NEWS

WAR OF 2006
 

AFTER THE WAR - 2006

YOUTUBE.COM VIDEO OF ISRAELI MILITARY IN LEBANON
There is no sound on this video
 

Lebanon is suffering because of the actions of outsiders
and on the orders of outsiders.
If Iran wants to fight Israel, let Iranians do it from their own country
and watch Iran be destroyed.
Enough is enough. Let Lebanon live in peace

Photo of child holding a sign: "wake up! We are getting killed"
Lebanese are tired of other countries choosing to fight a war on Lebanese turf.
It is easy to blame Israel, but what about blaming Arab countries also. Enough is enough. Lebanon deserves to live in peace.

Bashar al-Assad, President of Syria, left, with Prime Minister of Lebanon Rafik Hariri in Damascus in August.
Members of Lebanon's anti-Syrian opposition now see the meeting as fateful.
Reports indicate that Assad threatened Hariri during that meeting
 

THE U.S. MARINES LANDED IN LEBANON IN 1958
 

Kuntar vows to continue his 'resistance' against Israel
By Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz Correspondent, Haaretz Service and AP
Hezbollah  Eldad Regev

Convicted terrorist Samir Kuntar on Wednesday vowed to continue his 'resistance' against Israel, speaking at a Beirut rally welcoming his return and that of four Hezbollah men Israel released as part of a swap deal with the Lebanon-based guerilla group.

"I returned today from Palestine but believe me I will not return until I go back to Palestine," he told the roaring crowd. "I promise my people and dear ones in Palestine that I and my dear comrades in the valiant Islamic resistance are returning."

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, addressing the same rally, declared that there would be no more defeats at the hand of Israel

The age of defeats is gone, and the age of victories has come. This people, this nation gave a great and clear image today to its friends and enemies that it cannot be defeated," Nasrallah told tens of thousands of cheering supporters.

Shortly before being whisked away by bodyguards, Nasrallah said Hezbollah had achieved its two major goals since the end of the Second Lebanon War, to gain the release of all Lebanese prisoners in Israel and form a national unity government from the country's fractured political parties.

Large banners behind him read "divine victory" and "God's achievement by our hands." Earlier in the day, Hezbollah transferred to Israel Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, the Israel Defense Forces soldiers kidnapped by its guerillas in a cross-border raid that sparked the 2006 war.

The Shi'ite leader kissed and hugged each of the five men in his first public appearance since January. Nasrallah, who only appeared for the third time in public since the war fearing Israeli assassination, later addressed the crowd from a secret location on a giant projection screen.

Earlier Wednesday evening, hundreds of spectators turned out to celebrate at a red carpet and honor guard welcome as the five made their first public appearance in the southern Lebanon border town of Naqoura.

The five, clad in combat fatigues, walked behind militants carrying the Palestinian, Lebanese and Hezbollah flags. They were greeted by Hezbollah officials and Muslim clerics as they stood at a podium.

President Shimon Peres denounced the red carpet treatment, drawing a comparison between the behavior of Israelis, mourning the two Israel Defense Forces soldiers whose bodies were returned after two years as part of the swap, and what he called Lebanese "dancing and drumming."

The Lebanese government declared Wednesday a national holiday to celebrate the "liberation of prisoners from the jails of the Israeli enemy and the return of the remains of martyrs."

In the exchange, Israel also handed over almost 200 bodies of Palestinian and Lebanese fighters.

Coffins containing the bodies of Regev and Goldwasser were delivered to the Israel-Lebanon border on Wednesday morning by Hezbollah. They were later delivered to an army camp in northern Israel, where their families were waiting.

On the Lebanese side of the Rosh Hanikra Israel-Lebanon border crossing, Hezbollah erected a platform upon which to honor Kuntar. Lebanese, Palestinian and Hezbollah flags were hung above the stage.

A former cellmate of Samir Kuntar, Jaber Weshah, who is now deputy director of the Palestinian Center for Human Rights in Gaza, said: "Today is a true day of joy for all Palestinians and all freedom lovers across the world."

Related articles:
 

So, Israel's defense minister, Ehud Barak, is now saying that United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 is dead. It's not absolutely dead, but Israel's reluctance to facilitate a solution in the Shebaa Farms area, like its willingness to conclude a grand prisoner bargain with Hizbullah that handed the party a fine victory, will certainly help dismantle what remains of the security framework set up after the summer 2006 war.

There are two Lebanese approaches for dealing with Israel today. There is the one advocated publicly by Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and MP Walid Jumblatt that calls for a return to the 1949 Armistice Agreement. Then there is Hizbullah's proposal, which is to pursue an open-ended armed struggle against Israel. Siniora wants to see the Shebaa Farms neutralized as a space of confrontation; Hizbullah has said that whatever solution is found in the farms area, the resistance will continue. Israel's actions have bolstered those who support the second option, in the same way that its inflexibility on releasing Palestinian prisoners has bolstered those Palestinians who argue that the best way to resolve that issue is to kidnap or kill Israelis, then haggle over them or their body parts.

The Hizbullah-Israel swap on Wednesday was surrounded by substantial hypocrisy. March 14 and Siniora lustily applauded an exchange that they knew was to their disadvantage. Jumblatt, faced with Samir Kontar's release, decided it was best to co-opt the released prisoner as best he could, because he had no alternative as paramount Druze leader but to welcome his coreligionist, but also to avoid Kontar's being used against him politically by Hizbullah. However, in the Sunni and Christian neighborhoods, as in the Druze mountains, few danced in the "national wedding" that Hizbullah celebrated. Many could plainly see that what the party had gained, they had lost.

Who can blame them, coming only two days after Bashar Assad was the darling of Paris - thanks to the efforts of the former Lebanese minister Michel Samaha, who handled the media aspect of Assad's trip, and to the French government, so indecently eager to wipe the Syrian president's slate clean. To the narcissistic Nicolas Sarkozy, a man willing to trade in the essential for the limelight, it was also a good weekend. He may not have gotten a single serious concession out of Assad, but at least he showed he was different than Jacques Chirac, an obsession of his, by trashing the former president's diplomatic achievements in Lebanon.

After the fanfare in Paris, the Syrians quietly explained that an exchange of embassies between Beirut and Damascus might actually take more time than expected. In Assad's meeting with President Michel Sleiman, the Syrian president didn't even mention delimiting the Syrian-Lebanese border. The reality is that the Assad regime has not budged one iota in its policy toward Lebanon since 2005. Indeed, it has very likely not given up on physically returning its army to the country, even if this is more difficult than it sounds, and those who suggest that Damascus only seeks influence in Beirut might want to consider why this is unconvincing.

The Syrian regime doesn't want the Shebaa Farms imbroglio resolved because it seeks to tie in any settlement over the Golan Heights to one in Lebanon. Without this linkage, Syria fears that a prior solution on the Lebanese track would block Hizbullah's ability to attack Israel from South Lebanon, which Syria wishes to use as leverage in its negotiations over the Golan. But for Syria to have real control of the Hizbullah card - an essential ingredient in strengthening its credibility in talks with Israel - it must also prove that it has the means to restrain the party. And Assad can only do that if his army is physically present in Lebanon.

Why would Hizbullah go along with this? Because it understands that such a strategy allows it to undermine Resolution 1701, which is also a Syrian priority. But also because a renewed Syrian military presence in Lebanon would shield Hizbullah against that majority of Lebanese that seeks its disarmament. In addition, the party's leadership is wagering that Syria is more interested in a process of negotiation with Israel than in a final settlement; and, most tellingly, Hizbullah seems confident that, even if a final settlement does eventually come, Syria will not have the military capability, let alone the will, to stifle the resistance.

How will the UN respond to defend Resolution 1701? Let's try not to laugh. France knows very well that Syria has violated all UN resolutions on Lebanon since 2004, particularly Resolution 1701. The French also happen to provide an important contingent to UNIFIL, which is there to implement Resolution 1701, a contingent with large Leclerc tanks that will occasionally fire shells into the empty sea. But Syrian behavior hasn't prevented Sarkozy from obstinately pursuing Assad. If you were Syria or Hizbullah, therefore, would you fear a French reaction, or that of other European states, to your efforts to emasculate UN resolutions?

Even in the halls of the European Parliament, Hizbullah's weight is being felt. An effort by some European parliamentarians to encourage the European Union to place Hizbullah on its terrorism list is now being actively opposed by Socialist representatives. Two of them recently sent out an e-mail to their comrades urging them not to vote in favor of the decision, as the issue was "sensitive" and the European Parliament "has stressed the importance to find a political solution on the Lebanese internal conflict and the agreement between all the Lebanese political parties, including Hezbollah, has been considered as a positive step."

What the e-mail did not say is that the European contingents in Lebanon are now hostages to Syria and Hizbullah rather than enforcers of the Security Council's writ. The UN needs an open channel to Hizbullah, which is why many in Europe oppose the terrorism designation. But with Israel doing everything it can to strengthen Syria's hand in Lebanon, and indirectly that of Hizbullah; with the collapse of the European position on Lebanese sovereignty and UN resolutions; and with the US utterly absent from Lebanon as its presidential election nears, we have to be realistic. The independence intifada is over and Syria has entered a new phase in its effort to re-create in Lebanon what it was made to surrender in 2005. 

7-16-08

The National Assembly on Wednesday authorized extending the deployment of Korean soldiers in Lebanon. With the decision Korea's Dongmyeong Unit will consist of 359 soldiers and continue its peacekeeping operation in Tyre, about 80 km south of the Lebanese capital Beirut.

The Korean troops have been working with the United Nations for the reconstruction of the war-ravaged Middle Eastern country for nearly a year among other civil-military missions. The UN requested the Korean government for more contribution to its peacekeeping operations due to the nation's economic success.

Arirang News

7-16-08

Two people were killed and seven others, including two Lebanese army soldiers, were wounded in an overnight shootout in east Lebanon's city of Baalbek, security sources said.

They said the shooting was triggered by a "personal quarrel" in al-Ain near Baalbek in which Raifeh Saleh, 52, was killed and three other people were wounded, including the town's mayor, Youssef Jaafar, 47.

The sources said a military vehicle which was transporting the wounded to hospital came under fire near the town of Nabi Othman on the road leading to Baalbek, prompting Lebanese troops to return fire.

A man was killed and four people, including two soldiers, were wounded in the exchange of fire, according to the sources.

Beirut, 01 Jul 08, 09:32

When the rogue Khomeini regime returned to Iran from Paris and eventually took over the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in November 1979, the Carter administration had basically no intelligence on the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini or the radical fundamentalist agenda. President Carter viewed Khomeini as a religious man who had to be better than the shah of Iran, even though the shah represented the cornerstone of our Persian Gulf security policy.

The conventional wisdom then in the Carter administration was that the one institution that would survive the regime change in Iran would be the military. We could use our close relationship with the Iranian military leadership to build a new relationship with the Khomeini regime. In fact, President Carter in January 1979 sent Gen. Robert Huyser, deputy commander in chief of the United States European Command as his personal envoy to intercede with the Iranian military leadership not to interfere with the regime change. This sophomoric analysis abruptly halted when the Khomeini regime put a bullet into the back of the head of the Iranian military leadership.

At the time of our embassy takeover, our military options were somewhat limited, but we certainly had the capability to capture and hold Kharg Island, Iran's main fuel export depot, which would have given us leverage in freeing our diplomats and retaking our embassy.

During the Reagan administration, certain key players still did not understand the extent of the radical Islamic fundamentalist agenda. Some still thought it to be more a law enforcement than a military problem. The U.S. Marine barracks bombing in Beirut Oct. 23, 1983, never had to happen. The National Security Agency (NSA) had the information almost four weeks before the attack that the Iranian Ambassador in Damascus, Ali Akbar Mohtashamipoor, acting on orders received from the Foreign Ministry, called in the leader of the Islamic Amal (which later evolved into Hezbollah) and gave him instructions to concentrate his attacks on the Multi-National Force (MNF), but to take a "spectacular" action against the U.S. Marines.

As deputy chief of naval operations, I never got to see that message until two days after the attack. By way of background, the Islamic Amal had taken over the Lebanese Army barracks above Baalbeck on Sept. 16, 1983. Had we a pro-active, pre-emptive strategy in place, the Islamic Amal could have been eliminated prior to the bombing. Of course other options could also have been implemented.

Iran has continued to wage war against the United States by using proxies for the last 29 years. Since November 1979, we have failed to attack the problem. We have let Iran continue their war against the United States with impunity. Iran proper has been a sanctuary.

Our combat forces in Iraq and Afghanistan are combating Shi'ite militia that are funded, trained and armed by Iran. Compounding the problem are the weapons and ammunitions the Chinese provide Iran that are then passed to the Shi'ite militias in Iraq and the Taliban in Afghanistan. Surface-to-air missiles (Manpads of Chinese origin), Chinese-made large-caliber sniper rifles, rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) that have been so deadly to our troops have been convoyed from Iran into Iraq and to the Taliban in Afghanistan. China's objectives are quite clear - keep the U.S. bogged down in the Middle East while they expand their objectives and influence in the Western Pacific.

The limited economic sanctions imposed by the United Nations, the European Union and the United States have not had any significant impact on changing Iran's behavior or their drive to achieve a nuclear weapon capability. Most recently, Ali Larijani, the speaker of Iran's parliament, warned that Iran is prepared to take drastic steps and unspecified moves that the West would regret in response to economic, political and military pressure being brought against Iran. However, one economic sanction that could convey the seriousness of the United Nations and European Union would be to deny Iranian airline access to Europe because they are unsafe and do not meet ICAO standards. Other international carriers could curtail their flights to Iran as part of this sanction.

I believe we have reached a point where the U.S. needs to make its position quite clear. We need to declare that:

• Any attack against U.S. Naval forces will be viewed as an attack against the continental United States and the full force of our military capabilities will be brought to bear.

• Unless there is an immediate cessation to train, arm and supplying various weapons, including IEDs, to Iraq Shi'ite militias and the Taliban, then those training facilities, weapon factories including the IED factory, will be subject to attack. This could be part of an all-inclusive attack to eliminate their missile and nuclear complexes.

Underpinning the above actions would be a declaration of a U.S. pro-active, pre-emptive strategy to defeat radical Islamic fundamentalist terrorism. It is based on the premise that you cannot wait until the terrorist strike. Obviously, we have to have the intelligence to prevent the cowardly act from happening.

It is unconscionable that we have tolerated a declaration of war by Iran against the United States for the last 29 years, which has given rise to the radical fundamentalist terrorism we face today. This is not the legacy we want to leave for our future generations.

James Lyons, U.S. Navy retired admiral, was commander in chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, senior U.S. military representative to the United Nations, and deputy chief of naval operations, where he was principal adviser on all Joint Chiefs of Staff matters.

"Despite the lack of confidence we stretched our hand anew through the Lebanese army that had promised us to supervise reconciliation," Jarah said.

"But if aggressions persisted and if they maintained, just maintained and not used, their heavy weapons in the hills of Saadnayel and Taalabaya and if they maintained the deployment of a large number of gunmen brought in from other areas, friction would renew and tension would persist," he added.

Jarrah said "we were very clear with the army. We informed the army that there is no need for such heavy weapons in the hills."

He accused Hezbollah of "deceiving the army. They had told the army that heavy weapons and gunmen had been fully pulled out, but it was evident that this is not true."

Jarrah warned that the "citizens of Saadnayel and Taalabaya would not be left alone (if attacked by Hezbollah once again). Citizens of the central, western and even northern Bekaa would rush to their aid."

That, according to the Mustaqbal Bloc member, would expose "Hezbollah's role in a Syrian intelligence scheme to spark inter-factional clashes in the Bekaa."

He explained that Hezbollah has been targeting the Saadnayel-Taalabaya sector because it commands the road that leads from its stronghold in Baalbek to south Lebanon.

Jarrah emphasized that "we do not have a militia, we don't have weapons and capabilities to protect our people."

"It is the army's duty and responsibility to protect the citizens. The Army Command pledged that as of Tuesday its troops would be in charge of security, and anyone who opens fire, from any side, would be punished," Jarrah said.

The Clashes, according to Jarrah, were an "attempt by Hezbollah to target President Michel Suleiman's term as well as the state and its institutions.

Hezbollah leader targeted the president the same day he moved to the Republican Palace."

"Hezbollah has its own army and its own state and has no interest in supporting the state of Lebanon," he concluded.

The Doha Accord, According to Jarrah, is made up of two chapters "The security chapter is being blocked and the political chapter that is also being blocked by obstructing the cabinet formation."

Hezbollah "went to Doha not to achieve an agreement, but to blame what had happened on the majority and then resume implementing its scheme. But Arab and international pressures forced Hezbollah to Facilitate President Suleiman's election," he concluded.
 

LEBANON REMAINS BATTLEGROUND FOR THOSE SEEKING TO DESTABILIZE REGION IN EFFORT

TO ESTABLISH DOMINANCE, SPECIAL ENVOY TELLS SECURITY COUNCIL

No Tangible Progress towards Implementation

Of Resolution 1559 (2004), Roed-Larsen Reports in Briefing on Middle East

MAY 8,  2008
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2008/sc9326.doc.htm

August 2, 2006

COOPER: And good morning from the Israel/Lebanon border. It is a morning of lots of activity. It is just 6:00 a.m. here. The sun has just come up. The Israeli artillery units behind me have been relatively quiet this evening.

But the action inside Lebanon has been fast and furious. There is fighting in the south of Lebanon to talk about. Three Israeli soldiers and more than 25 Israeli soldiers are wounded, three Israeli soldiers killed in the last 24 hours. But in the last several minutes we have learned the results of ongoing operation in Baalbeck in the north of Lebanon. A commando raid, a daring commando raid, several militants seized from a hospital, brought here to Israel, according to the Israeli Defense Forces.

We are now just getting a report as well from Reuters. Also based on Lebanese military sources, saying that 15, what they say are civilians, have been killed in Israeli air strike in the town of Baalbeck. We are trying to gather the information as we get it and bring it to you.

Joining me right now, John Roberts is elsewhere along this border here, on the Israeli side of the border, and CNN's Michael Ware is in Beirut.

Let's start with Michael Ware.

Michael, at this point, what do we know and what don't we know about what's happening very close to the Syrian border in the Bekaa Valley?

MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Anderson, what we've seen overnight here in Lebanon is a daring addition to the Israeli Defense Forces' campaign against Hezbollah.

Airborne troops were dispatched more than 60 miles north of the Israeli border to strike deep into the heart of Hezbollah domain in the Bekaa Valley.

In the town of Baalbeck they struck a hospital operated by Hezbollah where there was what's said to be by Lebanese security forces some fighting. The Israeli troops entered the hospital, checking the identification papers of all the staff, the medical teams, and the patients. What we're now hearing out of Israel is that that group of Israeli troops have now been extracted from this snatch and grab operation and have returned to Israel without casualty.

However, we're being told that they did take with them Hezbollah prisoners. Reports conflict as to who these prisoners are and the nature of them. Some say they're low ranking, some are suggesting otherwise.

As Beirut is now waking up to this news, we can only hope to learn more in the coming hours -- Anderson.

COOPER: And as Michael Ware knows from all the coverage he has done in Iraq, often these early reports are conflicting and often don't bear out over the long term. So we're being very cautious in what we're actually trying to say and what we actually know.

So far the Israeli Defense Forces have told us that they have taken some militants and brought them back here. Again, there's a lot we don't know at this hour.

Let's check in with John Roberts who has been really for the last 24 hours or so moving all along the Israel/Lebanon border, watching growing military activity along that border.

John, what's happening now?

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, on the Baalbeck front, Anderson, I just spoke with officials from the Israeli Defense Forces who say that they are not going to release the names of the militants that they quote, "arrested," until a little bit later on today. But it would seem clear that by engaging in this operation, what they're looking for are bargaining chips.

So far the only bargaining chips they have are the bodies of some six Hezbollah guerillas who were brought back to Israel from the fighting in Bint Jbeil.

And while Israel has negotiated for the release of bodies, that's not the high quality bargaining chip that they would be looking for in order to try to engage in some negotiation with Hezbollah.

It would seem as well that the Israelis would not have launched such a daring raid, deep into Lebanese territory unless they were after some fairly high-value targets. So we're looking toward the time that we get the names of those Hezbollah officials and also what value they may be to the Israelis as they try to find a way out of this crisis that leaves Hezbollah dramatically weakened from the way that it was before.

We spent all day along the border today traveling between Metullah at the very tip of the Galilee Peninsula, to an area about 15 miles to the east of the Mediterranean Sea. A lot of heavy fighting going on in a number of different areas, a number of towns and villages on the Lebanese side of the border. And growing evidence that Israel is about to launch a major ground campaign, a major expansion of their ground campaign into southern Lebanon.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)  Hezbullah Fakes ambulance videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXy6q4cH4pw   by Anderson Cooper in Lebanon

ROBERTS (voice-over): From a hilltop right on the Lebanese border we watched the Israeli military pound positions in a town they say is a Hezbollah base. It is just two miles from where two Israeli soldiers were kidnapped July 12, the incident that touched off this war.

(On camera): This is where the heaviest of the fighting is right now. This is Aita al-Shaab. You can see that the Israeli Air Force dropped what appears to be a 500-pound bomb on this village. It has been shelled all day and there is heavy fighting in the city streets. The Israeli army is in there with a lot of ground forces. There is close quarters fighting. Very, very heavy combat.

(Voice-over): The battle has been costly for the Israeli military. Three soldiers killed so far, 25 wounded. Israel claims it killed at least 20 Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon in the past 48 hours.

We stay on the hilltop watching the battle until soldiers arrive and tell us there are snipers in the village and it is far too dangerous to be here.

We move to another location along the border route pock marked with Katyusha rocket hits and evidence that...

Editor's note: The Library who posted this article charges for the rest of it.
Sorry, I won't be going to a local library to pay for an article by CNN.
 

The News
July War
Written by Lebanon Today   

JULY WAR '06

Live coverage archive: July 19 and 20. 2006

Thursday, July 20 2006

> 23h30: Israel targets a small bridge in Baabda central area, no injuries reported.
> 23h28: Israel launches several attacks in different regions of Lebanon, targeting Nabatiyeh, Aytaroun, South Beirut and Baalbeck. In Naameh, it targeted a pro-Syrian Palestinian faction base. Israeli jets raid the base of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command in Naameh
> 23h17: Nasrallah promises new surprises in the coming battles.
> 23h16: South Suburbs of Beirut targeted again by Israerli planes.
> 23h11: Israeli planes launch strikes on Naameh.
> 23h10: Lebanese Defense Minister, Elias Murr: The Lebanese Army is ready to engage in the battle if Israel launches a ground attack.
> 23h05: Nasrallah: Hizbullah is still facing the attacks, and did assimilate the first attack and is moving to the initiative phase.
> 23h04: Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah: I do not fight for the "Ouma" but loss or victory in this battle will reflect on the "Ouma". ("Ouma" refers to the Islamic or Arab world as a one nation.)
> 23h03: Nasrallah tells Al-Jazeera TV that the two captured Israeli soldiers would only be freed in the "context of an exchange" of prisoners.
> 23h01: Shakira, the International singer with Lebanese roots, is holding a campaign for peace in Lebanon.
> 23h00: Nasrallah denies Israeli claims that it destroyed 50% of Hizbullah strength.
> 22h59: Russian deputyFM visits Beirut onFriday.
> 22h58: Hundreds march inSyria in support for Lebanon.
> 22h57: Saudi FM criticize Israeli position.
> 22h56: Saniora: Washington encourages Israeli attack.
> 22h50: A Katyusha rocket hits North Galilee.
> 22h04: Israeli Air Force planes over Hermel.
> 21h55: Arz(Cedar)-Aynata road targeted.
> 21h45: Bombing from Israeli warship over Kasmiyeh in South Lebanon.
> 21h43: French FM tomorrow in Beirut.
> 21h40: Raids on extreme North of Lebanon.
> 21h39: Omr Moussa after talks with Solana: As long as there is land occupation, there will be resistance.
> 21h37: Israeli raid on Baalbeck and planes over the notrth.
> 21h36: Israeli TV: More than 9000 military plane take off since the start of the war.
> 21h17: Israeli planes over Baalbeck.
> 21h09: New Israeli raid on the Southern Suburb of Beirut.
> 21h07: Media reports: 9 Israeli soldiers trapped in Maroun al-Ras village and subjected to heavy Hizbullah pounding.
> 21h02: Hizbullah: We destroyed 2 Mirkava tanks on the border.
> 20h55: 4 Israeli soldiers dead in Maroun el Ras Clashes.
> 20h45: Lebanese police say that two British TV journalists thought abducted by Hizbullah in Beirut were in fact briefly detained by officers and released.
> 20h39: Reuters: Olmert allows the transport of Humanitarian aid into Lebanon. Mainly from Cyprus.
> 20h06: Closed session at the UN Security Council.> 19h57: Israeli General: The Israeli public is getting tired and wishes the war to end as soon as possible.
> 19h51: Hizbullah announces the destruction of a Israeli Mirkava tank in the Zareit barraks. Three of their crew are supposed to be wounded.
> 19h49: Israeli TV: The Israeli army was not yet able to retrieve the wounded soldiers from the battle ground.
> 19h43: 3 Israeli soldiers killed and 10 injured till now in clashes near Maroun el Ras.
> 19h29: Thousands protest in Haifa and Galilee to end the war and releasing the soldiers.
> 19h18: Hizbullah announced killing 2 Israeli soldiers and injuring 6 in Maroun el Ras.
> 10h09: Haaretz: 8 soldiers injured in border clashes with Hizbullah.
> 19h07: Hizbullah: An Israeli helicopter has been hit in Maroun el Ras near the border.
> 19h05: Security Source: Heavy bombing of Maroun el Ras following reports about an Israeli troops incursion.
> 18h50: Annan calls for an international conference to develop "precise timelines" for a speedy implementation of UN resolutions, notably regarding the disarming of Hizbullah.
> 18h45: Annan urges the Security Council to take "firm action" toward ensuring peace and stability in the Middle East.
> 18h40: Annan condemns Hizbullah for triggering the latest outbreak of violence in Lebanon but also slams Israel's "excessive use of force" in response.
> 18h30: UN chief Kofi Annan calls for an "immediate cessation of hostilities" in strife-torn Lebanon as he briefed the Security Council on UN mediation efforts.
> 18h26: 6 injuries in rockets fired on North Israel.
> 18h20: Israel accepts that it suffered big losses in clashes with Hizbullah.
> 18h15: The White House denies pressuring Israel to stopits attacks. 
> 18h14: US: Hizbullah went far in holding south Lebanon as an Hostage.
> 18h09: Prody after meeting Saad Hariri: Italy will try its best to reach a solution in the Middle East.
> 18h07: Israeli ambassador to Moscow: Our target is destroying the terrorist infrastructure of Hizbullah.
> 18h03: The relations with Spain did deteriorate due to Zapatero declarations.
> 17h51: An Israeli raid on the Southern suburb of Beirut.
> 17h49: Lebanese ONG and other citizens are protesting in Central Beirut.
> 17h39: New raids on Khiyam in the South.
> 17h37: Israeli Foreign Ministry: It is time to go back to the German mediation in order to liberate the kidnapped soldiers.
> 17h33: Hizbullah launches new missiles toward Haifa.
> 17h25: Israeli raids on areas in the South and a bridge. And other planes fly over Akkar.
> 17h17: Israeli TV declares that an Israeli helicopter was hit in clashes with Hizbullah.
> 17h14: US embassador meets with Saniora away from the media.
> 17h00: Israeli air force targets Khiam and Marjeyoun.
> 16h29: Fierce battle underway in Maroun el Ras near the border..
> 16h20: Israeli planes over many Lebanese regions mainly the South and the North.
> 16h16: Hizbullah targets Safed military HQ.
> 16h15: First French airplane carrying humanitarian aid leaves Paris.
> 16h12: Big battle in process in Maroun el Ras village in south Lebanon.
> 15h59: Israeli reinforcement on the borders.
> 15h43: New Clashes between IDF and Hizbullah in Maroun el Ras.
> 15h42: US Congress votes on Thursday on the possibility of supporting the Israeli attack on Lebanon.
> 15h26: Israeli Defense Minister, Peretz, does not dismiss a large scale invasion of Lebanon.
> 14h58: Raids targeting several bridges in South Lebanon.
> 14h34: Alert sirens blow again in Haifa and other areas of North Israel.
> 14h07: Hizbullah declares targeting the Northern Army Command region in Safad.
> 14h05: An exceptional Maronite Bishop meeting is scheduled for tomorrow morning.
> Maronite Patriarch: The Americans are interested in Lebanon and look forward for a cease-fire with acceptable conditions.
> 13h55: Russia: Israeli Attack is way beyond an anti-terrorism operation.
> 13h50: Hizbullah announce targeting Safad, Tabaryia and Kiryat Shmona with missiles.
> 13h40: About 500 French citizens have been evacuated from the South of Lebanon.
> 13h38: Australia: Israeli ban and attacks are delaying our evacuation plans.
> 13h30: The US citizen have been evacuated to USS Nashville. While US State Secretary warns Americans about dangers of travelling to Israel.
> 13h17: Clashes Between "IDF" and Hizbullah in several location along the borders.
> 13h14: US Marines are evacuating US nationals from Dbayyeh port.
> 13h09: Intense bombing of Srifa in South Lebanon.
> 13h02: Israeli Army fears a long campaign.
> 13h01: Israeli Source: Israel has several plans to invade Lebanon.
> 12h48: Israeli TV: Clashes with Hizbullah similar to Vietnam fights.
> 12h41: Hizbullah says all its leaders are safe and the party is ready to any eventuality.
> 12h31: LBC: Saniora declares to an Italian newspaper "Hizbullah made a state inside the state and should be disarmed".
> 12h31: Yediot Ahront: A huge fire in Kiryat Shmona due to a Hizbullah missile.
> 12h27: Hizbullah launches missiles at Safad, Carmiel, Tiberias and North Commandement HQ in Safad.
> 12h25: Israeli raids on several regions in the South of Lebanon.
> 12h19: Israeli Justice Minister: We are fighting a fierxw battle against well trained fighters and this costs us a lot of losses.
> 12h17: The US Marines are back to Beirut after 24 years in a rescue Mission.
> 12h15: A protest in Beirut Central District against the Israeli attack.
> 12h11: Israeli helicopters are patrolling in Kafra, Yater and Tibnin regions.
> Israeli Colonel: The Attack on Hizbullah was planned since long time.
> 12h04: Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Sfeir, reaches Bkirki.
> 11h44: 2 more israeli soldiers wounded in new clashes with Hizbullah fighters between Maroun el Ras and Aitaroun.
> 11h42: US Marines troops are helping in the evacuation of US citizens from Lebanon.
> 11h39: Israeli air force raids regions next to Tyr.
> 11h37: Hizbullah fighting with Israelis that entered inside Ayta el Chaeb.
> 11h29: Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir arrived to Awkar, north of Beirut, on board of an American Helicopter.
> 11h21: Israel targets a Plastic factory south of Saida.
> 11h11: Hermel raid targeted the building site of the company building the Hermel dam.
> 11h02: Hizbullah Katyusha missiles hit Galilée and  Carmiel.
> 10h59: Israeli soldier badly hit in clashes with Hizbullah fighters.
> 10h52: Hizbullah missiles hit north Galilee and Tabaryia.
> 10h40: Haaretz: Sirens sound in Tabaryia.
> 10h28: Raids on roads linking Hermel to Syria and on Al Manar TV broadcast antenna.
> 10h24: Raid on Khiam prison (famously used during the Israeli occupation of the Lebanese South).
> 10h18: Hizbullah repels Israeli trials to pull back one of the 2 destroyed tanks in Maroun el Ras.
> 10h17: Israeli Radio: Israel answers US demands to stop bombing Lebanese infrastructure. (one would wonder: was there anything left?)
> 10h07: Heavy raids on Ayta el Chaab in south Lebanon.
> 09h38: An Israeli raid near Justice Court in Baalbeck.
> 09h35: Israeli Planes flying over Keserwan, north of Beirut.
> 09h31: Successive raids on Hermel.
> 09h27: Israeli raid on Baalbeck.
> 09h26: UNIFIL tries to access Safraya where a massacre has reportedly happened, 20 town residents have been killed.
> 09h24: Israeli strikes on Khiyam plain.
> 07h45: Hizbullah destroys 2 Israeli near Maroun el Ras.
> 07h44: Clashes between Hizbullah and Israel on the borders.
> 05h47: Air Strike on the Hizbullah HQ stronghold Souh of Beirut.
> 04h10: Israeli planes over the Bekaa and Beirut.
> 03h40: Isareli shelling on Wadi Kfour near Nabatiyeh.
> 03h30: Israeli planes over South Beirut again.
> 03h00: Raids on Saida neigborhood.
> 02h41: Heavy Israeli flights over South Beirut.
> 01h40: Israeli raid on Akkar killing 2 civilians.
> 01h30: Conflicting reports about who was i