In a slowly breaking story it seems that Israeli commandos and warplanes have been in a joint offensive operation in the Bekaa Valley according to Al Jazeera:
Media reports quoted Lebanese security sources as saying on Saturday that Israeli aircraft and commandos raided the village of Bodai, west of the ancient city of Baalbek in the Bekaa Valley, at dawn.
Full story from Al Jazeera:
http://tinyurl.com/q4s6j
If this attack is confirmed , what does it mean for the ceasefire process? Will Israel be condemned for breaking a UN resolution and ceasefire? It is difficult to impossible to argue this action was defensive. Will Condi condemn the action?
Updated below:
Kofi Annan has now called the aggression for what it is: a breach of the ceasefire. At last we have someone who is willing to call the Israeli war machine:
A spokesman for Annan said in a statement: “The secretary-general is deeply concerned about a violation by the Israeli side of the cessation of hostilities as laid out in Security Council resolution 1701.”
It looks like the Lebanese could halt deployment of their troops until the UN deals with Israel. Elias Murr the Lebanese defence secratary:
He said: “We will not send the army to be prey in an Israeli trap.”
The Israelis are claiming they did it to interrupt an arms delivery in a story not everyone buys, but:
The ceasefire resolution talks about an end to weapons shipments to Hezbollah as part of a long-term end to the conflict – but does not require it under the immediate truce.
So that is no excuse to break a UN resolution.
When the full UN condemnation will come and how scathing it will be remains to be seen. Just imagine if Hezbollah had launched an attack in Israel to stop a cluster bomb delivery from us. John Bolton would be charging around on a pogo stick with his first hard on for half a century demanding immediate US invasion of Lebanon.
or reported in many places such as Abc: http://tinyurl.com/jos48
Professor Juan Cole cites a report “that the Israeli raid was aimed at kidnapping a prominent Hizbullah leader, or possibly recovering captured Israeli soldiers.”
The official Israeli cover story that they were preventing the supply of arms to Hizbullah by Syria makes no sense
I was watching a report on the Lebanon raid on Sky News when they linked to a Fox News reporter on the spot. The reporter said that locals had told him that the Israelis were in Lebanese Army uniform and in cars. A senior Hezbullah leaser was probably in the area attending a funeral. Hezbullah check points stopped the Israelis and a gun battle ensued.
dressing in your opponents uniform and entering their territory. This has been reported quite widely but the Western Press in general seems to play down such things. I am surprised Fox covered it. They probably thought it a brilliant Israeli ruse.
The Fox news reporter was interviewed by a Sky News anchor from their London studio. Both are owned by Murdoch so they sometimes pool reporters on the ground. I am not sure if the same story hit Fox.
International Humanitarian Law also known as the wars of law comprising the Hague Convention and Geneva Conventions, and precedents based on the Nuremburg Trials among other treaties states that combatants who break provisions of the law of wars (ie in this case dress up as Lebanese soldiers) lose their prisoner of war status (once determined by a tribunal) and can be prosecuted under civilian or military law and punished. Execution is not uncommon in such cases of breaking the laws of war as is torture. I bet Israel are glad none of these illegal combatants were captured.
Interestingly Hezbollah which wears uniforms, has a command structure, conducts its operations within the laws and customs of war and openly carries its weapons is afforded the protection of the IHL under the third Geneva Convention.
With Israel again breaking the ceasefire by landing air mobile troops at the Lebanon village of href=”http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/08/20/israel.raid/index.html”>Boudai it is clear any peacekeeping forces in Lebanon will require significant anti-aircraft assets, most assuredly including aircraft.
If the ceasefire is to be enforced.
Don’t hold your breath.
Correct link