Post by Michael on Jul 14, 2006 9:37:45 GMT -5
July 12, 2006
'Act of War'
Israeli troops push into Lebanon after Hezbollah nabs 2 Soldiers
The following article is taken from Fox News Network.
BEIRUT, Lebanon-- Hezbollah fighters launched a raid into Israel and captured two Israeli soldiers Wednesday, triggering an Israeli assault with warplanes, gunboats and ground troops in southern Lebanon to hunt for the captives.
Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah said that Israel's military assault in Lebanon will not win the freedom of the soldiers, saying they will only be released as part of a prisoner swap.
Nasrallah said it would be an "illusion" if Israel thinks a military campaign can win the release of the soldiers.
"No military operation will return them," he told a news conference in Beirut. "The prisoners will not be returned except through one way: indirect negotiations and a trade."
He warned that Shiite Muslim guerrilla group was ready to fight, but was open to any cease-fire proposal. "We have no intention to escalate," he added.
He said the captured soldiers were "in a safe and very far place," saying the attack, although planned for a long time, would serve to ease the pressure on the Palestinians in Gaza, where Hamas-linked militants are holding an Israeli soldier seized two weeks ago. The timing, no doubt, provides support for our brothers in Palestine," he said.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert called the Hezbollah raid "an act of war" and held the Lebanese government responsible, vowing that the Israeli response "will be restrained, but very, very, very painful."
Olmert's Cabinet prepared to approve more military action in Lebanon, and the Israeli military planned to call up thousands of reservists. Residents of Israeli towns on the border with Lebanon were ordered to seek cover in underground bomb shelters.
Israeli jets struck deep into southern Lebanon, blasting bridges and Hezbollah positions and killing two civilians, Lebanese security officials said.
At least six Israeli soldiers were killed in the Hezbollah attack and Israeli response, the Lebanese officials said. The Israeli army confirmed casualties among its troops.
The soldiers' capture opened up a second front in Israel's fight against Islamic militants, coming even as it waged an offensive in the Gaza Strip aimed at freeing another Israeli soldier, Cpl. Gilad Shalit, seized by fighters linked to the Palestinian militant group Hamas on June 25.
Israel escalated its Gaza assault Wednesday, dropping a quarter-ton bomb on a home before dawn in an attempt to assassinate top Hamas fugitives. Instead, the blast killed nine members of a Palestinian family including a 4-year-old boy. The head of Hamas' military wing, Mohammed Deif, was wounded but escaped, Israel said.
'Act of War'
Israeli troops push into Lebanon after Hezbollah nabs 2 Soldiers
The following article is taken from Fox News Network.
BEIRUT, Lebanon-- Hezbollah fighters launched a raid into Israel and captured two Israeli soldiers Wednesday, triggering an Israeli assault with warplanes, gunboats and ground troops in southern Lebanon to hunt for the captives.
Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah said that Israel's military assault in Lebanon will not win the freedom of the soldiers, saying they will only be released as part of a prisoner swap.
Nasrallah said it would be an "illusion" if Israel thinks a military campaign can win the release of the soldiers.
"No military operation will return them," he told a news conference in Beirut. "The prisoners will not be returned except through one way: indirect negotiations and a trade."
He warned that Shiite Muslim guerrilla group was ready to fight, but was open to any cease-fire proposal. "We have no intention to escalate," he added.
He said the captured soldiers were "in a safe and very far place," saying the attack, although planned for a long time, would serve to ease the pressure on the Palestinians in Gaza, where Hamas-linked militants are holding an Israeli soldier seized two weeks ago. The timing, no doubt, provides support for our brothers in Palestine," he said.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert called the Hezbollah raid "an act of war" and held the Lebanese government responsible, vowing that the Israeli response "will be restrained, but very, very, very painful."
Olmert's Cabinet prepared to approve more military action in Lebanon, and the Israeli military planned to call up thousands of reservists. Residents of Israeli towns on the border with Lebanon were ordered to seek cover in underground bomb shelters.
Israeli jets struck deep into southern Lebanon, blasting bridges and Hezbollah positions and killing two civilians, Lebanese security officials said.
At least six Israeli soldiers were killed in the Hezbollah attack and Israeli response, the Lebanese officials said. The Israeli army confirmed casualties among its troops.
The soldiers' capture opened up a second front in Israel's fight against Islamic militants, coming even as it waged an offensive in the Gaza Strip aimed at freeing another Israeli soldier, Cpl. Gilad Shalit, seized by fighters linked to the Palestinian militant group Hamas on June 25.
Israel escalated its Gaza assault Wednesday, dropping a quarter-ton bomb on a home before dawn in an attempt to assassinate top Hamas fugitives. Instead, the blast killed nine members of a Palestinian family including a 4-year-old boy. The head of Hamas' military wing, Mohammed Deif, was wounded but escaped, Israel said.