Hizbollah Violates Terms of Truce, Israel Blamed for Stopping It

Israel Strikes Deep in Lebanon
Premier, U.N. Chief Condemn Attack as Violation of Truce

By Edward Cody
Washington Post Foreign Service
Sunday, August 20, 2006; Page A01

BEIRUT, Aug. 19 -- Helicopter-borne Israeli commandos raided a Hezbollah stronghold in the Bekaa Valley early Saturday, setting off a fierce gun battle. Lebanon called the attack a "flagrant violation" of a fragile six-day-old cease-fire and threatened to halt troop deployments in protest.

Hezbollah, which battled the Israeli military for 33 days until the truce took hold Monday, said its fighters encountered the Israeli commandos in a field near the town of Boudai, about 20 miles from the Syrian border.

The Israeli military, confirming the raid, said its commandos carried out the operation to interdict shipments of weapons and munitions to Hezbollah from Syria and Iran. The military said one Israeli officer was killed and two soldiers were wounded, one seriously.

Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora told reporters in Beirut that the attack was a "flagrant violation" of the U.N. cease-fire and that he planned to lodge a complaint with U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan.

Later Saturday, Annan said that he agreed the raid violated the cease-fire agreement and that he was "deeply concerned."

This was inevitable. Anyone with half a brain, and I don't include President Bush, Condi Rice, or Liberals, could have predicted this. Hizbollah has no intention of disarming or ceasing hostilities against Israel and is using the "truce" as an opportunity to rearm and reconstitute their forces in Southern Lebanon with the witting assistance of the Lebanese Government. Israel is responding the only way they can.

Koffi Annan has no intention of preventing Hizbollah from doing whatever it chooses. Once more the Useless Nations has proven its worth as a peace-making body. As usual, the French are leading the way in not fulfilling their pledge of troops to the UN "Peacekeeping" force. Normally I would be heaping scorn on the French, but given the incompetence of Annan's leadership and the likelihood of the UN failing to act, I find that I can't really blame the French for not wanting to commit their troops. Southern Lebanon is a war zone waiting to explode. As long as the Lebanese government remains committed to supporting Hizbollah, there can be no peace.

Full Story: Blaming Israel for Self-preservation

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