By NICK WADHAMS, AP
UNITED NATIONS (Aug. 12) - The U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution Friday that calls for an end to the war between Israel and Hezbollah, and authorizes 15,000 U.N. peacekeepers to help Lebanese troops take control of south Lebanon as Israel withdraws.
The resolution offers the best chance yet for peace after more than four weeks of fighting that has killed more than 800 people, destroyed Lebanon's infrastructure, displaced hundreds of thousands of people and inflamed tensions across the Middle East. Drafted by France and the U.S., it was adopted unanimously.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert endorsed the resolution late Friday, after a day of brinksmanship including a threat to expand the ground war. Lebanon's Cabinet was to consider the draft on Saturday, but Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the Lebanese government assured her that it supported the text.
The next point of contention will be when to implement the cessation of hostilities. Israel said its campaign would continue until Sunday, when its Cabinet will meet to endorse the resolution. Long columns of Israeli tanks, troops and armored personnel carriers streamed over the border early Saturday.
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said he planned to meet Lebanese and Israeli officials as soon as possible to determine the exact date of a cease-fire.
Rice said the "hard work of diplomacy" was only beginning with the passage of the resolution and that it would be unrealistic to expect an immediate end to all violence. She said the United States would increase its assistance to Lebanon to $50 million, and demanded other nations stop interfering in its affairs.
"Today we call upon every state, especially Iran and Syria, to respect the sovereignty of the Lebanese government and the will of the international community," Rice told the council. Iran and Syria back Hezbollah and supply it rockets and other weapons.
"We will now end to work very hard," Rice told reporters afterward. "This is a first step but it is a good first step."
With tough language in remarks before the vote, Annan said hundreds of millions of people around the world shared his frustration that the council had taken so long to act. That inaction has "badly shaken the world's faith in its authority and integrity," he said.
"I would be remiss if I did not tell you how profoundly disappointed I am that the council did not reach this point much, much earlier," he said.
The Security Council resolution leaves out several key demands from both Israel and Lebanon in efforts to come up with a workable arrangement.
Despite Lebanese objections, Israel will be allowed to continue defensive operations - a term that Arab diplomats fear the Israeli military will interpret widely. A dispute over the Chebaa Farms area along the Syria-Lebanon-Israel border will be left for later; and Israel won't get its wish for an entirely new multinational force separate from the U.N. peacekeepers that have been stationed in south Lebanon since 1978.
Lebanon's acting foreign minister, Tarek Mitri, suggested that his nation would accept the resolution though he said its call for a cessation of fighting could not be implemented. He criticized it for allowing Israel to continue some operations.
"A cease-fire that by its terms cannot be implemented is no cease-fire," Mitri said. "A cease-fire that retains the right for one side the right not to cease firing is not a cease-fire."
There is also no call for the release of Lebanese prisoners held by Israel or a demand for the immediate withdrawal of Israeli troops. Although the draft resolution emphasizes the need for the "unconditional release" of the two Israeli soldiers whose July 12 capture by Hezbollah sparked the conflict, that call is not included in the list of steps required for a lasting cease-fire.
Diplomats said the negotiators' main goal had been to come up with a draft that spells out a lasting political solution to the hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah along the Israel-Lebanon border. The standoff has bedeviled the region for more than two decades.
"You never get a deal like this with everybody getting everything that they want," Britain's Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said. "The question is, has everybody got enough for this to stick and for it to be enforceable? Nobody wants to go back to where we were before this last episode started."
At the heart of the resolution are two elements: It seeks an immediate halt to the fighting that began July 12 when Hezbollah militants kidnapped two Israeli troops along the Blue Line, the U.N.-demarcated border separating Israel; and it spells out a series of steps that would lead to a permanent cease-fire and long-term solution.
That would be done by creating a new buffer zone in south Lebanon "free of any armed personnel, assets and weapons other than those of the government of Lebanon and UNIFIL" _ the acronym of the U.N. force deployed in the region since 1978. The force now has 2,000 troops; the resolution would expand it to a maximum of 15,000.
South Lebanon had been under de facto control of Hezbollah, a Shiite militia, for several years until Israeli forces occupied parts of it after the start of the fighting last month. The political solution would include implementation of previous Security Council resolutions calling for Hezbollah's disarmament.
Under the resolution, UNIFIL would be significantly beefed up to help coordinate when 15,000 Lebanese troops deploy to the region. As Lebanese forces take control of the south, Israeli troops would withdraw "in parallel."
Israel is chiefly concerned that Hezbollah not be allowed to regain its strength in south Lebanon once a cessation of hostilities goes into effect. It had originally demanded the creation of a new multinational force separate from UNIFIL, which it claimed was powerless.
Several diplomats said UNIFIL would essentially become so strong that it will not resemble the weaker force it once was.
The resolution gives Annan one week to report back on how well it has been implemented. The council leaves open the possibility of another resolution to further enhance UNIFIL's mandate and other steps to achieve a permanent cease-fire.
The draft also asks Annan to come up with proposals within 30 days on resolving various border disputes including the one over Chebaa Farms. Lebanon had wanted a direct demand in the draft that Chebaa Farms be put under U.N. control.
Friday's tumultuous events began with a decision by Olmert, after consultations with his defense minister, to send troops deeper into Hezbollah territory. Still, that order was coupled with signals from Israel that it could halt the offensive if a cease-fire arrangement met its demands, particularly for a strong multinational force.
Diplomats at the U.N. said the adoption of the resolution must spur them to solve the wider conflict in the Middle East, particularly between Israel and the Palestinians. The Lebanon war has overshadowed the turmoil there, caused by the capture of an Israeli soldier on June 25.
Qatar's Foreign Minister Hamad bin Jassem Al Thani said that in the coming days Arab states would submit formal requests for a Security Council meeting in September to hammer out a new regional peace plan.
Associated Press reporters Karin Laub in Jerusalem, Paul Burkhardt at the United Nations and Anne Gearan in Washington contributed to this story.
08-12-06 00:07 EDT
CRISIS in the MIDDLE EAST
Moderators: Cell_Leader, ikaotiki, Julstar
-
theone666
- Major [O-4]
- Posts: 1434
- Joined: Mon Nov 21, 2005 5:00 am
-
theone666
- Major [O-4]
- Posts: 1434
- Joined: Mon Nov 21, 2005 5:00 am
Day-by-day: Lebanon crisis - week five
Friday, 11 August 2006, 10:58 GMT 11:58 UK
A day-by-day look at how the conflict involving Israel and Lebanon is unfolding in its fifth week.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle ... 776627.stm
A day-by-day look at how the conflict involving Israel and Lebanon is unfolding in its fifth week.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle ... 776627.stm
-
theone666
- Major [O-4]
- Posts: 1434
- Joined: Mon Nov 21, 2005 5:00 am
In pictures: Lebanon conflict
Friday, 11 August 2006, 14:06 GMT 15:06 UK
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/4783889.stm
Friday, 11 August 2006, 14:06 GMT 15:06 UK
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/4783889.stm
-
theone666
- Major [O-4]
- Posts: 1434
- Joined: Mon Nov 21, 2005 5:00 am
UN rights body backs Israel probe
Friday, 11 August 2006, 19:42 GMT 20:42 UK
The United Nations Human Rights Council has voted to send a team to Lebanon to investigate alleged abuses by Israel.
The council approved the resolution, proposed by a group of states led by Islamic countries, by 27 votes to 11.
Many of the resolution's opponents criticised it for not mentioning Hezbollah attacks on Israel.
Addressing the emergency session in Geneva, the UN's human rights chief, Louise Arbour, chided both sides for inflicting suffering on civilians.
"Israeli attacks affecting civilians continue unabated," she told a special session of the UN Human Rights Council.
"Also unrelenting is Hezbollah's indiscriminate shelling of densely populated centres in northern Israel," she said.
The resolution alleges systematic human rights violations by Israel using terms like war crimes, crimes against humanity and massacres.
Israel and the United States, although not members of the council, urged a vote against, calling the resolution unbalanced.
European Union countries, alongside Japan and Canada, voted against, calling it one-sided and divisive.
Those voting for included China, Russia, India, Cuba, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Peru, Ecuador, Uruguay, Zambia and South Africa, as well as members of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference.
The Israeli ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Itzhak Levanon, said civilians on both sides were suffering but some council members were ignoring Hezbollah's "vicious campaign of terror".
But Lebanon's ambassador, Gebran Soufan, made an impassioned plea for support, saying the world's top human rights body could not neglect the suffering taking place in his country.
The resolution passed highlights once again the bitter divisions of the Middle East, the BBC's Imogen Foulkes says.
Human rights groups and aid agencies struggling to bring relief to Lebanon all agree the humanitarian situation in the region is becoming catastrophic, our correspondent notes.
But this resolution, revealing once again just how politicised the United Nations can be, is probably not what they were looking for, she adds.
More than 1,000 Lebanese, most of them civilians, have been killed in the month-long conflict, Lebanon says. Some 123 Israelis, most of them soldiers, have also been killed.
The United Nations Human Rights Council has voted to send a team to Lebanon to investigate alleged abuses by Israel.
The council approved the resolution, proposed by a group of states led by Islamic countries, by 27 votes to 11.
Many of the resolution's opponents criticised it for not mentioning Hezbollah attacks on Israel.
Addressing the emergency session in Geneva, the UN's human rights chief, Louise Arbour, chided both sides for inflicting suffering on civilians.
"Israeli attacks affecting civilians continue unabated," she told a special session of the UN Human Rights Council.
"Also unrelenting is Hezbollah's indiscriminate shelling of densely populated centres in northern Israel," she said.
The resolution alleges systematic human rights violations by Israel using terms like war crimes, crimes against humanity and massacres.
Israel and the United States, although not members of the council, urged a vote against, calling the resolution unbalanced.
European Union countries, alongside Japan and Canada, voted against, calling it one-sided and divisive.
Those voting for included China, Russia, India, Cuba, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Peru, Ecuador, Uruguay, Zambia and South Africa, as well as members of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference.
The Israeli ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Itzhak Levanon, said civilians on both sides were suffering but some council members were ignoring Hezbollah's "vicious campaign of terror".
But Lebanon's ambassador, Gebran Soufan, made an impassioned plea for support, saying the world's top human rights body could not neglect the suffering taking place in his country.
The resolution passed highlights once again the bitter divisions of the Middle East, the BBC's Imogen Foulkes says.
Human rights groups and aid agencies struggling to bring relief to Lebanon all agree the humanitarian situation in the region is becoming catastrophic, our correspondent notes.
But this resolution, revealing once again just how politicised the United Nations can be, is probably not what they were looking for, she adds.
More than 1,000 Lebanese, most of them civilians, have been killed in the month-long conflict, Lebanon says. Some 123 Israelis, most of them soldiers, have also been killed.
-
theone666
- Major [O-4]
- Posts: 1434
- Joined: Mon Nov 21, 2005 5:00 am
Fresh Israel raids after UN vote
Saturday, 12 August 2006, 10:07 GMT 11:07 UK
Israel's military says it has begun "broadening" a ground offensive in Lebanon - hours after the UN Security Council voted for a ceasefire plan.
Israeli troops are moving towards the strategically significant Litani River, a spokeswoman said. Fresh air strikes inside Lebanon left several dead.
The UN passed a resolution urging a "full cessation of hostilities".
Israel's cabinet is to discuss the issue on Sunday and will only halt military action after it takes a vote.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is asking the cabinet to endorse the resolution, describing it as positive and acceptable.
But even as diplomats finalised the draft, Israel radio said troops had been ordered to seize ground as far as the Litani River, up to 30km (18 miles) from the Israeli border.
"We are expanding the combat areas to the Litani River and to areas from which (Hezbollah) rockets are fired on Israel in order to reduce and eventually stop these attacks," a senior commander in northern Israel, General Alon Friedman, was quoted as telling public radio.
Early on Saturday Hezbollah also fired a salvo of 20 rockets at Israel, AFP reported.
Big push?
Long columns of tanks and troops crossed the border under cover of darkness, reports from northern Israel said.
According to Lebanese security sources, at least five people were killed in Israeli air strikes in a village near Tyre.
Israeli jets also raided the city of Sidon - north of the Litani River - destroying facilities at a power station. It is only the second time Sidon has been hit in the conflict, which began more than four weeks ago.
However, Israeli officials gave no details as to the scale of the offensive and it is not clear whether this is the big push into Lebanon that Israel has been threatening.
The BBC's Bethany Bell in Jerusalem says there are some indications this could be sabre-rattling before Sunday's cabinet meeting.
Hezbollah factor
An adviser to Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora gave the resolution a cautious welcome, but there was no immediate reaction from Hezbollah.
Lebanese Information Minister Eli Farzli told the BBC Hezbollah would abide by the terms set out at the UN.
"If the implementation of the resolution takes place accurately, and the Israelis stick to the resolution, and if the Lebanese government accept it, then I think it means that Hezbollah will also accept it, and I think that Hezbollah will stick to the 1701 resolution," he said.
The Lebanese cabinet is also due to discuss the issue this weekend.
UN Security Council resolution 1701 was passed unanimously in New York after an impassioned speech from Secretary General Kofi Annan.
He lamented the UN's failure to act sooner to end fighting in the Middle East.
He also said the widely perceived delay in drafting a resolution had "badly shaken" global faith in the UN.
The new resolution says Hezbollah must end attacks on Israel while Israel must end "offensive military operations" in Lebanese territory.
Other key points include:
Some 15,000 peacekeeping troops for the existing UN Interim Force in Lebanon, Unifil, which will receive a beefed-up mandate to monitor and enforce the ceasefire
Lebanon's government asked to deploy troops to the south of the country, previously the domain of Hezbollah fighters
Israel required to withdraw troops currently in southern Lebanon as UN and Lebanese forces are deployed
Drawing up of plans for the disarmament of Hezbollah and the final settlement of the Israel-Lebanon border area, including the Shebaa farms area claimed by Hezbollah.
The US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, said the deal should "open a path to lasting peace between Lebanon and Israel".
UK Prime Minister Tony Blair welcomed the resolution, but stressed that fighting should stop immediately following its adoption.
French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy called the adoption of the resolution "a historic turning point".
But the foreign minister of Qatar, which currently sits on the Security Council, said the resolution still contained imbalances in favour of Israel.
Israel's military says it has begun "broadening" a ground offensive in Lebanon - hours after the UN Security Council voted for a ceasefire plan.
Israeli troops are moving towards the strategically significant Litani River, a spokeswoman said. Fresh air strikes inside Lebanon left several dead.
The UN passed a resolution urging a "full cessation of hostilities".
Israel's cabinet is to discuss the issue on Sunday and will only halt military action after it takes a vote.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is asking the cabinet to endorse the resolution, describing it as positive and acceptable.
But even as diplomats finalised the draft, Israel radio said troops had been ordered to seize ground as far as the Litani River, up to 30km (18 miles) from the Israeli border.
"We are expanding the combat areas to the Litani River and to areas from which (Hezbollah) rockets are fired on Israel in order to reduce and eventually stop these attacks," a senior commander in northern Israel, General Alon Friedman, was quoted as telling public radio.
Early on Saturday Hezbollah also fired a salvo of 20 rockets at Israel, AFP reported.
Big push?
Long columns of tanks and troops crossed the border under cover of darkness, reports from northern Israel said.
According to Lebanese security sources, at least five people were killed in Israeli air strikes in a village near Tyre.
Israeli jets also raided the city of Sidon - north of the Litani River - destroying facilities at a power station. It is only the second time Sidon has been hit in the conflict, which began more than four weeks ago.
However, Israeli officials gave no details as to the scale of the offensive and it is not clear whether this is the big push into Lebanon that Israel has been threatening.
The BBC's Bethany Bell in Jerusalem says there are some indications this could be sabre-rattling before Sunday's cabinet meeting.
Hezbollah factor
An adviser to Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora gave the resolution a cautious welcome, but there was no immediate reaction from Hezbollah.
Lebanese Information Minister Eli Farzli told the BBC Hezbollah would abide by the terms set out at the UN.
"If the implementation of the resolution takes place accurately, and the Israelis stick to the resolution, and if the Lebanese government accept it, then I think it means that Hezbollah will also accept it, and I think that Hezbollah will stick to the 1701 resolution," he said.
The Lebanese cabinet is also due to discuss the issue this weekend.
UN Security Council resolution 1701 was passed unanimously in New York after an impassioned speech from Secretary General Kofi Annan.
He lamented the UN's failure to act sooner to end fighting in the Middle East.
He also said the widely perceived delay in drafting a resolution had "badly shaken" global faith in the UN.
The new resolution says Hezbollah must end attacks on Israel while Israel must end "offensive military operations" in Lebanese territory.
Other key points include:
Some 15,000 peacekeeping troops for the existing UN Interim Force in Lebanon, Unifil, which will receive a beefed-up mandate to monitor and enforce the ceasefire
Lebanon's government asked to deploy troops to the south of the country, previously the domain of Hezbollah fighters
Israel required to withdraw troops currently in southern Lebanon as UN and Lebanese forces are deployed
Drawing up of plans for the disarmament of Hezbollah and the final settlement of the Israel-Lebanon border area, including the Shebaa farms area claimed by Hezbollah.
The US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, said the deal should "open a path to lasting peace between Lebanon and Israel".
UK Prime Minister Tony Blair welcomed the resolution, but stressed that fighting should stop immediately following its adoption.
French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy called the adoption of the resolution "a historic turning point".
But the foreign minister of Qatar, which currently sits on the Security Council, said the resolution still contained imbalances in favour of Israel.
-
theone666
- Major [O-4]
- Posts: 1434
- Joined: Mon Nov 21, 2005 5:00 am
In pictures: No peace yet
Saturday, 12 August 2006, 15:06 GMT 16:06 UK
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/4787049.stm
Saturday, 12 August 2006, 15:06 GMT 16:06 UK
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/4787049.stm
-
theone666
- Major [O-4]
- Posts: 1434
- Joined: Mon Nov 21, 2005 5:00 am
Israelis 'triple Lebanon force'
Saturday, 12 August 2006, 15:12 GMT 16:12 UK
Israel says it has tripled the number of its troops in southern Lebanon in an expanded offensive, despite a United Nations vote backing a ceasefire.
The soldiers are moving towards the strategically significant Litani River, the military said.
Hezbollah's leader has said the group will abide by the UN Security Council resolution, which calls for a "full cessation of hostilities".
Israel's Cabinet will discuss the issue on Sunday.
It says it will only halt military action after taking a vote.
Lebanese ministers will discuss the UN plan on Saturday. Prime Minister Fouad Siniora indicated he would back the truce call, saying: "This resolution shows that the whole world stood by Lebanon."
Hezbollah's leader, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, said on the group's al-Manar TV channel on Saturday that it would abide by the plan.
But referring to Israel's insistence it has the right to continue military operations in Lebanon in self-defence, Sheikh Nasrallah said: "As long as there is Israeli aggression, it is our right to fight them and defend our land."
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is asking his Cabinet to endorse the resolution, describing it as positive and acceptable.
More than 1,000 Lebanese and more than 120 Israelis have been killed in the conflict since Hezbollah militants captured two Israeli soldiers on 12 July in a cross-border raid.
Hilltop village
Israel's army chief, Lt Gen Dan Halutz, said Israeli troops would remain in Lebanon until the arrival of the UN peacekeeping force - expected to be 15,000-strong.
Gen Halutz did not give a figure for the new number of Israeli troops currently in Lebanon, but Israeli sources put it at about 30,000.
Israel radio said the troops had been ordered to seize ground as far as the Litani River, up to 30km (18 miles) from the Israeli border.
The Israeli army confirmed it had airlifted hundreds of troops by helicopter into positions in south Lebanon.
Full details of the new offensive are unclear but several sources confirm heavy clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters at the village of Ghandouriyeh, 11km inside Lebanon.
Ghandouriyeh is a key strategic point, a hilltop village overlooking Hezbollah positions that are just 2.5km from the Litani.
Israeli jets also raided the city of Sidon - north of the Litani - destroying facilities at a power station. It is only the second time Sidon has been hit in the conflict, which began more than four weeks ago.
According to Lebanese security sources, up to 15 people were killed in an Israeli air strike on the village of Rshaf in south Lebanon.
Israel has said it has killed more than 40 Hezbollah fighters in the past 24 hours.
Hezbollah has also fired more rockets into northern Israel, but Israeli sources say the number is far fewer than in recent days.
The UN special envoy to the Middle East, Alvaro de Soto, said he expected Israel to wind down its operations in the next couple of days.
No timetable has been agreed for a ceasefire.
UN Security Council resolution 1701 was passed unanimously in New York after an impassioned speech from Secretary General Kofi Annan.
On Saturday, US President George W Bush praised the UN move, adding: "I now urge the international community to turn words into action and make every effort to bring lasting peace to the region."
The new resolution says Hezbollah must end attacks on Israel while Israel must end "offensive military operations" in Lebanese territory.
Other key points of the plan include:
Some 15,000 peacekeeping troops from the existing UN Interim Force in Lebanon, Unifil, to receive a strengthened mandate to monitor and enforce the ceasefire
Lebanon's government to deploy troops to the south of the country, previously the domain of Hezbollah fighters
Israel to withdraw troops currently in southern Lebanon as UN and Lebanese forces are deployed
The drawing up of plans for the disarmament of Hezbollah and the final settlement of the Israel-Lebanon border area, including the disputed Shebaa farms area.
Israel says it has tripled the number of its troops in southern Lebanon in an expanded offensive, despite a United Nations vote backing a ceasefire.
The soldiers are moving towards the strategically significant Litani River, the military said.
Hezbollah's leader has said the group will abide by the UN Security Council resolution, which calls for a "full cessation of hostilities".
Israel's Cabinet will discuss the issue on Sunday.
It says it will only halt military action after taking a vote.
Lebanese ministers will discuss the UN plan on Saturday. Prime Minister Fouad Siniora indicated he would back the truce call, saying: "This resolution shows that the whole world stood by Lebanon."
Hezbollah's leader, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, said on the group's al-Manar TV channel on Saturday that it would abide by the plan.
But referring to Israel's insistence it has the right to continue military operations in Lebanon in self-defence, Sheikh Nasrallah said: "As long as there is Israeli aggression, it is our right to fight them and defend our land."
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is asking his Cabinet to endorse the resolution, describing it as positive and acceptable.
More than 1,000 Lebanese and more than 120 Israelis have been killed in the conflict since Hezbollah militants captured two Israeli soldiers on 12 July in a cross-border raid.
Hilltop village
Israel's army chief, Lt Gen Dan Halutz, said Israeli troops would remain in Lebanon until the arrival of the UN peacekeeping force - expected to be 15,000-strong.
Gen Halutz did not give a figure for the new number of Israeli troops currently in Lebanon, but Israeli sources put it at about 30,000.
Israel radio said the troops had been ordered to seize ground as far as the Litani River, up to 30km (18 miles) from the Israeli border.
The Israeli army confirmed it had airlifted hundreds of troops by helicopter into positions in south Lebanon.
Full details of the new offensive are unclear but several sources confirm heavy clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters at the village of Ghandouriyeh, 11km inside Lebanon.
Ghandouriyeh is a key strategic point, a hilltop village overlooking Hezbollah positions that are just 2.5km from the Litani.
Israeli jets also raided the city of Sidon - north of the Litani - destroying facilities at a power station. It is only the second time Sidon has been hit in the conflict, which began more than four weeks ago.
According to Lebanese security sources, up to 15 people were killed in an Israeli air strike on the village of Rshaf in south Lebanon.
Israel has said it has killed more than 40 Hezbollah fighters in the past 24 hours.
Hezbollah has also fired more rockets into northern Israel, but Israeli sources say the number is far fewer than in recent days.
The UN special envoy to the Middle East, Alvaro de Soto, said he expected Israel to wind down its operations in the next couple of days.
No timetable has been agreed for a ceasefire.
UN Security Council resolution 1701 was passed unanimously in New York after an impassioned speech from Secretary General Kofi Annan.
On Saturday, US President George W Bush praised the UN move, adding: "I now urge the international community to turn words into action and make every effort to bring lasting peace to the region."
The new resolution says Hezbollah must end attacks on Israel while Israel must end "offensive military operations" in Lebanese territory.
Other key points of the plan include:
Some 15,000 peacekeeping troops from the existing UN Interim Force in Lebanon, Unifil, to receive a strengthened mandate to monitor and enforce the ceasefire
Lebanon's government to deploy troops to the south of the country, previously the domain of Hezbollah fighters
Israel to withdraw troops currently in southern Lebanon as UN and Lebanese forces are deployed
The drawing up of plans for the disarmament of Hezbollah and the final settlement of the Israel-Lebanon border area, including the disputed Shebaa farms area.
-
theone666
- Major [O-4]
- Posts: 1434
- Joined: Mon Nov 21, 2005 5:00 am
Hezbollah 'will observe UN truce'
Saturday, 12 August 2006, 22:00 GMT 23:00 UK
Hezbollah's leader has said his group will abide by a ceasefire plan agreed at the UN to end fighting with Israel.
However, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah said on TV that Hezbollah would continue fighting as long as Israeli soldiers remained in Lebanon.
Lebanon has now also approved the UN resolution, which calls for a "full cessation of hostilities".
Israel has backed the plan too but has extended an offensive in south Lebanon, tripling its ground troops there.
Some Israeli troops have reached the key target of the Litani River, the army says.
Eleven Israeli soldiers were killed and more than 70 wounded in the fighting on Saturday.
Israel also confirmed a helicopter had been shot down in southern Lebanon, causing some casualties. It is the first such loss to hostile fire in the conflict.
Israel's Cabinet will discuss the UN resolution on Sunday and Israel says it will only halt military action after taking a vote.
'War not ended'
On Hezbollah's al-Manar TV channel on Saturday, Sheikh Nasrallah said the UN resolution was "unfair" in holding his group responsible for the fighting.
But he added: "We will not be an obstacle to any decision taken by the Lebanese government."
And referring to Israel's insistence it has the right to continue military operations in Lebanon in self-defence, Sheikh Nasrallah said: "As long as there is Israeli aggression, it is our right to fight them and defend our land."
He added: "The war has not ended. There have been continued strikes and continued casualties. Today nothing has changed and it appears tomorrow nothing will change."
Sheikh Nasrallah said Hezbollah would co-operate with the deployment of UN and Lebanese troops in the south.
The BBC's Nick Childs in Beirut says this appears a very conditional acceptance, aimed at maintaining Lebanese political unity.
After the Lebanese cabinet meeting that approved the UN resolution, Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said the approval was "a unanimous decision, with some reservations".
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is also asking his Cabinet to endorse the resolution, describing it as positive and acceptable.
More than 1,000 Lebanese and more than 120 Israelis have been killed in the conflict since Hezbollah militants captured two Israeli soldiers on 12 July in a cross-border raid.
Israel's army chief, Lt Gen Dan Halutz, said on Saturday Israeli troops would remain in Lebanon until the arrival of a UN peacekeeping force - expected to be 15,000-strong.
Gen Halutz did not give a figure for the new number of Israeli troops currently in Lebanon, but Israeli sources put it at about 30,000.
Israeli radio on Saturday quoted the head of the northern command, Maj-Gen Udi Adam, as saying "some of the forces have reached the line of the Litani" - up to 30km (18 miles) from the Israeli border.
In the helicopter incident, Hezbollah said it had shot down the aircraft with a new Waad missile over the southern Lebanese village of Yater. The number of casualties is not known.
In other military developments:
Several sources confirmed heavy clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters at the village of Ghandouriyeh, 11km inside Lebanon
Israeli jets also raided the city of Sidon - north of the Litani - destroying facilities at a power station
According to Lebanese security sources, up to 15 people were killed in an Israeli air strike on the village of Rshaf in south Lebanon
Israel said it had killed more than 40 Hezbollah fighters in the past 24 hours
Hezbollah fired more rockets into northern Israel, but Israeli sources said the number was fewer than in recent days.
The UN special envoy to the Middle East, Alvaro de Soto, said he expected Israel to wind down its operations in the next couple of days. No timetable has been agreed on the truce.
UN Security Council resolution 1701 says Hezbollah must end attacks on Israel while Israel must end "offensive military operations" in Lebanese territory.
On Saturday, US President George W Bush praised the UN move, adding: "I now urge the international community to turn words into action and make every effort to bring lasting peace to the region."
Mr Bush also added more condemnation of Hezbollah, saying it shared the same "totalitarian ideology" as those arrested in a suspected plot to blow up US-bound jets from Britain.
Hezbollah's leader has said his group will abide by a ceasefire plan agreed at the UN to end fighting with Israel.
However, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah said on TV that Hezbollah would continue fighting as long as Israeli soldiers remained in Lebanon.
Lebanon has now also approved the UN resolution, which calls for a "full cessation of hostilities".
Israel has backed the plan too but has extended an offensive in south Lebanon, tripling its ground troops there.
Some Israeli troops have reached the key target of the Litani River, the army says.
Eleven Israeli soldiers were killed and more than 70 wounded in the fighting on Saturday.
Israel also confirmed a helicopter had been shot down in southern Lebanon, causing some casualties. It is the first such loss to hostile fire in the conflict.
Israel's Cabinet will discuss the UN resolution on Sunday and Israel says it will only halt military action after taking a vote.
'War not ended'
On Hezbollah's al-Manar TV channel on Saturday, Sheikh Nasrallah said the UN resolution was "unfair" in holding his group responsible for the fighting.
But he added: "We will not be an obstacle to any decision taken by the Lebanese government."
And referring to Israel's insistence it has the right to continue military operations in Lebanon in self-defence, Sheikh Nasrallah said: "As long as there is Israeli aggression, it is our right to fight them and defend our land."
He added: "The war has not ended. There have been continued strikes and continued casualties. Today nothing has changed and it appears tomorrow nothing will change."
Sheikh Nasrallah said Hezbollah would co-operate with the deployment of UN and Lebanese troops in the south.
The BBC's Nick Childs in Beirut says this appears a very conditional acceptance, aimed at maintaining Lebanese political unity.
After the Lebanese cabinet meeting that approved the UN resolution, Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said the approval was "a unanimous decision, with some reservations".
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is also asking his Cabinet to endorse the resolution, describing it as positive and acceptable.
More than 1,000 Lebanese and more than 120 Israelis have been killed in the conflict since Hezbollah militants captured two Israeli soldiers on 12 July in a cross-border raid.
Israel's army chief, Lt Gen Dan Halutz, said on Saturday Israeli troops would remain in Lebanon until the arrival of a UN peacekeeping force - expected to be 15,000-strong.
Gen Halutz did not give a figure for the new number of Israeli troops currently in Lebanon, but Israeli sources put it at about 30,000.
Israeli radio on Saturday quoted the head of the northern command, Maj-Gen Udi Adam, as saying "some of the forces have reached the line of the Litani" - up to 30km (18 miles) from the Israeli border.
In the helicopter incident, Hezbollah said it had shot down the aircraft with a new Waad missile over the southern Lebanese village of Yater. The number of casualties is not known.
In other military developments:
Several sources confirmed heavy clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters at the village of Ghandouriyeh, 11km inside Lebanon
Israeli jets also raided the city of Sidon - north of the Litani - destroying facilities at a power station
According to Lebanese security sources, up to 15 people were killed in an Israeli air strike on the village of Rshaf in south Lebanon
Israel said it had killed more than 40 Hezbollah fighters in the past 24 hours
Hezbollah fired more rockets into northern Israel, but Israeli sources said the number was fewer than in recent days.
The UN special envoy to the Middle East, Alvaro de Soto, said he expected Israel to wind down its operations in the next couple of days. No timetable has been agreed on the truce.
UN Security Council resolution 1701 says Hezbollah must end attacks on Israel while Israel must end "offensive military operations" in Lebanese territory.
On Saturday, US President George W Bush praised the UN move, adding: "I now urge the international community to turn words into action and make every effort to bring lasting peace to the region."
Mr Bush also added more condemnation of Hezbollah, saying it shared the same "totalitarian ideology" as those arrested in a suspected plot to blow up US-bound jets from Britain.
-
theone666
- Major [O-4]
- Posts: 1434
- Joined: Mon Nov 21, 2005 5:00 am
Israel to Halt War in Lebanon on Monday
By ZEINA KARAM, AP
BEIRUT, Lebanon (Aug. 12) - Israel will order its troops and warplanes to stop battling with Hezbollah early Monday morning, a senior Israeli government official said Saturday.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment publicly on the sensitive matter. Israel's Cabinet was to endorse the U.N. cease-fire resolution later Sunday.
Israel, meanwhile, flew hundreds of commandos into southern Lebanon on Saturday, tripling its troop strength to 30,000 and sending some army units as far as the Litani River even as both sides indicated they would accept a U.N. cease-fire plan to stop the heavy fighting.
Airstrikes killed at least 19 people in Lebanon, including 15 in one village, and Hezbollah rockets wounded at least five people in Israel.
The Islamic militant group fought back hard, claiming to have destroyed 21 Israeli tanks and killing seven soldiers. Israel confirmed seven deaths and said dozens of other soldiers were wounded in the expanded offensive.
The fighting came a day after the U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution seeking a "full cessation" of violence between Israel and Hezbollah, authorizing 15,000 U.N. peacekeepers to help Lebanese troops take control of south Lebanon as Israeli forces withdraw from the area.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the broadened Israeli offensive had been anticipated and she hoped the hostilities would end in "a day or so."
"My understanding is that this is part of the normal operations that were contemplated. When the cease fire - the cessation of hostilities - comes into being, Israel will stop," she said in an interview with Israel Television.
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan "is working with the parties to establish a timetable for the cease-fire, but I would hope that within no more than a day or so that there would be a cessation of the hostilities on the ground," she said.
Long columns of Israeli armored vehicles streamed over the border trying to drive Hezollah behind the Litani, about 18 miles from the border, before the truce. More than 50 helicopters ferried in commandos in what was called the biggest such operation in Israel's history.
Israel wanted to seize control of the area before positions are frozen to ensure that Hezbollah fighters don't flood the zone before it is handed over to the Lebanese army and U.N. troops, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss sensitive issues publicly.
Israel, which said its troops had killed some 50 guerrillas over the previous 24 hours, said late in the day that some army units had pushed to the Litani, but gave no details.
The Litani is seen by Israel as a crucial boundary in its attempt to push back Hezbollah. Israel repeatedly has insisted that the proposed peacekeeping force cannot allow Hezbollah weapons south of the river.
But it will be nearly impossible to rid south Lebanon of the Islamic guerrillas, who are now in the Lebanese Cabinet and run clinics and other charities that are considered essential in rebuilding the region. Their ability to withstand the Israeli military assault has also made Hezbollah heroes across the Arab and Islamic worlds.
Defense Minister Amir Peretz said Israeli troops will remain until the international relief force arrives and will be defend themselves if attacked.
"If anyone dares to use force against Israeli Defense Forces, we will see this as a violation of the cease-fire agreement," he said on Israel television.
Israeli army chief, Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz, said earlier that Israel expected to fight for another week despite the cease-fire deal. He said Israeli forces - apparently about 30,000 soldiers now - would stay in Lebanon until an international force arrived.
Hezbollah's leader, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, meanwhile, said his militia would abide by the cease-fire blueprint but warned the guerrillas would keep battling Israeli troops while they remained in Lebanon, calling that "our natural right."
His address was televised as Lebanon's Cabinet met to vote on the U.N. plan. Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora signaled the Cabinet would accept, saying it serves the interests of his country and "shows that the whole world stood by Lebanon."
The Israeli Cabinet was expected to approve the cease-fire Sunday, but Israel appeared ready to keep up its full-scale military campaign until the U.N. plan worked its way through the region's political leadership over the weekend.
The resolution approved Friday night by the U.N. Security Council would create a peacekeeping force by combining a beefed-up version of ineffective U.N. units already in the war zone and 15,000 soldiers from the Lebanese army. The force, which could number around 30,000, would stand between Israel and Hezbollah's militia.
France, New Zealand, Italy and Ireland said Saturday they were ready to provide troops and Turkey said it was inclined to do so.
President Bush issued a statement urging the world's leaders to implement the U.N. plan and help bring real peace to the Middle East.
"The loss of innocent life in both Lebanon and Israel has been a great tragedy," Bush said. "Hezbollah and its Iranian and Syrian sponsors have brought an unwanted war to the people of Lebanon and Israel, and millions have suffered as a result. I now urge the international community to turn words into action and make every effort to bring lasting peace to the region."
Israel has demanded an airtight buffer zone and wonders if U.N. and Lebanese forces are up for the task. A small U.N. military presence - now about 2,000 observers - has been in Hezbollah-controlled southern Lebanon since 1978 and has been overwhelmed by the Islamic militant group's rising power, aided by Iran and Syria.
Rice specifically cited Hezbollah's two sponsors in a statement Friday for all parties to "respect the sovereignty of the Lebanese government and the will of the international community."
But the resolution, approved 15-0 in the U.N. Security Council, did nothing to immediately halt the fighting that erupted exactly a month ago and has claimed nearly 900 lives - including at least 760 in Lebanon and 130 Israelis.
Israeli missiles slammed into the southern Lebanon village of Rachaf, about 10 miles from the Israeli border, killing at least 15 civilians, security officials said. Israeli ground forces also fanned out across southern Lebanon hunting for Hezbollah rocket batteries that have fired unending salvos across the border.
Three people also were killed in strikes on Kharayeb, and a Lebanese soldier was killed in an air raid near an army base in the Bekaa Valley, officials said.
The guerrilla group announced four deaths Friday and three Saturday.
After a morning free of Hezbollah rocket strikes in northern Israel, a barrage of 20 missiles at midafternoon injured two people in Amirim and three in Kiryat Shemona. Hezbollah had been averaging nearly 200 hits each day in the monthlong conflict.
In Sidon, a coastal city between Beirut and the Israeli border, Israeli bombs destroyed a power plant. Farther south, another power facility was hit near Tyre, knocking out electricity to the port, police said.
On Lebanon's northern frontier, Israeli airstrikes hit the highway leading to the Arida border crossing about a mile from the Mediterranean coast. It was the last official border post open for humanitarian convoys and civilians fleeing the country. The highway was impassable, but drivers tried to maneuver through ruts and ditches.
The only other exits from Lebanon are rugged pathways and back roads through deserts or mountains.
Israel seeks to block supply routes for Hezbollah and disrupt their mobility and has warned it would target any vehicles on the roads in southern Lebanon and along other main highways.
8/12/2006 14:50:34 EDT
BEIRUT, Lebanon (Aug. 12) - Israel will order its troops and warplanes to stop battling with Hezbollah early Monday morning, a senior Israeli government official said Saturday.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment publicly on the sensitive matter. Israel's Cabinet was to endorse the U.N. cease-fire resolution later Sunday.
Israel, meanwhile, flew hundreds of commandos into southern Lebanon on Saturday, tripling its troop strength to 30,000 and sending some army units as far as the Litani River even as both sides indicated they would accept a U.N. cease-fire plan to stop the heavy fighting.
Airstrikes killed at least 19 people in Lebanon, including 15 in one village, and Hezbollah rockets wounded at least five people in Israel.
The Islamic militant group fought back hard, claiming to have destroyed 21 Israeli tanks and killing seven soldiers. Israel confirmed seven deaths and said dozens of other soldiers were wounded in the expanded offensive.
The fighting came a day after the U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution seeking a "full cessation" of violence between Israel and Hezbollah, authorizing 15,000 U.N. peacekeepers to help Lebanese troops take control of south Lebanon as Israeli forces withdraw from the area.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the broadened Israeli offensive had been anticipated and she hoped the hostilities would end in "a day or so."
"My understanding is that this is part of the normal operations that were contemplated. When the cease fire - the cessation of hostilities - comes into being, Israel will stop," she said in an interview with Israel Television.
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan "is working with the parties to establish a timetable for the cease-fire, but I would hope that within no more than a day or so that there would be a cessation of the hostilities on the ground," she said.
Long columns of Israeli armored vehicles streamed over the border trying to drive Hezollah behind the Litani, about 18 miles from the border, before the truce. More than 50 helicopters ferried in commandos in what was called the biggest such operation in Israel's history.
Israel wanted to seize control of the area before positions are frozen to ensure that Hezbollah fighters don't flood the zone before it is handed over to the Lebanese army and U.N. troops, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss sensitive issues publicly.
Israel, which said its troops had killed some 50 guerrillas over the previous 24 hours, said late in the day that some army units had pushed to the Litani, but gave no details.
The Litani is seen by Israel as a crucial boundary in its attempt to push back Hezbollah. Israel repeatedly has insisted that the proposed peacekeeping force cannot allow Hezbollah weapons south of the river.
But it will be nearly impossible to rid south Lebanon of the Islamic guerrillas, who are now in the Lebanese Cabinet and run clinics and other charities that are considered essential in rebuilding the region. Their ability to withstand the Israeli military assault has also made Hezbollah heroes across the Arab and Islamic worlds.
Defense Minister Amir Peretz said Israeli troops will remain until the international relief force arrives and will be defend themselves if attacked.
"If anyone dares to use force against Israeli Defense Forces, we will see this as a violation of the cease-fire agreement," he said on Israel television.
Israeli army chief, Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz, said earlier that Israel expected to fight for another week despite the cease-fire deal. He said Israeli forces - apparently about 30,000 soldiers now - would stay in Lebanon until an international force arrived.
Hezbollah's leader, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, meanwhile, said his militia would abide by the cease-fire blueprint but warned the guerrillas would keep battling Israeli troops while they remained in Lebanon, calling that "our natural right."
His address was televised as Lebanon's Cabinet met to vote on the U.N. plan. Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora signaled the Cabinet would accept, saying it serves the interests of his country and "shows that the whole world stood by Lebanon."
The Israeli Cabinet was expected to approve the cease-fire Sunday, but Israel appeared ready to keep up its full-scale military campaign until the U.N. plan worked its way through the region's political leadership over the weekend.
The resolution approved Friday night by the U.N. Security Council would create a peacekeeping force by combining a beefed-up version of ineffective U.N. units already in the war zone and 15,000 soldiers from the Lebanese army. The force, which could number around 30,000, would stand between Israel and Hezbollah's militia.
France, New Zealand, Italy and Ireland said Saturday they were ready to provide troops and Turkey said it was inclined to do so.
President Bush issued a statement urging the world's leaders to implement the U.N. plan and help bring real peace to the Middle East.
"The loss of innocent life in both Lebanon and Israel has been a great tragedy," Bush said. "Hezbollah and its Iranian and Syrian sponsors have brought an unwanted war to the people of Lebanon and Israel, and millions have suffered as a result. I now urge the international community to turn words into action and make every effort to bring lasting peace to the region."
Israel has demanded an airtight buffer zone and wonders if U.N. and Lebanese forces are up for the task. A small U.N. military presence - now about 2,000 observers - has been in Hezbollah-controlled southern Lebanon since 1978 and has been overwhelmed by the Islamic militant group's rising power, aided by Iran and Syria.
Rice specifically cited Hezbollah's two sponsors in a statement Friday for all parties to "respect the sovereignty of the Lebanese government and the will of the international community."
But the resolution, approved 15-0 in the U.N. Security Council, did nothing to immediately halt the fighting that erupted exactly a month ago and has claimed nearly 900 lives - including at least 760 in Lebanon and 130 Israelis.
Israeli missiles slammed into the southern Lebanon village of Rachaf, about 10 miles from the Israeli border, killing at least 15 civilians, security officials said. Israeli ground forces also fanned out across southern Lebanon hunting for Hezbollah rocket batteries that have fired unending salvos across the border.
Three people also were killed in strikes on Kharayeb, and a Lebanese soldier was killed in an air raid near an army base in the Bekaa Valley, officials said.
The guerrilla group announced four deaths Friday and three Saturday.
After a morning free of Hezbollah rocket strikes in northern Israel, a barrage of 20 missiles at midafternoon injured two people in Amirim and three in Kiryat Shemona. Hezbollah had been averaging nearly 200 hits each day in the monthlong conflict.
In Sidon, a coastal city between Beirut and the Israeli border, Israeli bombs destroyed a power plant. Farther south, another power facility was hit near Tyre, knocking out electricity to the port, police said.
On Lebanon's northern frontier, Israeli airstrikes hit the highway leading to the Arida border crossing about a mile from the Mediterranean coast. It was the last official border post open for humanitarian convoys and civilians fleeing the country. The highway was impassable, but drivers tried to maneuver through ruts and ditches.
The only other exits from Lebanon are rugged pathways and back roads through deserts or mountains.
Israel seeks to block supply routes for Hezbollah and disrupt their mobility and has warned it would target any vehicles on the roads in southern Lebanon and along other main highways.
8/12/2006 14:50:34 EDT
-
theone666
- Major [O-4]
- Posts: 1434
- Joined: Mon Nov 21, 2005 5:00 am
Leaders agree to UN truce timing
Sunday, 13 August 2006, 06:35 GMT 07:35 UK
A ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah will come into force at 0500 GMT on Monday, the UN Secretary General has said.
Kofi Annan announced the timing after discussions with the prime ministers of Lebanon and Israel.
However, Israel is likely to continue operations in Lebanon on Sunday in an effort to clear the south of Hezbollah.
Nineteen Israeli soldiers were killed on Saturday, and five on a helicopter downed by Hezbollah are feared dead.
Hezbollah's leader has said his group would abide by the ceasefire plan agreed unanimously at the UN Security Council on Friday.
However, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah said on TV that Hezbollah would continue fighting as long as Israeli soldiers remained in Lebanon.
Lebanon has now also approved the UN resolution, which calls for a "full cessation of hostilities", although Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said the government had "some reservations".
Lebanese officials said that after the truce only Lebanese forces would be authorised to carry weapons in southern Lebanon.
Mr Siniora said the area south of the Litani River, beyond which Hezbollah is expected to withdraw under the terms of the agreement, should be demilitarised.
"There won't be any weapons in the country starting from the area which is the zone, which will be south of the Litani. There won't be any weapons other than the weapons of the central government."
Fighting goes on
Announcing the agreed terms of the ceasefire, Kofi Annan said he was "very happy", but added that "preferably, the fighting should stop now".
He insisted that the UN would work with the Lebanese and Israeli governments to ensure the ceasefire held.
Israel expanded its military operation on Saturday as the clock ticked towards the implementation of the agreement, tripling the number of troops in southern Lebanon.
Some Israeli estimates put the number of Israeli troops now in southern Lebanon at 30,000.
Some Israeli troops have reached the key target of the Litani River, the army says, but 19 Israeli soldiers were killed and more than 70 wounded in the fighting on Saturday.
It was Israel's highest number of casualties in a single day since the conflict began.
Israeli jets hit a string of targets in Lebanon on Saturday, saying it killed some 40 Hezbollah fighters. There were heavy clashes elsewhere in the country, and reports from Lebanese sources that some 15 civilians were killed in an air strike.
Israel also confirmed a helicopter had been shot down in southern Lebanon, the first such loss to hostile fire in the conflict.
It says a crew of five were on board, and all are reported missing.
Hezbollah fired more rockets into northern Israel, but Israeli sources said the number was fewer than in recent days.
Israel's cabinet will discuss and take a formal vote on the UN ceasefire resolution on Sunday.
'War not ended'
On Hezbollah's al-Manar TV channel on Saturday, Sheikh Nasrallah said the UN resolution was "unfair" in holding his group responsible for the fighting.
But he said: "We will not be an obstacle to any decision taken by the Lebanese government," adding that Hezbollah would continue to resist Israel's presence in Lebanon.
Sheikh Nasrallah also said Hezbollah would co-operate with the deployment of UN and Lebanese troops in the south.
More than 1,000 Lebanese and more than 120 Israelis have been killed in the conflict since Hezbollah militants captured two Israeli soldiers on 12 July in a cross-border raid.
UN Security Council resolution 1701 says Hezbollah must end attacks on Israel while Israel must end "offensive military operations" in Lebanese territory.
US President George W Bush praised the UN move, but once again criticised Hezbollah, saying the group shared the same "totalitarian ideology" as those arrested in a suspected plot to blow up US-bound jets from Britain.
A ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah will come into force at 0500 GMT on Monday, the UN Secretary General has said.
Kofi Annan announced the timing after discussions with the prime ministers of Lebanon and Israel.
However, Israel is likely to continue operations in Lebanon on Sunday in an effort to clear the south of Hezbollah.
Nineteen Israeli soldiers were killed on Saturday, and five on a helicopter downed by Hezbollah are feared dead.
Hezbollah's leader has said his group would abide by the ceasefire plan agreed unanimously at the UN Security Council on Friday.
However, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah said on TV that Hezbollah would continue fighting as long as Israeli soldiers remained in Lebanon.
Lebanon has now also approved the UN resolution, which calls for a "full cessation of hostilities", although Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said the government had "some reservations".
Lebanese officials said that after the truce only Lebanese forces would be authorised to carry weapons in southern Lebanon.
Mr Siniora said the area south of the Litani River, beyond which Hezbollah is expected to withdraw under the terms of the agreement, should be demilitarised.
"There won't be any weapons in the country starting from the area which is the zone, which will be south of the Litani. There won't be any weapons other than the weapons of the central government."
Fighting goes on
Announcing the agreed terms of the ceasefire, Kofi Annan said he was "very happy", but added that "preferably, the fighting should stop now".
He insisted that the UN would work with the Lebanese and Israeli governments to ensure the ceasefire held.
Israel expanded its military operation on Saturday as the clock ticked towards the implementation of the agreement, tripling the number of troops in southern Lebanon.
Some Israeli estimates put the number of Israeli troops now in southern Lebanon at 30,000.
Some Israeli troops have reached the key target of the Litani River, the army says, but 19 Israeli soldiers were killed and more than 70 wounded in the fighting on Saturday.
It was Israel's highest number of casualties in a single day since the conflict began.
Israeli jets hit a string of targets in Lebanon on Saturday, saying it killed some 40 Hezbollah fighters. There were heavy clashes elsewhere in the country, and reports from Lebanese sources that some 15 civilians were killed in an air strike.
Israel also confirmed a helicopter had been shot down in southern Lebanon, the first such loss to hostile fire in the conflict.
It says a crew of five were on board, and all are reported missing.
Hezbollah fired more rockets into northern Israel, but Israeli sources said the number was fewer than in recent days.
Israel's cabinet will discuss and take a formal vote on the UN ceasefire resolution on Sunday.
'War not ended'
On Hezbollah's al-Manar TV channel on Saturday, Sheikh Nasrallah said the UN resolution was "unfair" in holding his group responsible for the fighting.
But he said: "We will not be an obstacle to any decision taken by the Lebanese government," adding that Hezbollah would continue to resist Israel's presence in Lebanon.
Sheikh Nasrallah also said Hezbollah would co-operate with the deployment of UN and Lebanese troops in the south.
More than 1,000 Lebanese and more than 120 Israelis have been killed in the conflict since Hezbollah militants captured two Israeli soldiers on 12 July in a cross-border raid.
UN Security Council resolution 1701 says Hezbollah must end attacks on Israel while Israel must end "offensive military operations" in Lebanese territory.
US President George W Bush praised the UN move, but once again criticised Hezbollah, saying the group shared the same "totalitarian ideology" as those arrested in a suspected plot to blow up US-bound jets from Britain.
-
theone666
- Major [O-4]
- Posts: 1434
- Joined: Mon Nov 21, 2005 5:00 am
Israeli Cabinet to Vote on U.N. Cease-Fire Plan
By RAMIT PLUSHNICK-MASTI, AP
BEIRUT, Lebanon (Aug. 13) - Israel's Cabinet met Sunday to approve a U.N. cease-fire plan despite widespread concerns among Israelis about reaching a truce with Hezbollah guerrillas who have not been subdued and have inflicted heavy losses on Israeli troops.
The session came as some 30,000 Israeli troops fought heavy battles with Hezbollah guerrillas in a last-minute push deeper into Lebanon, and a day after 24 soldiers were killed in the highest Israeli toll of the monthlong war.
Israeli warplanes pounded targets across Lebanon on Sunday, killing at least five people, while Hezbollah guerrillas fired rockets at northern Israel, killing one person and injuring at least seven.
The cease-fire was to go into effect at 8 a.m. Beirut time Monday (1 a.m. EDT). Some 15,000 Lebanese troops and an equal number of U.N. forces are to deploy in coming days in south Lebanon and create a buffer zone between the border with Israel and the Litani River.
The Lebanese government approved the deal Saturday, and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah signaled grudging acceptance while warning that "the war has not ended."
The potential for more clashes after a cease-fire is high. Israeli troops will remain in Lebanon until Lebanese troops deploy there, and Israel's weekend push to the Litani River, some 18 miles from the border, meant scores of Hezbollah fighters were caught behind Israeli lines. Israel said it hoped Lebanese troops will start deploying quickly, within a week or two.
Israeli Trade Minister Isaac Herzog said the Cabinet would approve the cease-fire.
"We view the Security Council resolution favorably," Herzog told The Associated Press before the meeting Sunday. "We plan to approve the resolution and of course enter into a cease-fire by tomorrow (Monday) morning."
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told ministers he met with the families of two Israeli soldiers whose July 12 capture by Hezbollah provoked the war, and said he hoped they would be freed. The U.N. truce plan, however, is not linked to the soldiers' release.
Vice Premier Shimon Peres said that while Israel has to learn lessons from the war, "in my view, we came out of this with the upper hand, both politically and military."
The cease-fire's likely approval comes despite widespread misgivings in Israel about its terms. The deal was seen at best as a draw with Hezbollah, and some felt Israel — unable to subdue a guerrillas force — had lost.
Military experts and commentators said neither the Lebanese army nor U.N. forces could be counted on to challenge Hezbollah or force Iran-supplied guerrillas to disarm.
The deal buys a period of calm, at best, and sets the region up for the next war with Hezbollah, critics said. The truce will be "a time-out until the next confrontation, and maybe not even this," commentator Nahum Barnea wrote in Israel's Yediot Ahronot daily.
The Cabinet session was overshadowed by rising Israeli casualties. Twenty-four soldiers were killed Saturday, and at least 73 wounded.
Hezbollah appeared to be fighting as fiercely as ever. The guerrillas shot down an Israeli helicopter for the first time in the war, killing five crew members. Other troops were killed by Hezbollah anti-tank missiles. The army said it killed more than 50 Hezbollah fighters.
The violence has claimed more than 900 lives: at least 763 in Lebanon — mostly civilians_ and 147 Israelis, including 109 soldiers. On Saturday, 19 Lebanese civilians were killed in Israeli air raids, one of which blasted a highway near the last open border crossing to Syria.
The big expansion of Israel troop strength, including the army's biggest airlift of soldiers since the 1973 Mideast war, prompted Nasrallah to declare the fight far from finished. "The war has not ended. There have been continued strikes and continued casualties," he said Saturday.
Lebanon's Cabinet said Israel's military push presented a "flagrant challenge" to the international community after the U.N. resolution was issued.
An Israeli missile destroyed a building in the southern Lebanese coastal city of Tyre on Sunday, killing a woman, her three children and the family's housekeeper, security officials said.
In northern Israel, a Hezbollah rocket hit a house in the town of Shlomi killing, kiling one person and wounding two others. Five other people were hurt in rocket barrages throughout northern Israel, rescue services said.
President Bush had an 8-minute phone call Saturday with Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora to discuss the truce. The White House said it is determined to vanquish the hold of Hezbollah — and that of its Syrian and Iranian benefactors — on the south.
"These steps are designed to stop Hezbollah from acting as a state within a state, and put an end to Iran and Syria's efforts to hold the Lebanese people hostage to their own extremist agenda," Bush said.
The anti-Syrian Saniora, whose government was extremely weak when the fighting began, appears to have emerged from the crisis considerably strengthened.
He prevailed in his insistence that policing of the cease-fire be done by Lebanese soldiers alongside an expanded U.N. force rather than by an ad hoc assembly of international troops, possibly from NATO.
French President Jacques Chirac has said his nation was ready to contribute troops to the U.N. force. Other nations, including Italy and New Zealand, also have offered soldiers.
AP writers Lauren Frayer and Samir Ghattas contributed to this report from Beirut.
08-13-06 06:10 EDT
BEIRUT, Lebanon (Aug. 13) - Israel's Cabinet met Sunday to approve a U.N. cease-fire plan despite widespread concerns among Israelis about reaching a truce with Hezbollah guerrillas who have not been subdued and have inflicted heavy losses on Israeli troops.
The session came as some 30,000 Israeli troops fought heavy battles with Hezbollah guerrillas in a last-minute push deeper into Lebanon, and a day after 24 soldiers were killed in the highest Israeli toll of the monthlong war.
Israeli warplanes pounded targets across Lebanon on Sunday, killing at least five people, while Hezbollah guerrillas fired rockets at northern Israel, killing one person and injuring at least seven.
The cease-fire was to go into effect at 8 a.m. Beirut time Monday (1 a.m. EDT). Some 15,000 Lebanese troops and an equal number of U.N. forces are to deploy in coming days in south Lebanon and create a buffer zone between the border with Israel and the Litani River.
The Lebanese government approved the deal Saturday, and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah signaled grudging acceptance while warning that "the war has not ended."
The potential for more clashes after a cease-fire is high. Israeli troops will remain in Lebanon until Lebanese troops deploy there, and Israel's weekend push to the Litani River, some 18 miles from the border, meant scores of Hezbollah fighters were caught behind Israeli lines. Israel said it hoped Lebanese troops will start deploying quickly, within a week or two.
Israeli Trade Minister Isaac Herzog said the Cabinet would approve the cease-fire.
"We view the Security Council resolution favorably," Herzog told The Associated Press before the meeting Sunday. "We plan to approve the resolution and of course enter into a cease-fire by tomorrow (Monday) morning."
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told ministers he met with the families of two Israeli soldiers whose July 12 capture by Hezbollah provoked the war, and said he hoped they would be freed. The U.N. truce plan, however, is not linked to the soldiers' release.
Vice Premier Shimon Peres said that while Israel has to learn lessons from the war, "in my view, we came out of this with the upper hand, both politically and military."
The cease-fire's likely approval comes despite widespread misgivings in Israel about its terms. The deal was seen at best as a draw with Hezbollah, and some felt Israel — unable to subdue a guerrillas force — had lost.
Military experts and commentators said neither the Lebanese army nor U.N. forces could be counted on to challenge Hezbollah or force Iran-supplied guerrillas to disarm.
The deal buys a period of calm, at best, and sets the region up for the next war with Hezbollah, critics said. The truce will be "a time-out until the next confrontation, and maybe not even this," commentator Nahum Barnea wrote in Israel's Yediot Ahronot daily.
The Cabinet session was overshadowed by rising Israeli casualties. Twenty-four soldiers were killed Saturday, and at least 73 wounded.
Hezbollah appeared to be fighting as fiercely as ever. The guerrillas shot down an Israeli helicopter for the first time in the war, killing five crew members. Other troops were killed by Hezbollah anti-tank missiles. The army said it killed more than 50 Hezbollah fighters.
The violence has claimed more than 900 lives: at least 763 in Lebanon — mostly civilians_ and 147 Israelis, including 109 soldiers. On Saturday, 19 Lebanese civilians were killed in Israeli air raids, one of which blasted a highway near the last open border crossing to Syria.
The big expansion of Israel troop strength, including the army's biggest airlift of soldiers since the 1973 Mideast war, prompted Nasrallah to declare the fight far from finished. "The war has not ended. There have been continued strikes and continued casualties," he said Saturday.
Lebanon's Cabinet said Israel's military push presented a "flagrant challenge" to the international community after the U.N. resolution was issued.
An Israeli missile destroyed a building in the southern Lebanese coastal city of Tyre on Sunday, killing a woman, her three children and the family's housekeeper, security officials said.
In northern Israel, a Hezbollah rocket hit a house in the town of Shlomi killing, kiling one person and wounding two others. Five other people were hurt in rocket barrages throughout northern Israel, rescue services said.
President Bush had an 8-minute phone call Saturday with Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora to discuss the truce. The White House said it is determined to vanquish the hold of Hezbollah — and that of its Syrian and Iranian benefactors — on the south.
"These steps are designed to stop Hezbollah from acting as a state within a state, and put an end to Iran and Syria's efforts to hold the Lebanese people hostage to their own extremist agenda," Bush said.
The anti-Syrian Saniora, whose government was extremely weak when the fighting began, appears to have emerged from the crisis considerably strengthened.
He prevailed in his insistence that policing of the cease-fire be done by Lebanese soldiers alongside an expanded U.N. force rather than by an ad hoc assembly of international troops, possibly from NATO.
French President Jacques Chirac has said his nation was ready to contribute troops to the U.N. force. Other nations, including Italy and New Zealand, also have offered soldiers.
AP writers Lauren Frayer and Samir Ghattas contributed to this report from Beirut.
08-13-06 06:10 EDT
-
theone666
- Major [O-4]
- Posts: 1434
- Joined: Mon Nov 21, 2005 5:00 am
Israeli press frowns on ceasefire plan
Sunday, 13 August 2006, 11:34 GMT 12:34 UK
Many Israeli newspapers are unenthusiastic over the UN resolution calling for a ceasefire in Lebanon.
As well as pessimism over the resolution itself, there are harsh words for Israel's political and military elite over their conduct of the conflict with Hezbollah.
The country's most popular daily, Yediot Aharonot, stands alone in hailing UN Resolution 1701 as an "incomparable political achievement".
CAROLINE GLICK IN JERUSALEM POST
The resolution represents a near-total victory for Hezbollah and its state sponsors Iran and Syria, and an unprecedented defeat for Israel and its ally the United States.
FORMER LIKUD DEFENCE MINISTER MOSHE ARENS IN HA'ARETZ
The long-term implications of an Israeli agreement to a UN-brokered ceasefire at this time are obvious: Israel's enemies, and they are many, will conclude that Israel does not have the stamina for an extended encounter with terrorism... The war, which according to our leaders was supposed to restore Israel's deterrent posture, has within one month succeeded in destroying it.
YEDIOT AHARONOT
Security Council Resolution 1701 is an incomparable political achievement for Israel as a Jewish state - perhaps one of the most prominent achievements in its history. Its essence can be summed in one sentence: Israel and the world against Hezbollah criminals.
JACKY HUGI IN MA'ARIV
On the face of it, what we have here [with the UN resolution] is an Israeli success... In fact Israel could find itself in a few months, perhaps a year, again threatened by Hezbollah fighters who are doing what they like on the border under the cover of the UN resolution.
NAHUM BARNEA IN YEDIOT AHARONOT
The declaration of a ceasefire enables the official opening of the wars of the Jews. This time it will apparently be a war of all against all: the government against the General Staff; [Prime Minister Ehud] Olmert against [Defence Minister Amir] Peretz and vice versa; general against general; Knesset member against minister; the current government against its predecessors.
SIMA KADMON IN YEDIOT AHARONOT
It is confusing to hear in one ear about Israel's acceptance of the Security Council resolution on ending the war and in the other about the political echelon's instruction to the IDF to open a widened ground operation... Confusion, bewilderment, uncertainty, chaos - all of these words could describe the public's feeling.
EDITORIAL IN HA'ARETZ
The two actions - the diplomatic and the military - are supposed to complement each other, but they also encompass a built-in contradiction that requires a high level of statesmanship and leadership if it is to be resolved. No such level has been exhibited during the current crisis, either by the government of Israel, or by the IDF's General Staff and its commanders at the front.
BBC Monitoring selects and translates news from radio, television, press, news agencies and the internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages. It is based in Caversham, UK, and has several bureaux abroad.
Many Israeli newspapers are unenthusiastic over the UN resolution calling for a ceasefire in Lebanon.
As well as pessimism over the resolution itself, there are harsh words for Israel's political and military elite over their conduct of the conflict with Hezbollah.
The country's most popular daily, Yediot Aharonot, stands alone in hailing UN Resolution 1701 as an "incomparable political achievement".
CAROLINE GLICK IN JERUSALEM POST
The resolution represents a near-total victory for Hezbollah and its state sponsors Iran and Syria, and an unprecedented defeat for Israel and its ally the United States.
FORMER LIKUD DEFENCE MINISTER MOSHE ARENS IN HA'ARETZ
The long-term implications of an Israeli agreement to a UN-brokered ceasefire at this time are obvious: Israel's enemies, and they are many, will conclude that Israel does not have the stamina for an extended encounter with terrorism... The war, which according to our leaders was supposed to restore Israel's deterrent posture, has within one month succeeded in destroying it.
YEDIOT AHARONOT
Security Council Resolution 1701 is an incomparable political achievement for Israel as a Jewish state - perhaps one of the most prominent achievements in its history. Its essence can be summed in one sentence: Israel and the world against Hezbollah criminals.
JACKY HUGI IN MA'ARIV
On the face of it, what we have here [with the UN resolution] is an Israeli success... In fact Israel could find itself in a few months, perhaps a year, again threatened by Hezbollah fighters who are doing what they like on the border under the cover of the UN resolution.
NAHUM BARNEA IN YEDIOT AHARONOT
The declaration of a ceasefire enables the official opening of the wars of the Jews. This time it will apparently be a war of all against all: the government against the General Staff; [Prime Minister Ehud] Olmert against [Defence Minister Amir] Peretz and vice versa; general against general; Knesset member against minister; the current government against its predecessors.
SIMA KADMON IN YEDIOT AHARONOT
It is confusing to hear in one ear about Israel's acceptance of the Security Council resolution on ending the war and in the other about the political echelon's instruction to the IDF to open a widened ground operation... Confusion, bewilderment, uncertainty, chaos - all of these words could describe the public's feeling.
EDITORIAL IN HA'ARETZ
The two actions - the diplomatic and the military - are supposed to complement each other, but they also encompass a built-in contradiction that requires a high level of statesmanship and leadership if it is to be resolved. No such level has been exhibited during the current crisis, either by the government of Israel, or by the IDF's General Staff and its commanders at the front.
BBC Monitoring selects and translates news from radio, television, press, news agencies and the internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages. It is based in Caversham, UK, and has several bureaux abroad.
-
theone666
- Major [O-4]
- Posts: 1434
- Joined: Mon Nov 21, 2005 5:00 am
Israeli cabinet backs truce deal
Sunday, 13 August 2006, 12:10 GMT 13:10 UK
The Israeli cabinet has endorsed a UN Security Council resolution calling for a end to fighting in southern Lebanon.
A ceasefire between Israel and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah is due to come into force at 0500 GMT on Monday.
But Israel's army says it will not leave southern Lebanon until regular Lebanese troops are deployed there, supported by an expanded UN force.
Hezbollah says it has the right to continue attacks until the last Israeli soldier has left Lebanese soil.
The UN says it could take 10 days to insert a bolstered peacekeeping force.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had urged the cabinet to accept the UN resolution.
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan announced the timing of the ceasefire after talks with Mr Olmert and Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.
Announcing the agreed terms of the ceasefire, Mr Annan said he was "very happy", but added that "preferably, the fighting should stop now".
He insisted that the UN would work with the Lebanese and Israeli governments to ensure the ceasefire held.
But Australian Prime Minister John Howard said he had serious concerns about whether the ceasefire could last unless Hezbollah was disarmed.
Heavy fighting is continuing near the border between Lebanon and Israel, particularly around the Lebanese city of Tyre.
Sunday saw Israeli planes and artillery bombard hills and villages to the south and east of the city, hitting most of the remaining petrol stations in the area.
A mother and her three children were among those who died in one village.
Hezbollah guerrillas fired more rockets into northern Israel, killing at least one person in the town of Yaara and wounding several in Safed.
Security Council resolution
Mr Annan's announcement followed the UN Security Council's unanimous adoption on Friday of a resolution designed to end four weeks of fighting.
Hezbollah's leader, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, said on Saturday that his group would abide by the resolution, which has also been endorsed by the Lebanese government.
But he added: "As long as there is Israeli military movement, Israeli field aggression and Israeli soldiers occupying our land... it is our natural right to confront them, fight them and defend our land, our homes, and ourselves."
An Israeli foreign ministry spokesman told BBC Radio Five Live that Israeli forces would respond if attacked by Hezbollah.
"If Hezbollah decides to violate the resolution and declare their own terms... well the Israeli army will certainly not stand aside and fail to respond, that's for sure," Ylgal Palmor said.
Some Israeli estimates put the number of Israeli troops now in southern Lebanon at 30,000.
On Saturday, Israeli troops reached the key target of the Litani River, while its jets hit a string of targets in Lebanon, killing some 40 Hezbollah fighters.
The Israeli army suffered its highest number of casualties in a single day since the conflict began, with 19 troops confirmed killed and a further five presumed dead after their helicopter was shot down.
One of the five was a woman, Sgt Maj Keren Tendler. Her death, if confirmed, would make her the first female soldier killed in action in the conflict.
More than 1,000 Lebanese and more than 120 Israelis have been killed in the conflict since Hezbollah militants captured two Israeli soldiers on 12 July in a cross-border raid.
The Israeli cabinet has endorsed a UN Security Council resolution calling for a end to fighting in southern Lebanon.
A ceasefire between Israel and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah is due to come into force at 0500 GMT on Monday.
But Israel's army says it will not leave southern Lebanon until regular Lebanese troops are deployed there, supported by an expanded UN force.
Hezbollah says it has the right to continue attacks until the last Israeli soldier has left Lebanese soil.
The UN says it could take 10 days to insert a bolstered peacekeeping force.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had urged the cabinet to accept the UN resolution.
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan announced the timing of the ceasefire after talks with Mr Olmert and Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.
Announcing the agreed terms of the ceasefire, Mr Annan said he was "very happy", but added that "preferably, the fighting should stop now".
He insisted that the UN would work with the Lebanese and Israeli governments to ensure the ceasefire held.
But Australian Prime Minister John Howard said he had serious concerns about whether the ceasefire could last unless Hezbollah was disarmed.
Heavy fighting is continuing near the border between Lebanon and Israel, particularly around the Lebanese city of Tyre.
Sunday saw Israeli planes and artillery bombard hills and villages to the south and east of the city, hitting most of the remaining petrol stations in the area.
A mother and her three children were among those who died in one village.
Hezbollah guerrillas fired more rockets into northern Israel, killing at least one person in the town of Yaara and wounding several in Safed.
Security Council resolution
Mr Annan's announcement followed the UN Security Council's unanimous adoption on Friday of a resolution designed to end four weeks of fighting.
Hezbollah's leader, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, said on Saturday that his group would abide by the resolution, which has also been endorsed by the Lebanese government.
But he added: "As long as there is Israeli military movement, Israeli field aggression and Israeli soldiers occupying our land... it is our natural right to confront them, fight them and defend our land, our homes, and ourselves."
An Israeli foreign ministry spokesman told BBC Radio Five Live that Israeli forces would respond if attacked by Hezbollah.
"If Hezbollah decides to violate the resolution and declare their own terms... well the Israeli army will certainly not stand aside and fail to respond, that's for sure," Ylgal Palmor said.
Some Israeli estimates put the number of Israeli troops now in southern Lebanon at 30,000.
On Saturday, Israeli troops reached the key target of the Litani River, while its jets hit a string of targets in Lebanon, killing some 40 Hezbollah fighters.
The Israeli army suffered its highest number of casualties in a single day since the conflict began, with 19 troops confirmed killed and a further five presumed dead after their helicopter was shot down.
One of the five was a woman, Sgt Maj Keren Tendler. Her death, if confirmed, would make her the first female soldier killed in action in the conflict.
More than 1,000 Lebanese and more than 120 Israelis have been killed in the conflict since Hezbollah militants captured two Israeli soldiers on 12 July in a cross-border raid.
-
theone666
- Major [O-4]
- Posts: 1434
- Joined: Mon Nov 21, 2005 5:00 am
Nervous wait for aid agencies
Sunday, 13 August 2006, 16:01 GMT 17:01 UK
By Karen O'Brien
BBC News
Aid agencies say they are preparing to send convoys towards southern Lebanon, in the hope that the planned ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah will mean a rapid improvement in their ability to deal with the humanitarian crisis there.
They say they could reach the area on short notice if the truce resulting from the UN Security Council resolution comes into effect early on Monday as planned.
But if aid agencies had been expecting a dramatic improvement in access to those who desperately need their help, they have been sorely disappointed.
Frustrated by the heavy fighting and a ban on movement imposed by the Israeli army, aid workers have been unable to take essential food, water and medicine to an estimated 100,000 people trapped south of the Litani river.
And even when the ceasefire does take effect and they should be able to travel without fear of being targeted by Israeli air strikes, aid workers will still have to negotiate the many roads and bridges destroyed by Israeli missiles.
Counting the cost
The runways at Beirut's international airport were hit at the start of the Israeli offensive and will have to be repaired quickly before the airport can return to full use for aid flights.
While the cost to Lebanon's infrastructure is visible all over the country, the human cost is incalculable.
Four weeks of fighting have seen the deaths of more than 1,000 people in Lebanon - most of them, civilians - and more than 120 Israelis - most of them, soldiers.
The Lebanese government says a quarter of its entire population of four million has been displaced.
The UN refugee agency has said it would begin organising the return of displaced Lebanese as soon as possible.
But for many hundreds of thousands whose homes and livelihoods have been destroyed by the fighting, they will have little, if anything, to return to beyond a vague hope that this ceasefire will indeed mean an end to the bloodshed and destruction.
By Karen O'Brien
BBC News
Aid agencies say they are preparing to send convoys towards southern Lebanon, in the hope that the planned ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah will mean a rapid improvement in their ability to deal with the humanitarian crisis there.
They say they could reach the area on short notice if the truce resulting from the UN Security Council resolution comes into effect early on Monday as planned.
But if aid agencies had been expecting a dramatic improvement in access to those who desperately need their help, they have been sorely disappointed.
Frustrated by the heavy fighting and a ban on movement imposed by the Israeli army, aid workers have been unable to take essential food, water and medicine to an estimated 100,000 people trapped south of the Litani river.
And even when the ceasefire does take effect and they should be able to travel without fear of being targeted by Israeli air strikes, aid workers will still have to negotiate the many roads and bridges destroyed by Israeli missiles.
Counting the cost
The runways at Beirut's international airport were hit at the start of the Israeli offensive and will have to be repaired quickly before the airport can return to full use for aid flights.
While the cost to Lebanon's infrastructure is visible all over the country, the human cost is incalculable.
Four weeks of fighting have seen the deaths of more than 1,000 people in Lebanon - most of them, civilians - and more than 120 Israelis - most of them, soldiers.
The Lebanese government says a quarter of its entire population of four million has been displaced.
The UN refugee agency has said it would begin organising the return of displaced Lebanese as soon as possible.
But for many hundreds of thousands whose homes and livelihoods have been destroyed by the fighting, they will have little, if anything, to return to beyond a vague hope that this ceasefire will indeed mean an end to the bloodshed and destruction.
-
theone666
- Major [O-4]
- Posts: 1434
- Joined: Mon Nov 21, 2005 5:00 am
Both Sides Punish Each Other Before Truce
By RAMIT PLUSHNICK-MASTI, AP
JERUSALEM (Aug. 13) - Hezbollah fired more than 250 rockets into Israel on Sunday, the worst barrage against northern Israel since the fighting began more than a month ago, the army said. The rockets killed one Israeli during the day.
After a stormy debate Sunday, Israel's Cabinet approved a Mideast cease-fire, agreeing to silence the army's guns in less than 24 hours. The Israeli military embarked on a last-minute push to devastate Hezbollah guerrillas, rocketing south Beirut with missiles.
The 24-0 vote, with one abstention, came a day after the Lebanese government approved the agreement and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah gave his grudging consent. The truce was to take effect Monday morning.
But questions as to the truce's durability quickly arose Sunday, when the Lebanese Cabinet canceled a critical meeting that was supposed to discuss the deployment of 15,000 troops to southern Lebanon, a key part of the cease-fire deal. Published reports said the Cabinet had been sharply divided over demands that Hezbollah surrender its weapons.
A heated debate erupted during Israel's Cabinet session, with minister Ofir Pines-Paz criticizing the government's decision to order an expanded ground offensive in the days before the cease-fire is to take effect.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said the cease-fire agreement would ensure that "Hezbollah won't continue to exist as a state within a state."
"The Lebanese government is our address for every problem or violation of the agreement," Army Radio quoted him as saying.
The Israeli Cabinet session came as some 30,000 Israeli troops fought heavy battles with Hezbollah a day after 24 soldiers were killed in the highest Israeli toll of the monthlong war.
As the vote took place, Israeli shells slammed into the hard-hit Dahiyeh suburb, a Hezbollah stronghold just south of Beirut. Lebanese television reports said the strike destroyed a complex of eight residential buildings. TV footage panned across massive damage that appeared to stretch for several hundred yards in all directions.
An Associated Press photographer who reached the scene saw the body of one child being removed from the wreckage.
As explosions reverberated across the Lebanese capital, and there were reports of other strikes south of the city on the Christian town of Damour and a nearby village, dl-Naameh.
Earlier Sunday, Israeli warplanes fired missiles into gasoline stations in the southern port city of Tyre, killing at least 15 people in those and other attacks. Huge fires could be seen near the al-Bass Palestinian refugee camp north of Tyre and near the Najem hospital in the city.
Israeli planes also attacked villages near Nabatiyeh north of the Litani River, killing three men.
In all, at least 23 Israeli missiles were launched as the country's warplanes ranged across the skies in Lebanon.
The cease-fire was to go into effect at 8 a.m Monday. After a halt in fighting, some 15,000 Lebanese troops and an equal number of U.N. forces were to be deployed in south Lebanon and create a Hezbollah-free zone, from the Israel-Lebanon border to Lebanon's Litani River, 18 miles away.
Israel said it hopes Lebanese troops will start deploying quickly, within a week or two.
"When the Lebanese and multinational force enters, Israel will withdraw and not before," Israeli Cabinet minister Yaacov Edri said after the Cabinet vote.
Former Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz abstained in the vote, said a senior government official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The Lebanese government approved the deal Saturday, and Nasrallah signaled grudging acceptance, but also warned that "the war has not ended." On Sunday, Hezbollah fired more than 150 rockets at northern Israel, killing an Israeli man.
In the Cabinet meeting, Olmert praised the cease-fire agreement approved by the U.N. Security Council, saying it will prevent a return to the status quo in which Hezbollah ran a state-within-a-state in south Lebanon, participants said.
The deal was seen at best as a draw with Hezbollah, and some felt Israel — unable to subdue a guerrillas force — had lost.
Neither the Lebanese army nor U.N. forces can be counted on to challenge Hezbollah and prevent the Iran-supplied guerrillas from rearming, military experts and commentators said.
The deal buys a period of calm, at best, and sets the region up for the next war with Tehran's proxy army, critics said. The truce will be "a time-out until the next confrontation, and maybe not even this," commentator Nahum Barnea wrote in Israel's Yediot Ahronot daily.
The Cabinet session was overshadowed by rising Israeli casualties. Twenty-four soldiers were killed Saturday and at least 73 wounded.
Hezbollah appeared to be fighting as fiercely as ever. The guerrillas shot down an Israeli helicopter, a first in the war, and killed five crew members. Other troops were killed by Hezbollah anti-tank missiles. The army said it killed more than 50 Hezbollah fighters. The guerrillas reported three deaths but gave no date.
The violence has claimed more than 900 lives: at least 763 in Lebanon — mostly civilians —and 147 Israelis, including 109 soldiers. On Saturday, 19 Lebanese civilians were killed in Israeli air raids.
President Bush had an 8-minute phone call Saturday with Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora to discuss the truce. The White House said it is determined to vanquish the hold of Hezbollah — and that of its Syrian and Iranian benefactors — on the south.
"These steps are designed to stop Hezbollah from acting as a state within a state, and put an end to Iran and Syria's efforts to hold the Lebanese people hostage to their own extremist agenda," Bush said.
AP writers Lauren Frayer and Sam Ghattas contributed to this report from Beirut.
08-13-06 13:55 EDT
JERUSALEM (Aug. 13) - Hezbollah fired more than 250 rockets into Israel on Sunday, the worst barrage against northern Israel since the fighting began more than a month ago, the army said. The rockets killed one Israeli during the day.
After a stormy debate Sunday, Israel's Cabinet approved a Mideast cease-fire, agreeing to silence the army's guns in less than 24 hours. The Israeli military embarked on a last-minute push to devastate Hezbollah guerrillas, rocketing south Beirut with missiles.
The 24-0 vote, with one abstention, came a day after the Lebanese government approved the agreement and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah gave his grudging consent. The truce was to take effect Monday morning.
But questions as to the truce's durability quickly arose Sunday, when the Lebanese Cabinet canceled a critical meeting that was supposed to discuss the deployment of 15,000 troops to southern Lebanon, a key part of the cease-fire deal. Published reports said the Cabinet had been sharply divided over demands that Hezbollah surrender its weapons.
A heated debate erupted during Israel's Cabinet session, with minister Ofir Pines-Paz criticizing the government's decision to order an expanded ground offensive in the days before the cease-fire is to take effect.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said the cease-fire agreement would ensure that "Hezbollah won't continue to exist as a state within a state."
"The Lebanese government is our address for every problem or violation of the agreement," Army Radio quoted him as saying.
The Israeli Cabinet session came as some 30,000 Israeli troops fought heavy battles with Hezbollah a day after 24 soldiers were killed in the highest Israeli toll of the monthlong war.
As the vote took place, Israeli shells slammed into the hard-hit Dahiyeh suburb, a Hezbollah stronghold just south of Beirut. Lebanese television reports said the strike destroyed a complex of eight residential buildings. TV footage panned across massive damage that appeared to stretch for several hundred yards in all directions.
An Associated Press photographer who reached the scene saw the body of one child being removed from the wreckage.
As explosions reverberated across the Lebanese capital, and there were reports of other strikes south of the city on the Christian town of Damour and a nearby village, dl-Naameh.
Earlier Sunday, Israeli warplanes fired missiles into gasoline stations in the southern port city of Tyre, killing at least 15 people in those and other attacks. Huge fires could be seen near the al-Bass Palestinian refugee camp north of Tyre and near the Najem hospital in the city.
Israeli planes also attacked villages near Nabatiyeh north of the Litani River, killing three men.
In all, at least 23 Israeli missiles were launched as the country's warplanes ranged across the skies in Lebanon.
The cease-fire was to go into effect at 8 a.m Monday. After a halt in fighting, some 15,000 Lebanese troops and an equal number of U.N. forces were to be deployed in south Lebanon and create a Hezbollah-free zone, from the Israel-Lebanon border to Lebanon's Litani River, 18 miles away.
Israel said it hopes Lebanese troops will start deploying quickly, within a week or two.
"When the Lebanese and multinational force enters, Israel will withdraw and not before," Israeli Cabinet minister Yaacov Edri said after the Cabinet vote.
Former Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz abstained in the vote, said a senior government official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The Lebanese government approved the deal Saturday, and Nasrallah signaled grudging acceptance, but also warned that "the war has not ended." On Sunday, Hezbollah fired more than 150 rockets at northern Israel, killing an Israeli man.
In the Cabinet meeting, Olmert praised the cease-fire agreement approved by the U.N. Security Council, saying it will prevent a return to the status quo in which Hezbollah ran a state-within-a-state in south Lebanon, participants said.
The deal was seen at best as a draw with Hezbollah, and some felt Israel — unable to subdue a guerrillas force — had lost.
Neither the Lebanese army nor U.N. forces can be counted on to challenge Hezbollah and prevent the Iran-supplied guerrillas from rearming, military experts and commentators said.
The deal buys a period of calm, at best, and sets the region up for the next war with Tehran's proxy army, critics said. The truce will be "a time-out until the next confrontation, and maybe not even this," commentator Nahum Barnea wrote in Israel's Yediot Ahronot daily.
The Cabinet session was overshadowed by rising Israeli casualties. Twenty-four soldiers were killed Saturday and at least 73 wounded.
Hezbollah appeared to be fighting as fiercely as ever. The guerrillas shot down an Israeli helicopter, a first in the war, and killed five crew members. Other troops were killed by Hezbollah anti-tank missiles. The army said it killed more than 50 Hezbollah fighters. The guerrillas reported three deaths but gave no date.
The violence has claimed more than 900 lives: at least 763 in Lebanon — mostly civilians —and 147 Israelis, including 109 soldiers. On Saturday, 19 Lebanese civilians were killed in Israeli air raids.
President Bush had an 8-minute phone call Saturday with Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora to discuss the truce. The White House said it is determined to vanquish the hold of Hezbollah — and that of its Syrian and Iranian benefactors — on the south.
"These steps are designed to stop Hezbollah from acting as a state within a state, and put an end to Iran and Syria's efforts to hold the Lebanese people hostage to their own extremist agenda," Bush said.
AP writers Lauren Frayer and Sam Ghattas contributed to this report from Beirut.
08-13-06 13:55 EDT