Posted on 08/19/2006 3:00:24 AM PDT by 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.
Second, I think behavior and attitudes in the Middle East are certainly also formed by their experience which is very different from ours.
To wit, notice what they complain about most consistently. It is "occupation." If you think about their history you will realize that these lands have been occupied by one empire after another since Alexander the great. Complaining about and working around foreign occupation explains a lot.
Third, I can't see that there is any agency in Islam that acts for or enforces uniform interpretation of the Koran or sharia throughout the ummah. Since they have not developed such institutions, I think it is more accurate to point to that than to argue that you know the true Islam when that is not even a recognized concept in the religion itself.
"Regardless of whether one thinks ones opponent does not want peace, it is a very serious step to break a ceasefire."
Ceasefire was broken the minute the Hezzies said they would not disarm.
"Lenin is a very poor guide for how one OUGHT to behave."
And 50% of this world behave based on Lenins writings.
I would just ask real quick....why do you presume that I'm Western and not a Muslim?
"We need to tell the Saudis that if they do not stop funding this terror network of schools we will destroy their oil fields."
This is what you are supposed to do. How you do it is vote to drill ANWR and other areas as well as produce alternative fuels.
If the Arabs have nothing to sell, they become irrelevant. The reason Iraq and Saudi Arabia are still in one peace is because they hold the worlds energy as a hostage.
And the RATS are stopping us.
While the "ceasefire" has been going on,Iran and Syria have been rearming Hezbolla. Syria has announced it's intention to form it's own Hezbolla.More Arab countries have announced their support of Hezbolla.
If you believe Israel is the one who broke the "ceasefire", you haven't been paying attention.
You appear to be pimping for the hezbozomofos and against the Israelis. Based on responses, how would you evaluate your success or failure?
ping-a-ling to me
read entire thread
They need to be hurting a lot more. So far, Israel has just been beating up Syria's (and Iran's) punching bag ...
Anti-Islam Sarcasm Torpedo ARMED. FIRE!!
No, it has just practiced that philosophy since its inception.
"Since August 18, 2006".
Welcome to Free Republic! I saw from one of your other posts that you are a self-identified liberal.
Let's watch and see whether you practice open-mindedness (re-evaluating your *own* position in the light of new information).
Many liberals are content merely to spout regurgitated platitudes from others, without thought, and then masturbate over their own fatuous sois-chic sophistication.
Cheers!
I've looked at your posting history in other threads.
Your writing evinces at least the forms of rational Western thought.
You admitted to voting for Bush--this implies US citizenship: at least outside of certain major Democrat strongholds.
Now here's the real test:
Will you or will you not post the words "Mohammed Felches Camels" on this thread?
Will you or will you not explicitly condemn jihand and the attempts to destroy the State of Israel?
Will you unequivocally attempt to uproot and prevent future jihadist attacks upon US citizens or interests?
Cheers!
BS, Hezbollah broke it within hoiurs firing ten into Israel. If that was not large scale violation, then nothing is.
Dhimmi
"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. "
Lots of luck with that pipe dream Hezbollah.
yuppers , to post #72
... in our vernacular , a "me-too liberal"
. . . of course someone that sought out this forum , and posted in the manner of anthropos , is , well suspected of NOT being a benign "me-too liberal" ,... no??
Ummmm .. I think that's the problem .. the UN has done NOTHING to hold up their end of the bargain
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