The Hindu : International : Big Israeli offensive despite U.N. call

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Aug 13, 2006

International

International

Big Israeli offensive despite U.N. call

Atul Aneja

Hizbollah chief not against ending hostilities

DUBAI: Four Israeli military divisions have pushed into Lebanon as part of a massive new offensive that has begun despite a call by the United Nations Security Council for the cessation of hostilities.

Israel's military chief, Dan Halutz, said Israel had tripled its troops inside Lebanon. He said the operation could continue for another week until international forces, authorised by the U.N. Security Council, arrived. Another military official told AFP the offensive was "open ended", and the new assault could expand beyond the Litani river, 35 km from the border. However, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert asked his Cabinet to endorse the U.N. Resolution 1701 that was passed on Friday. The text of the resolution calls for the "full cessation of hostilities based upon, in particular, the immediate cessation by Hizbollah of all attacks and the immediate cessation by Israel of all offensive military operations."

On Saturday, Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hizbollah, announced that despite reservations, his group would not oppose the U.N. resolution. Appearing on Al Manar television run by Hizbollah, Mr. Nasrallah said, "We will not be an obstacle to any [Government] decision ... but our Ministers will express reservations about articles that we consider unjust and unfair". He, however, added that Hizbollah rocket strikes on northern Israel would end when Israel stopped attacking Lebanese civilians with air strikes or other means. Analysts see the large-scale incursion as a last ditch effort by Israel to dismantle the infrastructure created by Hizbollah in this area, before the U.N. resolution took effect. However, the new Israeli push was encountering stiff resistance.

According to the website of the Israeli daily Haaretz, 23 Israeli troops were wounded in the latest round of fighting.

The U.N. resolution has called for the deployment of 15,000 Lebanese soldiers, in combination with forces of the UNIFIL, which could also have a maximum strength of 15,000. But the text does not say that Chapter 7 provisions of the U.N. Charter that could have allowed it to undertake offensive operations would govern the new force.

Hizbollah had earlier said that it would not oppose deployment of international forces, provided they did not have a Chapter 7 mandate. Among its other features, the U.N. resolution calls for drawing up a plan to disarm Hizbollah, which in the past has maintained that it could consider this possibility provided Israeli occupation from the disputed Shebba farms ended. The U.N. text calls for the final settlement of the Israel-Lebanon border, including Shebba farms.

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