovered Saturday night
July 23, 2006, 5:19 PM (GMT+02:00)
He is 1st Sgt Yehonatan Volesiuk, 21, from Kibbutz Lahav.
Saturday, the fourth Israeli casualty of that battle was identified as 1st Sgt. Liran Saadia, 21, from Kiryat Shemona

RIP

[Abu_Elvis]

Abu_Elvis...you and you alone are going to get this thread shut down with you editorializing and non-news posts. If you truly need to provide your .02, do it on another thread. Is that the rule? No opinion pieces? Ok. Wasn't stated clearly.

[alexz]

DEBKAfile Exclusive: In response to Iranian re-supplies to Hizballah, a US arms airlift began running to Israel Saturday, July 22

is carrying fresh stock of bombs, missiles and spare parts for Israeli Air Force aircraft and helicopters. Giant Galaxy C141 transports have been landing, unloading and taking off at short intervals.

DEBKAfile adds: The American airlift to Israel follows the air corridor Iran opened to replenish Hizballah’s stocks on Wednesday, July 19, landing supplies at Syria’s Abu Ad Duhur military airfield north of Homs. The deliveries for Hizballah include large quantities of new missiles, including the long-range Zelzal and Fajr 3 and Fajr 5 missiles, Katyusha rockets, anti-tank and anti-air missiles sent out from the RG HQ in Bandar Abbas on the Persian Gulf. Some of these missiles can reach Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

Thursday, July 21, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards commander Brig.-Gen Yahya Rahim Safavi (picture) assumed command of the Lebanon war from Hizballah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah. RG forward command posts are operating out of Iranian embassies in Beirut and Damascus. Syria has placed its army, Scud
missiles and air force in a state of preparedness.

[alexz]

Is that the rule? No opinion pieces? Ok. Wasn't stated clearly.

It is stated like 3 times in here that this is NEWS ONLY thread!!!!!

[Abu_Elvis]

It is stated like 3 times in here that this is NEWS ONLY thread!!!!! Sorry... Mods, delete opinion pieces. Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.

[DeltaWhisky58]

Sorry... Mods, delete opinion pieces. Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.

I assume from this that you have finally got the message.

NEWS ONLY!

[Abu_Elvis]

I assume from this that you have finally got the message.

NEWS ONLY! I did. To be honest, I didn't read introductory post until I got yelled at :cantbeli:

[DeltaWhisky58]

To be honest, I didn't read introductory post

Yes, you and about 18,500+ others - goes for stickies as well!

[Abu_Elvis]

Yes, you and about 18,500+ others - goes for stickies as well! I am new at this forum, I am learning.

[DeltaWhisky58]

OK - News only from here on.

[gilgoul]

Just news while watching the news (aroutz 1) on the national TV, about the hard fight where 5 soldiers died two days ago.
The journalist interviewed the commander of the Sayeret Egoz unit involved in the fight, who told him about the death, beside the fact it was very moving, the journalist indicated that, despite being under intensive mortar and RPG's and ATGM fire, and suffer heavy losses, they suceeded to kill 13 Hizbullah fighters.

[Abu_Elvis]

IDF preparing for possible military administration in south lebanon:




OC Northern Command Maj.-Gen. Udi Adam acknowledged in a briefing at Northern Command headquarters in Safed on Sunday afternoon that the commander of the IDF's civil administration unit had already begun preparations toward the possibility of instituting a military administration in areas captured by the IDF over the last week.
According to Adam, "Certain units who will give us breathing space have been called up, including the commander of that unit." The unit's activation, however, would only take place following comprehensive consultations, he said. Adam denied reports that there were plans to set up a large prison camp for captured Hizbullah fighters, saying the measure would not be needed.


http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1153291974140&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

But would accept NATO peacekeepers:




Defense Minister Amir Peretz said Sunday that Israel would accept a temporary international force, preferably headed by NATO, deployed along the Lebanese border to keep Hizbullah guerrillas away from Israel, according to officials in Peretz's office.
"Israel's goal is to see the Lebanese army deployed along the border with Israel, but we understand that we are taking about a weak army and that in the midterm period Israel will have to accept a multinational force," he said according to his office.
Peretz made the comments during a closed meeting with visiting German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier. US President George W. Bush's Chief of Staff, Josh Bolten said Sunday that international peacekeepers might be needed in Lebanon to help end the fighting between Israel and Hizbullah, but that US troop involvement was unlikely.


http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?c=JPArticle&cid=1153291974225&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

DeltaWhiskey, better?

[DeltaWhisky58]

DeltaWhiskey, better?

Totally unnecessary question - see here (http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?t=86672). Simple enough!

[Abu_Elvis]

Totally unnecessary question - see here (http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?t=86672). Simple enough! It was a joke...

[Abu_Elvis]

More on peacekeepers:

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told German'y foreign minister that Israel would agree to consider a military force with combat experience assembled by the states of the EU in Lebanon. (Ronny Sofer)
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3280311,00.html

[Solo]

On Italian news, currently:


A U.N. observer was wounded by Hezbollah gunfire during fighting with Israeli troops in south Lebanon, said U.N. spokesman Milos Strugar. The Italian chiefs of staff office identified the wounded U.N. official as Italian Capt. Roberto Punzo, adding he was flown by helicopter to a hospital in Haifa and that his life was not in danger.
He was the second member of the U.N. monitoring team injured in 12 days of fighting.


Taken from Yahoo news in lack of a better English version

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060723/ap_on_re_mi_ea/lebanon_israel_358

[Abu_Elvis]

Was it posted before? US rushing a shipment of bunker busters to israel:


The Bush administration is rushing a delivery of precision-guided bombs to Israel, which requested the expedited shipment last week after beginning its air campaign against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, The New York Times reported on Saturday.

Citing U.S. officials who spoke on Friday on condition of anonymity, the Times said the decision to ship the weapons quickly came after relatively little debate within the administration, and noted in its report that its disclosure threatens to anger Arab governments and others who could perceive Washington as aiding Israel in the manner that Iran has armed Hezbollah.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/741392.html

Other reports specify the shipment as 100 GBU-28s
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-amideastus22jul22,0,6920801.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines

[alexz]

PM: Israel not ruling out European force in Lebanon

Olmert tells German foreign minister he would consider permitting deployment of experienced European military force in Lebanon, adding that such a force would have to assist Lebanese government in implementing UN Resolution 1559, which calls for Hizbullah’s disarmament
Ronny Sofer



Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Sunday that Israel would consider permitting the deployment of an experienced European military force in Lebanon.


The prime minister added that such a force would have to control passages between Syria and Lebanon, deploy along the Lebanese-Israel
border and assist the Lebanese army, especially in case it implements UN Resolution 1559 and works to disarm Hizbullah.


Israel is not ruling out the possibility that Lebanon, headed by Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, will serve as a mediator in negotiations with Hizbullah. Officials in Jerusalem are looking into this possibility to enhance talks on the release of kidnapped soldiers Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3280328,00.html

[DeltaWhisky58]

UN appalled by Beirut devastation


http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41920000/jpg/_41920652_haifacar_b203_afp.jpg
Hezbollah rockets killed two, and left a car riddled with ball bearings

The UN's Jan Egeland has condemned the devastation caused by Israeli air strikes in Beirut, saying it is a violation of humanitarian law.

Mr Egeland, the UN's emergency relief chief, described the destruction as "horrific" as he toured the city.
He arrived hours after another Israeli strike on Beirut. Israel also hit Sidon, a port city in the south crammed with refugees, for the first time.
In Haifa, two people died as Hezbollah rockets struck the Israeli city.

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gifhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/06/middle_east_beirut_destruction/img/laun.jpg (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/06/middle_east_beirut_destruction/html/1.stm)
Images of destruction in Beirut
http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/inline_dashed_line.gif


Fifteen people were reportedly injured by the volley of rockets, which struck a house and an industrial zone.
The BBC News website's Raffi Berg visited the scene of one of the rocket attacks in northern Haifa.
He says the rocket exploded next to a carriageway, raking passing cars with shrapnel and ball bearings and killing a man in a nearby vehicle.
A later barrage of missiles was reported to have injured five people.

'Block after block'

Mr Egeland arrived in southern Beirut on Sunday just hours after Israeli strikes on the Hezbollah stronghold.
A visibly moved Mr Egeland expressed shock that "block after block" of buildings had been levelled.

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gifhttp://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41916000/gif/_41916290_leb_is_gaz2_launch203.gif
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/inline_dashed_line.gif


He said the "disproportionate response" by Israel was a "violation of international humanitarian law".
He appealed for both sides to halt attacks and said UN supplies of humanitarian aid would begin to arrive in the next few days.
"But we need safe access," he said. "So far Israel is not giving us access."
Israel has said it will lift its blockade on Beirut's port to allow aid through, but with roads, bridges and trucks among Israel's targets, transporting it around the country is difficult.
In other developments:

UK Foreign Minister Kim Howells is due to meet Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni. A day after accusing Israel of targeting "the entire Lebanese nation", he said the British government understood Israel's need to defend itself and criticised Hezbollah for hiding weapons in civilian areas.
The US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is due to leave for the Middle East later on Sunday.
Israeli Defence Minister Amir Peretz said Israel supports the idea of an international peacekeeping force in south Lebanon, and suggested it should be led by Nato. A Nato official said there had been no discussion so far of any Nato role.
Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Israel had "pushed the button for its own destruction".
Syria's information minister said his country would enter the conflict if a major Israeli ground invasion of Lebanon threatened the security of Damascus.
An unarmed UN observer was seriously wounded during fighting between Israeli forces and Hezbollah fighters in the village of Maroun al-Ras, which Israel said it had taken control of on Saturday.
The French and German foreign ministers are also in Israel for talks on the crisis.Sidon targeted
Israel's bombing campaign continued, with strikes on Beirut and on southern and eastern Lebanon in the early hours of Sunday.

The Associated Press news agency reported at least eight deaths on Sunday - an eight-year-old boy, a Lebanese photographer, three civilians fleeing in a minibus, and three Hezbollah fighters.
One target was the southern port of Sidon, a city not previously targeted by Israel, where 42,000 refugees from the surrounding area have flooded in the hope of safety.
The BBC's Roger Hearing in the city reports that a mosque was destroyed in one strike, which hit less than 500m (550 yards) from a hospital. At least four people were injured.
While Israel said the mosque was a meeting place for Hezbollah militants, local doctors insisted it was just "a place for prayers".

Bombing intensifies

The BBC's Jim Muir in the southern city of Tyre reports intense bombardment, with Hezbollah firing missiles from the area and Israel launching air strikes in retaliation.
At least 15 civilian vehicles have been hit on the roads, including one taking injured people to a nearby hospital, he says.
Further east, more Israeli air strikes forced engineers to turn back who were trying to repair impassable roads so a UN-escorted aid convoy could get through, our correspondent reports.
He says that bombing has intensified in the region since Israel dropped warning leaflets on Friday, and the Israelis are now shooting at almost anything on moving on the roads.
At least 364 Lebanese have been killed in the 12 days of violence, many of them civilians, and angry protests condemning Israeli attacks have been held in cities around the world. At least 36 Israelis have been killed, including 17 civilians killed by rockets fired by Hezbollah into Israel.

BBC News Online (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/5207478.stm)

[alexz]

Israeli land forces comander Benny Gantz sayed on israeli TV
that a massive ammunition cache was found inside a mosque
in the Maroun al-Ras villege.
He also added 3 hizzbullah fighters were killed and 20 captured.

[SOG]

good morning fellow earthlings!

SIDON, Lebanon - Mideast diplomats were pressing
Syria to stop backing Hezbollah as the guerrillas fired more deadly rockets onto
Israel's third-largest city Sunday. Israel faced tougher-than-expected ground battles and bombarded targets in southern Lebanon, hitting a convoy of refugees.

and:

WASHINGTON - Saudi Arabia asked
President Bush on Sunday to intervene in
Israel's military campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon to stop the mounting deaths.

"We requested a cease-fire to allow for a cessation of hostilities," Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said after an Oval Office meeting with Bush.

Saud said he gave the president a letter from Saudi King Abdullah asking that Bush help seek an immediate cease-fire in the Middle East conflict.

Saud and four other Saudi officials met with Bush for more than an hour Sunday

semi related:

JERUSALEM (*******) - The condition of
Ariel Sharon, the former Israeli prime minister who masterminded the 1982 invasion of Lebanon, has deteriorated, doctors said on Sunday.

The further worsening of his health six months after he fell into a coma comes as
Israel is once again fighting in its northern neighbor, battling Hizbollah guerrillas there and massing forces on the border.

As defense minister, Sharon -- loved at home as he was loathed in the Arab world -- sent the Israeli army as far as Beirut to root out Palestinian guerrillas.

links
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060723/ap_on_re_mi_ea/lebanon_israel

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060723/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_mideast

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060723/ts_nm/mideast_sharon_dc


out.

[frenchy]

Israel says seizes two Hizbullah fighters in Lebanon



Israeli troops have seized two Hizbullah guerrillas during fighting in southern Lebanon, the army said on Sunday.

They were believed to be the first prisoners taken in Lebanon during the 12-day-old conflict. The army said they were seized in the village of Maroun al-Ras. (*******)

[alexz]

Mornning new from Israel
1) IDF begins to isolate hezzbulah city (bint Jabel) from
other villiges in the area.
2) IDF shells bint Jabel
3) A loaded ready to go launchers (supposedly aiming at Haifa)
was destroyed 8 other lunchers also destroyed overnight.
4) 130 hezzbulla lunchers destroyed so far (out of perhaps 3,000)
5) An order was given to destroy 10 building in Dahya neighborhood
for every rocket lunch at Haifa.
6) Condi Rice will arrive for 24hr.

[tanks_alot]

Mornning new from Israel
1) IDF begins to isolate hezzbulah city (bint Jabel) from
other villiges in the area.
2) IDF shells bint Jabel
3) A loaded ready to go launchers (supposedly aiming at Haifa)
was destroyed 8 other lunchers also destroyed overnight.
4) 130 hezzbulla lunchers destroyed so far (out of perhaps 3,000)
5) An order was given to destroy 10 building in Dahya neighborhood
for every rocket lunch at Haifa.
6) Condi Rice will arrive for 24hr.

Link to number 5 please!!!

[One?]

08:16 IDF chief: For every Haifa attack, troops will strike 10 south Beirut houses (Haaretz)

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/ShTickers.html

[p$ycho+log!cal]

this `hit us and we destroy 10 of your buildings` is completly retarded and useless. terrorist dont give a **** if israelis kill 10920192 innocent in lebanon, its just what they want to get more recruits...

[Pandy]

this `hit us and we destroy 10 of your buildings` is completly retarded and useless. terrorist dont give a **** if israelis kill 10920192 innocent in lebanon, its just what they want to get more recruits...

Hezbollah is gonna destory lebanon by attackin israel.

[One?]

08:16 Six IDF soldiers lightly wounded in exchange of fire in Bint Jbeil (Haaretz)

[Olybrius]

this `hit us and we destroy 10 of your buildings` is completly retarded and useless. terrorist dont give a **** if israelis kill 10920192 innocent in lebanon, its just what they want to get more recruits...

i agree
and by acting like terrorists , Israel is giving more credibility to the Hezbollah

[marge]

Rice: Poor Syria Relationship Overstated
http://i1img.com/images/email_this_page_sm.gif (javascript:eMail_Friend(540, 540);) Email this Story (javascript:eMail_Friend(540, 540);)

Jul 24, 12:14 AM (ET)

By KATHERINE SHRADER
http://ak.imgfarm.com/images/ap/thumbnails//RICE_MIDEAST.sff_WHMC101_20060723162131.jpg (http://apnews1.iwon.com/image/20060723/RICE_MIDEAST.sff_WHMC101_20060723162131.html?date=20060724&docid=D8J24J003)(AP) Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, right, followed by unidentified security, leaves the White...
Full Image (http://apnews1.iwon.com/image/20060723/RICE_MIDEAST.sff_WHMC101_20060723162131.html?date=20060724&docid=D8J24J003)p {margin:12px 0px 0px 0px;}
SHANNON, Ireland (AP) - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Sunday the United States' poor relationship with Syria is overstated, pointing out that there are existing channels for talking with Syrian leaders about resolving the Mideast crisis when they're ready to talk.
En route to the region, Rice noted that the United States still has a diplomatic mission and State Department officials working in the Syrian capital. That presence, she said, is a "channel for dealing with Syria."
"The problem isn't that people haven't talked to the Syrians. It's that the Syrians haven't acted," she said. "I think this is simply just a kind of false hobby horse that somehow it's because we don't talk to the Syrians.
"It's not as if we don't have diplomatic relations," she said. "We do."
if ((typeof tag336_2) == 'function') {tag336_2();} http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/N447.iac.com/B1807696.3;abr=!ie4;abr=!ie5;sz=300x250;ord=441629502? (http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/)The State Department considers Syria one of the world's state sponsors of terror. In recent weeks, the Bush administration has blamed it, along with Iran, for stoking the recent violence in the Middle East by encouraging the Lebanese Hezbollah militia to attack northern Israel.
The U.S. ambassador to Damascus was recalled last year after the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri. Syrian officials have been blamed for the murder, which Damascus denies.
Rice's words to reporters on a flight from Washington to a refueling stop in Ireland came as she embarks on a difficult trip to the Middle East, where she will meet with key players trying to resolve the violence along the tense Lebanese-Israeli border.
And they came as Arab diplomats and analysts said Egypt and Saudi Arabia are working to entice Syria to end support for Hezbollah, a move that is central to resolving the conflict in Lebanon and unhitching Damascus from its alliance with Iran, the Shiite Muslim guerrillas' other main backer.
Arab diplomats in Cairo said the United States had signaled a willingness to re-engage Syria through Washington's encouragement of the Egyptians and Saudis to lean on Damascus to stop backing Hezbollah.
Speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensititity of talks, Egyptian diplomats told the AP in Cairo that the American readiness to engage Syria grew in part out of a visit to Washington last week by Egypt's chief of intelligence Omar Suleiman and Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit where they met with Rice and National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley.
"The two officials told the administration that the best way to solve this problem is through isolating Syria from Iran, the two main backers of Hezbollah and Hamas," said one diplomat. "The interests of those countries are not always compatible, and if Syria is given a carrot it could help solve the crisis, leaving Iran in the shadows."
In a brazen raid into Israel on July 12, Hezbollah killed eight and captured two Israeli soldiers, provoking Israel's biggest military campaign against Lebanon in 24 years. The fighting has left hundreds of civilians dead, mostly in Lebanon.
Rice is facing increasing international pressure to call for an immediate cease fire. Yet she and President Bush have resisted, saying that any peace agreement must come with right conditions to ensure that it is sustainable. They particularly want to see an agreement that would help Lebanon control its entire territory, including the southern third that is dominated by Hezbollah.
Arabic for "Party of God," Hezbollah is a Shiite Muslim political party with its own militia. Funded by Iran, Syria and other individual donors around the globe, it fills gaps left by Lebanon's weak government and provides the bulk of the health care, schools and other social services in southern Lebanon.
Yet Rice said any cease fire agreement would have to be signed by Lebanon, not Hezbollah.
"The last time that I looked, Hezbollah had even run for office as a part of the government of Lebanon," she said, referring to Hezbollah's presence in the Parliament.
"If there is a cessation of hostilities, the government of Lebanon is going to have to be the party," she said. "Let's treat the government of Lebanon as the sovereign government that it is."
Rice has tried to walk delicately between supporting the democratic government of Lebanon, while also not dictating to its ally Israel how it should handle its own security. Her posture has frustrated numerous allies.
"We all want to urgently end the fighting. We have absolutely the same goal," Rice said. But she added that if the violence ends only to restart within weeks, "then all of the carnage that Hezbollah launched by its illegal activities - abducting the soldiers and then launching rocket attacks - we will have gotten nothing from that."
Rice plans stops in Israel and then to Rome, where she will join a high-level conference of key players of the Middle East and the international community to focus on the political underpinnings of a potential cease fire. She's also focused on humanitarian aid for war-torn Lebanon.
Before departing Washington, Rice and Bush were joined by other senior administration officials at a White House meeting with Saudi leaders, who urged the United States to use its formidable clout with Israel to help end the fighting.
Rice said the Saudis are urging the international community to use the so-called Taif Agreement and a similar 2004 U.N. resolution as the foundation for peace. Taif calls for the government of Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah within six months and underscores that Syria should not be allowed "to constitute a source of threat to the security of Lebanon under any circumstances."
The Saudis have a special tie to Taif, because it gets its name from the Saudi city where the agreement was reached. Should it become a successful vehicle for peace, it would provide an Arab solution to the crisis hanging over Israel and Lebanon.
"We and the Saudis have the same goal," Rice said. "The Saudis talked a great deal about the importance of Taif and getting a solution that indeed does lead to the fulfillment of the obligations" under that 19-year-old agreement.
Rice also plans to attend an Asia regional forum in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Thursday and Friday, where North Korea's recent missile launches and nuclear program are expected to be on the forefront of the agenda. She has not ruled out returning to the Middle East on her way home, "if that would be necessary or helpful," she said.
--- Associated Press writers Steven R. Hurst and Salah Nasrawi in Cairo contributed to this report.

sounds good to me.

[Olybrius]

Rice: Conditions must be right for cease-fire

Top U.S. diplomat en route to Middle East

SHANNON, Ireland (CNN) -- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the need for a cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas is "urgent," but only when the conditions are right.

Rice spoke with reporters en route to the Middle East, where she is scheduled to meet with Israeli officials Monday evening.

"We believe that a cease-fire is urgent," Rice told reporters on a flight from Washington to a refueling stop in Ireland. "It is important, however, to have conditions that will make it sustainable."

Rice's visit follows trips to the region by European and U.N. diplomats who joined Lebanon's calls for a cease-fire. The United States has not called for an end to the fighting, arguing that leaving Hezbollah in place on Israel's northern border would only make further conflict inevitable.

Rice said she has been consulting with U.N. and Israeli officials about elements of a cease-fire that would ensure Lebanon had control of its country.

"The really important thing here is that whatever we do has to contribute to Lebanon's regaining sovereignty over all its territory," said Rice.

"It's just very important that we work urgently, but that we also work in a way that is going to push this forward, not backwards."

Rice is scheduled to visit Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Israel and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank. She will also attend an international conference in Rome, Italy, on crafting a peace agreement and shoring up Lebanon's government.

Rice does not plan to meet with Hezbollah or with Syrian leaders.

Marking the level of diplomatic leverage being applied to this trip, U.S. Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs David Welch and deputy national security advisor Elliot Abrams are traveling with Rice and will stay in the region as the secretary of state continues to Rome and Kuala Lumpur later in the week.

"We intend to treat the government of Lebanon with the respect that it deserves and also with the great desire ... to see it able to extend its sovereignty over its territory," Rice said.

Saudis urge cease-fire
Saudi Arabia's foreign minister said Sunday that he urged President Bush to call for a cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah.

Prince Saud al-Faisal met with Bush ahead of Rice's trip.

Al-Faisal said he brought a message from King Abdullah "about putting a stop to the bleeding in Lebanon."

"We requested a cease-fire to allow for the cessation of hostility, which would allow for the building of the forces of Lebanon in order to establish its sovereignty over the whole of its territory," he told reporters.

"We agree on the importance of stopping the fighting so the Lebanese government can extend its influence all over its territory," al-Faisal said. (Watch U.N. official shocked by damage in Beirut -- 3:05)

"We are not going to enter into details about this and I'm not going to say anything or be pushed into saying anything that would prejudice the secretary's trip and the negotiations that she is going to undertake."

Israeli artillery and warplanes have been pounding Lebanon since July 12, when Hezbollah killed three Israeli soldiers and kidnapped two others in a cross-border raid. Hezbollah also has fired hundreds of rockets into northern Israel. (Full story)

Lebanese authorities reported 271 dead since the conflict began. Israel says 17 of its civilians and 20 of its soldiers have died in the fighting.

Israel has said that its military operation is a temporary mission to dismantle the Hezbollah organization and that it does not plan to reoccupy southern Lebanon.

Israel open to peacekeeping force
Israel would accept a multinational peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon as a solution to the current crisis, Defense Minister Amir Peretz said on Sunday.

Peretz made the suggestion during a meeting with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, a Defense Ministry spokesman said.

The force would have to be strong, unlike the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon contingent now in southern Lebanon, the spokesman said. (Watch diplomats struggle to end conflict -- 2:10)

While the Saudis have joined other Arab countries in calling for a cease-fire, they also have been critical of Hezbollah for triggering the conflict. Al-Faisal said the central issue in the crisis is the weakness of Lebanon's government.

"This is what we both agreed was the primary concern of everybody, and everybody who needs to help, who must help, should help," he said.

He would not comment on a report that the Bush administration was asking his government and that of Egypt to pressure Syria and Iran, saying, "We only discussed strengthening Lebanon to extend its sovereignty over its territory."

The Bush administration has criticized Syria and Iran for their support of Hezbollah. (Full story)

The U.S. ambassador to Syria was withdrawn after the 2005 killing of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, a crime that U.N. investigators have linked to Syrian officials.

Syria's ambassador to the United States, Imad Moustapha, told CBS's "Face the Nation" on Sunday that Damascus would welcome direct talks with the United States on the current crisis.

"What we are calling for is de-escalation, diplomatic engagement and for the United States to restart playing the role it used to play in the past -- the role of the broker of peace," Moustapha said.

The Bush administration has argued that direct talks with Syria would be pointless.

But Sen. Christopher Dodd, a leading Democrat on the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, said the administration can't "outsource" its diplomacy. "We have too many issues that we have to resolve that involve the United States and other nations within the region and beyond that," he told CNN's "Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer."

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/07/24/mideast.diplomacy/index.html

[Argyll]

Israel faces fierce battles with Hezbollah By KATHY GANNON, Associated Press Writers
20 minutes ago

SIDON, Lebanon - Mideast diplomats were pressing Syria to stop backing Hezbollah as the guerrillas fired more deadly rockets onto Israel's third-largest city Sunday. Israel faced tougher-than-expected ground battles and bombarded targets in southern Lebanon, hitting a convoy of refugees.


Israel's defense minister said his country would accept an international force, preferably NATO, on its border after it drives back or weakens Hezbollah. But his troops described the militants they encountered as a smart, well-organized and ruthless guerrilla force whose fighters do not seem afraid to die.

Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah said in an interview published Monday an Israeli ground invasion would not prevent the Shiite militant group from firing rockets into Israel. But he said he was open to discussing initiatives.

With Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arriving in Israel on Monday, both the Arabs and Israelis appeared to be trying to set out positions ahead of Washington's first diplomatic mission to the region since the fighting began. Rice said Sunday the United States' poor relationship with Syria is overstated and indicated an openness to working with Damascus to resolve the crisis.

The United States backs Israel's refusal to talk about a cease-fire until it completes the military campaign against Hezbollah, but is under increasing pressure to foster a plan to end the growing suffering and destruction in Lebanon.

Still, daily casualty figures appeared to be falling — about nine confirmed Sunday by Lebanese security officials, compared with dozens each day earlier in the week. The decrease could be a result of the exodus from the hardest-hit areas or because of the difficulty in getting figures from the war zone.

In the 12th day of fighting, guerrillas launched more than a dozen rockets at the Israeli city of Haifa, killing two people. Israeli missiles struck a convoy of fleeing Lebanese, killing four people, including a journalist.

In the far south, fighting with Hezbollah raged around the Israeli military's foothold in Lebanon — the border village of Maroun al-Ras, where the Israeli army has maintained a significant presence since Saturday. But so far they were not advancing. Hezbollah reported three of its fighters killed.

Israeli military officials said their forces captured two Hezbollah guerrillas on Sunday. Israel Army Radio said they were the first prisoners Israel has taken in this offensive.

Arab heavyweights Egypt and Saudi Arabia were pushing Syria to end its support for the guerrillas, Arab diplomats in Cairo said.

A loss of Syria's support would deeply weaken Hezbollah, though its other ally, Iran, gives it a large part of its money and weapons. The two moderate Arab governments were prepared to spend heavily from Egypt's political capital in the region and Saudi Arabia's vast financial reserves to break Damascus from the guerrillas and Iran, the diplomats said.

Syria said it will press for a cease-fire to end the fighting — but only in the framework of a broader Middle East peace initiative that would include the return of the Golan Heights. Israel was unlikely to accept such terms but it was the first indication of Syria's willingness to be involved in efforts to defuse the crisis.

In Washington, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal asked President Bush to intervene.

"I have brought a letter from the Saudi King to stop the bleeding in Lebanon," Saud told reporters after the Oval Office meeting.

Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz said that once the offensive had gotten Hezbollah away from the border, his country would be willing to see an international force move in to help the Lebanese army deploy across the south, where the guerrillas have held sway for years.

"Israel's goal is to see the Lebanese army deployed along the border with Israel, but we understand that we are talking about a weak army and that in the midterm period Israel will have to accept a multinational force," Peretz told the Cabinet, suggesting NATO be in charge of the force.

President Bush's chief of staff, Josh Bolten, said the administration would be open to an international peacekeeping force but does not expect U.S. forces to participate in one.

Israeli troops returning from the front described Hezbollah guerrillas hiding among civilians and in underground bunkers two or three stories deep — evidence, they say, that Hezbollah has been planning this battle for many years.

"It's hard to beat them," one soldier said. "They're not afraid of anything."

The soldiers, most of whom declined to give their names under orders from superiors, described exchanges of gunfire in between houses on village streets, with Hezbollah guerrillas sometimes popping out of bushes to fire Kalashnikovs, rocket-propelled grenades and anti-tank missiles.

Peretz said Israel would not launch a full-fledged invasion.

Meanwhile, a campaign to get humanitarian aid into Lebanon was gearing up. Officials were trying to speed the delivery of food, medicines, blankets and generators down bomb-shattered roads to the south where they are needed most — though Israel has not defined a safe route to the region. Tens of thousands have fled the war zone, packing into the southern port city of Sidon and other areas.

The sea-lift evacuating Americans and Britons from Lebanon was nearing completion as more streamed out by ship from Beirut's port. Some 12,000 Americans and 4,500 British citizens have left. British officials said they had no more citizens asking to go.

The top U.N. humanitarian official, Jan Egeland, called for at least $100 million in immediate aid but said billions of dollars would be needed to repair the damage from a conflict that has stunned Lebanon just as it had emerged from reconstruction after years of civil war.

Egeland, on a mission to organize the aid effort, toured the rubble of Beirut's bombed-out southern suburbs, a once-teeming Shiite district where Hezbollah had its headquarters. He condemned civilian casualties on both sides but called Israel's offensive "disproportionate" and "a violation of international humanitarian law."

At least 381 people have been killed in Lebanon, including 20 soldiers and 11 Hezbollah fighters, according to security officials. At least 600,000 Lebanese have fled their homes, according to the World Health Organization. Lebanon's finance minister put the number at 750,000, nearly 20 percent of the population.

Israel's death toll stands at 36, with 17 people killed by Hezbollah rockets and 19 soldiers killed in the fighting, which began when the guerrillas snatched two Israeli soldiers and killed eight others in a brazen cross-border raid July 12.

Lebanese Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh said the two captured Israelis are in "good health." He said he was basing his assessment on what Nasrallah has said. Soon after Hezbollah captured the soldiers on July 12, Nasrallah said they were in a safe location.

The city of Sidon was chaotic, teeming with 35,000 refugees from the south. Cars were parked four deep along streets near schools and the municipality building where families sought housing.

A mosque run by Hezbollah lay in ruins from Israeli strikes the night before, which raised worries that Sidon — about 20 miles south of Beirut — was no longer the safe haven it has been.

But there was no mass flight out of the city of 100,000. Instead, Sidon tried to absorb all the new people.

The bombardment across the south grew, with more than 120 targets attacked, according to the Israeli military.

A convoy of nearly 70 people fleeing Tairi — a border village Israel warned residents to evacuate a day earlier_ was driving with Lebanese Red Cross ambulances when missiles hit nearby, some of the ambulance drivers told journalists in the port city of Tyre, where the wounded were taken.

A minibus was struck, knocking a hole in the roof and killing three people and wounding 16 — including 10 women and four children, said Hassan Nasreddine, an International Red Cross doctor who arrived at the scene soon afterward and saw the bodies.

Layal Nejib, a photographer for a Lebanese magazine, was also killed as her taxi approached the convoy, said her driver, who escaped unharmed. The 23-year-old Nejib, a photographer for Al-Jaras magazine, which confirmed her death, was the first journalist killed in the Israeli campaign.

Outside Tyre, a bombardment left another victim: an 8-year-old boy.

[DeltaWhisky58]

Rice arrives in Lebanese capital

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41922000/jpg/_41922254_rest-ap-203x300.jpg
Israelis are hinting at reassessing their aims

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has arrived in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, at the start of a Middle East tour to discuss the regional crisis.

She is expected to meet Lebanese leaders, including PM Fouad Siniora.
En route from Washington, Ms Rice said there was an "urgent" need for a ceasefire in Lebanon - but that conditions had to be right.
Ms Rice said there must be no place for "terrorist groups" like Hezbollah to launch attacks from Lebanese territory.
Ms Rice will later head to Israel to meet Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
Heavy fighting is reported in southern Lebanon, amid further Israeli air strikes and Hezbollah rocket attacks.
At least 362 Lebanese, the great majority civilians, have been killed during the conflict, which is now into its 13th day. Thirty-seven Israelis have been killed, about half of them civilians.
The Israeli offensive began after Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid on 12 July.

Lebanese 'let down'

During her plane journey from Washington, Ms Rice told reporters Hezbollah must no longer be allowed to "plunge Lebanon and the region into war".
"It is very important to establish conditions under which a ceasefire can take place," she said.

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gifhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/06/middle_east_living_with_conflict/img/laun.jpg (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/06/middle_east_living_with_conflict/html/1.stm)
Images from Israel and Lebanon
http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/inline_dashed_line.gif

"It is important to have conditions that will make it also sustainable."
But Ms Rice's admission that an end to the fighting is "urgently" wanted marks a shift from previous statements in which she said an immediate ceasefire would only offer "false promise", say correspondents.
In a policy change, Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said Israel would be prepared to accept a European peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon providing it is robust and has a strong mandate.

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gifhttp://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/start_quote_rb.gif Israel is acting with tremendous restraint, were they targeting civilian populations there would be thousands upon thousands dead http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/end_quote_rb.gif
Steve Gross, Amherst MA (USA)

The Israelis are hinting at a more realistic assessment of what they can achieve through the application of brute force alone, BBC diplomatic correspondent Paul Adams reports from Jerusalem.
The BBC's Kim Ghattas, in Beirut, says Lebanon has felt let down by the international community because there has been no call for an unconditional ceasefire.
However, Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora has also said there would be no return to the status quo before the violence started. And he insisted the Lebanese government was trying to extend its authority over the whole of the country.

Fierce fighting

Meanwhile, fighting between Israeli soldiers and Lebanese fighters continues on the ground.
Having captured the village of Maroun al-Ras in the very south of Lebanon, Israeli forces appear to be pushing northwards, reports the BBC's Bethany Bell, and fierce clashes are reported near the town of Bincha Bail.

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gifhttp://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41922000/gif/_41922140_leb_tyre_sidon_203.gif
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/inline_dashed_line.gif

Mid-East crisis map (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/629/629/5177932.stm)


An army spokesman says there were several Israeli casualties overnight, but gave no details.
The army says there were some 40 air strikes on targets in Lebanon overnight, while about 90 Hezbollah rockets landed in Israel over the last day.
Despite the diplomatic moves, Israeli Brig Gen Alon Friedman told Israel Army Radio the ground operation would likely go on for another 10 days.
Correspondents say the US is unlikely to push for an immediate end to the Israeli assault, and one aim of Ms Rice's trip is to assess how much time is needed for Israel to make a significant impact on Hezbollah capability.

Nasrallah confident

Israel, which pulled out of southern Lebanon in 2000, has vowed to destroy Hezbollah's ability to launch rockets at its territory.
But Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah said an Israeli invasion of southern Lebanon would not succeed.
"Any Israeli incursion will not have political results unless it achieves any of the announced goals, most importantly to stop the bombardment of Zionist settlements," he told As-Safir newspaper.
"I assure you that this will goal will not be achieved."
In other developments:

Israel said it has captured two Hezbollah militants
News agency AP quoted Lebanese security officials as saying 20 Lebanese soldiers and 11 Hezbollah fighters have been killed so far
Arabic news channel al-Jazeera reported an Israeli soldier was killed during fighting with Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon on Monday
An Italian warship carrying humanitarian supplies arrived in Beirut
Saudi Arabia urged Washington to press for a ceasefire.BBC News Online (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/5209778.stm)

[DeltaWhisky58]

Blair facing pressure over Israel

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41922000/jpg/_41922370_tyreap203b.jpg
Israel has been criticised over its military strategy

Prime Minister Tony Blair is coming under pressure from within his own party to take a tougher stance with Israel over its bombing of Lebanon.

Labour MP Andrew Love said some in the Cabinet wanted a "more robust attitude" from Mr Blair over the crisis.
Iraqi leader Nuri Maliki is also expected to criticise UK Middle East policy when he meets the PM later.
It comes after Foreign Office minister Kim Howells, who is in the region for talks, criticised Israel's tactics.
At least 362 Lebanese, many of them civilians, and 37 Israelis - about half of them civilians - have been killed since the violence erupted 13 days ago.

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gifhttp://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/start_quote_rb.gif We must have a much more robust attitude towards what is happening in the Middle East http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/end_quote_rb.gif
Andrew Love


Mr Love, who chairs the all-party parliamentary Lebanon group, told the BBC: "I agree with those in the Cabinet who are saying we must have a much more robust attitude towards what is happening in the Middle East.
"You cannot have attacks on civilian infrastructure, over 370 people die, without that being a disproportionate response to what has happened in the Middle East and I think the prime minister needs to say that."

Peace

Mr Love added: "I think he also needs to say that to allow this to go on for another week or 10 days is simply storing up further problems in the Middle East."
Mr Howells, who has met senior ministers from Lebanon and Israel, will meet more key figures on Monday.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will also be arriving in the region later for talks.
Over the weekend, Mr Howells became the first UK minister to condemn Israel's actions, saying its bombing campaign was killing too many civilians.
Downing Street said then that the prime minister would stand by Mr Howells' comments Mr Howells, adding the British government had "always urged restraint on Israel".
And Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett called for "extreme caution" on both sides of the crisis.
Israel's ambassador to the UK has insisted his country has the right to defend itself. Zvi Heifetz told a rally of about 7,500 British Jews in north London on Sunday that Israel had the backing of the international community in its struggle with Hezbollah.
Mr Maliki is to meet Mr Blair at Downing Street later for talks which are expected to be dominated by the prospects for peace and stability in Iraq.
Iraq remains in the grip of sectarian violence and some commentators have suggested it is sliding towards civil war. Mr Maliki will move on from London to Washington, where he will meet US President George W Bush and address Congress.

BBC News Online (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/5208912.stm)

[Snoshi]

IDF confirmed that an AH-64 crashed near Tzfat. The reason behind the crash was that it tripped electric wires. 6 soldiers were wounded in the incident

[Clearday-TRForce]

A Turkish ship set out yesterday to evacuate some 1,300 Turks stranded in war-torn Lebanon, the largest group of Turkish evacuees since the beginning of the Israeli bombardment.

The ship will pick up the Turkish evacuees in Lebanon today and then return to Mersin.

Hundreds of Turks are fleeing from Lebanon by private cars, taxis or buses charted by the Turkish Embassy in Beirut. Some 206 people, most of whom were Turks, have come to Turkey by buses chartered by the Turkish Embassy, while 104 Turks left Lebanon by their own means, according to data from Foreign Ministry officials as of last Friday.

As the evacuation picks up pace Turkey continues to be a major destination for foreign nationals leaving Lebanon. Hundreds of foreigners were whisked away to the Turkish port of Mersin, as Turkey stepped in to share the burden with Greek Cyprus struggling to cope with the huge wave of evacuees after the Israeli bombings.

Turkish authorities, in coordination with relevant units, have already made necessary arrangements to help foreign nationals safely return to their own countries via Turkey.

About 250 Australians who were evacuated from Lebanon by ferry boat arrived at the port of Mersin early yesterday, increasing the number of Australian citizens who reached Turkey to about 700, news reports said yesterday.

The foreign evacuees arriving in Mersin are being greeted with flowers. Australian Ambassador to Ankara Jean Dunn was in Mersin to see the ferry arrive and thanked the Turkish authorities for helping the group to safety.

“We are seeing in Mersin remarkable support and friendship from the people and government of Turkey,” Dunn was quoted as saying by the Anatolia news agency. “Without the help of Turkey we might not have been able to effect this evacuation operation.”

Besides the Australians, some 1,500 Canadians, about 500 Swedes and smaller numbers of Argentineans, Brazilians, Germans, Lebanese, Mexicans, New Zealanders and U.S. nationals have transited through Turkey.

-Turkish Daily News




best wishes,
CDTRF

[Clearday-TRForce]

FLASH NEWS

About 1,800 Australians, Canadians and Swedes arrived in Turkey Monday in the latest wave of evacuations from war-torn Lebanon.

-Turkish Daily News (Flash News Section)


wow...so much...

[DeltaWhisky58]

Please quote sources in posts.

N.B. Clearday-TRForce

[Clearday-TRForce]

Latest Photos from Mersin Harbour - Turkey, Thousands People escape from Lebanon, arrived Turkey


http://aafoto.anadoluajansi.com.tr/getFileServlet?sfx=2&arcId=539204
http://aafoto.anadoluajansi.com.tr/getFileServlet?sfx=2&arcId=539184

Turkish Underwater Demolition Teams wait for refugees escaped from Lebanon carried by Turkish Firgate TCG Iskenderun
http://aafoto.anadoluajansi.com.tr/getFileServlet?sfx=2&arcId=539225
http://aafoto.anadoluajansi.com.tr/getFileServlet?sfx=2&arcId=539199
http://aafoto.anadoluajansi.com.tr/getFileServlet?sfx=2&arcId=539266
http://aafoto.anadoluajansi.com.tr/getFileServlet?sfx=2&arcId=539202
http://aafoto.anadoluajansi.com.tr/getFileServlet?sfx=2&arcId=539197
http://aafoto.anadoluajansi.com.tr/getFileServlet?sfx=2&arcId=539198
http://aafoto.anadoluajansi.com.tr/getFileServlet?sfx=2&arcId=539195
http://aafoto.anadoluajansi.com.tr/getFileServlet?sfx=2&arcId=539178
http://aafoto.anadoluajansi.com.tr/getFileServlet?sfx=2&arcId=538277
http://aafoto.anadoluajansi.com.tr/getFileServlet?sfx=2&arcId=539241
http://aafoto.anadoluajansi.com.tr/getFileServlet?sfx=2&arcId=539182

Also, US Trenton Ship arrived Turkey with thousands people
http://aafoto.anadoluajansi.com.tr/getFileServlet?sfx=2&arcId=539112

People who escaped from Lebanon brought to Military Airbase - Turkey
http://aafoto.anadoluajansi.com.tr/getFileServlet?sfx=2&arcId=538915

[Climber]

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j253/bonington/548724.jpg

[Climber]

The above Pic is from *******. A Golani infantryman is extricated from a Merkava tank after suffering injuries in his legs.

[Kaplanr]

Last update - 14:59 24/07/2006

Hizbollah envoy in Iran says will leave 'no place' safe for Israelis.

By Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondent and *******


The Hezbollah representative in Iran struck a defiant tone Monday, warning that his militant group plans to widen its attacks on Israel until "no place" is safe for Israelis.

"We are going to make Israel not safe for Israelis. There will be no place they are safe," Hossein Safiadeen told a conference that included the Tehran-based representative of the Palestinian group Hamas and the ambassadors from Lebanon, Syria and the Palestinian Authority.

"You will see a new Middle East in the way of Hezbollah and Islam, not in the way of Rice and Israel," Safiadeen said. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made a surprise visit to Beirut on Tuesday while en route to Israel.

Safiadeen reinforced earlier threats by Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah to widen their attacks, which have included unprecedented missile strikes deep into northern Israel.

The comments by Safiadeen reflected the deep opposition within Hezbollah to the efforts to broker a truce to halt the two-week fighting, including apparent attempts by Arab powers to pressure Syria into ending its support for Hezbollah and leave Iran as its lone major backer.

Iran and Syria are the main sources of funds and equipment for Hezbollah, which was founded in the early 1980s and took inspiration from Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Syria said Sunday it was willing to work with the United States and others to press for an end to the worst Arab-Israel battles in 24 years - but set conditions that Israel is unlikely to accept. They include a broader regional peace initiative that would discuss return of the Golan Heights, which was captured by Israel in 1967.

Arab powerhouses Egypt and Saudi Arabia also were pushing Syria to end its support for Hezbollah fighters, Arab diplomats in Cairo said.

Safiadeen told The Associated Press he "had no news" about Syria considering withdrawing its support for Hezbollah, which touched off the crisis July 12 with a cross-border raid that captured two Israeli soldiers.

"We will expand attacks," he said. "The people who came to Israel, (they) moved there to live, not to die. If we continue to attack, they will leave."

Israel claims Iran has supplied Hezbollah with long-range missiles, which have hit the port of Haifa and other places. Iran denies the charges, but it does not hide its high-level support for Hezbollah. Among those attending Monday's conference was a top Foreign Ministry official and Gen. Mirfaisal Bagherzadeh of the powerful Revolutionary Guards.

"This war will be remembered as the beginning of the end for Israel," Safiadeen said.

The Palestinian ambassador, Salah Zavavi, said he believes the chances for a comprehensive political solution have passed. Israel is also battling in the Gaza Strip against militiamen backed by Hamas, which claims to hold an Israeli soldier following an ambush last month. Hamas won Palestinian parliamentary elections last month, but has been snubbed by Israel and many Western countries.

"The resistance groups will not accept a political end to this," he said. "They will not put down their weapons."

Nasrallah: IDF incursions won't stop rocket fire
Israel Defense Forces incursions in south Lebanon would not stop Hezbollah from firing rockets into northern Israel, the Lebanese guerrilla group's leader, Sheikh Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, said in remarks published on Monday.

"Any Israeli incursion will not have political results unless it achieves any of the announced goals, most importantly to stop the bombardment of Zionist settlements ... and I assure you that this will goal will not be achieved," he told Lebanon's As-Safir daily newspaper.

Nasrallah was also quoted as saying Hezbollah would not object if the Lebanese government were to negotiate a prisoner swap, under which Hezbollah freed the two IDF soldiers it captured two weeks ago in return for Lebanese and Arab prisoners in Israeli jails.

Peres visits family of captured IDF soldier
Vice Preimer Shimon Peres on Monday visited the Nahariya family of IDF soldier Ehud Goldwasser, one of the soldiers abducted by Hezbollah on July 12. After the visit, Peres said all signs within the Israeli government indicated that the three soldiers captured in Lebanon and Gaza seem to be alive and well.

Lebanon's Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh said on Sunday that the two Israel Defense Forces soldiers abducted July 12 by Hezbollah were in 'good' condition.

Goldwasser's father, Shlomo, dismissed Salloukh's statement as "baseless claim."

"He doesn't know anything. Even if we are talking about a foreign minister, he hasn't seen them or met them, so I doubt the authenticity of this declaration," said Shlomo Goldwasser.

Salloukh commented on the two soldiers' health after a meeting with Peter Witting, special envoy of the German government to the region, saying: "Like the Hezbollah secretary general, Hassan Nasrallah, said the two prisoners are in good health and are safe."

In reality, however, Nasrallah has not discussed the condition of the two soldiers in public since their abduction, and therefore that statement may not be entirely accurate.

[alexz]

Golani officer told NRG (maariv daily) that over night 35 hezzbulla
fighter were killed, 15 by his troops and 20 by choppers.
The hezbullah fought well and was organized, "this is not Gaza"
he said. IDF SF are not enetering the town, IDf tanks are trying to flash
out the AT teams and some were diretly hit after the house they were hiding
suffered a direct hit by an IAF chopper.
According to the officer, 100 fighter are still in the town.

[BPEL]

19:06 Seven Lebanese civilians, including two children, killed by IDF; 42 wounded (AFP)

[BPEL]

19:20 Two IAF pilots killed in Monday afternoon Apache helicopter crash (Haaretz)

[alexz]

IDF officer tells Israeli army radio that the hezzbullah uses Syrian
The 9K115 Metis anti tank weapons.

[saigonsmuggler]

haaretz is now reporting that the Apache crashed this morning maybe due to Hezbollah fire. Though the crash was initially thought to have been caused when the helicopter hit power lines, a preliminary investigation revealed this was likely not the cause.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/742148.html

[BPEL]

Rice finally sets out in search of ceasefire formula

Twelve days into conflict, with mounting criticism of Israeli ferocity, US secretary of state embarks on peace talks

Ewen MacAskill, Ian Black in Jerusalem and Brian Whitaker in Beirut
Monday July 24, 2006
The Guardian

The US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, embarked last night on a mission to the Middle East to stitch together a peace plan, even as Israel came under increasing criticism over the humanitarian crisis enveloping Lebanon.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/syria/stor...827437,00.html (http://www.guardian.co.uk/syria/story/0,,1827437,00.html)

[ed316]

MEMRI TV just posted a clip of Nasrallah telling Al Jazeera three days ago … that people in the Lebanese government knew Hezbollah was planning to kidnap Israeli soldiers.http://switch5.castup.net/frames/20041020_MemriTV_Popup/video_480x360.asp?ai=214&ar=1200wmv&ak=null

[Ea$y-8]

Rice Pays Surprise Visit to Beirut
Associated Press | July 24, 2006

BEIRUT, Lebanon - In a surprise visit to Beirut, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice praised the beleaguered prime minister of Lebanon on Monday for his courage in struggling to contain the fighting between the Hezbollah militia and Israel.

Rice met with Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora, who greeted her with a kiss on both cheeks. Rice told him, "Thank you for your courage and steadfastness."

Saniora told Rice he was glad to have her in Lebanon, adding that his government is looking to "put an end to the war that is being inflicted on Lebanon." The two shook hands across a conference table on which there were two flags, one Lebanese and one American. Half a dozen other diplomats sat around the table.

Rice also paid a short visit to the speaker of Lebanon's parliament, Nabih Berri, an ally of Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah. Going into the session at Berri's lavish office and residence, Rice said, "I am deeply concerned about the Lebanese people and what they are enduring. I am obviously concerned about the humanitarian situation."

Rice said President Bush wanted her to make Lebanon the first stop on her trip to the region. It was her third visit to Lebanon and was intended to make a show of support and concern for both the Saniora government and the Lebanese people, administration officials said.

Saniora and other Lebanese officials have been pushing Rice to call for an immediate cease-fire, something the Bush administration has resisted on grounds that would not address the root causes of hostilities - Hezbollah's domination of south Lebanon.

"We all want to urgently end the fighting. We have absolutely the same goal," Rice told reporters traveling with her.

She is also seeking more humanitarian aid for Lebanon, and is expected to announce additional U.S. financial aid. But her mission took a dramatic turn with her surprise arrival here under stringent security.

Under heavy guard, Rice flew by helicopter over the Mediterranean from Cyprus. Her motorcade sped through Beirut on the way to her meeting with Saniora.

R. Nicholas Burns, U.S. undersecretary of state for political affairs, said Monday that Rice will seek to use "our influence to see if there can be a cessation of hostilities."

However, he told CBS' "The Early Show," any cease-fire would have to be long-lasting and involve a removal of Hezbollah rockets on the Israeli-Lebanese border and a return of Israeli soldiers taken captive.

En route to the region, Rice discussed the role of Syria, which the U.S. considers one of the world's state sponsors of terror. In recent weeks, the Bush administration has blamed it, along with Iran, for stoking the recent violence in the Middle East by encouraging the Lebanese Hezbollah militia to attack northern Israel.

Rice pointed out that there are existing channels for talking with Syrian leaders about resolving the Mideast crisis when they're ready to talk.

"The problem isn't that people haven't talked to the Syrians. It's that the Syrians haven't acted," she said. "I think this is simply just a kind of false hobby horse that somehow it's because we don't talk to the Syrians.

Egypt and Saudi Arabia are working to entice Syria to end support for Hezbollah, a move that is central to resolving the conflict in Lebanon and unhitching Damascus from its alliance with Iran, the Shiite Muslim guerrillas' other main backer.

Arab diplomats in Cairo said the United States had signaled a willingness to re-engage Syria through Washington's encouragement of the Egyptians and Saudis to lean on Damascus to stop backing Hezbollah.

In a brazen raid into Israel on July 12, Hezbollah killed eight and captured two Israeli soldiers, provoking Israel's biggest military campaign against Lebanon in 24 years. The fighting has left hundreds of civilians dead, mostly in Lebanon.

Rice and President Bush have resisted pressure for an immediate cease-fire, saying that any peace agreement must come with right conditions to ensure that it is sustainable. They particularly want to see an agreement that would help Lebanon control its entire territory, including the southern third that is dominated by Hezbollah.

Arabic for "Party of God," Hezbollah is a Shiite Muslim political party with its own militia. Funded by Iran, Syria and other individual donors around the globe, it fills gaps left by Lebanon's weak government and provides the bulk of the health care, schools and other social services in southern Lebanon.

Yet Rice said any cease fire agreement would have to be signed by Lebanon, not Hezbollah.

"If there is a cessation of hostilities, the government of Lebanon is going to have to be the party," she said. "Let's treat the government of Lebanon as the sovereign government that it is."

Rice has tried to walk delicately between supporting the democratic government of Lebanon, while also not dictating to its ally Israel how it should handle its own security. Her posture has frustrated numerous allies.

http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,106710,00.html

[tanks_alot]

Day of fighting in south Lebanon: 2 IDF soldiers KIA near the town of Bint Jbeil, 2 pilots die in a helicopter crash after hiting a power line, many Hezbollah members hit.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3280436,00.html

[saigonsmuggler]

The two IDF sodiers died today were tankers - RIP. One is from an anti-tank missile and another from an IED.


The harsh battle occurred near Bint Jbeil, which is considered "Hizbullah's capital" in southern Lebanon. An officer in the armor's Battalion 52 was killed during the battles after an anti-tank missile hit a Merkava tank. The tank entered the area in order to rescue fighters who were hurt in the fighting against Hizbullah.

Almost simultaneously, another of the battalion's tanks went over a powerful landmine, killing a soldier. The battalion's commander was moderately injured and another officer was seriously injured in the tank.


Were these Merkava Mk4s? This could be the first known instance of a Merk 4 penetrated by an anti-tank missile.



the commander of the armor's Battalion 52, Lieutenant-General Guy, who was moderately wounded , and the battalion's deputy assistant chief of staff, who was seriously wounded.


This is from the tank that drove over the IED (1 death, 2 injuries). :(

[Climber]

It's Lieutenant Colonel (Sgan Aluf) not Lieutenant General.

And I think those are M4. They are applying additional armor under the Tanks against IED's.

The AT's fired at the other M4 were at least 4 by some reports I saw.

[alexz]

Little FYI, the Israelis are calling it operation iron spider web.
6 years ago Nassralah had his famous speech in bint jabel
proclaiming Israel is as weak as a spider web. As you now bint Jabel
is the center of the IDF attemtion in the coming days.

[Snoshi]

Accoring to IDF officers between 20 and 25 Hizbullah fighters were killed

[Clearday-TRForce]

Mersin, TURKEY: US nationals evacuated from Beirut wait onboard the USS Trenton in the port of Mersin, Turkey's Mediterranean coastal city. The USS Trenton arrived in Turkish coasts with some 1,641 evacuees on board, mostly US citizens, who fled the conflict in Lebanon

the US government said 22 July. US warships, helicopters and chartered commercial vessels were transporting American nationals from Lebanon to Turkey, the State Department and the Pentagon said.

http://cache.*****images.com/xc/71509848.jpg?v=1&c=MS_GINS&k=2&d=08A8BA3C818346D0684166AC732C5B8C
http://cache.*****images.com/xc/71509803.jpg?v=1&c=MS_GINS&k=2&d=08A8BA3C818346D07FF840FE4E175BFD
http://cache.*****images.com/xc/71509802.jpg?v=1&c=MS_GINS&k=2&d=08A8BA3C818346D07BD5F47BA8070824

Turkish Special Forces SAT escorted foreign nationals fleeing Lebanon aboard Turkish Navy Ferry 'Iskenderun', July 24, 2006 in Beirut, Lebanon
http://cache.*****images.com/xc/71509020.jpg?v=1&c=MS_GINS&k=2&d=17A4AD9FDB9CF19390335F8FA9CA92A6B23194E8C82FF5F4A55A1E4F32AD3138
http://cache.*****images.com/xc/71508700.jpg?v=1&c=MS_GINS&k=2&d=08A8BA3C818346D087B10DD171CB32A8
http://cache.*****images.com/xc/71509013.jpg?v=1&c=MS_GINS&k=2&d=17A4AD9FDB9CF19390335F8FA9CA92A6DE9F9B79CD246473C7631F868A8C7D54


-photos by *****images



regards,
CDTRF

[Snoshi]

Al-Jazeera:The Israeli army says it captured the House Jbeil in southern Lebanon

[Snoshi]

IDF sources report that the Hizbullah "capital" Binat Jabil have been taken by IDF. The town is completely surrounded and key spots are taken by IDF.

IDF says that in the night time IDF did not suffer any casulties while Hizbullah suffered heavy losses and some of them were captured.


Al-Jazeera

Newsru.co.il

[Argyll]

guys can you please provide links to your news, that way we know it came from "official sources"

[NimDod]

Report: Nasrallah’s banks bombed

NBC reports IDF bombed Lebanese banks holding Hizbullah money in framework of Israel’s attempt to destroy terror group’s financial infrastructure

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3280926,00.html

[Argyll]

along with ordinary Lebanese citizens savings......that has to be the dumbest thing I've heard yet, they could freeze assets......bombing banks makes no sense

[DeltaWhisky58]

Saigonsmuggler/Climber - this is not a discussion thread - NEWS only please with sources in all cases.

[Climber]

Saigonsmuggler/Climber - this is not a discussion thread - NEWS only please with sources in all cases.

I am sorry.

[DeltaWhisky58]

Rice in Mid-East diplomacy push

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41926000/jpg/_41926596_afp203bodycamp.jpg
Israel has continued to bombard southern Lebanon

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has held talks in Jerusalem with Israeli PM Ehud Olmert as she seeks to ease Israel's conflict with Lebanon.

As the talks began, Mr Olmert declared there would be no let up in the campaign against Hezbollah militants.
Mr Olmert said he was "very conscious" of the humanitarian needs of Lebanon's civilians, but insisted Israel was defending itself against terrorism.
Israeli troops are battling Hezbollah militants in Bint Jbeil inside Lebanon.
Israel's military says its troops and tanks have completely sealed off the border town, a Hezbollah stronghold which has been the scene of a fierce battle since the Israelis took the nearby village of Maroun al-Ras on Saturday.

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gifhttp://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41924000/gif/_41924676_leb_is_gaz_launch_map203.gif
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/inline_dashed_line.gif

Mid-East crisis map (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/629/629/5177932.stm)
UN in Lebanon aid appeal (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/5211958.stm)


A number of Hezbollah militants are believed to be holding out in the town.
Israel has been carrying out heavily shelling, but Hezbollah guerrillas are still managing to fire their Katyusha rockets back at the Israeli positions.
Meanwhile, Haifa, Israel's third largest city, has been hit by at least a dozen rockets fired from inside Lebanon.
The Lebanese coastal city of Tyre has seen heavy Israeli bombardment of the hills south of the city both from Israel and from the sea.
Further north, seven members of one family, including two children, were killed in an overnight air strike in the town of Nabatiyeh.

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41927000/jpg/_41927056_get203bodyrice.jpg
Ms Rice had not been expected to openly criticise Israel

Mr Olmert said Israel was not at war with the Lebanese people, but with Hezbollah, which he described as a terrorist organisation, insisting that Israel would take the "most severe measures" against it.
Correspondents say that Ms Rice was unlikely to have called for an end to Israel's military offensive during her talks with the Israeli leader.
The BBC's World Affairs Editor John Simpson, in Jerusalem, says it was understood that Ms Rice would tell Israel that the US will allow it more time to continue its military operations.

'Durable solution'

Ms Rice has, however, been highlighting the need for Israel to consider the humanitarian needs of both Lebanon and the Palestinian people.
"The people of this region, Israeli, Lebanese, indeed Palestinian have lived too long in fear and in terror and in violence," she said.

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gifhttp://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/start_quote_rb.gif Israel is acting with tremendous restraint, were they targeting civilian populations there would be thousands upon thousands dead http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/end_quote_rb.gifSteve Gross, US


"A durable solution will be one that strengthens the forces of peace and democracy in this region. It is time for a new Middle East, it is time to say to those who do not want a different kind of Middle East that we will prevail; they will not."
Following her surprise visit to Beirut on Monday, in which she held talks with Lebanon's Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, she has been stressing the importance that innocent civilians should not be harmed.
But correspondents say there is disappointment in Lebanon that the talks between Ms Rice and Mr Siniora did not result in more concrete action and calls for an immediate ceasefire.
Following her meeting with Mr Olmert, Ms Rice travelled to the West Bank town of Ramallah for talks with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

'Hezbollah cowardice'

Some 380 Lebanese and up to 40 Israelis have died in nearly two weeks of conflict, which began after Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid on 12 July.

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gifhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/06/middle_east_battle_for_south_lebanon/img/laun.jpg (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/06/middle_east_battle_for_south_lebanon/html/1.stm)
Israeli troops push into Lebanon as their offensive continues
http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/inline_dashed_line.gif


The UN's aid chief Jan Egeland has accused Israel of using excessive force, but on Monday he accused Hezbollah of contributing to the problem by what he called "cowardly blending in among women and children".
"I heard there was a statement they were proud they had lost very few fighters, and that it was the civilians bearing the brunt of this. I don't think you want to be proud of having many more children and women than armed men [killed]," Mr Egeland said, speaking in Beirut.
Israel has recently signalled that it would be prepared to see a strengthened international peacekeeping force sent into southern Lebanon. But correspondents say there is still plenty of scepticism about whether such a force would have the mandate and the political backing to take on Hezbollah.

BBC News Online (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5212158.stm)

[DeltaWhisky58]

Blair facing pressure over Israel

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41922000/jpg/_41922370_tyreap203b.jpg
Israel has been criticised over its military strategy

Prime Minister Tony Blair is coming under pressure from within his own party to take a tougher stance with Israel over its bombing of Lebanon.

Labour MP Andrew Love said some in the Cabinet wanted a "more robust attitude" from Mr Blair over the crisis.
Iraqi leader Nuri Maliki is also expected to criticise UK Middle East policy when he meets the PM later.
It comes after Foreign Office minister Kim Howells, who is in the region for talks, criticised Israel's tactics.
At least 362 Lebanese, many of them civilians, and 37 Israelis - about half of them civilians - have been killed since the violence erupted 13 days ago.

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gifhttp://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/start_quote_rb.gif We must have a much more robust attitude towards what is happening in the Middle East http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/end_quote_rb.gif
Andrew Love

Mr Love, who chairs the all-party parliamentary Lebanon group, told the BBC: "I agree with those in the Cabinet who are saying we must have a much more robust attitude towards what is happening in the Middle East.
"You cannot have attacks on civilian infrastructure, over 370 people die, without that being a disproportionate response to what has happened in the Middle East and I think the prime minister needs to say that."

Peace

Mr Love added: "I think he also needs to say that to allow this to go on for another week or 10 days is simply storing up further problems in the Middle East."
Mr Howells, who has met senior ministers from Lebanon and Israel, will meet more key figures on Monday.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will also be arriving in the region later for talks.
Over the weekend, Mr Howells became the first UK minister to condemn Israel's actions, saying its bombing campaign was killing too many civilians.
Downing Street said then that the prime minister would stand by Mr Howells' comments, adding that the British government had "always urged restraint on Israel".
And Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett called for "extreme caution" on both sides of the crisis.
Israel's ambassador to the UK has insisted his country has the right to defend itself. Zvi Heifetz told a rally of about 7,500 British Jews in north London on Sunday that Israel had the backing of the international community in its struggle with Hezbollah.
Mr Maliki is to meet Mr Blair at Downing Street later for talks which are expected to be dominated by the prospects for peace and stability in Iraq.
Iraq remains in the grip of sectarian violence and some commentators have suggested it is sliding towards civil war. Mr Maliki will move on from London to Washington, where he will meet US President George W Bush and address Congress.

BBC News Online (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/5208912.stm)

[RP]

Teenage girl killed in rocket attack

(VIDEO) 15 year-old girl killed when rocket strikes Druze village of Mrar, near Carmiel; earlier Haifa's downtown area struck by number of rockets; 14 people injured - three moderately. Nahariya, Ma'alot also targeted. Magen David Adom paramedics treat two shock victims in Safed. Two additional barrages land in open territories in Upper Galilee...
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3280954,00.html

[DeltaWhisky58]

Israelis accused of 'human shields' tactic

By Lucy Williamson
BBC News, Gaza
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/999999.gif

The Israeli army has been accused of using Palestinian civilians as human shields in an operation in northern Gaza.
According to the Israeli human rights group, B'tselem, six civilians including two minors were subjected to the illegal tactic during an incursion into the town of Beit Hanoun last week.

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41927000/jpg/_41927292_hazemhouse203.jpg
Hazem Ali says he was subjected to a terrifying 12-hour ordeal

There are piles of rubble leading up to the hole in Hazem Ali's house.
It's a week since Israel came into Beit Hanoun, but the gash in the side of his house is still raw, the soft inside of family life still visible through the lumps of concrete hanging from the wall. A broken bed; a few girders dripping onto it; an elegant wardrobe still standing against the back wall.
It was soon after dawn when the Israeli army bulldozed their way in. Hazem was still sleeping, taking a break from his job as an engineer with the local Palestinian news agency.

'Blindfolded'

It was his mother who met them in the hallway, Israeli soldiers in a Palestinian home. Behind her, Hazem and his two brothers emerged, one by one.
The three brothers were blindfolded, says Hazem, and their hands tied behind their backs. He shows me the wounds on his wrists from the plastic handcuffs - still sore and infected, but beginning to heal over.
He shows me where the soldiers positioned them: outside the entrance to his flat on the third floor, in the stairwell, facing down the steps.

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41927000/jpg/_41927296_wrists203.jpg
The wounds are healing

"I think they put us here because they were expecting suiciders to come into the flat because none of the soldiers were on the stairs - they were all inside the flat. They put us here so we'll be shot first."
Inside the flat, the soldiers punched holes in the walls of his living room, and bedroom. Through them, snipers exchanged fire with Palestinian militants. Hazem and his brothers heard it all, but could see nothing.
Hazem says he had little idea at the time exactly how long he was kept there. All he remembers was listening to the heavy gunfire around him, and counting the calls to prayer as they echoed over the area: one at lunchtime, one at tea-time, and one in the evening as the sun set. Twelve hours in all.
He says he expected to die any second. He still can't understand why, as civilians, they couldn't be kept in a room somewhere inside the house, where they would have been safer. But they put us in the middle of the clashes, he says. "There was no need for that."

Court outlawed tactic

Allegations over Israel's use of human shields have surfaced before. The last time they made headlines was during Operation Defensive Shield in the West Bank town of Jenin, four years ago.

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gifhttp://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/start_quote_rb.gif This was a very blatant violation of the prohibition of the use of human shields http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/end_quote_rb.gif
Yekhezel Lain, B'tselem

The army denied its personnel systematically used civilians as human shields during that operation, but it did issue an order outlawing the practice. As did the Israeli High Court.
But Yekhezel Lain, research director with the Israeli human rights group B'tselem says they are worried those guarantees are now being eroded. He says the cases in Beit Hanoun last week are the first of their kind since the High Court decision.
"This was a very blatant violation of the prohibition of the use of human shields," he tells me. "It was just soldiers hiding behind the back of civilians who were held with force in their homes."
B'tselem says it is investigating reports of other, similar incidents in Gaza during the past month. And it is worried that - having withdrawn from Gaza last year - the Israeli army may see the area as distinct from other Palestinian Territories.
The group is concerned about Israel establishing different rules in the case of the Gaza Strip where according to the state, there is no occupation any more - it's only a state of war, or armed conflict. The human rights group does not believe there is a difference when it comes to the protection of civilians.
The IDF told the BBC the claims in Beit Hanoun were being investigated, and that its soldiers were obliged to act in accordance with moral principles and the rules of engagement. Any misconduct, they said, would be looked into.
As he waits for news of his case in Beit Hanoun, Hazem Ali has got the builders in to fill the holes in his flat, re-glaze his windows and repair as much of the damage as he can. His wife, meanwhile, is preparing for the birth of their first child. She is half Egyptian, and has been asking Hazem to move out of the Gaza Strip for months now. But he refuses to leave. There's no running away from Gaza, he says.

BBC News Online (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5212870.stm)

[Snoshi]

Col. Amnon Eshel Assulin, Commander of the IDF Armored Brigade, told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday IDF troops operating in the village of Bint Jbeil, considered the "capital of terror" in southern Lebanon, had proven their ability to reach any location in Lebanon, and could even enter Beirut if the government decided on that course of action.

Assulin told the Post that that IDF had taken control over Bint Jbeil and had so far killed at least 40 Hizbullah guerrillas.



"The town is completely controlled by us," Asulin said, adding that dozens of Hizbullah guerrillas had been killed in clashes with Golani troops, paratroopers, and tanks.

Soldiers, Assulin said, took the guerrillas captive during the fighting. He said that there were still pockets of resistance on the outskirts of the village, and most of the Hizbullah guerrillas left inside, just under 100, were hiding in the Kasbah marketplace.

The IDF was still encountering Hizbullah guerrillas who were shooting form inside mosques, hospitals, and schools. They take advantage of the population, Assulin said, "But the IDF has high moral values and does its best to avoid harming anyone uninvolved."

The operation in Bint Jbeil, initially slated to take 48-72 hours, would last as long as necessary to kill all the Hizbullah terrorists and destroy the infrastructure there, Assulin said.

"Two tank battalions fought bravely, killed terrorists, and evacuated their wounded comrades from the battlefield," Assulin told the Post when describing the fighting in Bint Jbeil since early Monday. He said that infantry battalions were working cohesively with tanks, and that "one could not exist without the other."

Also on Tuesday, Lt.-Col. Avi Mano, commander of the Keren artillery battalion, told the Post Tuesday that his cannons have fired 3000 shells at Bint Jbeil since the beginning of operations there earlier this week.

Mano said artillery cannons are capable of making direct hits on houses and other targets, while causing more damage than Katyusha rockets cause in Israel.

The artillery battery is stationed along the northern border in conjunction with an artillery officer who accompanies infantry troops into Lebanon to provide coordinates for artillery fire.

"One of our significant accomplishments is that we are helping infantry troops in Lebanon fulfill their mission by providing them with artillery cover fire," Mano said.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1153291993055&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

[Kaplanr]

Col. Amnon Eshel Assulin, Commander of the IDF Armored Brigade, told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday IDF troops operating in the village of Bint Jbeil, considered the "capital of terror" in southern Lebanon, had proven their ability to reach any location in Lebanon, and could even enter Beirut if the government decided on that course of action.

Assulin told the Post that that IDF had taken control over Bint Jbeil and had so far killed at least 40 Hizbullah guerrillas.



"The town is completely controlled by us," Asulin said, adding that dozens of Hizbullah guerrillas had been killed in clashes with Golani troops, paratroopers, and tanks.

Soldiers, Assulin said, took the guerrillas captive during the fighting. He said that there were still pockets of resistance on the outskirts of the village, and most of the Hizbullah guerrillas left inside, just under 100, were hiding in the Kasbah marketplace.

The IDF was still encountering Hizbullah guerrillas who were shooting form inside mosques, hospitals, and schools. They take advantage of the population, Assulin said, "But the IDF has high moral values and does its best to avoid harming anyone uninvolved."

The operation in Bint Jbeil, initially slated to take 48-72 hours, would last as long as necessary to kill all the Hizbullah terrorists and destroy the infrastructure there, Assulin said.

"Two tank battalions fought bravely, killed terrorists, and evacuated their wounded comrades from the battlefield," Assulin told the Post when describing the fighting in Bint Jbeil since early Monday. He said that infantry battalions were working cohesively with tanks, and that "one could not exist without the other."

Also on Tuesday, Lt.-Col. Avi Mano, commander of the Keren artillery battalion, told the Post Tuesday that his cannons have fired 3000 shells at Bint Jbeil since the beginning of operations there earlier this week.

Mano said artillery cannons are capable of making direct hits on houses and other targets, while causing more damage than Katyusha rockets cause in Israel.

The artillery battery is stationed along the northern border in conjunction with an artillery officer who accompanies infantry troops into Lebanon to provide coordinates for artillery fire.

"One of our significant accomplishments is that we are helping infantry troops in Lebanon fulfill their mission by providing them with artillery cover fire," Mano said.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1153291993055&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

I think our ground commanders need to keep their mouths shut, we're speaking with too many voices up and down the chain of command, and not saying very much that's intelligent.

[alexz]

After Losing Bin Jubeil, Hizballah Avoids Frontal Encounters, Switches to Guerrilla Tactics

DEBKAfile Exclusive Military Report

July 25, 2006, 1:59 PM (GMT+02:00)





After overwhelming the Hizballah stronghold of Bin Jubeil in southern Lebanon Tuesday July 25, Israeli armed ground forces and tanks are preparing to sweep forward to sanitize the town’s satellites.

Israel lost two tank personnel: 1st Lieutenant Lotan Slavin, 21 from Moshav Hatzeva, and 1st Sgt Kobi Smileg, 20, from Rehovot.

Hizballah is reported by IDF sources to have lost 100-120 Hizballah fighters.

Israel’s immediate military mission now is to capture or subdue Bin Jubeil’s five satellite villages, where 300 Hizballah fighters are sheltering: Ain Ebel, Hannine, Deble, Yaroun and Rmaich, the latter two very close to the Lebanese-Israeli border.

These fighters know they are trapped in a tight noose; they cannot escape or hope for help, whether in the form of reinforcements or weapons. Monday night, Israeli forces dropped leaflets over these villages offering them the option of laying down their arms and saving their lives. The language was deliberately vague. It was not clear whether the men who surrendered would be allowed to go back to their families or, more likely, taken prisoner to be held against the release of Israel’s kidnapped soldiers. The Olmert government would thus hold a card for overruling the Hizballah condition for jailed terrorists to be freed as the price for the Israeli hostages, which with Israeli prime minister has rejected, and offer instead an exchange of war prisoners.

The Bint Jubeil operation taught Israeli war planners three lessons:

1. It did not help reduce the rocket fire against Israel. The number of launchers and rockets found in the small town was minimal. Any missile crewmen who may have been deployed there had moved to other locations ahead of the Israeli assault.

2. Bin Jubeil and its satellite villages are only one small center at the southern end of the central sector of the south. There are dozens such clusters across the region. they will have to be flushed out one by one, entailing prolonged military action and exposing the troops to more casualties.

3. The IDF found that certain local elements, which once cooperated with Israel forces during their 24-year occupation of South Lebanon until the May 2000 withdrawal, were still willing to be helpful. Their assistance shortened the Bint Jubeil operation and made its completion possible barring scattered gunfire early Tuesday, July 25.

Hizballah too had some lessons to draw:

While inflicting losses on Israel forces in the battles for towns and villages, Hizballah’s losses are many times greater. They cannot stand up to the superior firepower leveled against them by a combination of tanks, special operations units and air force. Therefore fighters in the south have been instructed to discontinue face-to-face combat with Israeli troops. Instead, they were told to withdraw from the bult-up areas and wage guerrilla warfare from woods, forests, dry river beds, and fruit orchards. Israeli forces are therefore braced for stealthy Hizballah strikes from ambush against tanks, infantry and command posts.

Once they have cleansed the five villages around Bin Jubeil, Israeli war commanders face a choice of one out of three options, given the limitation of the small number of troops on the ground:

First: The Western Sector running from the orchards and banana groves south of Tyre which includes the Palestinian Rashidiya refugee camp up to Mansoura, where Hizballah has concentrated a large force, and including Burj a-Shamali and Zabqine, southeast of Tyre. This large enclave of southwestern Lebanon is saturated with Hizballah rockets launchers of different types and fighting strength.

Second: The Central Sector, which would entail the Israeli Bin Jubeil force heading north to take over Tebnine and deepening its thrust into South Lebanon up to 20 km from the Israeli border.

Third: The Eastern Sector, where Israeli forces would home in on Khiam on the road between the Israeli border town of Metula to the Lebanese village of Marjayoun which commands the Hatzbani River. From there, they way would be open to the Nabatiya plain and Hizballah’s main South Lebanon command center near the village of Taibe. Monday, morning, Israeli warplanes struck Nabatiya. Lebanese sources report seven people were killed.

DEBKAfile’s military sources describe the Hizballah command center as housed in a fort called Beck House which belongs to the As’ad clan, for many years the feudal lords of all southern Lebanon.

Whichever direction Israel’s high command chooses for the next stage of the war will necessitate proceeding at a slow pace, whether because of an insufficiency of men on the ground, the risks of troop and civilian casualties or the complexity of their missions. The snail’s pace of the IDF’s advance means that Hizballah’s rocket offensive against northern Israel cannot be completely disabled in the near term, and that Hassan Nasrallah and his overlords in Tehran and Syria have enough time to come up with fresh initiatives while topping up Hizballah’s resources as they are depleted.

[DongFangBuBai]

JPost.com » Israel » Article


Jul. 25, 2006 2:29 | Updated Jul. 25, 2006 15:59
Friendly fire may have downed Apache
By YAAKOV KATZ


The investigation into Monday's helicopter crash that claimed the lives of two pilots took an unexpected turn on Tuesday when investigators began to consider the possibility that the incident may have been caused by Israeli fire. The option being considered was a missile fired by an MLRS artillery battery struck the craft.






http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?apage=1&cid=1153291988627&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

[Snoshi]

Military Intelligence Chief: Syrian army now at its highest state of alert

By Gideon Alon, Haaretz Correspondent

Syria has placed its military at its highest state of alert in recent years, Israel Defense Forces Intelligence Chief Major General Amos Yadlin told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Tuesday. Syrian forces do remain, however, on a defensive rather than offensive alert.

Yadlin emphasized that "neither Syria nor Israel are interested in a military clash but the situation is explosive and the events may potentially be incorrectly interpreted. This could entangle Syria up in a battle against us."

Hezbollah is interested in opening another front for Israel with Syria, Yadlin said. Hezbollah gunners are firing at the Golan Heights in an effort to embroil Syria in the fighting.




Advertisement

Yadlin noted that Syria, together with Iran, was Hezbollah's main weapons supplier during the past years. The missiles that killed Israelis in Haifa came from the Syrian military.

The Military Intelligence chief rejected assertions that the IDF was surprised by Hezbollah's level of preparedness in south Lebanon.

"There was no element of surprise in Hezbollah's deployment," Yadlin said. "During the past year, we passed intelligence assessments on to the decision-making level, including comprehensive information on long-range missiles supplied to Hezbollah."

Committee Chairman MK Tzachi Hanegbi (Kadima) supported Yadlin's assertions and said he was "insulted" during the past several days by media reports indicating Israel was surprised by Hezbollah.

[saigonsmuggler]

Hezbollah says Israeli response a surprise By SCHEHEREZADE FARAMARZI, Associated Press Writer
28 minutes ago

BEIRUT, Lebanon - A senior Hezbollah official said Tuesday the guerrilla group did not expect Israel to react so strongly to its capture of two Israeli soldiers.

ADVERTISEMENT

Keith Urban
Mariah Carey
Rihanna
Shakira
Nelly Furtado Chris Brown

Mahmoud Komati, deputy chief of Hezbollah's political arm, also told The Associated Press in an interview that his group will not lay down arms.

"The truth is — let me say this clearly — we didn't even expect (this) response.... that (Israel) would exploit this operation for this big war against us," said Komati.

He said Hezbollah had expected "the usual, limited response" from Israel to the July 12 cross-border raid, in which three Israelis were killed.

In the past, he said, Israeli responses to Hezbollah actions included sending commandos into Lebanon to seize Hezbollah officials or briefly targeting specific Hezbollah strongholds.

He said the Shiite group had anticipated there would be negotiations on exchanging the Israeli soldiers for three Lebanese prisoners in Israeli jails, with Germany acting as a mediator as it did before.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060725/ap_on_re_mi_ea/mideast_fighting_hezbollah_1;_ylt=AtlY_SYQXpDsC_5CLiRlgcAUvioA;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl

[Luno]

4 UN Observer did just die in Lebanon according to CNN Live (TV) :-(

[Abu_Elvis]

Iranian report: Suicide bombers en route to Lebanon

Iranian news agency claims expeditionary force of suicide bombers sent from Tehran via Syria to Lebanon. Its goal: To wreak havoc near military, civilian targets, trigger civil war in Lebanon
Roee Nahmias

Is Tehran stepping up its involvement in the Israeli-Lebanese confrontation? Iran is set to send the first group of suicide bombers to Lebanon on Wednesday, the Iranian news agency ILNA reported.

The expeditionary force, dubbed by the Iranian regime as "Loyalists of Islamic Justice," will be the first ever to be sent to Lebanon. According to the report, the force is compiled of seekers of the Shahadah (death for the sake of heaven), who are set to depart from Tehran after the noontime prayer on Wednesday.

Other reports claimed that two groups made up of 27 volunteers have already left for Syria on their way to Lebanon. The volunteers' task, after having undergone a months-long training, would be to carry out suicide bombings aimed at wreaking havoc and fear around military and civilian targets. According to the report, the group's mission is to trigger a civil war within the divided Lebanese society, and cause the situation in the country to deteriorate even further.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in this regard that "the storm in the Middle East is approaching. Those who caused the storm shall bear the consequences."

Israel: Iran is aiding Hizbullah

Meanwhile, Israeli officials said that Iran continues to transfer arms to Hizbullah via the Damascus airport, and that soldiers of the country's Revolutionary Guards have already joined the organization in the fighting.

"The last time we detected their involvement was when a missile was fired at an Israeli missile boat off Lebanon's shores," a senior official said. Hizbullah's leader Hassan Nasrallah has repeatedly denied Israel's claims in his recent public appearances, and stated they were an example of Israel's disrespect for the organization.

At the same time, Hizbullah has also increased its efforts to launch terror attacks into Israel through the Palestinian territories. according to the official, "Hizbullah's unit that controls agents abroad is very active nowadays. They have been trying to send money and encourage their operatives to launch terror attacks, especially in northern Samaria."

'Syria continues to send arms to Lebanon'

"The current operation has curbed some of the communication and the funneling of funds, but we must remember Iran is always there to back Hizbullah, and it is indeed very involved."

Another element involved in the fighting is Syria, which continues to transfer Syrian-made arms to Hizbullah. "Syria has been transferring its 200 millimeter-diameter rockets to southern Lebanon since the summer of 2001, and we have alerted about this before, to heads of Arab and western states," the official said.

However, "Syria fears that Israel will attack it, although Israel promised not do so. The Syrians are readying their weapons and we can see and hear that," he stated.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3281418,00.html

[BPEL]

4 U.N. Observers killed by IAF Air strike on Khiam village (CNN)

[saigonsmuggler]

According to CNN:

Lebanese security forces said it was an Israeli airstrike and four U.N. observers were killed, but UNIFIL said it had no further information on the attack.

Not confirmed by UNIFIL that IDF bombed their post. Still could be from either side.

[un_swe]

http://img.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/0607/25/khiam.jpg
Photo:*******
According to the UNIFIL spokes man Milos Strugar in Beirut, Khiam was hit atleast 14 times.
The peacekeepers are from India.

un_swe

[LotN]

Israel bomb 'kills UN observers'

Four United Nations peacekeepers have been killed in an Israeli air strike on an observation post in southern Lebanon, the UN has said.

A bomb struck the post occupied by the peacekeepers of the Unifil force in the Khiam area, it said.
The attack came as Israel announced it would keep control over an area in southern Lebanon until a new international force could be deployed.
The force will be discussed at crisis talks to be held in Rome on Wednesday.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will be at the talks after ending her tour of the Middle East on Tuesday.
More than 380 Lebanese and 42 Israelis have died in nearly two weeks of conflict in Lebanon, which began after Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid on 12 July.

Protest
The UN in Lebanon says the Israeli air force destroyed the observer post, in which four military observers were sheltering.
It said the four, of different nationalities, had taken shelter in a bunker under the post after it was earlier shelled 14 times by Israeli artillery.
A rescue team was also shelled as it tried to clear the rubble.
The UN has made urgent protests about the attacks.
Unifil has been operational in the border area since 1978 and is currently 2,000 strong.
In other military action:

The Israeli army said it had killed a senior Hezbollah commander, Abu Jaafar, in fighting in southern Lebanon http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gif
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/inline_dashed_line.gif

Earlier the UN had said Israeli forces were now in control of the town of Bint Jbeil after fierce fighting and were moving on the village of Yaroun to the south
Israel resumed air raids on Beirut, with explosions heard in southern suburbs - a Hezbollah stronghold
Hezbollah maintained fire of Katyusha rockets into Israel, killing a 15-year-old Arab-Israeli girl in the northern Israeli village of Maghar and striking Haifa with a large salvo
Hezbollah said 27 of its fighters had been killed as of Monday, but the Israeli military said it had killed "some dozens".http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5215366.stm

[DeltaWhisky58]

Can please I remind you that this thread is for breaking news only - there are other threads for discussion relating to the current situation in Israel/Lebanon - do not open further threads on this situation without prior consent.


Please read here (http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?t=86119) and also the initial post on This thread (http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?t=86672)

I know it's a pain in the ass, but it's to try and keep down the clutter of duplicate threwads and maintain continuity of news/events etc.

[B Inman]

An Israel Air Force strike destroyed a base run by a UN observer force in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, killing four UN observers, a UN spokesperson said.

A bomb directly impacted the building and shelter of an Indian patrol base from the observer force in the town of Khiyam near the eastern end of the border with Israel, said Milos Struger, spokesman for the U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon known as UNIFIL.

"There are casualties among the observers. UNIFIL immediately despatched a rescue and medical team and they're currently on the location but unable to clear the rubble," Struger told The Associated Press late Tuesday.

[DeltaWhisky58]

An Israel Air Force strike destroyed a base run by a UN observer force in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, killing four UN observers, a UN spokesperson said.

A bomb directly impacted the building and shelter of an Indian patrol base from the observer force in the town of Khiyam near the eastern end of the border with Israel, said Milos Struger, spokesman for the U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon known as UNIFIL.

"There are casualties among the observers. UNIFIL immediately despatched a rescue and medical team and they're currently on the location but unable to clear the rubble," Struger told The Associated Press late Tuesday.

Please quote sources - where did you read this statement? Link please?

[frenchy]

At least four U.N. observers were killed in an Israeli air raid that destroyed their position in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, Lebanese security sources said.

The UNIFIL peacekeeping force in Lebanon confirmed that there were U.N. casualties but declined to say if any observers had been killed. (*******)

[Charly84]

This morning

An Argentinean helicopter transported Prime Minister Siniora from Beirut to Cyprus.
The final destination of Siniora is Rome, where a Middle East Conference is planned.
The helicopter, one Bell 212 of the Air Force, is part of the UN mission in Cyprus.

Link:http://www.lanacion.com.ar/826179 (spanish, sorry)

source: La Nación.

[BPEL]

CNN - Secretary General of U.N. claims attack on the U.N. was deliberate

[LotN]

The four killed UN observers were from Canada, Austria, Finland and China.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5215366.stm

[BPEL]

CNN - Nasrallah gave a speech says that the war is entering a new phase, phase to reach beyond Haifa.

[B Inman]

Please quote sources - where did you read this statement? Link please?

Israeli newspaper Haaretz

http://www.haaretz.com/

[DeltaWhisky58]

Israeli newspaper Haaretz

http://www.haaretz.com/

Thanks! p-)

[Irish-Fianoglach]

http://www.curragh.info/images/unifilmap.JPG

or here

http://www.curragh.info/images/unifilmap.JPG

[CyberSpec]

The UN position was reportedly under artillery fire all day (14 near misses) before being destroyed by an air strike. The indian battalion that was sent to rescue survivors also came under fire.

I don't have a link...just heard it on the radio (ABC report)

[Clarsachier]

http://www.adnki.com/index_2Level_English.php?cat=Politics&loid=8.0.324553112&par=0


The setback comes on the heels of the decision by Malaysia's foreign minister and acting president of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), Seri Syed Hamid Albar, to reject a request by Ahmadinejad for a extraordinary OIC summit on the Lebanese crisis.

[alexz]

Hezbollah Commander killed

In other violence, the Israeli Army says its troops have killed a senior Hezbollah commander in fighting near the Lebanese border.

The Army identifies the man as Abu Jaafar and says he was the commander of Hezbollah's "central sector" on the border with Israel.

A Hezbollah source says Abu Jaafar was a local cultural attache and was killed in an air strike on the southern village of Qalayleh.

The Israeli Army says he was killed in an exchange of fire with Israeli troops near the Lebanese border village of Maroun al-Ras.

Hezbollah gives his full name as Khalil Amin Shibli and says he joined the group in 1985.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200607/s1696915.htm

[Abu_Elvis]

IDF suspects friendly fire downed Apache helicopter

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/images/0.gifBy Amos Harel (contact@haaretz.co.il), Haaretz Correspondenthttp://www.haaretz.com/hasen/images/0.gifMonday's helicopter crash, which killed two Israel Defense Forces officers, may well have been caused by a hit from an IDF rocket, according to the preliminary findings of an air force investigation.

The two casualties, Colonel Zvi Luft and Captain Tom Farkash, will be buried Wednesday.

The Apache Longbow helicopter crashed near Moshav Kerem Ben-Zimra while it was assisting the ground forces fighting at Bint Jbail, in southern Lebanon. According to Israel Air Force officers, an examination of the direction and timing of IDF firing in that area shows that an MLRS rocket was launched at the right time and on the right trajectory to have hit the helicopter. Since an MLRS rocket has a relatively high trajectory, it would be capable of hitting a helicopter that was flying fairly high, as the Apache was.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/742726.html

[Abu_Elvis]

Lebanese parliament speaker rejects Rice cease-fire proposal

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/images/0.gifBy Haaretz Correspondent and Agencies, By Yoav Stern (stern@haaretz.co.il)

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/images/0.gifU.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's visit to Beirut yesterday ended in a stalemate after Lebanese leaders rejected her insistence that before any cease-fire, Hezbollah must release two adbucted Israeli soldiers and pull back from the border.

Rice did not back the immediate end to hostilities demanded by Prime Minister Fuad Siniora. Shi'ite Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who is close to Hezbollah and Syria, rejected Rice's proposal to deploy the Lebanese army on the border backed by an international force. He insisted that a cease-fire must precede talks over Hezbollah's status in south Lebanon.

Rice made a surprise visit to Beirut in a bid to bring an end to the warfare between Israel and Hezbollah that began two weeks ago. Siniora told her that Israel's bombardment was taking his country "backward 50 years."
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/742245.html

[sups]

"BEIRUT, Lebanon (CNN) -- An Israeli airstrike hit a United Nations post in southern Lebanon late Tuesday, killing at least two of the agency's observers, according to the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon.

The U.N. initially reported that four peacekeepers were dead, but later said there were two dead and two missing. The observers were Austrian, Finnish, Canadian and Chinese, Lebanese security sources said."

RIP :(

[alexz]

I'm simply responding to comments.

Tell me what the point is so we are both on the same page.

Only news here please
Only news here please
Only news here please

Opened by special request.

Post your breaking news here, do not open any further threads.

Anything remotely flaming/trolling will be removed and the offenders banned.

Abuse this thread and it will be closed.

Only news here please

[Clearday-TRForce]

Lebanese Ambassador in Ankara Georges H. Siam has welcomed a possible Turkish role in a Lebanon stabilization force, yet emphasized that it should be seen if such a decision will be made at an emergency meeting of foreign ministers in Rome on Wednesday, where Turkey's Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül is also expected to attend.

Speaking to reporters in Ankara yesterday after representatives of Arab countries paid a visit to the Lebanese Embassy in a show of support for his country, Ambassador Siam said his country would be pleased if Turkey decides to take a leading role in a Lebanon stabilization force.

Over the weekend, a Foreign Ministry official told the Turkish Daily News that a cease-fire must be established first so that the modalities of a Lebanon stabilization force can be discussed.

Siam assumed the same stance in line with Ankara's precaution, saying that it would be more appropriate to talk about the issue in detail after the conference in Rome where the one-day meeting is expected to focus on three main issues: ways to bring about a ceasefire; opening of a humanitarian aid corridor to re-launch humanitarian assistance to the Lebanese, who are under Israeli fire; and possible deployment of a stabilization force in the region.

Turkey's name is being floated at the United Nations, reports said over the weekend, as a possible actor to lead the stabilization force, which is still in the early stages of planning.

Officials said there was no clarity yet on what the foreign ministers would discuss regarding the international force for Lebanon, but the same official from the Foreign Ministry, speaking on condition of anonymity, said a Turkish role was likely to be taken up at the Wednesday meeting.

The official also said it was still early to comment on the reports, which were carried by the Washington Post and *******, as the modalities of such a stabilization force could hardly be discussed before a cease-fire.

TDN News





About 1,800 Australians, Canadians and Swedes arrived in Turkey yesterday, in the latest wave of evacuations from Lebanon, the Anatolia news agency reported.

A passenger ferry brought a total of 1,080 Australians, 480 Canadians and 232 Swedes -- all looking exhausted after a tiring sea journey -- to the port of Mersin, said Anatolia.

The latest arrivals bring to about 4,850 the total number of foreigners who have reached Turkey from Lebanon.

“I wish to express my deep gratitude to the Turkish government for the enormous assistance it has provided to the Australian government for the evacuation of Australians from Lebanon,” Australian Ambassador to Turkey Jean Dunn said in a statement released on Sunday.

The ambassador said Australia regarded Turkey as its major evacuation location and expressed her expectation that the evacuation through Turkey would continue over the coming week.

Some 1,641 American evacuees arrived at Mersin yesterday morning on the USS Trenton, one of the biggest ships involved in the evacuation, reported the Doğan News Agency.

The decks of the ship were packed with people smiling and waving, relieved to have completed their 14-hour voyage. Many were expected to be flown home from the U.S. military base of İncirlik in southern Turkey.

Anatolia news agency - Dogan News Agency



Latest Evacuation Photos

http://aafoto.anadoluajansi.com.tr/getFileServlet?sfx=2&arcId=539730
http://aafoto.anadoluajansi.com.tr/getFileServlet?sfx=2&arcId=539766
http://aafoto.anadoluajansi.com.tr/getFileServlet?sfx=2&arcId=539728
http://aafoto.anadoluajansi.com.tr/getFileServlet?sfx=2&arcId=539726

photos taken by AA.com




I wonder how Roma meeting will be...

[Paracaidista]

Source: New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/25/world/middleeast/25beirut.html?_r=1&th=&oref=slogin&emc=th&pagewanted=all)

July 25, 2006
Divisions

In Beirut, an Abyss Between Elegance and Chaos

By SABRINA TAVERNISE (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/t/sabrina_tavernise/index.html?inline=nyt-per)

BEIRUT, Lebanon (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/lebanon/index.html?inline=nyt-geo), July 24 — The Paul Restaurant is still serving elegant lunches of prosciutto and chèvre. At the Printania, an elegant hotel on a hill east of the capital, stylish guests sip Arabic coffee near a glass display case of éclairs and chilled chocolate mousse.

Some miles away, in the southern suburbs, the destruction from Israeli airstrikes is more earthquake than war zone. Streets have entirely disappeared. Rubble from bombed buildings in some areas is piled several stories high. City blocks, or what is left of them, are ghostly.

In the days since Israeli planes began to bomb Lebanon, this seaside capital has been almost physically split in two, with its largely Shiite flank mutilated by Israeli airstrikes and most of the rest of the city remaining relatively unscathed, if quieter and emptier than usual.

The stark physical contrast reflects a deep and growing divide in Lebanese society between the less affluent, more religious Shiite south and the more urban center, largely of Sunni Muslims, Druse and Christians, which has built and benefited from a long-awaited economic boom.

“The country is going in two totally different directions,” said Ghassan Salhab, a Lebanese filmmaker and a middle-class secular Shiite. “One is, ‘We have an enemy and we need to fight it,’ ” he said, referring to Hezbollah (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/h/hezbollah/index.html?inline=nyt-org)’s supporters. “The other is, ‘We want to live and build and go with the world, wherever it goes.’ ”

For the south, which suffered for more than a decade under Israeli occupation, Hezbollah’s leader, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, is a folk hero who helped drive out the Israelis. But many middle-class Lebanese who have worked for the past decade to generate an economic revival are tired of war and resent Hezbollah’s capture of two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid on July 12.

“The first thing I thought was, ‘How crazy to go wake up the monster,’ ” said Issam Saleh, a secular Shiite and an engineer who spends most of his days writing poetry in the garden at the Paul Restaurant. Hezbollah “knew exactly what would happen, but did it anyway.”

Even so, as the Israeli bombardment of the south drags on, dividing lines have softened: Even those who hate Hezbollah are horrified by the destruction. Now, as the war rages without any foreseeable end, almost everybody has been wondering where their embattled country can possibly go from here.

For Mr. Salhab, who has spent the days since the bombings filming in his now empty neighborhood in central Beirut, the question came sharply into focus through a camera lens, during the evacuation of tens of thousands of foreigners by sea to Cyprus.

“There was the sea and the sky and a boat that came into the frame,” he said, sitting in a crowded coffee shop called Wimpy’s in downtown Beirut. “Then another, and another.

“You have to ask the question: What is next?”

In many ways, divisions have always been the story of Lebanon. In the 1970’s and 80’s, this country’s many sects fought a civil war so bloody that Beirut became a synonym for disaster zone. Later, Israelis occupied the southern portion of the country to drive out the Palestine Liberation Organization (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/p/palestine_liberation_organization/index.html?inline=nyt-org). Many Christians initially greeted the Israeli invaders as deliverers. As the occupation dragged on, it was the southern Shiites who suffered most.

But the recent fighting is more troubling, in part because its roots are deeper. Instead of looking to drive out an essentially foreign group — the P.L.O. — Israel (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/israel/index.html?inline=nyt-geo) is engaged in a conflict with Hezbollah, a homegrown Lebanese one. That group has eagerly plunged into battle, defining it in religious terms, difficult to defuse in talks.

The division burst into the open last year, when hundreds of thousands of demonstrators, Christian and Muslim, marched in support of the government after the assassination of Rafik Hariri, the country’s wealthy former prime minister, who had driven the transformation of postwar Beirut from a dead zone to a vacation destination. The marches brought together Lebanese who had even fought against each other in the civil war.

At the same time, Hezbollah and thousands of Shiite supporters organized huge counterdemonstrations in support of Syrian forces that the government was trying to evict.

“It was like a thorn in our hearts,” said a Lebanese businessman, a Druse, who was stranded in the Damascus airport on Thursday after fleeing Lebanon.

In Beirut, the disconnect seemed particularly sharp in the Sanayeh Park, where refugees sprawled on blankets and grimy foam mattresses lay next to evening walkers. At night, Hezbollah songs are sung, annoying residents.

On Saturday evening two women in head scarves, a mother and a daughter, stood across the street holding a bag of potatoes in front of a sparkling apartment high-rise and a sign that read Garden View Apartments.

“They don’t look at us,” said the daughter, Samar Halewei, 37. Her mother disagreed, saying many people in the neighborhood had treated them kindly. The owner of a car on which Ms. Halewei had been leaning got in and drove away, removing her resting place.

Some of the gap between the two Beiruts has roots in historical animosities. On Saturday in Fatqa, a small Christian town north of the capital, an angry mob of men attacked a car that had a sticker of a Christian group that has made an alliance with Hezbollah, throwing things at the car and pounding it with their fists. Hours before, a friend of the attackers, a guard at a nearby television tower, had been killed in an Israeli airstrike, and the men were furious that Hezbollah’s actions had invited destruction on their town.

“They wanted this war,” said a man in a striped shirt named Joel. A cashier at a grocery nearby, Rita Dekmak, began to cry when she started to speak about the dead man. She spoke darkly of Shiite soldiers who been stationed near the tower but left suddenly.

“They all left because they knew,” she said, wiping her tears.

While the bombing has forced thousands of southerners, mostly Shiites, to flee for their lives on roads with broken bridges, often without any possessions, many middle-class residents of the capital have taken refuge in mountain towns just north and east of here.

In Broumana, a resort town a 30-minute drive up a mountain from Beirut, the garden at the Printania Hotel was full of well-dressed guests on Saturday, sipping drinks and enjoying the afternoon. Scenes of absolute desolation flashed on the screen of a large television that had been set up for the World Cup but was now watched avidly for news of bombings and the cconflict. A glass case of pastries stood nearby.

But the longer Israeli planes continue to pound the country, the more the Lebanese find it difficult to stay angry with Hezbollah. Horrific scenes unfolded on the Printania screen: collapsed buildings and vast stretches of rubble in Nabatiya, in the south.

“We’re not Hezbollah supporters, but we cannot excuse what the Israelis are doing,” said Rima Beydoun, a secular Shiite who owns an advertising agency.

“We knew there would be repercussions, but no one expected they would be like this,” Mr. Salhab, the filmmaker, said of Shiite support for Hezbollah. “I am very critical of that part of my country, but I have to put it aside, because we are being destroyed.

“At this point, I can’t just say: Hezbollah, go to hell.”

The situation is made all the more complicated by the nature of Hezbollah. It functions as a civil aid group as well as a militia, helping with schools and in hospitals, and in many cases providing essential public services at times in the years of the war when the government was simply not able. It has a savvy media operation, with a spokesman who takes groups of journalists on tours of the devastation in southern Beirut with a truck that blares Hezbollah fighting songs from rows of speakers.

“It’s a dead end because Israel cannot win,” Mr. Salhab said, finishing his coffee.

The destruction continued in southern Beirut, but Mr. Salhab did not want to film it. He had seen the images on television, but needed a more personal way to understand them.

In the end, he chose to stay in his own neighborhood.
“I tried to film this place which is at the margins of destruction,” he said. “I just wanted to film the strange suspended life there.”

[DeltaWhisky58]

What is it about NEWS ONLY that you don't understand?

The reasoning behind this thread is quite clear and is posted at regular intervals, I will not repeat myself. The next member(s) ignoring instructions and posting anything other than sourced/linked news reports will experience a period of time-out from MP.Net - for those of you who still don't understand, that means a BAN!

N.B. Clearday-TRForce - post links please, we have already discussed this.

[Clearday-TRForce]

What is it about NEWS ONLY that you don't understand?

The reasoning behind this thread is quite clear and is posted at regular intervals, I will not repeat myself. The next member(s) ignoring instructions and posting anything other than sourced/linked news reports will experience a period of time-out from MP.Net - for those of you who still don't understand, that means a BAN!

N.B. Clearday-TRForce - post links please, we have already discussed this.



All these for me? My quotes are from registered site. How can you see them withourt registration. And I've already posted the "source" below post.


regards,
CDTRF

[DeltaWhisky58]

All these for me? My quotes are from registered site. How can you see them withourt registration. And I've already posted the "source" below post.


regards,
CDTRF



N.B. Clearday-TRForce - post links please, we have already discussed this.


Only that line.

[Clearday-TRForce]

26.07.06

Israeli navy boats fired warning shots and stopped a Turkish ferry chartered to carry Australian evacuees from Lebanon before it was allowed to proceed, leading the Foreign Ministry in Ankara to make a demarche at the Israeli Embassy in the Turkish capital.

The incident was first made public when Transport Minister Binali Yıldırım informed reporters, noting that the ferry was held up until the early hours of Tuesday and that it was allowed to sail again after Turkish government officials and the Australian Embassy in Ankara convinced Israeli officials to let the ferry go.

The ferry was not carrying any passengers at the time of the incident late on Monday and no injuries were reported.

The ferry was on its way from Beirut to the Turkish Cypriot port of Gazimağusa (Famagusta) to refuel, before returning to Beirut to transport Australian evacuees to the Turkish Mediterranean port of Mersin.

A senior diplomat at the Israeli Embassy in Ankara confirmed the incident and said that the Turkish Foreign Ministry made a demarche at the embassy about the incident as of yesterday.

Emphasizing that it was the first incident encountered by a Turkish evacuation ferry, the same diplomat said the embassy soon asked the military officials in Israel for the reason behind the event.

“The ferry left the port with no authorization, no coordination and no paper work,” the diplomat reported, quoting information conveyed by the military officials.

The ferry was later asked to stop for checks and warning shots were fired above the ferry according to international rules since it didn't stop.

The diplomat explained that the ferry was allowed to leave when it was established following checks that there was no threatening element.

“Several Turkish ships left the region without problems earlier. That's the first time we encountered such an incident,” the Israeli diplomat said, blaming the incident on a lack of coordination on the behalf of the ferry crew.

“One has to understand that such vessels going without coordination immediately become suspected,” due to the current situation in the region, the diplomat added.


http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=49860




26.07.06

US and Israeli demand for a force authorized to fight Hezbollah complicates participation of nations

ÜMİT ENGİNSOY

WASHINGTON - Turkish Daily News


The United States and Israel are insisting on the creation of a multinational stabilization force to be deployed in southern Lebanon that would have clear authority to fight Hezbollah when needed. The problem is that nations, including Turkey, do not want to put their soldiers in harm's way.

What Washington and the Jewish state seek is not a standard United Nations peacekeeping force, but a peace-enforcing unit -- preferably under NATO's umbrella -- that would be able and willing to put an effective end to the radical Shiite group Hezbollah's military presence in a buffer zone between Israel and Lebanon proper.

"We have been looking carefully at the possibility of a multinational force, perhaps authorized by the Security Council, but not a U.N.-helmeted force," says John Bolton, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

But who will man this force? Not the United States, whose forces already are bogged down in Iraq and Afghanistan. Not Britain, which says its troops are overcommitted, again in Iraq and Afghanistan. And Germany, for example, under its laws, cannot send troops to a peacekeeping force that involves major fighting missions.

Without a credible plan to demilitarize Hezbollah, the Middle East's best-armed guerrilla group, troops from nations agreeing to join the stabilization force could rapidly end up as meat in the sandwich between Israel and the militants, analysts warn. The existing United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has been condemned to that role for more than a quarter of a century, losing 257 dead without being able to prevent either guerrilla attacks or Israeli reprisals.

The names of Turkey and France were floated at the United Nations over the weekend as potential leaders of an at least 10,000-strong multinational force.

And, according to Israel's Haaretz newspaper, German Foreign Minister Frank Steinmeyer, in meetings with Israeli leaders over the weekend, suggested that units from Turkey and Egypt be deployed.

But Turkey remains cautious, although it has not categorically ruled out participation.

"Setting the goal right in talks to prepare for this force will be extremely important. One should not be over-ambitious," said one Turkish source. "We don't want our soldiers to get killed in a fighting mission."

A Washington analyst said that he would be very much surprised if Turkey agreed to a Lebanon stabilization force role under current U.S. conditions. "Such a role involves a major risk of serious casualties while doing somebody else's work," said the analyst. "And at a time when Turkey is not allowed to send forces to neighboring northern Iraq to fight the (terrorist Kurdistan Workers Party) PKK there, it will be very difficult for the government to sell the idea to the Turkish public of contributing troops to Lebanon."

The analyst was referring to Ankara's recent warnings that it could militarily intervene in Iraqi Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq in the wake of PKK attacks that have killed more than 20 Turkish soldiers in July alone. Washington opposes any Turkish military action inside Iraq, and President George W. Bush over the weekend pledged a larger U.S. effort to confront the PKK. But details of what the United States could do are not clear.

Washington Post diplomatic columnist David Ignatius says Turkey is among a number of countries contacted by the United States on the Lebanon force. "The United States is talking to countries like Italy, Turkey, Canada, all of which have very strong militaries, to try to send troops in," he told CBS television.

But U.S. State Department spokesman Tom Casey declined to comment on potential participants of the force.

"First of all we need to define what the force is, how it's going to operate, and define its mission, and then we can start talking about individual contributions to it," Casey told reporters on Monday. "And certainly I'd leave it to those countries that might choose to participate in it to make any announcements on their own about whether they would or wouldn't contribute to it."

Visiting war-torn Beirut on Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice outlined a plan to deploy an international force, possibly led by NATO, in a buffer zone just inside Lebanon for 60 to 90 days, after which it would expand its mission to help the Lebanese army regain control of the south, the Washington Post said.

Michael Eisenstadt, director of security studies at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a think tank here, warns that such a force is liable to face major obstacles and incur substantial risks that could jeopardize its prospects for success.

"The mandate, terms of reference, rules of engagement, composition and leadership of an international stabilization force for Lebanon should be carefully weighed, for past peacekeeping and peace enforcement experiences and the Lebanese operational environment provide more than ample reason to believe that this will be a high-risk mission that will pose major challenges for the force," Eisenstadt said.

"Getting this right at the outset will be critical to the success of the operation. Much will also depend on how the current crisis ends and on the strategy that Hezbollah adopts in its aftermath," he said.

The planned multinational force will be a prime topic of conversation in Rome today when Rice and foreign ministers from several European and Arab nations will convene to discuss Lebanon. Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul will represent Turkey at the meeting.

Analysts said that what the United States is effectively proposing is something close to the NATO-led operations in southern Afghanistan where British and Canadian forces are confronting the Taliban on an almost daily basis.

http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=49814





26.07.06

A NATO force which has only Turkey as a Muslim contributor is unlikely to be received well in the region
FATMA DEMİRELLİ

ANKARA - Turkish Daily News


Turkey, whose name is floated as a leading contributor to a planned international stabilization force in Lebanon, would favor a force under the U.N. flag instead of a NATO-led one, an official said.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said a NATO force, which would have Turkey as the only Muslim contributor, might not be welcome in the region, where anti-Western feelings are already running high amid an ongoing Israeli offensive in Lebanon.

Israel, which had so far called for the Lebanese army to take control of the area, said on Sunday that it would accept a new international force, preferably from NATO. Lebanon, on the other hand, prefers a U.N. force.

Turkish officials say Ankara would consider participation in an international force for Lebanon after a ceasefire. A decision whether to participate would mostly depend on modalities of the force, such as how the new peacekeeping force will be formed, the contributors and its mandate, which are yet to be defined.

Ankara insists on a U.N. mandate that would define the role, area of duty and rules of engagement for the force. As discussions about the proposed force deepen around the world, diplomats say a NATO force with a U.N. mandate is also likely.

The issue of deployment of an international stabilization force in Lebanon is to be one of the main topics for discussion when foreign ministers from a “core group” of countries, namely Italy, the United States, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain as well as top officials from the EU, the United Nations, and the World Bank gather today in Rome for a few hours for an emergency meeting.

Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül departed yesterday evening to attend the key gathering.

Turkish officials privately say that the meeting is not likely to produce radical decisions. In London, British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett told parliament that the issue will likely be tackled in Rome, but warned it would be "time consuming and not easy."

Participants of the meeting also remained divided over calls for an immediate ceasefire.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who was due to arrive in Rome yesterday, has resisted calling for an immediate ceasefire, saying the priority is carving out a lasting resolution.

Rice said that while a “ceasefire is urgent” it should be sustainable, reflecting a U.S. policy that an immediate truce would give Hezbollah guerrillas time to re-arm and fail to resolve the crisis long-term.

However, Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi said of the meeting, "The primary objective is a ceasefire.”

Arab powers Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan said they would speak with one voice at the talks and press for an immediate ceasefire.

Many other countries and leaders have also called for an immediate ceasefire, including Russia and France.

http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=49827



best wishes,
CDTRF

[Pulsar]

12 Israeli soldiers killed in Lebanon

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060726/ap_on_re_mi_ea/lebanon_israel_451

[Clearday-TRForce]

1,103 French citizens arrived in Mersin’s port aboard a ship belonging to the French Navy after fleeing Israeli attacks on Lebanon.

The ship named 'L-9013 Mistral' carrying the French evacuees docked at Mersin port on Wednesday morning. The French citizens, who set foot in Mersin from Lebanon, were welcomed by Turkish Red Crescent officials who presented the passengers with carnations.

A French attaché along with Mersin Deputy Governor Ibrahim Seker were also present at the welcoming ceremony.

Following the completion of passport control, the passengers embarked on buses and were transferred to the nearby city of Adana.

They will later fly to France from Adana's Sakirpasa Airport aboard specially chartered planes.

Some 1,000 more French citizens are expected to arrive in the Turkish port of Mersin today.

The Turkish city of Mersin on the Mediterranean coast has become a major evacuation center for foreigners living in Lebanon, now fleeing the country which is being targeted by Israeli air-strikes.

Turkish Transportation Minister Yildirim said on Tuesday that a total of 7,194 evacuees had arrived from Lebanon in Mersin. Of these, 1,029 were Turkish nationals.

Some 30,000 people have been evacuated from Lebanon since the beginning of the war. Nearly 600,000 people have been displaced in the country, according to a UN report.


http://www.cihannews.com



A ferry carrying 250 Canadian citizens, who were evacuated from Lebanon due to the Israeli attacks, arrived at Turkish port of Mersin on earlier Wednesday. A total of 2221Canadians have so far arrived in Turkey from Lebanon.

The ferry carrying the Canadians docked at Mersin port at 12.30 am on Wednesday, they were then taken to Adana where they were placed in shelters. One evacuee, who was reported to be ill, was taken to the Adana hospital.

Canadians will depart Adana today and return to their home country.

Turkish Transportation Minister Yildirim said on Tuesday that a total of 7,194 evacuees had arrived in Mersin from Lebanon. Of these, 1,029 were Turkish nationals.

http://www.cihannews.com


Latest Photos from Evacuation - The ship named 'L-9013 Mistral' carrying the French evacuees docked at Mersin port,Turkey - 26.07.06



http://aafoto.anadoluajansi.com.tr/getFileServlet?sfx=2&arcId=540080
http://aafoto.anadoluajansi.com.tr/getFileServlet?sfx=2&arcId=540051
http://aafoto.anadoluajansi.com.tr/getFileServlet?sfx=2&arcId=540054
http://aafoto.anadoluajansi.com.tr/getFileServlet?sfx=2&arcId=540040
http://aafoto.anadoluajansi.com.tr/getFileServlet?sfx=2&arcId=540044
http://aafoto.anadoluajansi.com.tr/getFileServlet?sfx=2&arcId=540036
http://aafoto.anadoluajansi.com.tr/getFileServlet?sfx=2&arcId=539659

photos taken by AA.com

[CyberSpec]

Pretty serious IDF losses around Bint Jbeil...13 dead according to arab sources.

http://today.*******.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=newsOne&storyID=2006-07-26T112055Z_01_L21898716_RTRUKOC_0_US-MIDEAST.xml&WTmodLoc=Home-C1-TopStories-newsOne-2

[annihilation]

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20060726/D8J3L2QG5.html

A new volley of Hezbollah rockets hit northern Israel on Tuesday, killing a teenage girl, and Hezbollah's leader, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, issued a taped television message saying guerrillas would now start firing rockets deeper into Israel.
As the Israeli incursion continued, the senior Hezbollah leader said the guerrillas had not expected such an onslaught when they killed eight Israeli soldiers and captured two others during a cross-border raid on July 12.
"The truth is - let me say this clearly - we didn't even expect (this) response ... that (Israel) would exploit this operation for this big war against us," Komati told the AP.

[SS1983]

"BEIRUT, Lebanon (CNN) -- An Israeli airstrike hit a United Nations post in southern Lebanon late Tuesday, killing at least two of the agency's observers, according to the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon.

The U.N. initially reported that four peacekeepers were dead, but later said there were two dead and two missing. The observers were Austrian, Finnish, Canadian and Chinese, Lebanese security sources said."

RIP :(
Now they all dead,Israeli goes too far I think.

RIP to them all.

[DeltaWhisky58]

Israel troops 'ignored' UN plea

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/40967000/jpg/_40967138_breaking_news_203.jpg

UN peacekeepers in south Lebanon contacted Israel 10 times before an Israeli bomb killed four UN personnel, sources familiar with a UN report say.


The post was hit by a precision-guided missile after six hours of shelling nearby, diplomats familiar with the initial probe into the deaths say.
The news comes during crisis talks in Rome seeking to end the fighting between Hezbollah and Israel. The UN secretary general has called for a ceasefire, as fighting continues.

BBC News Online (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5217176.stm)

N.B. I'll post updates on this as soon as they come in (DW58)

[DeltaWhisky58]

Israel troops 'ignored' UN plea


http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41932000/jpg/_41932236_khiamap203.jpg
Israel had hit Khiam a number of times earlier on Tuesday

UN peacekeepers in south Lebanon contacted Israeli troops 10 times before an Israeli bomb killed four of them, an initial UN report says.

The post was hit by a precision-guided missile after six hours of shelling nearby, diplomats familiar with the initial probe into the deaths say.
The news came as crisis talks seeking to end the fighting between Hezbollah and Israel ended in Rome.
They agreed immediate action "to reach with the utmost urgency a ceasefire".
The four unarmed UN observers from Austria, Canada, China and Finland, died after their UN post was hit by an Israeli air strike on Tuesday.
The UN report says each time the UN contacted Israeli forces, they were assured the firing would stop.
Israel is conducting an investigation into the deaths, and has rejected accusations made by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan that the targeting of the UN position was "apparently deliberate".
In southern Lebanon, fierce clashes have continued between Israeli forces and Hezbollah fighters around the town of Bint Jbail.
Reports say between eight and13 Israeli soldiers have been killed. Israel has not confirmed any deaths, but says there have been 20 casualties.

BBC News Online (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5217176.stm)

[alexz]

25 soldiers injured in Bint Jbeil
Probably a dozen killed.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3281683,00.html

(VIDEO) Battles rage since morning hours in Hizbullah’s south Lebanon ‘capital.’ Soldiers report short-range fire, face to face combat, setting off of explosives, and missile fire. Fire ceases during afternoon hours, and injured soldiers begin to arrive at northern hospitals
Efrat Weiss

VIDEO - Air force helicopters which cleared the injured from the intense battle raging in Bint Jbeil Wednesday began landing at the Rambam hospital in Haifa, and wounded soldiers have been taken to the trauma room.

At least 25 soldiers were injured in battles in the town dubbed as Hizbullah's ‘capital,’ in one of the most bitter battles the IDF has known in recent years; three soldiers sustained serious wounds, two others were moderately wounded while the rest were lightly hurt in the fighting.

Evacuating the wounded to Rambam hospital (Video: Orly Dayan)
IDF sources said an extremely difficult phase of the battle developed when soldiers encountered terrorists face to face, accompanied by the setting off of explosives and the firing of various missiles.
Many terrorists apparently operated in the area and launched a combined attack against IDF forces. In the course of fighting a number of terrorists were killed.
Missile launcher was found in mosque
Fire ceased during the afternoon hours.
The fighting in Bint Jbeil began when IDF forces, including Golani Brigade soldiers, began searching buildings suspected of being used to provide infrastructures for terrorists.

On Tuesday, many weapons in some of the homes were found, and rooms have been turned into war rooms for Hizbullah members.
On Tuesday morning, during early searches, fire was opened on forces, who returned fire. A number of terrorists fled into a mosque in the area and continued to fire from within the structure at soldiers.
Last week, a missile launcher was found in the mosque, IDF sources said.


"Hizbullah members don't discount any means to kill or injure, including the use of civilians as a holy human shields. If there will be no choice, we will hit every place from which they shoot at our forces," a military source told Ynet.

[signatory]

bump...

http://www.forbes.com/technology/feeds/ap/2006/07/26/ap2905345.html


Officials in Brussels told The Associated Press that Javier Solana, the EU foreign and security affairs chief, will propose that a rapid reaction force be established. It would ideally be built around French, German and Spanish troops, supplemented by forces from Turkey, the Netherlands, Canada and Arab states such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia, EU officials said.

Solana said Tuesday that an international force for Lebanon should represent a broad sweep of nations to generate the widest possible public support in the Middle East and have a robust United Nations mandate to use force, if necessary.

[Dronetek]

I just got done watching the press briefing about the cease fire and apparently its only lebanon that is suffering. I didnt hear one mention of Israeli civilains. I'm really blown away by the apparent popularity of the hezbolla position.

[Coop]

From BBC:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5215692.stm
"UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, at Middle East crisis talks in Rome, has called for an immediate ceasefire from both Hezbollah and Israel.
He said Israel should halt all ground operations, bombardments and blockades, and Hezbollah stop deliberately targeting Israeli population centres.

Fighting is continuing in south Lebanon though vital aid is now on the way.

His comments come as outcry over the death of four UN observers in Lebanon, killed by an Israeli jet, grows.

According to an initial UN investigation into the incident the observers were subjected to a six-hour bomb attack by Israeli forces during which they called Israel's military 10 times to tell them to stop."

[DeltaWhisky58]

From BBC:
"UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, at Middle East crisis talks in Rome, has called for an immediate ceasefire from both Hezbollah and Israel.
He said Israel should halt all ground operations, bombardments and blockades, and Hezbollah stop deliberately targeting Israeli population centres.

Fighting is continuing in south Lebanon though vital aid is now on the way.

His comments come as outcry over the death of four UN observers in Lebanon, killed by an Israeli jet, grows.

According to an initial UN investigation into the incident the observers were subjected to a six-hour bomb attack by Israeli forces during which they called Israel's military 10 times to tell them to stop."

Do not post quotes alone - these must be backed up by valid links or posts will be removed.

[Coop]

It might surprise you, that matters like the following do not make Israel popular at all:

BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5215692.stm)
"UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, at Middle East crisis talks in Rome, has called for an immediate ceasefire from both Hezbollah and Israel.
He said Israel should halt all ground operations, bombardments and blockades, and Hezbollah stop deliberately targeting Israeli population centres.

Fighting is continuing in south Lebanon though vital aid is now on the way.

His comments come as outcry over the death of four UN observers in Lebanon, killed by an Israeli jet, grows.

According to an initial UN investigation into the incident the observers were subjected to a six-hour bomb attack by Israeli forces during which they called Israel's military 10 times to tell them to stop."

First the two clearly marked ambulance cars, yesterday (and who knows how many others before), and now this. Bear in mind: the IDF has done this in the case of a clearly marked UN-post - and to people who are there to help and to protect. Now, imagine what is the IDF doing to Lebanese civilians?

One must ask himself, what kind of "holy people" do things of this kind?

Really "well done" IDF....

[For_israelis]

HP just bought the Israeli software giant Mercury for 4.5$ billion.
What does it have to do with this topic? The tax from this deal will probably be enough to pay for the operation and compensations to Israelis and it shows that even though we are under attacks the world analysts believe in our economy.

[Coop]

The USA "believe" in your economy, because they invest so much in it already since decades that they can't do else any more. It was Rockwell Corp that was behind establishment of IAI, in the lat 1960s; Grumman did all the R+D for Lavi; the Arrow ATBM is based to large degree on US high tech and mainly US-financed, just for example.

So, yes, indeed, this has a lot with this topic, especially since Israel is - economically - practically the 51st US state. In turn, the USA have no own foreign politics in the Middle East: this is dictated by Israel.

One of bi-products of this situation and a major irony is, however, that the closest ally of the USA is a country that conducts terrorist attacks against UN representatives - which is actually completely against the policy of the current US administration. Nowhere else but in Israel did it happen that a man who blew up a UN representative can become a prime minister (Isaac Shamer): I wonder how far are the people responsible for this murder on four UN officers yesterday going to climb in rank...

[alexz]

Breaking new
The Israeli news site walla.co.il claims
50 armed Palestinians were killed overnight and today?
other media (ynet) report 15 Palestinian fighters killed.

[dedgod]

From http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/07/26/mideast.main/index.html


The U.N. observers were killed when an Israeli bomb made a direct hit on their bunker in southern Lebanon on Tuesday. They had called an Israeli military liaison about 10 times in the six hours before they died to warn that the aerial attacks were getting close to their position, according to a U.N. officer

It doesn't matter that Kofi Annan hates Israel (and the USU gov for that matter)..
It doesn't matter whether it was deliberate or not, the perception is that it was deliberate and its gaining ground...
And that does not bode well for Israel. This war is eroding any support for Israel (outside the US) and is ending the aura of invincibility that Israel had...
Israel is losing the media war...

[chomstein]

Sigh...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060726/ap_on_re_mi_ea/lebanon_israel

[Royal]

Playtime over children.

This is now in the NEWS thread.

Take your squabbles to PM or to another forum - we're fed up with your bigotry here.

[frenchy]

I just want to understand something, 119 rockets fallen in Israel today (source www.jpost.com (http://www.jpost.com)).

In 15 days, I wander if IDF attacks are efficient or Hezbollah have unlimited number of rockets and launchers.

Does IDF fail to find hezbollah's rocket launchers ?

IDF said two weeks to end the conflict, failure. It seems we entered in a long conflict.

What does tsahal intend to do ?

[jipman]

Ahhhhhh Israel killed fellow Finn!!!!!! fukfukfukfuk not good not good!!!!!!!!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060726/ap_on_re_mi_ea/lebanon_israel

[Luno]

the Lebanese army has announces the name of two dead soldiers
Staff Sergeant Abbud (Born on May 1st 1976 – Zahyryah) and
Corporal Badih Tlayss (Born on June 4 1983 –Brita)

Photos and more info at
Lebanese Army Official Website
http://www.lebarmy.gov.lb/article.asp?ln=en&id=11469



I don’t know if it is OK to post news like this here but if it isn’t please delete my post.

[Coop]

SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM (http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/06/front2453938.109027778.html)
Friday, July 21, 2006

WASHINGTON — The U.S. defense community has been quietly disappointed by Israel's war in Lebanon.

Government analysts said the Israel Air Force has sought to erode Hizbullah capabilities rather than strike a blow that would shatter the militia's command and control.

"There's no shock and awe here," a senior government analyst, referring to the U.S. strategy in Iraq, said. "Hizbullah has been hurt but has managed to continue."

The analysts said Israel has adopted a bombing campaign that resembled the U.S.-led NATO bombardment of Serbia in 1999. For 78 days, NATO warplanes struck civilian and military targets in an effort to stop President Slobodan Milosovic from expelling Muslims from Kosovo. In the end, Milosevic agreed to a ceasefire after NATO threatened a ground invasion.

"I can't see this as a successful strategy," another analyst said. "In Yugoslavia, NATO had all the time in the world. Israel can't count on more than two weeks."

The analysts said Hizbullah's military capability surprised Israel and the United States. They said that despite the increase of Iranian arms deliveries to Hizbullah in 2006, Israel did not revise its assessment that the Shi'ite militia could not sustain more than a week of war.

The biggest surprise to the U.S. intelligence community, analysts said, was the Hizbullah launch of the C-802 cruise missile. On July 14, the Chinese-origin missile struck and damaged an Israeli missile boat.

"This was more than just a successful strike," a U.S. intelligence source said. "It was a clear signal by Iran of what it intends to do to us in the Gulf."

A congressional staffer who monitors militaries in the Middle East said he was impressed by the ease with which Hizbullah struck Israeli military bases. The staffer said Hizbullah rocket strikes forced Israel to remove planes and helicopters from bases as far as 40 kilometers south of the Lebanese border.

"It was disturbing to see the Israeli retreat," the staffer said. "It could have significant repercussions in future conflicts."

The analysts said the U.S. military was closely studying the Hizbullah war to prepare for any future conflict with Iran and its proxies. They said the results of the Israeli military campaign could influence the extent of advanced technology procurement for both the U.S. military as well as homeland security.

"The longer-term consequences will impact everything from the U.S. immigration debate — current proposals are dependent on high-tech sensors to stop illegal immigration — to the implementation of transformation programs around the world and especially the USA's Future Combat Systems and its plethora of UAVs and unmanned sensors," the Washington-based Defense Industry Daily said.

[khukuri]

Rome meet to push for ceasefire
Wednesday 26 July 2006, 3:58 Makka Time, 0:58 GMT


The conference opens behind closed doors


European leaders at a Middle East conference in Rome plan to push for a ceasefire in Lebanon, deployment of a multinational force to stabilise its border with Israel and help disarm Hezbollah, EU officials have said.


http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/297CF745-5786-4BA4-8508-C95CE9C7ADC3.htm


more....

It would ideally be built around French, German and Spanish troops, supplemented by forces from Turkey, The Netherlands, Canada, and Arab states such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia.



Thankyou moderators for keeping up with this **** and cleaning this very good and important thread!!!!




EDIT:


Lebanon summit fails to agree truce call
Wednesday 26 July 2006, 18:07 Makka Time, 15:07 GMT
Condoleezza Rice said any ceasefire must be "sustainable"
15-nation summit in Rome has failed to reach agreement on calling for an immediate ceasefire in southern Lebanon.


Before the talks, Kofi Annan, the UN secretary general, had urged the Rome conference to back an "immediate cessation of hostilities" between Israel and Hezbollah forces.

But a joint declaration read after the conference fell short of Annan's request, instead pledging to work with "urgency" for a truce.

The declaration, read by Massimo D'Alema, the Italian foreign minister, expressed the international community's "determination to work immediately to reach with utmost urgency a ceasefire to put an end to the current hostilities".

He said such a truce "must be lasting, permanent and sustainable".

Unacceptable

Annan's view, shared by many Arab governments, was rejected by the US and Britain, who say conditions are not yet right for a lasting ceasefire.

"A temporary cessation of hostilities would offer crucial hours and days for essential humanitarian tasks"

Kofi Annan

Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, who had been under pressure to lean on Israel to end its offensive, said there could be "no return to the status quo ante."

"We are all agreed that we want most urgently to end the violence on a basis that this time will be sustainable. Because unfortunately this is a region that has had too many broken ceasefires."

Mohamad Raad, leader of Hezbollah's 14-member parliamentary bloc, called for an immediate ceasefire and for indirect negotiations on prisoner exchanges.

"Anything other than that is not acceptable," he said.

Neither Israel nor Hezbollah and its allies Syria and Iran, were invited to the conference, co-chaired by the US and Italy.


Compensation

During the meeting, the Lebanese prime minister said Israel should be forced to pay compensation for damage caused by military strikes on the country's infrastructure.

Fuad Saniora also called on Wednesday for a prisoner exchange supervised by the Red Cross as part of a plan to resolve the crisis.

"Israel cannot go on indefinitely disregarding international law. It must be made to pay and we shall commence legal proceedings and spare no avenue to make Israel compensate the Lebanese people," he said.

The Lebanese government said that 2.07 billion dollars worth of damage had been caused by Israeli attacks during the crisis.

Deliberate attack

Earlier, Kofi Annan had criticised Israel over what he said was a deliberate attack that killed four UN observers in southern Lebanon.

"The death and destruction we have witnessed in the past two weeks...compels this conference to send a strong message and to speak with one voice," he said.


Israel is continuing to suffer
casualties in Lebanon


"A temporary cessation of hostilities would offer crucial hours and days for essential humanitarian tasks," said Annan.

The Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, told a cabinet meeting on Wednesday that he wanted to establish a security zone between one and two kilometres wide on the Lebanese side of the border to stop Hezbollah fighters firing rockets at Israel, the Israeli media reported.

Thirteen Israeli soldiers were killed in clashes in a southern Lebanese town, Aljazeera said.

Israel's war against Hezbollah has killed at least 418 people in Lebanon, mostly civilians. At least 42 Israelis have also died.





http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/F752D82E-1119-4E6E-94E4-C85819478C0A.htm

[alexz]

Israeli media reports another fire fight taking place this moment in between
Maroun a Ras and bint Jabeyl. Casualties are reported.

[saigonsmuggler]

There were conflicting reports about Israeli casualties in the heavy fighting at Bint Jbail, which Israeli forces have been trying to take for four days.

Hezbollah said its guerrillas ambushed an Israeli unit from three sides as it tried to advance from a ridge on the outskirts of the town. "The bodies of the soldiers remained on the ground amid the destroyed and burning vehicles," an announcer on Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV said.

The pan-Arab satellite station Al-Arabiya said at least 14 Israeli soldiers had been killed, while Al-Jazeera said 13 were killed and 12 wounded in the fighting. Hezbollah's chief spokesman Hussein Rahhal said 13 Israelis were killed.

The Israeli military said there were 20 Israeli casualties, but it would not say if any soldiers had been killed. If confirmed, it would be the largest death toll suffered by the Israeli military in a single attack since the offensive began two weeks ago.

Hezbollah said Israeli forces were trying to advance toward a hospital in Bint Jbail. Israeli forces had managed to seize a few points inside the town, but not yet its center, a senior Hezbollah official, Mahmoud Komati, told The Associated Press.

The Israeli army said several Hezbollah fighters took cover in a town mosque. Komati denied the allegation and suggested those in the mosque were civilians, while Rahhal said they could be fighters who were praying.

Bint Jbail, a town of at least 30,000 — though most are believed to have fled — has great symbolic importance for the Shiite Muslim Hezbollah guerrillas. It holds the largest Shiite community in the border area and was known as the "capital of the resistance" during Israel's 1982-90 occupation because of its support for Hezbollah.

An Israeli seizure of the town, about 2 1/2 miles from the border, would rob Hezbollah of a significant refuge overlooking northern Israel and force its fighters to operate from smaller, more vulnerable villages in the south.

The town is in a tiny pocket of about six square miles where significant Israeli ground forces have entered southern Lebanon — including the village of Maroun al-Ras seized over the weekend and the outskirts of the villages of Yaroun and Aitaroun.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060726/ap_on_re_mi_ea/lebanon_israel_464;_ylt=AlPLK_eLqh1GqVTyavK38r8UvioA;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl

[DeltaWhisky58]

Israel troops 'ignored' UN plea

(Greater detail than earlier report - DW58)

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41932000/jpg/_41932236_khiamap203.jpg
Israel had hit Khiam a number of times earlier on Tuesday

UN peacekeepers in south Lebanon contacted Israeli troops 10 times before an Israeli bomb killed four of them, an initial UN report says.

The post was hit by a precision-guided missile after six hours of shelling, diplomats familiar with the probe say.
UN-led crisis talks in Rome ended with no agreement to urge an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.
In the latest fighting, up to 13 Israeli soldiers were reported killed in southern Lebanon on Wednesday.
Israel has not confirmed any deaths from among its soldiers, but says there have been 20 casualties in the clashes around the town of Bint Jbail, a strategically located Hezbollah stronghold.
More than 400 Lebanese and 42 Israelis have died in two weeks of conflict, which began after Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid on 12 July.

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gifhttp://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41932000/gif/_41932684_leb_is_gaz_launch_4map203.gif
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/inline_dashed_line.gif

Mid-East crisis map (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/629/629/5177932.stm)
New force for peace? (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5213092.stm)


In other developments:

Hezbollah fires more than 100 rockets into Israel, injuring 31 people, security and medical sources say
A Jordanian military plane arrived in Beirut to evacuate some of the most seriously wounded Lebanese civilians
Ten lorries loaded with food and medical supplies arrived in the southern town of Tyre from the capital, Beirut
The centre of Tyre is hit by a massive explosion, possibly caused by an Israeli air strike
Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah warned on TV that his organisation would begin firing rockets further south into Israel than Haifa.Israeli regrets

The four unarmed UN observers from Austria, Canada, China and Finland, died after their UN post in the town of Khiam was hit by an Israeli air strike on Tuesday.

The UN report says each time the UN contacted Israeli forces, they were assured the firing would stop.
A senior Irish soldier working for the UN forces had warned the Israelis six times that their bombardment was endangering the lives of UN staff, Ireland's foreign ministry said.
Had Israel responded to the requests, "rather than deliberately ignoring them", the observers would still be alive, a diplomat familiar with the report said.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has expressed "deep regrets" over the deaths.
Israel is conducting an investigation into the incident.
It has rejected accusations made by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan that the targeting of the UN position was "apparently deliberate".
White House spokesman Tony Snow said "something went really wrong" to cause the deaths, but also said there was no reason to suggest the bombing was deliberate.
The UN Security Council is meeting to discuss the incident.

'Utmost urgency'

The Rome summit, called by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, brought together EU and Arab nations plus the US and Russia, but not Israel, Iran or Syria.

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41933000/jpg/_41933182_woundedsoldier203_afp.jpg
Israel says 20 soldiers were injured near Bint Jbail

The conference released a declaration expressing "determination to work immediately to reach with utmost urgency a ceasefire to put an end to the current hostilities".
It also said a ceasefire "must be lasting, permanent and sustainable".
The statement called for an international force with a UN mandate for south Lebanon, and the full implementation of existing UN Security Council resolutions calling for the disarming of militias and deployment of Lebanese troops in the border region.
Mr Annan said it was important to work with the countries of the region, including Syria and Iran, to find a solution to the crisis.
But Condoleezza Rice was critical of the role of both countries.
"It's not a question of talking to Syria, it's whether Syria's prepared to act," she said. In an impassioned speech, Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora warned that more people would die if the ceasefire was delayed, and called for a Lebanese-Israeli prisoner exchange as part of plan to end the fighting.

BBC News Online (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5217176.stm)

[Cpt. Spaulding]

http://www.coxandforkum.com/archives/06.07.25.CowardlyBlend-X.gif



The U.N. official quoted below has been spouting the typical moral equivalence about the Israel/Hezbollah war, but his specific criticism of Hezbollah is surprisingly frank and accurate. From FoxNews: U.N. Chief Accuses Hezbollah of 'Cowardly Blending' Among Refugees (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,205352,00.html).

The U.N. humanitarian chief accused Hezbollah on Monday of "cowardly blending" among Lebanese civilians and causing the deaths of hundreds during two weeks of cross-border violence with Israel. The militant group has built bunkers and tunnels near the Israeli border to shelter weapons and fighters, and its members easily blend in among civilians.
Jan Egeland spoke with reporters at the Larnaca airport in Cyprus late Monday after a visit to Lebanon on his mission to coordinate an international aid effort. On Sunday he had toured the rubble of Beirut's southern suburbs, a once-teeming Shiite district where Hezbollah had its headquarters.
During that visit he condemned the killing and wounding of civilians by both sides, and called Israel's offensive "disproportionate" and "a violation of international humanitarian law."
On Monday he had strong words for Hezbollah, which crossed into Israel and captured two Israeli soldiers on July 12, triggering fierce fighting from both sides.
"Consistently, from the Hezbollah heartland, my message was that Hezbollah must stop this cowardly blending ... among women and children," he said. "I heard they were proud because they lost very few fighters and that it was the civilians bearing the brunt of this. I don't think anyone should be proud of having many more children and women dead than armed men."

[alexz]

It appears that it was a very large fight with dozens of hezzis
attacking and trying to remove the Golani troops from their position.
Face to face battles took place with most of the hezzis being killed
and dozens of Israeli dead and injured. 4 more IDF casulties in another
engement in the area.

[DeltaWhisky58]

It appears that it was a very large fight with dozens of hezzis
attacking and trying to remove the Golani troops from their position.
Face to face battles took place with most of the hezzis being killed
and dozens of Israeli dead and injured. 4 more IDF casulties in another
engement in the area.

Source please - you asked for this thread to be news only, don't abuse it!

[Royal]

Interesting thought...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/5217438.stm


The memory of the Holocaust is fuelling a debate in Germany over involvement in a Lebanon peace force, even before a definite decision to create one.

It is possible that a peace enforcer would have to fire at an Israeli
German newspapers on Wednesday aired a number of arguments for and against sending German soldiers to the Middle East, with the "burden of history" looming large.

"History is the past, but the history of the Holocaust belongs to the German present," said the Frankfurter Rundschau.

No German soldier should, even theoretically, "be brought into a situation where he has to aim his weapon at an Israeli", it added.

Continued...

[Irish]

Israeli envoy to pass on Irish concerns

26 July 2006 16:31 The Israeli Ambassador Daniel Megiddo has said he will pass the Irish Government's concerns about the situation in south Lebanon to his government.
Speaking after a 40 minute meeting with the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dermot Ahern, and the Minister for Defence, Willie O'Dea, Mr Megiddo said the killing of four UN troops yesterday was 'an accident' but that it had happened in a war zone.
Afterwards Mr Ahern said that the Irish officer acting as liaison between the UN and the Israeli defence forces had warned them six times that their shelling was too close to UN positions.

He said the deaths were the result either of an incredible accident or of deliberate targeting.
Mr O'Dea said the morale of the Irish troops in Lebanon was high and that there was no question of withdrawing them at present but that an international peacekeeping force could not be deployed in the area until there was a ceasefire.
One Irish soldier was based at the Khiam observation post up to 48 hours before the air strike.
Mr O'Dea has discussed the safety of the Irish troops with the Army Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Jim Sreenan, and the senior Irish officer in Lebanon, Lieutenant Colonel John Molloy.
Lebanese children arrive in Dublin
Earlier the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, said he was appalled by the UN deaths and condemned the continuing use by Israel of reckless and disproportionate force.
In a separate development, the two Lebanese children whose father holds an Irish passport have arrived back in Ireland after being evacuated from the bombed southern port city of Tyre.
Gradier and Ali Zabed, aged five and seven, arrived in Dublin Airport shortly after 8am this morning and were reunited with their father, Munier, who has been living in Kilkenny for the past two years.


Audio and Videohttp://www.rte.ie/news/images/realplayer.gif (http://www.real.com/freeplayer/?rppr=rnwk)Morning Ireland: Dermot Ahern, Minister for Foreign Affairs, says the present crisis is a disappointment, as it seemed progress was being made with Hamas http://www.rte.ie/news/images/audio_sml_but.gif (http://dynamic.rte.ie/av/2160343.smil)Morning Ireland: At Dublin airport, Munier Zabred, who lives in Co Kilkenny, confirms his two children have arrived safely from Lebanon http://www.rte.ie/news/images/audio_sml_but.gif (http://dynamic.rte.ie/av/2160321.smil)One News: Samantha Libreri reports that Gadier and Ali Zabed, aged 5 and 7, arrived in Dublin Airport from Lebanon this morning and were reunited with their father, Munier http://www.rte.ie/news/images/video_sml_but.gif (http://dynamic.rte.ie/av/2160428.smil)One News: David McCullagh, Political Correspondent, reports that the Israeli Ambassador has been summoned to a meeting with the Minister for Foreign Affairs at Iveagh House http://www.rte.ie/news/images/video_sml_but.gif (http://dynamic.rte.ie/av/2160426.smil)

[Irish]

And Hizb. are just good ole boys out for beer and a joyride?

Guys,DW58 opened this for news only..no flaming

[ed316]

Prodi: Italy Will Join Mideast Force




"I believe that it was a success if we analyze what was possible realistically. What could be achieved was achieved," Prodi told The Associated Press.
The Italian premier also said the U.S. was not isolated by its position on a cease-fire.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=2238470

[Irish]

http://www.sky.com/skynews/video/videoplayer/0,,30000-ronan_1500,00.html

[alexz]

Source please - you asked for this thread to be news only, don't abuse it!

Sorry, it was live on channel 10 News (they even showed the
battel animation).
IDF official report - 8 KIA 22 wounded so far today.