Posted on 03/02/2008 7:29:19 PM PST by Mossad1967
(IsraelNN.com) IDF soldiers and tanks left northern Gaza early on Monday morning, according to Ynet. IDF officials praised the soldiers’ bravery in combat over the past few days.
The withdrawal may signal the end of the first part of the “Warm Winter” operation that began last Thursday. Defense officials have not yet announced when they will begin later stages of the operation, which is to include the destruction of much of the Hamas arsenal.
IMHO, PartII will lead to a battle on all fronts!!!
I pray they destroy Hamas and their arsenal.
Hey! Don’t forget Hezbollah, they need a drubbing too!
ping
time for a breather . . . Hamas, ball in your court. Keep firing those quassams and kaytushas and the next time the IDF comes rolling into town it won’t be with a few mechanized companies - it may be armoured divisions backed by heavy arty
**An interesting view from DEBKA**
Israeli troops abruptly withdrawn from Gaza
March 3, 2008, 5:30 AM (GMT+02:00)
DEBKAfile reports: No official word of explanation was offered for the sudden pullback of Israeli ground and armored units from northern Gaza before dawn Mon. March. 3, beyond the terse announcement that stage one of Operation Hot Winter had ended.
Our military sources report that this step sharply contradicted the vocal assurances given by Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert and defense minister Ehud a few hours earlier that the operation would press on until the Hamas missile-rocket offensive against Israeli civilians was brought to an end.
Up until late Sunday night, Qassam rockets continued to explode in Sderot and Katyusha rockets in Ashkelon. If this continues, Israel will resort to air, surface missile or artillery responses and short forays into Gaza as before.
DEBKAfile’s military sources said this reversed instruction from the government to the IDF in mid-offensive was astonishing and unprecedented. Senior officers were in no doubt that Palestinian Hamas terrorist leaders would rush to claim victory and declare the Israeli army had been beaten into a retreat by their “martyrs”.
Our political sources disclose that Olmert, during his absence in Tokyo last week, was far from happy with the way acting PM Tzipi Livni and Barak handled the sharp spike in Palestinian missile attacks. He felt they had caused an unnecessary escalation of the crisis to the point that a major military operation was unavoidable.
Olmert held that short, sharp military strikes would have defused the crisis and obviated the need for a broad military offensive in Gaza, which he had consistently prevented.
This week, the prime minister came under heavy US pressure to break off the operation. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice threatened to call off her visit which was scheduled for Tuesday, March 4 and lay the blame on Israel for the breakdown of peace talks with the Palestinians, although Mahmoud Abbas formally suspended all contacts with Israel until its army ended its Gaza incursion. She accused Israel of undermining the Bush administration’s entire Middle East strategy by its stepped-up Gaza offensive.
She accused Israel of undermining the Bush administration’s entire Middle East strategy of giving up israeli land in exchange for terrorist rockets.
If this is true then the woman is a complete a$$. She will be enshrined next to madeline half-bright
Condi..STFU
“Hit~N~Run” may be a good thing at this point...
Same old.
So, Condi, two nations living side by side with one allowed to send rockets into the other at will? Sounds great—if you’re deaf, dumb, and blind. I seriously can’t believe this woman is our Secretary of State. Sadly, if Hillary or Obama get elected, she will probably look like a pro-Israeli zealot in comparison.
What an ineffectual put-up-doll for a Secretary of State.
Somebody should lose her wind-up key.
Did they leave anything standing and if so, why?
Ya got that right.
meanwhile . . . on the Ynet ticker
Explosion sounds heard near Lebanon border
Published: 03.03.08, 07:59 / Israel News
Explosion sounds were heard Monday morning near the northern community of Shlomi, which is located near the Israel-Lebanon border.
The IDF is checking whether the sounds were caused by a military exercise held in the area. (Ahiya Raved)
This could be the start of it,,,
South first,,,Then north,,,Like last time,,,
We should hear something shortly...
looky...
Saudis told to pull out of Lebanon
| Published: Sunday, 2 March, 2008, 07:10 AM Doha Time |
|
BEIRUT: Saudi Arabia has advised its citizens in Lebanon, especially families living there, to leave the country immediately due to the security situation, a Lebanese government source said.
Hopfully, U.S. naval forces patrolling off the coast of Lebanon will assist the Israelis inflicting a long over due, devastating defeat to Iran & Syria's Hezballah terrorist proxies. |
“DEBKAfile’s military sources said this reversed instruction from the government to the IDF in mid-offensive was astonishing and unprecedented.”
I really hope there’s a greater strategy behind this reversal and not because the gov’t is afraid of the reported international criticism. No Israeli should have to live under the shadow of those rockets ... enough already.
Here we go.
Thank God FR is fixed now. Imagine watching this and Texas and Ohio put a stake through Hillary’s heart with FR down.
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