Israeli soldier killed in Lebanon raid

Yahoo News Page ^ | 19 August 2006 | SAM F. GHATTAS

[BlackVeil]

BEIRUT, Lebanon - Hezbollah fighters battled Israeli commandos who landed near the militants' stronghold deep inside Lebanon early Saturday, killing one soldier, in the first large-scale violation of the U.N.-brokered cease-fire between the sides.

Hezbollah said its guerrillas foiled the raid after a gunbattle, and the Israeli army said one officer was killed and two soldiers were wounded, one seriously.

Witnesses said Israeli missiles destroyed a bridge during the raid — the first major violation of the U.N.-imposed cease-fire that took effect Monday following 34 days of fighting.

The Israeli army said the special forces operation aimed "to prevent and interfere with terror activity against Israel, especially the smuggling of arms from Iran and Syria to Hezbollah." It said the commando team completed its mission.

The army said such operations would be carried out until "an effective monitoring unit" of Lebanese or multinational troops was in place to prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding its arsenal.

Hezbollah TV and Lebanese security officials said Israeli helicopters dropped off a commando team outside the village of Boudai west of Baalbek in eastern Lebanon.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to release information to the media, said the Israelis apparently were seeking a guerrilla target in a nearby school but had no other details. The officials also reported heavy overflights of Israeli jets.

Such a bold operation risked scuttling the fragile cease-fire and suggested Israel was going after a major target near Baalbek — perhaps to rescue two Israeli soldiers snatched by Hezbollah on July 12, or to try to capture a senior guerrilla official to trade for the soldiers.

Hezbollah has said it wants to exchange the two soldiers for Arab prisoners, but the U.N. cease-fire resolution demands Hezbollah unconditionally release the soldiers.

Local media said Sheik Mohammed Yazbeck, a senior Hezbollah official in the Bekaa and a member of the Shura council of the group, may have been the target. Yazbeck is a native of Boudai.

Israeli troops have killed several guerrillas who Israel said threatened its troops in south Lebanon since the cease-fire, and warplanes have flown over the country. But the cease-fire allows military action in self-defense, and the commando raid was by far the most serious incident since Monday.

Lebanese Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh said Lebanese authorities found blood at the scene of the raid, indicating Israeli casualties. Salloukh, speaking to reporters after meeting with U.N. envoy Terje Roed-Larsen in Beirut, said he informed the U.N. team of the Israeli action in Baalbek and said the U.N. team would raise the issue with Israeli authorities.

"If Israel continues its violations, it is the responsibility of the (U.N.) Security Council to take action and ask Israel to stop these violations," he said.

A provincial government official, Bekaa Valley Gov. Antoine Suleiman, confirmed the Israeli troop landing. He told the privately owned Voice of Lebanon radio station that the landing party brought with it two vehicles that were later withdrawn after clashes.

Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV said the Israeli commando force landed before dawn and was driving into Boudai when it was intercepted by guerrillas who forced it to retreat under the cover of warplanes, which staged mock raids.

Hezbollah officials on the scene said overflights from Israeli jet fighters drowned the clatter of helicopters as they flew into the foothills of the central Lebanese mountains, dropping commandos and two vehicles they used to drive into the village when the Hezbollah fighters intercepted them in a field.

The commandos identified themselves as the Lebanese army, but the guerrillas grew suspicious and gunfire erupted, the officials said.

Israeli helicopters fired missiles as the commandos withdrew and flew out of the area an hour later, they said.

Witnesses saw bandages and syringes at the site. The also saw a destroyed bridge about 500 yards from the area where the landing took place, after missiles were fired by Israeli aircraft.

Overflights were reported Friday night in the same area.

Israel said late Friday its warplanes have not attacked Lebanon since the cease-fire took effect.

Baalbek is the birthplace of the Iranian and Syrian-backed Hezbollah. The area in the eastern Bekaa Valley, 60 miles north of the Israeli border, is a major guerrilla stronghold.

The U.N. Security Council cease-fire resolution calls for an immediate cessation by Hezbollah of all attacks and the immediate cessation by Israel of all offensive military operations.

In letters to Lebanese and Israeli leaders, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has warned the two countries against occupying additional territory and told them to refrain from responding to any attacks "except where clearly required in immediate self-defense."

Annan also told Israel and Lebanon that once the cessation of hostilities took effect there must be no firing from the ground, sea or air into the other side's territory or at its forces.

[SlayerOfBunnies]

Ah gotcha. Then nevermind - parking will be a problem after all.

[easternsky]

They are killers and butchers, and they want us all dead. wake up.

[firebrand]

You forgot to mention borderline illiteracy.

[dennisw]

Muslims just like to fight. They are most at peace while waging Jihad. Most of their clerics are mouthy and aggressive little bastards. They are in your face in ways that priests and rabbis cannot conceive

ROPMA!

[dennisw]

That looks like the "highway to hell" of Iraqis fleeing Kuwait when we drove them out

[Blood of Tyrants]

Why the hell would Israel allow nations that wanted them to lose to negotiate a ceasefire?

[dennisw]

Also, why do you refer to them as Mohammedans? 

Because they worship Muhammad. When cartoons were drawn of this Muhammad they went into a mad frenzy. The cartoon riots. All because they worship Muhammad. Who they call the perfect man. A many who lead the perfect life that all Muslims must emulate.
The Mohammedans that make Jihad are emulating Muhammad the terrorist, Muhammad the head chopper, Muhammad the evil warlord who took 20% of all war booty
One of my posts listed the battles of Muhammad. Also the wars the four Caliphs made. They were his immediate successors

I know where the term comes from and why people have used it in the past, I'm just curious because I haven't seen it in a long time.

Mahometans is even better. Has 100,000 google hits. Musulman sounds great. Has 6,000,000 hits on googleMusulman - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Musulman (Arabic: مسلمان ) (also Musalman) is a term commonly used term for Muslims. ... Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musulman" ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musulman - 11k - Cached - Similar pages

[dennisw]

we know that the Israeli "overlords" of the Palestinian territory would never subjugate the people there to anything,

Do you want Iran to get nuclear weapons. Will this make you feel better?
You are as greedy as the Musulmen. Israel gave up Gaza and South Lebanon and got rockets and Jihad in return

Greed greed greed greed
Insane greed and jells in the name of Allah because the Jews in their little nation are productive and intelligent while the only Muslim nations with and decent stand of living owe it all to oil. Oil they are too stupid to drill for and exploit. Oil infrastructure is always built and engineered by Western nations. Chinese will be doing oil exploration for Iranians who are to stupid to figure this out or all their science talent is involved in making nuclear weapons

[nikola]

This whole war was a HUGE f'up on the part of the Israeli. What they ended up with is a BIGGER, STRONGER and more POWERFUL Hezbollah.

They're insane for accepting that UN resolution.

[ClaireSolt]

Why don't you look at you own post and see for yourself?

[Logical me]

Regardless of whether one thinks ones opponent does not want peace, it is a very serious step to break a ceasefire.

Not really. The ceasefire is a UN resolution and since when is any UN resolution a serious thing? The UN is a joke.

[NRA2BFree]

This has to be the fastest capitulation yet by France. They surrendered before they were deployed!

They sure did, and they were the ones who jumped right out there and said they would lead it. They've really embarrassed themselves again! What a bunch of pansies.

[Logical me]

This war will begin again, on a far larger scale. It is only a matter of time.

Agree totally and should happen. My only problem is how to get the so called international forces out of the Southern area so if the rockets start again Israel can respond. This could be rough if some Turkish or other Countries have casualties. This damn UN is in the way.

[omega4179]

Israel might was well do what they have to. The UN is pro-arab the media is pro-arab the deck is stacked against them.

[Alouette]

FRmail me to be added or removed from this Judaic/pro-Israel/Russian Jewry ping list.

Warning! This is a high-volume ping list.

[M. Espinola]

Islam, the religion of "peace". Thanks for posting that historical listing of Islamic conquest. Something the media never does.

[Alouette]

It's a very serious step when Hezbollah tries to rearm.

How can they "re-arm" when they never disarmed?

[Alouette]

we know that the Israeli "overlords" of the Palestinian territory would never subjugate the people there to anything

Gag, spit, puke. Geez, not this crap again, etc.

No, fool, the "overlords" of the Palestinians are the Arab League nations who refused to absorb the "refugees" in order to use them as rabid attack animals against the Zionist Entity.

You don't subjugate a rabid dog. You shoot it.

[justshutupandtakeit]

Sun Tsu has greater influence on military thinking than ever before. His work is integral to all modern military theory.

[justshutupandtakeit]

The Abrahamic faiths were only allowed to coexist with Islam after paying a tax in humilitation. This was a specific requirement set out in the Koran. There is no equality between faiths in a Islamic society. There is no death penalty for Christian apostates as there is in Islam. Freedom of though wrt religion is unknown to Islam.

Given that the entire faith is the creation of militarism there appears to be no possibility of reform of the faith which is as delusionary as can possibly be.