Israel pulls back from north Gaza BBC News
Israel says its troops have left their positions in the northern tip of the Gaza Strip and returned to the Israeli side of the border. The withdrawal follows two days of intense fighting in the area, in which more than 30 Palestinians and one Israeli soldier have died. Israeli forces remain in southern Gaza, as well as east of Gaza City, where they clashed with gunmen overnight. Israel began operations after Cpl Gilad Shalit was seized two weeks ago. The Israeli army says all of the forces that entered northern Gaza late on Wednesday have left the town of Beit Lahiya and are now back in Israel. The BBC's Wyre Davies in Gaza City says the withdrawal is significant, because the areas has been the scene of heavy fighting. Our correspondent adds that it is not clear why Israel has decided to leave now, but that it should ease tensions. This leaves Israeli forces in the southern Gaza strip, as well east of Gaza City. The latter area was the scene of the latest Israeli operation early on Saturday. Troops, backed by helicopter gunships, moved on the eastern outskirts of Beit Hanoun and the main commercial crossing at Karni. The area is a stronghold of the militant organisation Hamas, and three Palestinians are reported to have died in the fighting.

Shalit 'well'
Israeli military sources said this was a limited operation, aimed at uncovering tunnels under the border. Earlier, Hamas confirmed for the first time that Cpl Shalit, 19, was alive and was being treated well and humanely. The European Union accused Israel of using "disproportionate" force and of making a humanitarian crisis worse during operations in Gaza. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan appealed to both sides "to pull back from the brink for the sake of all civilians in the region". Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called both for militants to release Cpl Shalit and for Israel to free Palestinian prisoners. "The world must stop this aggression and this inhumane invasion so that our [mediation] efforts can get somewhere," he said. Israel's incursion into Gaza is its biggest military operation there since it ended its 38-year occupation nine months ago.

Gaza assault 'may be open-ended' BBC News
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has warned that Israel's offensive in Gaza to free a captured soldier and stop rocket fire could continue indefinitely. "This is a war that cannot be on a timetable," Mr Olmert is quoted as telling Israel's cabinet. Israel pressed on with air strikes on Sunday, wounding several Palestinians, including militants and civilians. Scores of Palestinians have died in the two-week old campaign, which has also battered Gaza's infrastructure. Most of the dead have been militants, although civilians have also been killed. In the latest violence, Israel fired missiles at a car carrying Hamas militants near Gaza City on Sunday night, wounding five people. The vehicle, which was carrying explosives, then blew up. Earlier, Palestinian sources said a bystander died and several others were hurt in another air strike which Israel said was aimed at militants in the town of Rafah in southern Gaza. At least three militants were also wounded in an Israeli air strike near the Karni border crossing, Palestinian sources said, while at least one Israeli was injured in one of two Palestinian rocket strikes on Israel.

'No re-occupation'
Mr Olmert told ministers Israel's offensive will continue as long as it takes to secure the release of 19-year-old Gilad Shalit and stop cross-border rocket attacks.

"There is no intention to reoccupy Gaza in order to stay there, but if certain operations are needed they will be carried out. "We will operate, enter and pull out as needed," he is quoted as saying. Israeli forces withdrew from northern Gaza on Saturday, but remain east of Gaza City and in the south of the Strip. Israel's southern region commander meanwhile hinted that Israel's operations could continue for weeks. "They [Palestinian militants] will think twice before launching attacks when they see in a week, a month or two months from now that hundreds of terrorists have been killed," said General Yoav Galant.

'Disaster' warning
On Saturday, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan demanded that Israel take urgent action to prevent a humanitarian disaster in the Gaza Strip. Mr Annan's statement was his second in as many days about the situation in Gaza. The BBC's Richard Galpin at the UN in New York says Mr Annan is clearly becoming increasingly alarmed by what is happening and is becoming increasingly blunt in his statements. In a separate statement, UN agencies including the World Health Organization, Unicef and the World Food Programme said Gaza was on the brink of a public health disaster.

Death urged for Jordan 'bomber' BBC News
The Jordanian public prosecutor has called for the death penalty for an Iraqi woman charged over a multiple suicide bombing in Jordan last year. The prosecutor said Sajida Rishawi and co-defendants were a "scourge" who sought to spread death and destruction. Ms Rishawi is accused of trying but failing to blow herself up in one of three hotels targeted in the capital, Amman, on 9 November. Her Iraqi husband and two other bombers killed 60 people in the attacks. Shortly after she was arrested days after the blasts, Ms Rishawi, 35, confessed on state television that she tried to carry out an attack on the Radisson SAS hotel. She later retracted her confession, saying it had been forced out of her, and claimed she had turned back from the hotel after changing her mind. An explosives expert however told the court in June that Ms Rishawi's trigger mechanism, had jammed, preventing her from blowing herself up.

No emotion
The prosecutor, whose name was withheld by the court, said Ms Rishawi and seven other defendants, deserved to be executed for the attacks. "This defendant and others like her are a scourge, who seek to spread death and destruction in this country. "The prosecution and Jordanian society at large appeal to your honour to get rid of such elements and give them the sentence they deserve, the death penalty." Ms Rishawi showed no emotion as the prosecutor addressed the court. Earlier she had told the court she had "no desire to blow myself up", saying her confession "was extracted under torture". When questioned by the prosecutor, Ms Rishawi said by "torture" she had meant "shouting". Responsibility for the attacks, which killed mostly wedding guests, was claimed by al-Qaeda in Iraq. The group's former leader, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who was killed in a US air strike in June, remains on the charge sheet. The six other accused are either dead or on the run.

Israeli attack kills child and parents:

THREE Palestinian family members, including a six-year-old girl, were killed yesterday in an air strike near Gaza City as Israel rejected a call by Hamas Premier Ismail Haniya for a mutual ceasefire.
http://tinyurl.com/er4ft

===
Palestinian bystander killed by Israeli bomb in south Gaza:

The dead Palestinian was identified as Bilal Sliman Rabah, an 18-year-old supermarket clerk. Seven other Palestinians were wounded in the errant strike, including one in very serious condition.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/736221.html

===
Army Investigation Shows Soldier Killed by Friendly Fire :

According to an army investigation, the IDF soldier killed last week in the Gaza operation, Staff Sergeant Yehuda Bassal, was killed by friendly fire
http://www.israelnn.com/news.php3?id=106887

===
No longer afraid, Gazans shout back :

"I wanted to hug my youngest son, who was afraid, but the soldier aimed his gun at me. 'You want to use the telephone,' he accused. I wanted to say something to my husband, but the soldier said 'uskut' (shut up)," she said in a telephone conversation.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=735993

===
International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH):

Situation in the Gaza strip : Among the attacks perpetrated by the Israeli Army, the deliberate destruction of Gaza strip’s power station, of water supplying systems, of bridges, roads, offices of the Palestinian Authority and of other civilian infrastructures are a violation of Article 147 of the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War
http://www.fidh.org/article.php3?id_article=3481

===
Israel must act to prevent disaster says Annan:

Mr Annan said Israel had to repair the territory's only power plant, which was damaged in an Israeli airstrike. UN agencies have said Gaza is on the brink of a public health disaster.
http://www.rte.ie/news/2006/0709/mideast.html

===
Who started?:

We are allowed to bomb anything we want and they are not allowed to launch Qassams. When they fire a Qassam at Ashkelon, that's an "escalation of the conflict," and when we bomb a university and a school, it's perfectly alright.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/736009.html

===
One side of the picture:

By not challenging the Israeli narrative in any meaningful way, and dumping it on hapless viewers all around the world, the uncritical media has become a tool in the hands of Israel’s war strategists and their eternal concoctions.
http://tinyurl.com/kgwxl

===
Israelis denounce attack on Gaza:

Though rarely featured in US and European news coverage, Israeli critics of the Gaza attacks are speaking out loudly. Below are some of the many who prepared to speak the truth.
http://www.redress.btinternet.co.uk/ipa.htm

===
Author Mario Vargas Llosa: I'm ashamed to be Israel's friend :

Internationally acclaimed author and former Peruvian presidential candidate, Mario Vargas Llosa, over the weekend slammed Israel's "out of proportion" operation in the Gaza Strip, saying he was ashamed of being Israel's friend.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/736233.html

===
Syrian officials: Golan Heights offensive possible :

Enraged by Israeli aerial flight over presidential palace last week, Syrian officials threaten future provocations will not go unanswered; warn of cells willing to carry out 'liberation war' against Israel
http://tinyurl.com/ke7oo

Snuffy, thanks for all the great links, Add to this that Olmert is facing critics in the IDF, and you have to wonder how bad it can get

Israeli army turns on Olmert

http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middlee...press_-_July_10
AMMAN, Jordan (UPI) -- Arab press roundup for July 10:


Jordan`s al-Rai Monday condemned as 'shocking and sad' a massacre carried out by masked Shiite gunmen against Sunni civilians in Baghdad`s al-Jihad district on Sunday, in which 50 people were killed.

The mass-circulation daily`s editorial said the massacre in Baghdad should awaken the conscience in Iraq and not to allow it to pass without action. 'We hope that al-Jihad massacre will establish a new phase in Iraq and to become a transition from the logic of chaos based on sectarianism and militias, to the logic of one state, one people, one army and one security forces,' the paper said. No one can believe that the killings are acts of vengeance, but they have proven to be premeditated and planned against a specific sect, it complained.

The paper, partially owned by the government, called for putting an end to these crimes, which it said are being publicly committed and supported by 'political party authorities, and maybe religious ones, who justify their ugly acts.' It is high time for all Iraqis, in all their sectarian, ethnic, national and party affiliations, to seriously review what kind of Iraq they want, it said. The daily warned that Iraq as it is today cannot prevail or survive as it 'quickly tumbles into an abyss.'



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


The London-based al-Quds al-Arabi said it is a 'civil war in its ugliest form' when Iraqi Shiite militias raid Sunni areas and set up check points to kill those based on sectarian identity, and when the Sunnis blow up Shiites.

The independent Palestinian-owned daily commented that 150,000 fully-equipped American troops, 25,000 other foreign soldiers and 250,000 Iraqi troops have not be able to provide safety for the citizens of Iraq. It said that killing for sectarian reasons began before the killing of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Jordanian-born leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, insisting he was used as an excuse to 'drown the Iraqis in liquidations and genocide to divide the country according to sect.' Zarqawi, it argued, was just an outlaw who exploited the chaos in Iraq to carry out sectarian-based bombings. 'But what do we say when organized (Iraqi) forces, which received professional training and belong to a democratically-elected government, kill based on sectarian identity?' it asked.

The paper noted the civil war in Lebanon lasted 17 years and close to ten years in Algeria, 'and only God knows how long this ugly civil war will last in the new Iraq.' It insisted the Iraqis can save themselves only when they rise against terrorism, the dictatorship of the militias and seek to liberate their country from occupation without fear.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Egypt`s al-Ahram commented in its editorial on the escalating U.S. and Japanese rhetoric against North Korea after the latter tested its missiles, saying that imposing sanctions on North Korea would be useless.

The semi-official daily said North Korea`s economic trade and cooperation with the rest of the world was weak anyway. But the American-Japanese escalation against North Korea because of its missile testing is understandable, it said, although most of them fell only minutes after they were launched.

The mass-circulation said the testing provided an opportunity to build a regional, Asian position against North Korea and its nuclear and missile programs, isolating the country`s regime further and to pressure it to negotiate.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Qatar`s al-Watan said that North Korea suffers from severe poverty and economic problems, where streets are empty of cars, there is hunger and despair, and low standards in the education and health systems. At the same time, the commentary added, the country possesses a military arsenal owned only by powerful, rich countries. 'All the money is being spent on armament with the aim to protect the precious nation from imperialism and foreign attacks; North Korea is a source of constant threat to its neighbors, Japan and South Korea, and it seems to be happy this way,' it said.

The paper remarked that South Korea offers a helping hand to its northern enemy with tons of rice and food products and asked whether the north really needed all this assistance while it spends all its resources on armament rather than feed its own people. Politics struggles and the people pay the price, it said, adding that if a referendum is held in the north, it would realize that 'the masses it wants to defend with weapons are being attacked with hunger, disease and ignorance and that they cannot be fed with missiles, submarines and smart bombs.'


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


The London-based al-Hayat said the world returns from a 'beautiful holiday' with the end of the World Cup, to feelings of frustration.

The Saudi-financed daily added in a commentary that for one month, the world was 'lovely,' where 80 percent of the world`s population sat before their screens to watch international soccer stars, rather than watch North Korean leader Kim Il Jong, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad or al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden. 'The Arab public was relieved from news of the Arab situation, and the news of goals took over the news of the nukes.' News of the World Cup developments had taken priority over the casualties from civil wars, it said, 'with no explosive devices, no suicide bombings, no massacres' on the soccer fields.

The confrontations in the World Cup were costly, but they were based on respect, rules and yellow cards for those who violated the rules, it commented. But today, the 'world returns from a beautiful vacation... where the generals of soccer will leave, to return to the massacres in Baghdad, the crimes in Gaza, the threats in Somalia and a new scene from the Afghan war... We were in an entertaining holiday where the world was beautiful, and today we return to the pains that existed before (French soccer star Zinedine) Zidane and (Italian) Alessandro del Piero.'

Copyright 2006 by United Press International

Israel denies 'excessive force' BBC News
Israel has rejected criticism that its military offensive in the Gaza Strip is a disproportionate use of force. PM Ehud Olmert said there was no other way to stop "the fear, the shocks, the lack of security" of Israeli civilians facing daily rocket attacks from Gaza. At least 44 Palestinians and an Israeli have died in raids launched after militants seized an Israeli soldier. An exiled militant leader called the Israeli a prisoner of war who must be swapped for Palestinian detainees. "We are for a peaceful, quiet resolution. The solution is simple: an exchange, but Israel rejects that," Khaled Meshaal, Hamas's political leader, said at a news conference. It was his first public appearance since Cpl Gilad Shalit's capture on 25 June. Israeli officials blame the Damascus-based Mr Meshaal for masterminding the abduction and have threatened him with assassination. "They talk about one soldier, we have 10,000 detainees [in Israeli jails], including 400 children and 120 women... this is why we are seeking a prisoner exchange," Mr Meshaal said.

'No re-occupation'
Israeli aircraft have launched fresh attacks, including strikes at suspected rocket launchers, at a supposed weapons depot in Gaza city and a car carrying militants in Khan Younis. At least three people died in two separate missile strikes on Monday evening, with several others reported injured, local medical officials said. One explosion was reported to the east of Gaza City, killing one, while a second blast hit the northern town of Beit Hanoun, witnesses said. Earlier two people - both militants - died in an attack on a car, while an unidentified man was killed in another attack on a car in the Shejaya area of Gaza. Separately, a 15-month-old baby wounded in an Israeli air strike near Khan Younis on 21 June died on Monday of his injuries, medical sources said. On Sunday, Mr Olmert told ministers the offensive was not a re-occupation of Gaza, but would continue for as long as it took to secure the release of 19-year-old Cpl Gilad Shalit. The European Union has condemned "the loss of lives caused by disproportionate use of force by the Israeli Defence Forces and the humanitarian crisis it has aggravated". But Mr Olmert said: "When was the last time that the European Union condemned this shooting and suggested effective measures to stop it? We were waiting and waiting and waiting."

Hamas policy
Israeli forces have withdrawn from parts of northern Gaza they seized last week, but they remain east of Gaza City and in the south of the Gaza Strip. Hamas says Cpl Shalit is alive and being well-treated, and it is demanding Israel release women and children among the 9,000 Palestinians held in Israeli jails. Mr Olmert ruled out any negotiations with the Hamas-led Palestinian government, calling the militant group a "terrorist bloody organisation". But he also denied trying to topple the democratically elected Palestinian government. "We have no particular desire to topple the Hamas government as a policy. We have a desire to stop terrorists from inflicting terror on the Israeli people," he said. Israel withdrew settlers and the troops who protected them from Gaza last September after a 38-year presence. Since then Palestinian militants have frequently launched home-made Qassam missiles at Israeli population centres - often without causing injuries. The attacks are usually described as revenge for Israeli military action.

4 Children Killed By Israeli Occupation Forces:

One Palestinian was killed in another IDF attack in the Karni crossing and several others wounded.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3273621,00.html

===
The Wahbas' last meal: :

It's a direct hit by the second missile fired by the excellent Israel Air Force pilot, and it comes right into the dining room through the ceiling. Fatma, three months pregnant, is killed on the spot by the shrapnel that hits her spine. Her brother, Dr. Ahmed, is also killed. His daughter-in-law miscarries her child, the little girl Farah is moderately injured and the baby of the family, Khaled, is critically injured in the head. A puddle of blood collects on the floor.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/735520.html

==
UN warns of Gazans' struggle to survive:

He said in the north of Gaza Israeli forces had shot and destroyed rooftop water tanks and mains, while in the south more than 1,000 people had been forced to leave their homes. Rafah had no electricity because the army would not allow the UN to fix a minor fault, while the rest of Gaza had electricity for six hours a day.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,,329525185-103552,00.html

===
Israel bars Palestinian Americans for first time since 1967 :

For the first time since 1967, Israel is preventing the entry of Palestinians with foreign citizenship, most of them Americans.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/736349.html

===
After 30 years, wife loses right to enter Israel :

There was no reason to suspect anything but an error. After all, throughout their 30 years together this was the drill: Every three months, a day or two before the Israeli tourist visa in her American passport was set to expire, she would go away for a few days - to Jordan, sometimes Cyprus or Egypt, then return with a new visa for another three months.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=736359

===
'Apartheid Israel' worse than apartheid SA :

The "apartheid Israel state" is worse than the apartheid that was conducted in South Africa, Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) president Willie Madisha said on Monday. He said Palestinians were being attacked with heavy machinery and tanks used in war, which had never happened in South Africa.
http://tinyurl.com/modak

===
Olmert on Iran: ‘I Rely on Bush’ :

“I am confident that the international community, headed by President Bush, will take the required, effective measures to stop the threat of enriching uranium, posed by Iran.”
http://www.israelnn.com/news.php3?id=106934

Israel army 'enters central Gaza' BBC News
Israeli troops have crossed the border into central Gaza in an expansion of their offensive in the Palestinian territory, Palestinian witnesses say. Residents said the soldiers were conducting searches in a village east of the town of Deir al-Balah, Reuters news agency reported. Israeli forces had already entered parts of northern and southern Gaza. The massive operation is aimed at releasing a captured soldier and halting Palestinian rocket attacks.

Hezbollah seizes Israel soldiers BBC News
The Lebanese Shia militant group Hezbollah has captured two Israeli soldiers during clashes across the Lebanese-Israeli border. There has been heavy fighting in the area, with Hezbollah firing rockets and Israel responding with tank and artillery fire, as well as air strikes. Aircraft struck roads, bridges and guerrilla posts, Lebanese sources say, and there are reports of casualties. Israel's PM said anyone trying to test its resolve would "pay a heavy price". Israel says it is holding the Lebanese government responsible for the fate of the two soldiers, and demands immediate action. Israeli ground troops have entered southern Lebanon to search for the two soldiers, Israeli officials said.The news comes as a major Israeli offensive is under way in the Gaza Strip. An Israeli soldier was kidnapped by Palestinian militants in Israel over two weeks ago. Overnight, Israel carried out an air strike on a Gaza City house, killing at least six people and injuring 15. On Wednesday morning, Hezbollah launched dozens of Katyusha rockets and mortar bombs at the Israeli town of Shlomi and at Israeli outposts in the disputed Shebaa Farms area. An Israeli military spokeswoman said there had been a number of casualties, while at least two Lebanese civilians have been killed in Israel's retaliatory raids. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has called a special cabinet session later on Wednesday.

Eying swap
Hezbollah said it captured the two Israeli soldiers at 0904 (0704 GMT). A statement from the group said the two were taken to a "safe place". It did not mention whether they were alive or dead or injured. The group says it has captured the soldiers to secure the release of detainees held in Israeli prisons. "This operation has taken place as a kind of materialisation to the promise that Hezbollah has kept to the Lebanese, that they are going to do everything possible to make the swap," the chief news editor of Hezbollah Television, Ibrahim Moussawi, told the BBC's World TV. "[That is] because Israelis still occupy parts of Lebanon, and still hold hostages in their prisons. Some of them have been there more than 25 years." Hezbollah captured three Israeli soldiers in 2000. They died during the operation, but four years later, the group was able to exchange their bodies for 430 Palestinians and Lebanese held in Israeli jails. BBC Middle East analyst Roger Hardy says the capture of two Israeli soldiers is a dramatic gesture of solidarity with the Palestinians - and at the same time adds to the pressures on the Israeli government. Complicating the picture is the fact that the Lebanese group has the backing of both Syria and Iran. Israel and American officials are already saying Syria must bear some of the blame for the capture of a young Israeli soldier last month - because it plays host to part of the Hamas leadership. Pressure on Syria - as well as on the Lebanese government - will now intensify, our analyst adds.

THE ANTI-ISRAEL DOUBLE STANDARD WATCH BY ALAN M. DERSHOWITZ (HUFFINGTON POST, JULY 11): Every time Israel kills a terrorist who has murdered Israeli civilians the international community and America's hard left goes crazy, condemning, boycotting, and divesting from the Jewish state. But it totally ignores the indistinguishable actions of other nations.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alan-dershow...html?view=print

BREAK IT OFF?: WAS DISENGAGEMENT FROM GAZA A MISTAKE? - MICHAEL I. KRAUSS AND J. PETER PHAM (NATIONAL REVIEW, JULY 11): The consequences of terror must be so terrible as to frighten the terror masters. If Hamas doesn?t get this, Gaza must be firmly reoccupied.
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=NzUzM...DVkNTFhMDY1Zjg=

A NINTH ARAB-ISRAELI WAR? EDITORIAL (WASHINGTON TIMES, JULY 12): The Shalit kidnapping may be setting into motion events that will trigger a wider war pitting Islamofascists against Israel and some moderate Muslims.
http://www.washtimes.com/functions/print.p...11-091224-3664r

WITHOUT A SERIOUS PEACE PUSH BY BUSH, MIDEAST IN BIG TROUBLE - TRUDY RUBIN (BALTIMORE SUN, JULY 11): Let's hope the spiraling violence in Gaza will shake the White House out of its dangerous lethargy on the Palestinian issue.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/o...-oped-headlines

ONCE AGAIN, MISSED OPPORTUNITIES IN GAZA - H.D.S. GREENWAY (BOSTON GLOBE, JULY 11): The cycle of violence has not been broken, and the two peoples seemed helpless to end it. Hard-liners on both sides count on each other to keep the cycle going.
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial...in_gaza?mode=PF

THE PALESTINIAN CATASTROPHE, THEN AND NOW - SANDY TOLAN (TOMDISPATCH, JULY 10): The irony is that, contrary to helping build the safe harbor they have sought for so long, the Israeli government, just like the U.S. in Iraq, is only sowing the seeds of more hatred and rage.
http://tomdispatch.com/index.mhtml?pid=100409

ARAB BLOGS THAT FIGHT FOR REFORM - FRIDA GHITIS (SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE, JULY 9): Arab democrats are increasingly noting that, however much anyone sympathizes with Palestinians, there is little doubt that Arab autocrats, dictators and assorted rulers-for-life have long used the Palestinian cause as a thick cloak to cover up the deficiencies of their rule.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?...&type=printable

DID BUSH'S DEMOCRACY PLAN GO POOF?: HIS DRIVE TO REMAKE THE MIDDLE EAST IS TAKING A U-TURN IN EGYPT - MAX BOOT (LOS ANGELES TIMES, JULY 12)
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-...inion-rightrail

REVITALIZING U.S.-TURKISH RELATIONS - TULIN DALOGLU (WASHINGTON TIMES, JULY 11): Even though the Turkish government is agreeing on a strategic vision document with the United States and making membership in the European Union a priority, if U.S. and EU policies feed Turkish anti-Westernism, that may mean the Islamist government is not providing the leadership it promises to Western capitals.
http://www.washtimes.com/functions/print.p...10-082101-8873r

Hezbollah Attacks Israeli-Lebanon Border

By Anthony Shadid, Scott Wilson and Debbi Wilgoren

SIDON, Lebanon, July 12 -- The militant Shiite Muslim group Hezbollah killed three Israeli soldiers and captured two others in an attack along the Israel-Lebanon border Wednesday morning. Four more Israeli soldiers were killed when troops and tanks crossed the border in pursuit of the captives.

To view the entire article, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...er=emailarticle

Hezbollah warns Israel over raids BBC News
The leader of Lebanon's militant Hezbollah has said two captured Israeli soldiers will only be returned through talks and a prisoner exchange. Hassan Nasrallah said if Israel wanted to escalate the crisis his forces were ready for confrontation. Israel launched an assault in southern Lebanon using planes, tanks and gunboats following the capture. Three Israeli troops were killed in Hezbollah's cross-border raid and four more died in the subsequent offensive. The second incident occurred when a tank involved in the ground operation hit a mine.Roads and Hezbollah outposts were hit and two civilians killed as Israeli forces entered Lebanon, in their first incursion since 2000. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert described Lebanon's actions as an "act of war". He said he held Beirut responsible for the fate of the two soldiers and that it would pay a "heavy price".

Emergency meeting
However, Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora said he had not known about the Hezbollah operation and refused to take responsibility for the soldiers' capture. "The government was not aware of and does not take responsibility for, nor endorses what happened on the international border," Reuters news agency quoted him as saying. Mr Olmert was due to hold an emergency cabinet meeting to discuss further action, although he has already ruled out negotiations. Israel has filed a complaint with the United Nations, urging the Security Council to enforce resolutions calling on the Lebanese government to disarm militias and extend its authority throughout its territory. In Washington, the White House has called for the immediate release of the captured Israeli soldiers, saying it held Iran and Syria responsible for the attack. The news of the clashes comes amid a major Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip. Israel has been trying to secure the release of a 19-year-old soldier, Cpl Gilad Shalit, who was kidnapped by Palestinian militants on 25 June.

'Dreaming'
Hezbollah is seeking the return of Palestinian, Lebanese and other Arab prisoners held in Israeli jails. Mr Nasrallah said any invasion of Lebanese territory would be met by force. "The prisoners in our hands will not return to Israel except through indirect negotiations and exchange of prisoners and peace," he said. "If the Israelis are thinking about carrying out a military operation to recover them they are dreaming." "We are not seeking escalation, we don't want to lead the region into war. However, if the Israeli enemy wants escalation, we are ready for the confrontation." He said what Hezbollah had done was the "only feasible path" to freeing detainees in Israeli jails, and "our natural right". The operation had been planned for several months, he added, long before the capture of Cpl Shalit in Gaza.

Major campaign
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan both condemned Israel's Lebanon offensive and called for the soldiers' release. Israel ended its occupation of southern Lebanon six years ago. Army Chief of Staff Lt-Gen Dan Halutz said the Israeli military would "turn back the clock in Lebanon by 20 years" if the soldiers were not returned. Several thousand reservists will be deployed along the border, officials say. In other developments:

• On Wednesday morning, Hezbollah launched dozens of Katyusha rockets and mortar bombs at the Israeli town of Shlomi and at Israeli outposts in the disputed Shebaa Farms area
• Later Hezbollah said its fighters had destroyed an Israeli tank attempting to cross the border
• Two civilians were killed when Israeli planes bombed a road bridge on a major route though southern Lebanon.

Report: Israel hits Beirut airport CNN International
Israeli aircraft bombed Beirut International Airport Thursday, expanding Israel's military campaign against Lebanon's Hezbollah guerrillas holding two Israeli soldiers captive.All three of the airport's runways were rendered unusable in the airstrikes and as a result the airport was closed, a senior Lebanese aviation official said. Israel Defense Forces said it targeted the airport's runways because the airport served as a central hub for the transfer of weapons and supplies to Hezbollah. Lebanese Interior Minister Ahmed Fatfat called the airport strikes a "general act of war," saying they had nothing to do with Hezbollah, but was instead an attack against the country's "economic interests," especially its tourism industry. Flights have been diverted to nearby Cyprus, the aviation official said. Israeli airstrikes also targeted Hezbollah's al-Manar television station in Beirut's southern suburbs, a Lebanese security source said. Despite the strike, al-Manar continued to broadcast, the source said.

'Severe response'
The strikes came hours after Israel's Cabinet authorized a "severe and harsh" response to the abduction of two soldiers and declared Lebanon's government responsible for their safe release. Israeli artillery and airstrikes have been pounding Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon after a cross-border raid Wednesday that left three Israeli soldiers dead in addition to the two captives. Four more Israelis died in an attack on their tank during the clashes, and another died as soldiers went to their aid, the Israeli military said. The cross-border fighting continued Thursday, with numerous Katyusha rocket strikes in the northern Israeli town of Nahariya, according to CNN's John Vause. He said buildings near the hotel he was staying in have been damaged and people injured. Thursday's casualties throughout northern Israel totaled 22, including one woman killed and 15 injured in the Nahariya rocket attack, according to the IDF. The Lebanese security source said 26 to 27 people had been killed in Lebanon since the fighting began, including a number of civilians. IDF said its strikes have been targeting locations within or adjacent to heavily populated areas that Hezbollah uses for storing rockets and weapons. An IDF spokesman said Hezbollah is responsible for placing the storage sites in areas that would put civilians at risk.

Exchange rejected
Hezbollah, an Islamic militia backed by Syria and Iran, demanded "direct negotiations" for a prisoner exchange to resolve the crisis. Israel has rejected that call, arguing it would lead to more attacks. "We expect them to be returned to us alive and safely, immediately without any precondition -- no negotiation," Israeli government spokesman Gideon Meir told CNN. The identities of the kidnapped soldiers had not been released as of Thursday morning. Hezbollah is designated a terrorist organization by the United States and Israel, but the Islamic militia is a significant player in Lebanon's fractious politics. Its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, told reporters that abducting the soldiers was "our natural, only and logical right" to win freedom for Hezbollah prisoners held by Israel. Nasrallah said the two soldiers had been taken to a place "far, far away" and that an Israeli military campaign would not win their release. The new fighting on Israel's northern border comes amid a two-week-old Israeli campaign in Gaza in search of Israeli army Cpl. Gilad Shalit, a soldier kidnapped by Palestinian militants there.
War on Iran Has Begun New York Sun
Israel: Lebanon Clash 'An Act Of War' KUTV
Hamilton Spectator - New York Times - Independent - Bloomberg - all 1,517 related »

Israel imposes Lebanon blockade BBC News
Israel is imposing an air and sea blockade on Lebanon as part of a major offensive after two soldiers were seized by the militant group Hezbollah. Israeli warships have entered Lebanese water to block ports, and its only international airport was closed after Israeli missiles blew up its runways. Raids on targets across south Lebanon have killed at least 35 civilians. The operation comes as Israel continues a separate offensive in the Gaza Strip where another soldier was captured. The offensive in Lebanon follows a day of heavy fighting in which the Israelis suffered their worst losses on the border for several years. Eight soldiers were killed and two were injured, in addition to the two captured in a Hezbollah ambush. Hezbollah guerrillas also fired volleys of rockets at the northern Israeli coastal town of Nahariya, killing one Israeli and injuring 14 others. Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev told the BBC that Israel was responding to "an unprovoked act of aggression" by Lebanon. US President George Bush described Hezbollah as a "group of terrorists who want to stop the advance of peace". Speaking in Germany, he said Israel had the right to defend itself, but its action should not weaken the Lebanese government. Syria should be "held to account", he said, adding that both Hezbollah and the Palestinian militant group Hamas are present in the country. France and Russia condemned Israel's "disproportionate use of force".

Blockade
An Israeli military spokesman said Israeli naval ships had entered Lebanese waters to block the transfer of "terrorists and weapons to the terror organisations operating in Lebanon". Earlier, three missiles hit runways at Beirut airport, the country's only international airport, forcing its closure. Flights have been diverted to Cyprus. An Israeli army spokesman said the airport was used to supply weapons to Hezbollah. Israeli leaders have also spoken of extending the blockade to include travel by land, although the BBC's Jim Muir in Beirut says this would be much harder to do, given the porous nature of the borders. The blockade follows wide-ranging Israeli air raids on southern Lebanon, which killed at least 35 civilians. Among the dead were two whole families - one of 10 people and one of seven - killed in the homes near the town of Nabatiyeh, officials said. The Hezbollah television station al-Manar in southern Beirut was also hit. The station said three of its employees were hurt.

Responsibility
Israel said its jets hit 40 Hezbollah targets. Our correspondent says Beirut is largely cut off from southern Lebanon after Israeli missiles and bombs hit key roads and bridges. Israel has said it holds Lebanon responsible for the soldiers' capture and views it as an "act of war". Hezbollah has said the captured soldiers will not be returned without a release deal for Palestinian, Lebanese and other Arab prisoners held in Israeli jails. Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora denied any knowledge of the Hezbollah operation and refused to take responsibility for the soldiers' capture. Hezbollah's political wing is a significant force in Lebanese politics and has one government minister, while its powerful military wing has controlled the border zone since Israeli forces pulled out in 2000.

Volatile mix
Israeli Defence Minister Amir Peretz said if Lebanon did not deploy forces along its southern border, Israel would "not allow Hezbollah forces to remain on the borders of the state of Israel". Agriculture Minister Shalom Simchon said the Israeli government wanted to "change the rules of the game" in Lebanon and make its government "understand that it is responsible for what happens in Lebanon". In Gaza, Israeli jets attacked the Palestinian foreign ministry building in Gaza City, injuring at least 10 people. The operation follows the capture of Israeli soldier Cpl Gilad Shalit by Palestinian militants two weeks ago. The BBC's World Affair's correspondent Nick Childs says the confrontations in Gaza and Lebanon are ringing alarm bells among world leaders. He says the combination of an untried and apparently uncertain Israeli government, plus tensions that could easily extend to Syria and Iran is creating a volatile mixture.

Rockets hit Israeli city of Haifa BBC News
Two rockets have struck the Israeli city of Haifa, hours after a threat by the militant Lebanese group Hezbollah. Hezbollah denied firing any rockets at the northern port - Israel's third largest city. There were no reports of injuries or damage. Later, Lebanon's international airport was hit for a second time as Israel continued attacks by land, sea and air. About 50 people have died in the Israeli raids, launched after Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers. Most of the dead are civilians. The fresh attacks on Beirut airport set at least one fuel tank ablaze. The airport was already closed following Israeli air strikes earlier on Thursday.

'Haifa attack'
Hezbollah had said it would attack Haifa if Israeli planes bombed Beirut. It had fired dozens of rockets into Israel in the past two days, killing at least two Israelis and injuring dozens. But until the Haifa attack none had gone further than 20km (12 miles) inside the country. Haifa is more than 30km (18 miles) from the Lebanese border and had been thought to be out of Hezbollah's range.Israeli police said two rockets had fallen on a Christian area of Haifa called Stella Maris. The Israeli ambassador in Washington, Danny Ayalon, described the Haifa incident as a "major escalation" of the crisis. He said the international community should make it clear to Iran and Syria - who both have links with Hezbollah - that they were "playing with fire". Meanwhile the UN Security Council has arranged an emergency meeting for Friday at Lebanon's request.

Israeli losses
Lebanese ministers have called for a ceasefire with Israel, saying that all means should be used to end "open aggression" against their country. International calls for restraint are growing, with Russia, France and the EU saying Israel's response to the capture of two soldiers was disproportionate. US President George W Bush described Hezbollah as a "group of terrorists who want to stop the advance of peace". Speaking in Germany, he said Israel had the right to defend itself, but its action should not weaken the Lebanese government. Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said Israel was responding to "an unprovoked act of aggression" by Lebanon. The offensive follows a day of heavy fighting in which the Israelis suffered their worst losses on the border for several years. Eight soldiers were killed and two were injured, in addition to the two captured in a Hezbollah ambush. The operation comes as Israel continues a separate offensive in the Gaza Strip. An Israeli soldier was captured there last month.

First Hizballah rockets land in Haifa, one of Israel’s three main cities and chemicals industrial center

July 13, 2006, 8:36 PM (GMT+02:00)

Hizballah has just denied sending the two rockets which hit a street in the Stella Maris suburb near an Israeli military base after dark Thursday. No immediate word on injuries. Residents of Haifa and its environs ordered to shelter in protected areas, placing more than 700,000 Israeli civilians in shelters.

More than 100 rockets landed on northern Israel in a single day, 90 Israelis were injured, one woman killed in her home in the coastal resort of Nahariya which was battered by Katyusha fire through the day. After dusk, several more people were injured when another volley hit residential streets. Residents are fleeing south with children. Safed took another round of rockets after dark and more casualties. One fatality reported, the second of the day. After nightfall, Hatzor Haglilit, Amiad and Korazim came under attack.

Earlier, Hizballah threatened to attack Haifa if the Israeli air force strikes Beirut.

Copyright 2000-2006 DEBKAfile. All Rights Reserved.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In northern Israel, 90 civilians injured, one killed, by dozens of Hizballah rockets against towns and communities within a 20-km radius from the border Thursday. The entire region placed on a war footing

July 13, 2006, 8:05 PM (GMT+02:00)

All residents, as far south as Carmiel, Safed, Rosh Pinah and Hatzor ordered to stay in bombs shelters for the second day. A volley of 7 rockets injured 19 civilians in Safed, three seriously, landing on a shopping center, outside City Hall and on a school and causing extensive damage to ancient Galilee town.

Earlier, two Hizballah rocket barrages landed in Nahariya on the western coast, killing a women in her home, injuring eight people. The resort town’s high street, Gaaton Boulevard, took direct hits. Twenty rockets struck the Israeli Air Force intelligence surveillance center on Mt. Meron since early Thursday. No casualties.

The main highways from Acre, Safed and Rosh Pinah heading north are closed to civilian traffic. Also targeted for Hizballah rocket attack: Kiryat Shemona, Rosh Pinah, Mishmar Hayarden, Mahanayim airfield, Kibbutz Kfar Hanassi., Hagoshrim, Majd al-Krum. Some of these locations have never before come under attack.

The Nahariya regional hospital has moved its wards to underground, bombproof facilities. The train service to the town is suspended. Summer schools and camps, also shops, are closed across northern Israel. The education ministry has cancelled all summer school trips to the affected region. Summer schools and camps, also shops, are closed. The education ministry has cancelled school trips to the north.

Copyright 2000-2006 DEBKAfile. All Rights Reserved.

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2006/07/14/lebanon/

Lebanon pays for Hezbollah's sins
A report from Lebanon's south, ravaged by retaliatory Israeli strikes.

By Mitchell Prothero

July 14, 2006 | BEIRUT, Lebanon -- Beirutis expected the worst when word came Wednesday that Hezbollah, the militant group based in south Lebanon, had killed eight Israeli soldiers near the border and seized two more. The region was already on edge, with the Israeli siege of Gaza in its 18th day following the Palestinian kidnapping of an Israel Defense Forces soldier. Everyone knew that Israeli retaliation would be severe. The only question was whether Israel would confine itself to attacks on Hezbollah, or if it would hold Lebanon responsible and launch attacks across the board. Israel chose the latter course and has meted out savage punishment to this small country.

On Wednesday, IDF strikes destroyed the bridges connecting south Lebanon to the rest of the country. By nightfall, Israeli fighters had blasted the major highways, essentially sealing off the southern third from the center of the country. Early morning Thursday, warplanes bombed Rafiq Hariri Beirut International Airport, knocking out the runways. Minutes later, an Israeli rocket struck Hezbollah's television station, al-Manar, wounding one person and sending local media into a frenzy over access to the scene that dispersed only when an IDF fighter screamed overhead and people ran for cover.

And so it continued all day. Bridges used just an hour before were smashed into rubble. Gunboats off the coast fired wildly into Palestinian militant camps. Attack helicopters ignited a fuel depot at the airport, while leaflets rained down upon the residents of the rundown Hezbollah-controlled neighborhoods in southern Beirut, warning them to flee or face further airstrikes aimed at the Hezbollah leadership. The IDF also announced a total blockade of the country by air and sea. Late Thursday night it bombed the only major route out of Lebanon, the road to Damascus. In all, Israeli airstrikes were reported to have killed at least 55 civilians.


Israeli generals have said they want to deal Hezbollah a devastating blow and permanently clear the group away from Israel's northern border. Whether they can achieve this is uncertain. While there is no way the militant group can stand up to this kind of aerial assault, Hezbollah is a much more formidable adversary than the Palestinians militants in Gaza. The Islamic Resistance of Lebanon, as Hezbollah prefers to be called, is probably the most competent organization in the entire Arab Middle East. No other Arab army has defeated the mighty IDF, one of the most powerful armies in the world, as Hezbollah did in 2000 when it drove it out of south Lebanon. Syria has been whipped half a dozen times at Israeli hands. Jordan has lost so much land and earned so many refugees that it chose to anger the entire rest of the Arab world (and two-thirds of its population) and sue for a long-term peace deal just to avoid future losses. And Egypt? The most powerful and populous state in the Arab world doesn't even want Gaza back, let alone have another go at the IDF.

Hezbollah remains the only military force that the Israelis really respect, based on its top-notch training and equipment supplied by Iran, and a brand of Shiite Islam that lends both extreme discipline and total fearlessness. Hezbollah boasts thousands of fighters, many battle-hardened, backed by a significant number of artillery pieces and rockets. It constitutes no threat to invade and hold northern Israel. But the daring and successful operation it pulled off on Wednesday shows that it cannot be taken lightly. Ambushing an IDF Humvee patrol, Hezbollah forces killed three Israeli soldiers and seized two more. When the Israelis sent tanks across the border in pursuit, a powerful cache of buried explosives destroyed one tank, killing its four-man crew. And in the face of massive air, artillery and naval strikes against Lebanese infrastructure and military targets, Hezbollah has managed to fire hundreds of rockets and artillery shells into northern Israel; late on Thursday, rockets were reported to have struck the major Israeli city of Haifa. Even the U.S. Navy reportedly pulled its ships out of Haifa's ports.

On Wednesday, Hezbollah leader Sayeed Hassan Nasrallah proclaimed that his group had kidnapped the soldiers and set a major prisoner swap as the condition of their release.


Israel rejected any negotiations and launched massive retaliatory strikes. "The Lebanese government needs to understand that there is a price for its inaction. They need to understand that if they are not able to deal with terror, we will have no choice but to fight with them," IDF chief of staff Dan Halutz told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz on Thursday.

But while Israel's actions could be defended as a deterrent against an act of aggression, they also amount to the collective punishment of the Lebanese society and government, which have little say over Hezbollah's activities.

The situation puts the Lebanese government and military in an extremely tough position. The government simply cannot control Hezbollah. It cannot take it on politically because of its support among Lebanon's Shiite Muslim population, in a country where almost everyone still votes for their religion's candidate regardless of merit. Nor can the well-trained but tiny and underequipped Lebanese army take on the Shiite militia.

Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora has had to walk a political tightrope over Hezbollah's close relationship with Syria. Now, Hezbollah's actions and the Israeli response have put him in an almost surreal position. A favorite of the Bush administration for throwing out the Syrian military occupation last year in the wake of Rafiq Hariri's murder (widely believed by Syrian agents), Lebanon's new government has been gently pushing Hezbollah into political dialogue, with the goal of disarming the group or integrating it into the Lebanese army. But now Siniora's government faces wanton destruction at the hands of America's other favorite Middle East country, which is demanding two kidnapped soldiers that Siniora simply cannot deliver.

Most of the country's non-Shiites distrust Hezbollah for remaining an armed group outside government control, and join the Shiites in disliking Israel for its policies in occupied Palestine and its bloody history in Lebanon. The past two days are forcing people to choose sides, but most are refusing to do so. They appear to see this as a fight between two sworn enemies with a long history that has little to do with them directly.

So far the Lebanese seem to be choosing to hoard bottled water and stay quiet. It's hard to imagine them picking either side, even as they watch their highways, airports and villages being bombed, while hordes of Arab tourists flee to Damascus, taking with them the tourism money Lebanon counts on to survive.

But down in the south, in a village called al-Dweir, amid Hezbollah's strongest supporters, the case is clear-cut. They regard Hezbollah as having mounted a military operation against a military target -- and see civilians paying the price.

At about 4 a.m. Thursday morning, Israeli warplanes bombed the home of Sayeed Adel Akkash, a Shiite cleric probably associated with Hezbollah. The bomb flattened the home and killed Akkash, his wife and their 10 children, leaving only three bodies identifiable as such and a surprisingly small pile of body parts.

Dr. Yousef Akkash is a French-educated surgeon and Adel's brother. It is his job to oversee the funeral, as his father is too distraught to do so. He enters the basement of a mosque near the family home and joins two doctors whose job it is to separate out body parts and try to figure out which part should go in which grave. It's extremely messy. Finally, with a cleric's approval, they decide to put the 12 mangled corpses into six graves.

Dr. Adel claims to not know if his brother really was a Hezbollah official but says he hopes it's true, "so there can be some reason behind this tragedy."

He's upset and angry but can still talk of peace with the people who did this. "All people want peace," he tells me in English. "As do the people of Lebanon, but we need justice amid this occupation. We want peace and justice for all people, Muslim and Christian, Arab and Jew."

But in the makeshift morgue he holds up part of a baby's body and asks the recoiling reporters to come closer.

"Come see the arms and weapons my brother had," he says, holding up a tiny arm. "Here is your 'terrorist.'"

Denials aside, this is clearly a Hezbollah funeral, as shown by the flags all around it and the arrival of a bunch of men who are clearly part of the group. And the funeral is being watched. Even as we can hear Hezbollah rockets being fired at Israel just a few miles away, the constant buzz of a unmanned surveillance drone can be heard. And from time to time, an IDF fighter roars overhead.

A man named Tahir Ahmed asks me where I am from. When I tell him, without a trace of hostility he asks me to "tell the American people we are thankful for your country because it gives weapons to Israel that are used to kill our children."

I begin to talk to Tahir Ahmed about this statement, and he elaborates. "We distinguish between your people and your government. But if your country did not cover Israel, then Israel could not do these things. There is a big error in the mentality of the American people. Because of movies and Hollywood, you think like cowboys. There is a good guy and a bad guy. And you see the Arab as the bad guy and the Jew as a good guy. It is naive to see only good and bad in the world."

"If Hezbollah kidnapped two soldiers, this is a matter between two military groups. Why do they involve children? She was not attacking Tel Aviv,” he says of Akkash's 6-month-old daughter, killed in the strike. "She was sleeping with her family. I hope the American people think of a 6-month-old-girl killed with an American fighter, flown by an Israeli pilot. If she was with a soldier at the front, then these things happen. But she was asleep with her family."

Late Thursday, Israeli officials said they were not ruling out a ground invasion. For many Lebanese, caught once again in a fight not of their making, an old and terrible history seems to be repeating itself.

Israel Blockades, Bombs Lebanon While Hezbollah Rains Rocket Fire

By Anthony Shadid and Scott Wilson

DAMOUR, Lebanon, July 14 -- Israel imposed a blockade on Lebanon by land, sea and air on Thursday, striking the capital's airport twice, cutting off its ports and wrecking bridges and roads in attacks that killed at least 47 people in the last two days, nearly all of them Lebanese civilians. Israel...

To view the entire article, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...er=emailarticle

Beirut waits as Syrian masters send Hezbollah allies into battle

By Robert Fisk

There is one certain bet that Syria will rely on; that despite all Israel's threats of inflicting "pain" on Lebanon, this war will run out of control until - as has so often happened in the past - Israel itself calls for a ceasefire and releases prisoners. Then the international big-hitters will arrive and make their way to the real Lebanese capital - Damascus, not Beirut - and appeal for help.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article13975.htm

What Are They Fighting For

By Prof. Tanya Reinhart

Whatever may be the fate of the captive soldier Gilad Shalit, the Israeli army’s war in Gaza is not about him. As senior security analyst Alex Fishman widely reported, the army was preparing for an attack months earlier and was constantly pushing for it, with the goal of destroying the Hamas infrastructure and its government.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article13974.htm

Lebanon : At least 52 civilians killed in Israeli attacks:

Israel has threatened to bomb Beirut and the cities southern suburbs today in the continuing military escalation by the Middle East’s only nuclear power.
http://tinyurl.com/m22gf

Israeli Attacks Kills Women and Children:

Lebanese officials say that a family of 10 and another family of seven were killed in their homes in the village of Dweir, the officials said.
http://tinyurl.com/pmh9g

Israel: 1 killed, dozens hurt as Katyushas fall in north:

In Nahariya, a woman died when a rocket struck her home.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/737860.html

Israel targets Lebanese air bases:

Israeli jets fired on the Lebanese air force base in Rayak, in eastern Lebanon near Syria. Israeli jets also hit an air force base in Qlaiat, in northern Lebanon also not far from Syria.
http://tinyurl.com/n89c5

Beirut passengers stranded; airlines cancel flights :

Thousands of passengers traveling to Beirut are stranded all across the Middle East due to the closure of the Beirut airport following the Israeli attack on it.
http://tinyurl.com/nmsqm


Lebanese Bloggers: Unfiltered news from Lebanon
http://lebanesebloggers.blogspot.com/

Northern Israeli city hit by rockets from Lebanon:

The Lebanese guerrilla group Hizbollah said it had fired 60 rockets at Nahariya, a coastal city south of the Lebanese border.
http://tinyurl.com/qmbhd

EU accuses Israel of 'disproportionate use of force' in Lebanon :

"The presidency deplores the loss of civilian lives and the destruction of civilian infrastructure. The imposition of an air and sea blockade on Lebanon cannot be justified."
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/738183.html

Bush defends Israel, EU, Russia condemn attacks:

RUSSIA and the European Union condemned Israel's strikes in Lebanon as a dangerous escalation of the Middle East conflict but the United States said Israel had the right to self defence.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,19785011-2,00.html

Lebanon recalls ambassador to U.S.,

France calls Israeli action in Lebanon “acts of war”
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?ed...rticle_id=73936

Hezbollah plans to move abducted IDF soldiers to Iran :

Israel has concrete evidence that Hezbollah plans to transfer the two Israel Defense Forces soldiers abducted Wednesday to Iran, Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said Thursday.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/738310.html

http://www.smh.com.au/text/articles/2006/0...2637808292.html



Stranded travellers told to sit tight
Date: July 14 2006


Cynthia Banham and Lisa Pryor

AUSTRALIA has closed its embassy in Beirut and the Federal Government is warning thousands of Australians stranded there to stay indoors, as Israel attempts to blockade Lebanon.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade yesterday advised Australians not to travel to Lebanon, upgrading its warning to the highest level of alert.

Those there were told to "remain in a secure location indoors and monitor the media and follow instructions from local authorities".

Australians were also urged to avoid large gatherings and demonstrations, because they may turn violent, and to monitor the media for updates.

The embassy has been closed until further notice, although diplomatic staff have not been recalled and will remain in the country.

A spokesman for the department said there were no plans to evacuate any Australians at the moment.

Among the many people who have been unable to contact relatives is Mustapha El Samad, of Auburn, whose wife and two young sons are visiting family in the north of the country.

"I've been trying to get in contact with them all day," Mr El Samad said. "There's no lines getting through."

Concerned people are being urged first to try to contact family and friends directly. If they cannot reach them, they should call the department's consular emergency centre in Canberra.

Calls to the embassy in Beirut would also be diverted to this number, the department said.

The travel advisory also warned that Beirut's international airport had been closed after attacks against it.

LOOKING FOR HELP

Call the consular emergency centre on 1300 555 135




This material is subject to copyright and any unauthorised use, copying or mirroring is prohibited.

Israel hits Hezbollah leader's HQ BBC News
Israel has hit the Beirut offices of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, hours after PM Ehud Olmert approved a new set of targets in Lebanon. The militant group said Mr Nasrallah was unhurt in the raid, but the building was damaged. In remarks broadcast after the raid, he declared "open war" on Israel. It was not clear when the tape was recorded. The offensive, in which more than 60 Lebanese have died, follows Hezbollah's capture of two Israeli soldiers. Meanwhile Israel's chief of staff, Dan Halutz, said the soldiers were alive and in a "reasonable" state of health. Hezbollah has continued rocket attacks on northern Israel, killing four civilians over two days.

'Just a finger'
In an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, Lebanon called for an end to the Israeli operation. "The Security Council meets today in the shadow of a widespread, barbaric aggression waged by Israel to this very moment against my nation, Lebanon," said Nouhad Mahmoud, ambassador to the UN. The offensive was destroying infrastructure and causing the death of innocent civilians in full view of the international community, he said.Israeli Ambassador Dan Gillerman said Israel had no choice but to react to Hezbollah's aggression, describing the group as "merely the finger on the bloodstained and long-reaching arms of Syria and Iran". The Lebanese people were bearing the cost of their government's inability to disarm Hezbollah, he said. US Ambassador John Bolton called on the Lebanese government to disarm Hezbollah. "All militias in Lebanon, including Hezbollah, must disarm and disband immediately, and the Lebanese government must extend and exercise its sole and exclusive control over all Lebanese territory," he said.

Radio station hit
Hezbollah fired more than 70 rockets into Israel on Friday. A mother and daughter died in an attack on the town of Meron. Two Israelis died in attacks on Thursday. Several more were wounded in the town of Safed. The Israeli army ordered residents of the city of Haifa to take refuge in bomb shelters, a day after the city was hit by rockets, the Associated Press news agency reported. Israeli aircraft attacked Hezbollah's southern Beirut stronghold for a third time on Friday, targeting the Haret Hreik area where it has its security and media headquarters. Two bridges in southern Beirut were also hit. In an earlier attack, Israeli aircraft fired missiles at the group's radio station, but hit a nearby apartment building instead, Hezbollah sources said. Israel had warned of the attacks - telling residents by leaflet to stay away from Hezbollah locations. Residents hoarded food and queued for petrol, amid fears of prolonged violence.

Ceasefire conditions
The escalation has sparked international calls for restraint. French President Jacques Chirac said the Israeli air strikes were "completely disproportionate" and the Vatican described them as an attack on a sovereign and free nation. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said he would agree to a ceasefire if Hezbollah returned the two captured soldiers and stopped firing rockets at northern Israel, and Lebanon implemented UN Security Council resolution 1559, calling for the disarmament of the militant group. US President George W Bush has promised to press Israel to halt attacks, the Lebanese prime minister has said. But White House spokesman Tony Snow said Mr Bush would not take military decisions for Israel.

'Playing with fire'
Israel has said the international community should make it clear to Iran and Syria - which Israel says form an "axis of terror" with Hezbollah and Palestinian militants Hamas - that they were "playing with fire".Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in a telephone call that there would be a "fierce response" to any Israeli attack on Syria. The Israeli offensive follows a day of heavy fighting on Wednesday in which the Israelis suffered their worst losses on the border for several years. Eight soldiers were killed and two were injured, in addition to the two captured in a Hezbollah ambush. Hezbollah has said the captured soldiers will not be returned without a release deal for Palestinian, Lebanese and other Arab prisoners held in Israeli jails. Israel is also continuing a separate offensive in the Gaza Strip. An Israeli soldier was captured there last month.

As further evidence that the range of debate inside Israel is significantly broader than in the US, the following article by former Israeli Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami in today's Financial Times is of interest.
Only deal with Hamas can bring peace
By Shlomo Ben-Ami

Published: July 13 2006 19:43 | Last updated: July 13 2006 19:43

Regardless of whether or not Israel’s incursion into the Gaza Strip and its massive retaliation against Lebanon achieve its military objectives, one thing is clear. Israel’s two-front war has dealt a mortal blow to the “convergence plan” for the West Bank, the raison d’être of Ehud Olmert’s government and Kadima, his ruling party. Three months after its inception, the Israeli government has been left without a political agenda. Oddly enough, only Hamas can save it from prospectless political agony. The case of Hiz­bollah is different. In Lebanon, it is the credibility of the international community that brokered and legitimised Israel’s withdrawal that is at stake.

Disengagement and the dismantling of settlements in the West Bank is a far more formidable task than the uni­lateral withdrawal from Gaza of Ariel Sharon, former prime minister. But if disengagement in Gaza – a compact strip whose border with Israel was never questioned – ushered in such a state of war, what are the chances that a similar undertaking would succeed in the West Bank? Here, a much more subtle, fluid and ambiguous division of responsibilities with the Hamas government – which has been discarded as a partner – is required.

Operation “summer rain” in Gaza has dramatically exposed the fallacy of Israel’s strategy of unilateral dis­engagement from Palestinian lands, and the first to take notice are the Israelis themselves. An opinion poll by the Reut Institute in Tel-Aviv conducted during the current flare-up showed a sharp decline in the public support for the convergence plan. Only 38 per cent would back it now, while 49per cent would strongly oppose it.

The sad lesson of the Gaza disengagement is that the spectre of Kassam missiles being launched from a new frontline in the West Bank against big urban centres in the Tel-Aviv area can no longer be seen as far-fetched. If Mr Olmert wants to save his convergence plan, he will have to co-ordinate it with Ismail Haniyeh’s Hamas government. This means using the current war in Gaza as an opportunity to reach a settlement that goes far beyond the issue of the abducted Israeli soldier. An Israeli government ready to abandon incursions and targeted killings could draw strength from the Reut Institute’s poll indicating that 45 per cent of Israelis would now support direct negotiations with Hamas.

Hamas is more susceptible than Mahmoud Abbas’s Palestine Liberation Organisation to a long-term interim agreement with Israel. What the PLO, obsessed as it is with the endgame, refuses to contemplate – a temporary settlement – is something Hamas would probably be ready to consider. But, for a settlement with Hamas to be more enduring and reliable than one with the PLO, Hamas must return to being a disciplined, hierarchical organisation that is capable of observing a ceasefire. For both the collapse of the logic of Israel’s disengagement from Gaza and Hizbollah’s assault on the understandings that accompanied Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000 are a sad reminder that Arab democracy is not necessarily the key to peace and stability. The question is one of order and authority. The current two-front war was, after all, triggered by independent militias over which the elected governments have no authority. To be a reliable partner, Hamas must avoid descending into Fatah’s disastrous brand of institutionalised anarchy. Nor should it become a state within a state like Hizbollah.

But the main rationale for a deal with Hamas over the convergence plan lies in the fact that Israel and Hamas are united by a profound scepticism for the peace process. Neither believes in the feasibility of an immediate negotiated peace, nor are they possessed by past dreams of a celestial “end of conflict”. Israel is not ready to pay the price of a final settlement. Hamas is not yet capable of compromising its core ideology by unequivocally endorsing the two-state solution and the 1967 borders, and practically waiving the right of return of Palestinian refugees.

An agreement over the convergence plan serves Israel’s interest to have a stable, albeit temporary, border in the West Bank. It suits Hamas because it would end the international ostracism its government has endured since it came to office and allow it to reconcile its ideological rejection of Israel with a big step towards the “end of occupation”. It would also give it the breathing space it needs to address the domestic agenda that was, after all, the main reason people voted it into office.


The writer is a former Israeli foreign minister and the author of Scars of War, Wounds of Peace: The Israeli-Arab Tragedy

FOR LEBANON, TIME FOR ISRAEL'S "COLLECTIVE PUNISHMENT" EDWARD M. GOMEZ (SF GATE, JULY 14)
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/det...5&entry_id=7091

ISRAEL'S RISKY RESPONSE: BOMBING THE BEIRUT AIRPORT IS A DISPROPORTIONATE REACTION TO YET ANOTHER SENSELESS PROVOCATION EDITORIAL (LOS ANGELES TIMES, JULY 14)
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-ed-...pinion-leftrail

ISRAEL'S INVASION, SYRIA'S WAR - MICHAEL YOUNG (NEW YORK TIMES, JULY 14): Israel must cease its attacks and let diplomacy take over.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/14/opinion/...agewanted=print

ONLY DEAL WITH HAMAS CAN BRING PEACE - SHLOMO BEN-AMI (FINANCIAL TIMES, JULY 13)
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/3343b490-1296-11db...00779e2340.html
PAID SUBSCRIPTION

ISRAEL CROSSES THE LINE AND YOU READ IT HERE FIRST ... - JUSTIN RAIMONDO (ANTIWAR.COM, JULY 14): The American invasion and occupation of the Mesopotamian heartland has empowered the Israelis as never before -- and now they are on the offensive, carving out a greatly expanded sphere of influence extending into Kurdistan as well as Lebanon, bringing closer to fulfillment the old Zionist vision of an empire stretching "from the Nile to the Euphrates."
http://www.antiwar.com/justin/?articleid=9301

THE DANGER OF AN UNEQUAL STRUGGLE - EHSAN AHRARI (ASIA TIMES, JULY 15): We know well where the asymmetric war between the US is heading: an unmitigated disaster in Iraq. The question now is where will the asymmetric war between Israel and the Arabs (Palestinians and Lebanese) lead? It seems like another disaster in the making.
http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HG15Ak01.html

IT'S WAR BY ANY OTHER NAME - SAMI MOUBAYED (ASIA TIMES, JULY 14): What is happening in Lebanon today is yet another chapter of bloody Middle East events that will last for generations to come, because it is impossible, after so many years of conflict, for the Israelis and Arabs to forgive and forget.
http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HG15Ak02.html

ARFARE IN LEBANON: OVEREXTENDED U.S. WEIGHS ITS OPTIONS IN THE MIDEAST -- WASHINGTON STAYED ON THE SIDELINES AS ISRAEL BATTLED PALESTINIAN MILITANTS. NOW THAT HANDS-OFF APPROACH MAY LONGER BE WORKABLE - PAUL RICHTER (LOS ANGELES TIMES, JULY 12)
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wo...1,1782472.story

BUSH FACES MAJOR CHOICE AMID ISRAELI ESCALATION JIM LOBE (ANTIWAR.COM, JULY 13): The choice now faced by the administration is whether to treat the current crisis as something that can be resolved through quiet diplomacy and mediation involving primarily local actors or as part of a larger regional confrontation between the U.S. and Israel, on the one hand, and Syria, Iran, and various non-state actors on the other, in which case a wider regional conflict was more likely.
http://www.antiwar.com/lobe/?articleid=9297

IS THE ARAB SPRING TURNING TO DUST UNDER ISRAELI BOMBARDMENT? JUAN COLE (INFORMED COMMENT: THOUGHTS ON THE MIDDLE EAST, HISTORY, AND RELIGION, JULY 14): Condi Rice called on the Israelis to exercise restraint in their response in Lebanon. Given the power of the Israel Lobby in Washington, this statement is about as close as you would get nowadays to a denunciation of disproportionate Israeli attacks on the whole Lebanese people for the actions of a handful of Shiite guerrillas in the far south of the country.
http://www.juancole.com/ (scroll down link for item)

THE WAY IN -- AND OUT -- OF ISRAEL'S WARS MONITOR'S VIEW (CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR, JULY 14): It is likely is that the international community will awaken and more strongly engage in this problem, which threatens to turn into a regional war.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0714/p08s01-comv.html

WHY THEY FIGHT - CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER (WASHINGTON POST, JULY 14): In 1948 Israel acquired life. The fighting raging now in 2006 -- between Israel and the "genocidal Islamism" (to quote the writer Yossi Klein Halevi) of Hamas and Hezbollah and Iran behind them -- is about whether that life should and will continue to exist.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...1301667_pf.html

ATTACKED EDITORS (NEW REPUBLIC, JULY 14): There is also a larger strategic dimension to the Hamas-Hezbollah offensive. These provocations stink of Assad and Ahmadinejad.
http://www.tnr.com/docprint.mhtml?i=200607...editorial072406

TERROR AS STATECRAFT EDITORIAL (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, JULY 14): For Hamas and Hezbollah, the masquerade is over.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion...newsopinion-hed

IRAN'S TRAP FOR ISRAEL - EDITORIAL (BOSTON GLOBE, JULY 13): If the regime in Tehran wants to provoke Israel to bomb Lebanese power plants, roads, and bridges, maybe this kind of military retaliation is not such a good idea.
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial..._israel?mode=PF

BEHIND THE CRISIS, A PUSH TOWARD WAR - DAVID IGNATIUS (WASHINGTON POST, JULY 14): In the Lebanon crisis we have a terrifying glimpse of the future: Iran and its radical allies are pushing toward war. To fight the Long War, America and Israel have to get out of the devil suit in global public opinion.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...1301670_pf.html

Onus for restraint not just on Israel Toronto Star
With Israel exercising its military might on the ground in Gaza and in skies over Lebanon, leaders around the world — with the notable exception of our own Prime Minister — are calling on Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to apply less force. Speaking for Israel's closest ally, United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says: "It is extremely important that Israel exercise restraint in its acts of self-defence." And therein lies the conundrum: How to show restraint in self-defence. Israel clearly has the right, and indeed an obligation, to defend its citizens from missile attacks from outside its borders and from terrorist incursions from lands it has vacated. How to do that against heavily armed Hamas and Hezbollah militias that have complete freedom to operate in Lebanon and Gaza with unfettered materiel and financial backing from the Iranians and Syrians is the question to which no one seems to have an answer. Those who accuse Israel of falling into traps set by Hamas and Hezbollah by overreacting to their provocations do not say how it should deal with the seemingly endless attacks. But as a matter of strategy, they do nevertheless make a valid case for Israeli restraint. Although Hezbollah has parliamentary seats, and some ministers in Lebanon's ruling cabinet, it does not form the government. So a major attack on Lebanon in order to stop Hezbollah's atrocities would seem to run the risk of hitting the wrong target. Israeli officials argue that the Lebanese government has tolerated terror and allowed rocket attacks from within the country. But it is unlikely that this relatively weak government could have stopped Hezbollah even if it wanted to. At the same time, Israeli strategists seem leery of engaging in a new a ground war in Lebanon and are pressuring the country mainly through air and sea power. But that alone, no matter how aggressively pursued, is unlikely to root out Hezbollah terrorists from the many nooks and crannies, valleys and bunkers, where they can hide. The looming danger here is that Israel's attacks will only batter the enemy, and not destroy it, generating even more bitterness and militant outrage in a perilously unstable Arab world, and set it on a fresh spiral of violence. While it goes without saying that increased Israeli restraint will be vital to pull the Mideast back from the brink of all-out war, those calling for Israel to let up also need to address the attacks that have driven it to act with such force: the Hamas and Hezbollah incursions and kidnappings on Israeli soil, and the continual barrage of missiles from Lebanon and Gaza. Israel needs, and is entitled to, a quid pro quo. But it is not going to come voluntarily from Hezbollah and Hamas extremists bent on Israel's destruction, or from their backers in Syria or Iran. There is a widespread belief that Israel and the Palestinians would eventually reach a two-state peace settlement if their attempts weren't constantly and deliberately disrupted by armed extremists. Israel blames the Lebanese government for allowing Hezbollah free rein in the south, and the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority for not disarming the Gaza militias. It blames Syria and Iran for aiding and abetting these groups. Although it is impossible to deny that shared culpability, it is also true that the rest of the world has pretty much sat on its hands where these peace breakers are concerned. And while it is difficult to argue with yesterday's Financial Times editorial, which said the Israeli offensive "cries out for international intervention," the same international intervention is just as sorely needed on the other side of this escalating fight. It ought to start with the powerful industrialized countries at today's Group of Eight summit in St. Petersburg, Russia. And it ultimately would have to include Arab countries, such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. But whatever form it takes, international intervention must aim at reducing hostilities on both sides of Israel's borders.
Israeli airstrikes continue to hit Lebanon Irish Examiner
Militia Leader Banks On History of `Resistance' Los Angeles Times
St. Petersburg Times - Fort Worth Star Telegram - Dispatch Online[/url] - Fort Wayne Journal Gazette - all 4,671 related »

Lebanon hit by more Israeli raids BBC News
Israeli planes have been carrying out a fourth day of air raids on Lebanon, targeting bridges and petrol stations in the south and east of the country. Hezbollah's al-Manar TV says three civilians were killed in an attack in Hermel, on the border with Syria. Meanwhile, Israeli media say the body of one of four sailors missing after their ship was hit by a missile fired by Hezbollah has been found. The Israeli air raids began after Hezbollah seized two Israeli soldiers. The massive bombing campaign has killed more than 60 Lebanese. Hezbollah has continued rocket attacks on northern Israel - 70 were fired on Friday alone.Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said the offensive will continue until Hezbollah releases the two captured Israeli soldiers and stops firing rockets at Israel. Speaking after crisis talks on the violence at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, the Lebanese Foreign Minister, Fawzi Salloukh, said the Israeli assault amounted to war. "There is open Israeli war against Lebanon from the land, the air, the sea and the attack targets all the civilian buildings, airport, bridges, and roads. There is nothing to move from one area to the other."

City deserted
Thousands of foreigners have fled Beirut - a city normally packed with foreign holidaymakers, many from Arab states, at this time of the year. Instead they have returned home in droves, leaving cafes and restaurants deserted, and the Beirut economy in tatters.After an emergency government meeting on the crisis, French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin said France was ready to evacuate its nationals from Lebanon. "We have alerted the navy and set up both civilian and military aircraft to help any French national who wishes to leave Lebanon to do so," he added. Estimates put the number of French nationals in Lebanon, a former French colony, at about 19,000 including 5,000 tourists. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah promised "open war" on Israel in an address broadcast after his Beirut offices were bombed on Friday, In a statement broadcast on al-Manar TV on Saturday, Hezbollah said that its forces had carried out the attack which sank the Israel vessel. The ship caught fire after it was hit by either a rocket, the Israeli military said. The Israeli military said a civilian vessel was also hit by rockets during the attack, but could not confirm its nationality or if there were casualties. The BBC's Ian Pannell in Beirut says that many of the city's residents approve of Sheikh Nasrallah's defiant statement and feel that the attack on the Israeli boat indicate that not only is he willing to defend the people who live there, but that he is also willing to go on the attack.

Bush blame
Speaking at the G8 meeting in St Petersburg on Saturday, US President George W Bush said that both he and Russian President Vladimir Putin "share the same concerns" about the resulting violence. But Mr Bush said that in order to bring the conflict to an end it was important to understand why it had started in the first place, "and that's because Hezbollah has been launching rocket attacks out of Lebanon into Israel and because Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers". Mr Bush also called on Syria to put pressure on Hezbollah to end the violence. Syria has said it will support Hezbollah and Lebanon against Israel's attacks. Mr Putin was more critical of Israel's massive bombing campaign, saying that the "use of force should be balanced", But he added that it was unacceptable that Hezbollah was trying to reach its goals with abductions and strikes against an independent state.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...1400385_pf.html

Israel, Hezbollah Vow Wider War
At Least 66 Dead in Lebanon; Militia Strikes Warship at Sea

By Anthony Shadid
Washington Post Foreign Service
Saturday, July 15, 2006; A01



BEIRUT, July 15 -- The leader of Hezbollah promised an all-out war Friday after Israeli warplanes attacked his residence and Hezbollah's main headquarters in an apparent assassination attempt, and Israel vowed to press its offensive in Lebanon until the Shiite Muslim militant group was disarmed. As Hasan Nasrallah spoke, an Israeli warship was struck and set ablaze off the Lebanese coast in an unprecedented strike, possibly by an unmanned drone.

The quick succession of events after nightfall again recalibrated a three-day war in which each side has methodically raised the stakes since Hezbollah seized two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid Wednesday. The Lebanese government urged the U.N. Security Council to establish a cease-fire, to no avail, and the White House said President Bush would not press Israel to halt its attacks.

After a cabinet meeting, Israeli officials said the military would further prosecute an offensive that has already sent scores of missiles into Beirut's international airport, as well as bridges, power stations and roads, and blocked most ways out of the country.

Thousands fled Lebanon across one of the few routes left -- a circuitous trek along mountainous back roads to the Syrian border. The capital itself was eerily quiet, the silence punctuated only by the fireworks and gunfire that greeted Nasrallah's speech.

"You wanted an open war. We are heading towards an open war, and we are ready for it," Nasrallah said by telephone to the group's television station, al-Manar, less than an hour after the Israeli strikes on his residence and the headquarters building.

In the speech, Nasrallah struck a more serious tone than he had Wednesday, when he announced the capture of the two Israeli soldiers and insisted they would be freed only in exchange for three Lebanese prisoners in Israeli jails. With dramatic phrasing, he said Friday that Lebanese now had two choices: either surrender to Israel's demands or fight with Hezbollah. He renewed a threat to carry the fight deep into Israel, which has so far suffered four dead from the scores of rockets Hezbollah has fired over three days.

"To Haifa?" he asked. "Believe me, beyond Haifa and beyond that."

"The surprises that I have promised you will start now," Nasrallah said. "Now in the middle of the sea, facing Beirut, the Israeli warship that has attacked the infrastructure, people's homes and civilians. Look at it burning."

Israeli news media said the warship was hit 10 miles off the Lebanese coast by an unmanned aircraft rigged with explosives, causing damage to its steering capability and igniting a fire. The Israeli military confirmed to news services that four Israeli sailors were missing.

Military officials refused to confirm the cause of the damage, saying it might have been inflicted by either a missile or a drone. The ship was towed back to Israel.

The attack would not mark the first known use of unmanned aerial drones by Hezbollah. Twice in the past two years, its operatives have launched unarmed drones that penetrated Israeli airspace. In the most recent incident, in April 2005, an Iranian-made drone that took off just north of the Israeli border flew for nearly nine minutes over Jewish settlements in western Galilee before returning to its base, Israeli military officials confirmed. The low-flying drone was equipped with a camera that filmed the entire 18-mile flight, portions of which were later broadcast on a Web site controlled by Hezbollah.

In Lebanon on Friday, Israeli jets again struck the Beirut airport after the Lebanese national carrier managed to fly five planes to Amman, Jordan. As part of its tightening siege, Israel also struck the Beirut-to-Damascus highway overnight, and warships extended their naval blockade to the northern port of Tripoli.

In the morning, Israeli jets struck bridges and roads in the southern suburbs of Beirut that serve as Hezbollah's stronghold. In a marked escalation, attacks there at night targeted Nasrallah's home and the party's headquarters. Al-Manar said Nasrallah, his family and aides escaped unharmed but that three others were killed.

In the south, police said Israeli attacks killed five others, bringing the toll in Lebanon to at least 66 dead, nearly all of them civilians.

"They don't want to strike civilians? Then why are they doing it?" asked Mohammed Fathi, a 37-year-old resident of south Beirut. He stood outside Harkous Chicken, the restaurant where he works as a chef. The smell of peppers mixed with the reek of cordite, and workers swept shattered glass off the street near a bridge destroyed in a pre-dawn airstrike. The facades of nearby buildings were sheared off, and cars with broken windows sat parked along a street strewn with debris.

"We are paying a high price, but we're ready to pay it," Fathi said. "Let them strike once, twice or more. We don't care. Each time they strike, we're going to build again. If one of us dies, we're ready to give 10 more."

In the northern Israeli town of Meron, a woman and her 5-year-old grandson were killed Friday when a Katyusha rocket fired by Hezbollah militiamen from southern Lebanon landed on their house, Israeli military officials said. The attack, which wounded 10 others, brought the civilian death toll in Israel to four, with more than 100 injured.

Israeli officials said dozens of Katyusha rockets struck northern border towns from Nahariya to Kiryat Shmona over the course of the day, injuring more than 50 civilians. Most of those treated in local hospitals were suffering from the effects of anxiety, but others were treated for moderate and light injuries as a res