Commandos foil arms transfer from Syria to Hizbullah

The Jerusalem Post ^ | 8/20/2006 | By YAAKOV KATZ AND JPOST.COM STAFF

[garbageseeker]

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan announced Saturday night that the IDF activities in Baalbek constitute a violation of the UN cease-fire resolution that went into effect on Monday.

In a telephone conversation with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Annan discussed the Lebanese claims that Israel was in violation of UN Resolution 1701 after IDF troops raided Baalbek overnight Friday - less than a week after the ceasefire went into effect between Israel and Hizbullah.

Less than a week after a cease-fire went into effect, soldiers from the Sayeret Matkal (General Staff Reconnaissance Unit) raided Baalbek deep in Lebanon overnight Friday and, according to the IDF, thwarted the transfer of weapons from Syria to Hizbullah.

An IDF officer, Lt.-Col. Emanuel Morano, 35, from Telamim was killed and two others were wounded in the raid, one seriously and one lightly. Three Hizbullah gunmen were reportedly killed, although the terrorist organization denied suffering any losses.

Defense Minister Amir Peretz said Saturday night that the operation in Baalbek had not violated the UN-brokered cease-fire that went into effect on Monday.

"This was an operation that was meant to prevent the rearming of Hizbullah," Peretz said.

Baalbek is said to be the birthplace of the Iranian- and Syrian-backed Hizbullah and is located in the eastern Bekaa Valley some 100 kilometers north of the Israeli border.

Earlier in the month, the Sayeret Matkal and Shaldag (the air force's elite commando unit) raided the area and took five captives after killing more than 15 gunmen. A high-ranking IDF officer said last week that throughout the previous month of warfare, commandos had carried out dozens of covert operations inside Lebanon.

Lebanon's Prime Minister Fuad Saniora accused Israel of violating the cease-fire and said he would take up the issue with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

[Revenge of Sith]

I've said here that the ceasefire is a blessing in disguise because it enables Israel to attack Syria (as well as give the US ammunition to attack Iran in the future) because it bans countries from supplying Hezbollah.

[garbageseeker]

Your Right. The Hezzies fired first.

[garbageseeker]

I agree.

[garbageseeker]

I think that he has a conflict in interest. Maybe he should recuse himself and the UN from this matter and let the IDF finish the job.

[jackieaxe]

That picture of Kofi the Crook shaking the hand of Nasrallah the murdering terrorist says it all. The head of the UN should not be meeting with Terrorists who are unlawfully operating with in a nation. Kofi Eh Whole is an antisemitic thieving crook who should be arrested and hung in Times Square.