Israel Decides to Hit Lebanon en Masse if Hizbullah Strikes Again
Ariel Sharon's government has ordered the Israeli army to mount a full-scale
military retaliation against Lebanon if Hizbullah persists in escalating
border tensions between the two countries, Israeli officials say.
The orders were sent out after an emergency meeting of Sharon's security
cabinet in Jerusalem on Wednesday to discuss two Hizbullah cross-border
attacks staged within eight days at the Shabaa farms zone of the common
border.
One Israeli officer was killed and three soldiers wounded in the first
attack and a French Truce Observer was killed and Swedish officer wounded in
Israel's retaliatory tank fire. One Hizbullah fighter was killed in the
Israeli response to the first attack and two Lebanese women were wounded in
the retaliation for the second.
Sharon's Security Cabinet has decided to permit the army to carry out
greater retaliation if the Hizbullah attacks continue, Israeli officials
were quoted by the Associated Press as saying in Jerusalem.
"The military has no limitation to act if the situation deteriorates
further," one official said.
The official did not elaborate on what the anti-Lebanon 'greater
retaliation' woud mean on the battlefield.
He would not say if Israel would retaliate against Syrian targets, too.
Israel blames Syria -- the main power broker in Lebanon --for not reining in
Hizbullah. In late 2003, Israeli jets struck a base of Palestinian militants
inside Syria in retaliation for an attack inside Israel.
Israeli officials believe Hizbullah is trying to disrupt efforts by Israel
and the new Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, to end more than four years
of fighting in the Intifada, The AP said.
Since longtime Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat died in November, Hizbullah
has stepped up its efforts to carry out attacks against Israelis, both along
the border and through militant cells it supports in the Palestinian areas,
the security officials said, according to The AP.
The officials believe Hizbullah wants to embarrass Abbas, portraying him as
a collaborator with Israel as tensions continue on the Israel-Lebanon
border.(Naharnet-AP)
military retaliation against Lebanon if Hizbullah persists in escalating
border tensions between the two countries, Israeli officials say.
The orders were sent out after an emergency meeting of Sharon's security
cabinet in Jerusalem on Wednesday to discuss two Hizbullah cross-border
attacks staged within eight days at the Shabaa farms zone of the common
border.
One Israeli officer was killed and three soldiers wounded in the first
attack and a French Truce Observer was killed and Swedish officer wounded in
Israel's retaliatory tank fire. One Hizbullah fighter was killed in the
Israeli response to the first attack and two Lebanese women were wounded in
the retaliation for the second.
Sharon's Security Cabinet has decided to permit the army to carry out
greater retaliation if the Hizbullah attacks continue, Israeli officials
were quoted by the Associated Press as saying in Jerusalem.
"The military has no limitation to act if the situation deteriorates
further," one official said.
The official did not elaborate on what the anti-Lebanon 'greater
retaliation' woud mean on the battlefield.
He would not say if Israel would retaliate against Syrian targets, too.
Israel blames Syria -- the main power broker in Lebanon --for not reining in
Hizbullah. In late 2003, Israeli jets struck a base of Palestinian militants
inside Syria in retaliation for an attack inside Israel.
Israeli officials believe Hizbullah is trying to disrupt efforts by Israel
and the new Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, to end more than four years
of fighting in the Intifada, The AP said.
Since longtime Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat died in November, Hizbullah
has stepped up its efforts to carry out attacks against Israelis, both along
the border and through militant cells it supports in the Palestinian areas,
the security officials said, according to The AP.
The officials believe Hizbullah wants to embarrass Abbas, portraying him as
a collaborator with Israel as tensions continue on the Israel-Lebanon
border.(Naharnet-AP)
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