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Politics : WAR on Terror. Will it engulf the Entire Middle East? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Elmer Flugum who wrote (14591)	7/31/2006 3:12:11 PM
From: Scoobah	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 32591

len, you need to turn the mirror around as you have the whole thing, ass backwards: Olmert: The war goes on, there is no ceasefire. July 31, 2006, 9:48 PM (GMT+02:00) The war will end when the threat to the Israeli people ends and the kidnapped soldiers are returned. And we will win. This assertion by the Israeli prime minister drew applause from his audience of mayors and civic leaders of the beleaguered northern Israeli towns Monday, July 31. Talking to UK premier Tony Blair, Olmert said: It will be possible to implement a ceasefire but only after a multinational force is in place. He followed defense minister, Amir Peretz’s rejection of a ceasefire until Israel’s goals are achieved. Addressing the Knesset Monday, July 31, Peretz said, “A truce now would let the extremists raise their heads anew.” Israel will expand and strengthen its offensive against Hizballah in Lebanon, he said. In Beirut, Lebanese officials said Lebanon would accept nothing but an unconditional immediate Israeli ceasefire before any further discussions. Condoleezza Rice earlier said she believes a lasting ceasefire and a lasting settlement can be achieved this week by the UN. Speaking before departing Jerusalem for Washington, the US Secretary of State announced the UN will be asked to approve this week a comprehensive settlement based on a ceasefire, political principles for a long-term settlement and the authorization of an international force to help the Lebanese army keep the peace and maintain its authority in the whole of the country. DEBKAfile notes: Rice never once mentioned Hizballah or the two kidnapped Israeli soldiers in this regard because Hizballah does not accept to any of those points. Hizballah and other Lebanese militias now threaten to fight any international force setting foot in south Lebanon as they fought the US and French troops in Lebanon in 1983. Speaking before departing Jerusalem for Washington, the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced the UN will be asked to approve this week a comprehensive settlement based on a ceasefire, political principles for a long-term settlement and the authorization of an international force to help the Lebanese army keep the peace and maintain its authority in the whole of the country. She found broad agreement that armed groups should be prohibited in areas where the international force is deployed, an international boycott to prevent the delivery of weapons to that area, and the disarming by Lebanon of unauthorized groups. DEBKAfile notes: Rice never once mentioned Hizballah or the two kidnapped Israeli soldiers in this regard because Hizballah does not accept to any of those points. Before the Qana attack, France obtained Hassan Nasrallah’s consent to a ceasefire, provided Israel agreed to withdraw from the Shaaba Farms and hand the enclave to the UN. PM Ehud Olmert denied any such Israeli consent. However, it is no longer relevant. The Qana attack derailed the US-French initiative and the US secretary spent the night picking up the pieces for a new one. Hizballah and other Lebanese militias now threaten to fight any international force setting foot in south Lebanon as they fought the US and French troops in Lebanon in 1983. It is therefore hard to see how the new initiative Condoleezza Rice unveiled Monday morning, July 31, can take off any time soon. Very much up in the air are the format, armament and mandate of the stabilization force Rice proposed to be deployed up to the Israeli and Syria borders “to create a stable environment for US Security Council 1559 and the Taif Accord to be implemented.” For Hizballah, Syria and Iran, the unclarity and uncertainty give them a window to rebuild Hizballah’s damaged forces in time to sabotage any international force. The US secretary welcomed Israel’s agreement to a 48-hour pause in its air attacks and its 50-hour corridor for humanitarian purposes. Print

To: Elmer Flugum who wrote (14591)	7/31/2006 3:21:19 PM
From: Scoobah	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 32591

IAF drone strikes truck at Lebanon-Syria border An IAF drone plane fired a missile Monday at a truck at Masna'a crossing on the Lebanon-Syria border, Lebanese security officials said. The truck was carrying equipment from Syria. The driver and four Lebanese customs officials were wounded in the strike.

To: Elmer Flugum who wrote (14591)	7/31/2006 3:28:39 PM
From: Scoobah	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 32591

IAF planes struck Hezbollah targets in the southern Lebanese village of Bint Jbail. Lebanese soldier killed in strike on Hezbollah leader Meanwhile, one Lebanese soldier was killed and three others were wounded when the Israel Air Force targeted a senior Hezbollah figure in south Lebanon early Monday afternoon. The IDF spokesperson said the strike, in the Qasmiyeh village north of the port city of Tyre, targeted a vehicle in which the Hezbollah figure was thought to have been traveling. The IDF expressed regret a Lebanese soldier was inadvertently killed in the strike. The IAF also carried out air strikes Monday in support of ground troops operating near the south Lebanese village of Taibeh despite an agreement to halt raids for 48 hours, the Israel Defense Forces said. The strikes were meant to protect ground forces operating in the area, and were not targeting anyone or anything specific, the IDF said. Israel agreed to halt its air operations in Lebanon for two days after 56 Lebanese civilians were killed in a strike on Sunday in the village of Qana. Three IDF soldiers were lightly wounded when Hezbollah gunmen fired anti-tank rockets at them during efforts to rescue a tank and a Puma vehicle that had been hit by Hezbollah fire during battles in Taibeh.

To: Elmer Flugum who wrote (14591)	7/31/2006 3:28:48 PM
From: Scoobah	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 32591

PM to debate military moves Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will convene the security cabinet at 9 P.M. Monday to approve the Israel Defense Forces' continued operations in Lebanon. The IDF will present ministers with plans revised on the basis of a cease-fire that is expected to be announced this coming weekend. The military on Sunday night implemented a 48-hour suspension of aerial activity, in the wake of a strike on a south Lebanon building, in which at least 56 people were killed, more than half of them children. IDF ground operations will continue as before, however, and the army aims to complete the destruction of Hezbollah positions along the border by Thursday. A government source in Jerusalem said the United Nations Security Council, set to discuss the war Wednesday, is likely to announce Friday a cease-fire that would go into effect Saturday. Before the evening cabinet meeting, Olmert will hold a security consultation meeting with Defense Minister Amir Peretz and senior defense establishment figures. He will also meet separately with Peretz. At 7:30 P.M., Olmert will give a speech to a conference of local municipalities in which he is expected to praise the fortitude of the home front and will discuss the strengthening of communities hit during the war.