One Night in Lebanon

The unveiling and repercussions of an incident:

22:05 Contradicting reports: Israeli air force strikes targets in Lebanon

Lebanese police officials reported that the Israeli air force struck targets in Baalbek in the Bekaa Vally in Lebanon. Israeli officials did not confirm the reports. According to the reports, the strikes were carried out in unpopulated areas and caused no injuries or damage.
However, according to al-Jazeera, the planes carried out overflights without striking. (Roee Nahmias) YNet

22:10

IAF drones and warplanes were crisscrossing the skies above Lebanon's eastern Bekaa Valley on Friday night, near the Hizbullah stronghold of Baalbek, security officials said. The officials had not reported any bomb or missile strikes. JP

22:18 IAF drones, warplanes crisscrossing the skies over Lebanon`s Bekaa Valley (AP)

22:33 IDF Spokesman denies report on IAF strike in Baalbek, Lebanon (Haaretz)

23:12 The IDF confirmed that IAF planes that flew over Ba'albek on Friday night did not open fire and in turn had not violated the cease-fire put into action on Monday. JP

23:47
Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora phoned UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to protest "the continued violation of our Lebanese airspace by Israeli aircraft." The official Lebanese news agency reported that the two have also discussed the formation of the multinational force set to arrive in the region. Annan told Siniora that the composition of the force will be determined soon. (Roee Nahmias) Ynet


04:34
Sources in Lebanon reported Saturday morning an IAF attack in the eastern part of the country. On Friday evening there were reports of IAF helicopters, drones, and jets flying over the area of Baalbek. IDF sources confirmed the flights, but denied that any attack had taken place. JP

4:45 (about) Israeli aircraft attack eastern Lebanon: source

Israeli aircraft fired several rockets at a target in a Hizbollah stronghold in eastern Lebanon early on Saturday morning, a Lebanese security source said. It was not immediately clear what the Israeli aircraft were firing at in the village of Bodai. An Israeli army spokesman said the army was checking the report. Such an attack would be the first since a U.N. truce ended 34 days of fighting between Israeli forces and Hizbollah guerrillas in southern Lebanon. Reuters

06:34 Heavy Israeli overflights reported in Lebanon`s Bekaa Valley (AP)

07:54 Hezbollah says its forces clashed with IDF commandos near Baalbek (AP)

08:08 Hizbullah says foiled Israeli commando raid

Hizbullah said its guerrillas clashed early Saturday with an Israeli commando force that landed near their stronghold of Baalbek deep inside Lebanon. Lebanese security officials could not confirm the Hizbullah TV report of a drop of Israeli commandos by helicopter at a field Boudai west of Baalbek in eastern Lebanon or whether there were any air strikes. (AP via Ynet)

09:43 Hizbullah: Israel breached ceasefire

A senior Hizbullah representative in the Lebanese parliament, Muhammad Hiader, said following reports of an IDF commando raid in Baalbek that Israel has breached the ceasefire agreement. “The operation was carried out perhaps to cover up the enemy’s failures and is a sign of its distress,” he said. “Hizbullah will not necessarily remain committee to the ceasefire, as this is a breach of UN Resolution 1701, and Hizbullah maintains the right to respond.” (Roee Nahmias via Ynet)


10:31 Three Hezbollah gunmen killed in IDF commando raid in eastern Lebanon (Reuters)

10:34 Report: 3 Hizbullah members killed in IDF raid

Lebanese sources said three Hizbullah members were killed in an IDF commando raid near Baalbek. (Reuters via Ynet)

11:02 3 Hizbullah gunmen killed in gun fight with IDF

Three Hizbullah operatives were killed in an exchange of fire with IDF commandos west of Baalbek on Saturday. Hizbullah claimed earlier that it had repelled the IDF in the attack. (JP)

11:22 IDF: Commando raid in Baalbek meant to thwart arms shipment from Syria (Haaretz)

11:26 IDF: Lebanon operation to prevent weapons smuggling

The IDF Spokesperson’s Office has confirmed that a special army force operated early Saturday in Lebanon to prevent the smuggling of weapons from Iran and Syria to Hizbullah. “The operation does not constitute a breach of the ceasefire, as the IDF maintains its right to prevent the smuggling of arms to Hizbullah,” a security source said, adding that the operation’s goals were achieved. (Hanan Greenberg) Ynet

12:19 IDF officer killed, two others wounded, one seriously, in Baalbek raid (Haaretz)

12:19 Released: IDF officer killed, 2 others hurt in Lebanon operation

It has been cleared for publication that an IDF officer was killed early Saturday during an operation in Lebanon. Two other officers were injured in the attack, one seriously and the other lightly; the wounded officers were evacuated to Haifa’s Rambam Hospital. (Hanan Greenberg) Ynet

12:27 IDF officer killed, 2 wounded in Lebanon operation

An IDF officer was killed during a commando operation in eastern Lebanon early Saturday morning. Two other soldiers were wounded, one seriously and one lightly. The two were taken to an Israeli hospital to receive medical treatment. (JP)

12:37 Beilin: Peretz must explain Lebanon operation

Meretz Chairman Yossi Beilin demanded that Defense Minister Amir Peretz offer explanations regarding the IDF’s activity in Lebanon and clarify whether Israel’s objective is to breach the ceasefire. (Attila Somfalvi) Ynet

13:39 Lebanese PM: Israeli raid in Baalbek is `naked violation` of UN cease-fire (Reuters)

14:24 Annan to demand Israel stop violating cease-fire

Lebanese Foreign Minister Fawzi Saloukh said on Saturday that United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan promised him to demand that Israel cease 'violating the cease-fire agreement' between the two countries. Saloukh, in a meeting with UN envoys, said that if Israel continued its attacks, then the matter would be taken before the UN Security Council, Israel Radio reported. (JP)

15:19 Israel must end Hizbullah re-armament itself

Government sources said on Saturday that Israel had no choice but to act itself to stop the flow of weapons and missiles to the Hizbullah. A senior Israeli source said that UNIFIL and the Lebanese army were not showing any intention to end the re-armament of Hizbullah, since the former were unwilling to confront the terrorist organization, Israel Radio reported. (JP)

15:53 Prime Minister's Office: Good that Baalbek operation carried out

Sources in the Prime Minister's Office in response to the operation carried out by a special IDF unit Friday night next to the town of Baalbek in the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon, saying: "We needed this operation and it's good that we did it." "The operation was necessary because Hizbullah violated the ceasefire by smuggling Syrian and Iranian arms, against the agreement," the sources said. (Ronny Sofer) Ynet

17:06 Lebanese defense minister threatens to halt army`s deployment in the south (AP)

17:17 Lebanon: We will halt deployment of army in south if UN doesn't discuss IDF action

Lebanon's defense minister has theatened to halt the army's deployment in south Lebanon if the United Nations did not take up the issue of Israel's commando raid near Baalbek. (AP via Ynet)


All times Israel / Lebanon time. JP is the Jerusalem Post. More, I am sure, to come.

Morning news roundup

Iranian army ready for Israel action after Lebanon war

A senior Iranian army commander said on Saturday the armed forces were prepared for any action by Israel after what Iran has called the Jewish state's defeat at the hands of Lebanon's Hizbullah guerrillas.

Palestinian journalists in Gaza protest kidnapping of Fox reporters

Palestinian journalists in Gaza protested on Saturday against the kidnapping of a Fox News correspondent and cameraman, as concern about the men's safety grew.


French peacekeepers arrive in Lebanon

Some 50 French peacekeepers arrive in south Lebanon as part of UN force tasked with helping Lebanese army take over area Reuters


IDF arrests Palestinian deputy PM

Troops burst into home of Nasser Shaer at around 4:30 a.m. and took him away, deputy prime minister’s wife, Huda says, adding that her husband had been in hiding since Israel began its crackdown in late June following Shalit kidnapping
Ali Waked and AP


Prime Minister's Office: Good that Baalbek operation carried out

Sources in the Prime Minister's Office in response to the operation carried out by a special IDF unit Friday night next to the town of Baalbek in the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon, saying: "We needed this operation and it's good that we did it."

Qatari FM urges Israeli peace with moderate Arabs
JPost.com Staff, THE JERUSALEM POST Aug. 19, 2006

Qatar's foreign minister called upon Israel to take advantage of the current opportunity to reach a peace agreement with moderate Arab leaders. In an interview that will be published in Newsweek on Monday, he warned that future generations of leaders may be more extreme and might insist on "pushing Israel into the sea."


Senior al-Qaida leader arrested in Pakistan
JPost.com Staff, THE JERUSALEM POST Aug. 19, 2006

A senior al-Qaida figure was arrested by allied forces in Pakistan on Saturday. It was hoped that the detainee could provide information regarding the location of other leaders of the terrorist organizations, including its leader Osama Bin-Laden. ABC news reported that the information leading to his arrest came from the investigation into the organization's failed attempt to blow up 10 airliners departing from Great Britain this week.

Annan says U.N. won't 'wage war'
By EDITH M. LEDERER, Associated Press WriterSat Aug 19, 4:25 AM ET

Secretary-General Kofi Annan appealed to U.N. member states to provide desperately needed U.N. peacekeeping troops for Lebanon and assured them the U.N. force would not "wage war" on Israel, Lebanon, or Hezbollah militants.


Israeli commando dies in Lebanon raid
By SAM F. GHATTAS, Associated Press Writer

Israeli commandos raided a Hezbollah stronghold deep inside Lebanon Saturday, sparking a fierce clash with militants that left one Israeli soldier dead. Lebanon called the raid a "flagrant violation" of the U.N.-brokered cease-fire, while Israel said it was aimed at disrupting arms smuggling from Iran and Syria

Worth reading

Will we continue putting out fires?

A thoughtful piece on Israel's current political/military quandry by Ron Ben-Yishai.

Apples and Oranges

I was looking at the Breaking News headlines at Haaretz, where there were these three stories in a row:

19:49	Bush: It could take time for world to accept war was a Hezbollah loss (AP)
19:43	Hezbollah distributing money to Beirut residents who lost homes in IAF attacks (AP)
19:39	Nasrallah voted most popular figure in Middle East in Egyptian poll (Reuters)

And I know that the administration is still clinging to an view that it's the bricks and mortar side of what happened in the Hezbollah-Lebanese encounter that really matters. But that's not true.

Short term, and for longer what really matters are two things:

Israel lost face and will be going through a crisis based on the differences between their military and government in reality vs. image.

Hezbollah gained incredible face, even at the cost of much physical damage.

When it comes to support, money, people willing to bridge the differences between shia and sunni theologies for an Us who are Islam vs. Those who are not, dig into their pockets, feel emboldened at home, this face issue may count much more than any amount of munitions lost or even fighters who died for the cause.

Wake up and smell the coffee, State Department! See what's happening on the ground, White House! because if you get into self-delusions, you will most certainly get stung.

AM News Story Roundup

Arabs Seek New Mideast Peace Initiative
Arab Nations Want U.N. to Help Launch New Mideast Peace Initiative
By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press Writer
The Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS - Arab nations want the U.N. Security Council to help launch a new peace process to end the broader Arab-Israeli conflict, saying the "road map" unveiled in 2003 to establish a Palestinian state is dead.


Iraqi group uses Michael Moore film to mock Bush
By Alister Bull


BAGHDAD (Reuters) - An Iraqi militant group has produced an elaborate video of what it said were attacks on U.S. troops, in the latest example of the increasingly sophisticated propaganda war being waged by Iraqi insurgents....Lifting scenes from Michael Moore's anti-war film "Fahrenheit 9/11", Rashedeen's narrator taunts U.S. President George W. Bush in softly spoken English over graphic images of Humvees being blown up by roadside bombs, and purportedly dead U.S. troops.

Olmert faces post-war disappointment
By James Reynolds
BBC News in Jerusalem

Israel's post-war post-mortem is being performed in public. There seems to be a simple rule right now: if you have any kind of official title in this country, the chances are that you didn't come out of this conflict all that well. That certainly applies for the Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, whose first-ever turn as a wartime leader has not worked out as well as he had hoped.


Pakistan tells US military that al-Qaida mastermind of London terror plot in Afghanistan
Ynet

Pakistan has told the US Military that an Arab al-Qaeda operative who masterminded the London terror plots is hiding in mountainous terrain in northeastern Afghanistan, an intelligence official said


Israel downplayed Hezbollah's arsenal
By AMY TEIBEL, Associated Press WriterThu Aug 17, 7:11 AM ET

Israel's defense minister, his credentials already in question before the just-ended war in Lebanon, says the military downplayed the extent of the Hezbollah guerrilla group's missile threat when he took office, according to a newspaper report Thursday.


Israel Complains Hezbollah Used Russian-Made Missiles
Friday , August 18, 2006

JERUSALEM — Israel has complained to Russia that Russian-made anti-tank missiles have reached Hezbollah guerrillas who used them against Israeli troops in south Lebanon, government officials said Friday.


Iraqi security forces detain 77
By ROBERT H. REID, Associated Press Writer

Gunmen attacked a convoy of civilian trucks Friday, killing one guard, and a cache of arms was seized in a Baghdad mosque, officials said. Security forces detained 77 people across Iraq in a crackdown on sectarian and political extremists.


The first Photoshop war

Lebanon war's doctored photos could be harbinger of photojournalism crisis
Gal Mor


Olmert, Peres: Yesha Withdrawal - Not For Now
Friday, August 18, 2006 / 24 Av 5766

PM Olmert told Kadima party colleagues this week he realizes that his unilateral withdrawal plan is irrelevant for now. Shimon Peres, in U.S., says the Lebanese war has lowered the plan's chances.


Cracks In UN Plan Expose Israel
Friday, August 18, 2006 / 24 Av 5766

Offers by anti-Israel countries to patrol Lebanon, Hizbullah's welcoming of Lebanese troops and the abandonment of vows to disarm the terrorist group leave Hizbullah stronger and Israel weaker.

German Bomb Investigation

BERLIN (Reuters) - An investigation launched after two bombs were found in the German cities of Dortmund and Koblenz late last month is increasingly pointing to a terrorist link, a German newspaper reported on Thursday. The daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung quoted unidentified "high-level security experts" as saying there was a "strong probability" that the bombs, hidden in luggage found on trains at the cities' stations, were part of a terrorist plot.


Concern Grows For Fate of Fox News Journalists
14:15 Aug 18, '06 / 24 Av 5766

(IsraelNN.com) The Committee to Protect Journalists voiced concern Friday for the safety of two Fox News Channel journalists kidnapped in Gaza three days ago, appealing to their kidnappers to release them. No group has claimed responsibility for the abduction of the journalists from the U.S. television network, and the kidnappers have made no demands.


Israel's U.N. Envoy: UNIFIL Countries Must Recognize Israel
17:11 Aug 18, '06 / 24 Av 5766

(IsraelNN.com) Countries that send troops to be a part of the United Nations international force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) must recognize the Jewish state, Israel's United Nations Ambassador Danny Gillerman told the British Broadcasting Corp. (BBC) Friday.


Al Qaeda Letter Threatens to Blow Up Taj Mahal
Friday , August 18, 2006

LUCKNOW, India — Police in northern India have heightened security around the Taj Mahal after receiving a letter threatening to blow up the monument, officials said Friday.


Kurds flee homes as Iran shells Iraq's northern frontier

Turkey and Iran have dispatched tanks, artillery and thousands of troops to their frontiers with Iraq during the past few weeks in what appears to be a coordinated effort to disrupt the activities of Kurdish rebel bases. Scores of Kurds have fled their homes in the northern frontier region after four days of shelling by the Iranian army. Local officials said Turkey had also fired a number of shells into Iraqi territory.

First

Times seem at a crossroads, with dark potential on all sides. Have we crossed that line of no return?

This is my journal to see if we actually cross that point of no return, the Rubicon beyond which we are fully committed.