Mideast cease-fire starts tomorrow: Annan

[Owais]

Mideast cease-fire starts tomorrow: Annan BEIRUT: U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan announced that a cease-fire in the Hezbollah-Israel fighting would take effect at 8 a.m. Lebanese time (1 a.m. EDT) tomorrow (Monday).

Annan said in a statement distributed in Beirut early Sunday that he had been in touch with Prime Ministers Fuad Saniora of Lebanon and Ehud Olmert of Israel to discuss the exact time and date when the cessation of hostilities called for by a U.N. Security Council resolution will enter into force.

"I am happy to announce that the two leaders have agreed that the cessation of hostilities and the end of the fighting will enter into force on 14 August, at 0500 hours GMT," the statement said.

Hezbollah's leader on Saturday grudgingly joined Lebanon's government in accepting the U.N. resolution but vowed to keep fighting until Israeli troops leave and hand over territory to a muscular U.N. peacekeeping force intended to separate the antagonists.

Israel also signaled its intention to approve the plan, and a senior official predicted fighting would stop Monday morning, but there was no slowing in the bloodshed.

 

[Owais]

UN Security Council unanimously passes resolution calling for ceasefire in Lebanon UNITED NATIONS: The UN Security Council on Saturday unanimously passed a resolution calling for a cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah and the deployment of a 15,000-strong international force in Lebanon.

Resolution 1701 calls, drawn up by the United States and France, for Israeli troops to be withdrawn after an end to the fighting. It says Hezbollah must end its attacks on Israel and for Israel to end "offensive military operations".

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told the council the resolution could lay the basis for a lasting peace between Israel and Lebanon.

But UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said the time it had taken the major powers to call for a cessation of hostilities had "badly shaken" the world's faith in the council.

The resolution calls on Lebanon and the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to "deploy their forces together", while calling on Israel "as that deployment begins, to withdraw all of its forces from southern Lebanon in parallel."

The first version of the text submitted by Paris and Washington a week ago had not mentioned a withdrawal and Lebanon had objected, demanding an immediate Israeli pullout after fighting ends.

The resolution authorizes "an increase in the force strength of UNIFIL to a maximum of 15,000 troops".

UNIFIL, which currently has about 1,190 troops in southern Lebanon, would monitor the cessation of hostilities and any permanent ceasefire that is negotiated.

The force would support Lebanese armed forces as they deploy across the region now dominated by Hezbollah and which has come under intense attack in the Israeli offensive since July 12.

UNIFIL would also help humanitarian work in Lebanon following the devastating conflict which has seen more than 1,100 Lebanese and Israelis killed.

The Israeli cabinet is to discuss the resolution on Sunday but a government spokesman said Prime Minister Ehud Olmert would urge its acceptance. The Lebanese cabinet is to consider the resolution on Saturday.

 

[Owais]

Hizbullah says will abide by UN-approved ceasefire


BEIRUT (updated on: August 12, 2006, 21:38 PST): Hizbullah said on Saturday it would abide by any UN-backed cease-fire in Lebanon, but would resist Israeli troops expanding their offensive in the south.

Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the Shia guerrillas, said Hizbullah would co-operate with Lebanese and UN troops due to be deployed in south Lebanon under a Security Council resolution adopted on Friday to end the month-old war.

"Once there is an agreement to stop the hostilities or the military operations, the resistance will abide by it," Nasrallah said in a speech broadcast on Hizbullah's al-Manar television.

But he said Hizbullah had the right to resist any Israeli soldiers who remained on Lebanese soil.

Despite the UN resolution's demand for a "full cessation of hostilities", the Israeli army pushed deeper into Lebanon and air strikes killed up to 20 people on Saturday.

Helicopters lifted hundreds of Israeli troops into the south as part of an expanding offensive launched even though Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has backed the UN vote. Olmert was expected to ask his cabinet to approve the resolution on Sunday.

Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said the final resolution was a victory for Lebanese diplomacy.

"The resolution is a triumph for the Lebanese negotiators, compared to the previous draft," he told reporters before an emergency cabinet session to discuss the UN measure.

US President George W. Bush welcomed the resolution, accusing Hizbullah and its sponsors Iran and Syria had brought an "unwanted" war to the region.

Israel's top general said the offensive would go on until it was clear how any UN-backed cease-fire would take effect.

"We will continue to operate until we achieve our aims," Lieutenant-General Dan Halutz told reporters.

Hizbullah fired at least 30 rockets into Israel and medics said three people were lightly wounded.

A UN envoy said earlier the United Nations expected the Israeli assault to wind down in one to two days and an expanded international force to begin deploying in a week to 10 days.

"We are not starting from zero," Alvaro de Soto, the UN special envoy for the Middle East peace process, said, adding that several countries had offered contingents for the force.

The UN resolution authorises up to 15,000 UN troops to move into Lebanon to enforce a cease-fire. France is widely expected to lead the force, which will expand the existing UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), but have a stronger mandate.

UN PEACEKEEPER WOUNDED

Bush said the UN resolution aimed to "stop Hizbullah from acting as a state within a state, and put an end to Iran and Syria's efforts to hold the Lebanese people hostage to their own extremist agenda".

French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy made clear in an interview with Le Monde newspaper that the mission of the larger UNIFIL would not include disarming Hizbullah by force.

"We never thought a purely military solution could resolve the problem of Hizbullah," he said. "We are agreed on the goal, the disarmament, but for us the means are purely political."

UNIFIL said a Ghanaian peacekeeper had been wounded by Israeli artillery fire near the southern village of Haris.

Relief officials said Israel was still denying permission for aid convoys to reach distressed civilians in south Lebanon.

Israeli troops pushed west towards Ghandouriyeh, a village 11 km (7 miles) inside Lebanon, their furthest penetration yet, security sources said.

Hizbullah said it had destroyed 16 tanks in the fighting and inflicted heavy Israeli casualties.

The Israeli army said more than 30 soldiers had been wounded. It said it had killed more than 40 Hizbullah fighters in the last 24 hours and destroyed several rocket launchers.

Air strikes in the south killed up to 15 people in the village of Rshaf and four civilians in Kharayeb, security sources said. Raids in the Bekaa Valley killed one civilian.

The UN resolution said Hizbullah must halt all attacks and Israel must stop "all offensive military operations".

At least 1,061 people in Lebanon and 124 Israelis have been killed in the war that began on July 12.

The planned UN force will monitor the withdrawal of Israeli troops and help the Lebanese army maintain a cease-fire.

The resolution stipulates that after fighting stops, Israel must withdraw all its forces from Lebanon at the earliest opportunity, in tandem with a UN-Lebanese troop deployment.

It also calls for a zone between the Litani river and the Israeli border "free of any armed personnel, assets and weapons" other than those of the UN-Lebanese forces, implying a Hizbullah withdrawal or disarmament

 

[Owais]

Israel to maintain Lebanon blockade: source


JERUSALEM (updated on: August 14, 2006, 14:31 PST): Israeli forces will maintain their air and sea blockade on Lebanon despite the start of a cease-fire with Hizbullah guerrillas on Monday, a military source said.

"The air and sea closure will continue until a mechanism is in place to oversee and stop weapons smuggling," the source said.

 

[Owais]

Fragile UN-brokered truce begins in Lebanon


BEIRUT (updated on: August 14, 2006, 17:46 PST): Heavy fighting in southern Lebanon stopped abruptly on Monday after a UN-brokered truce came into effect, but the shooting of two Hizbullah guerrillas by Israeli troops underlined the fragility of the calm.

Security sources in south Lebanon said Israeli air strikes and artillery fire continued until just a few minutes before the truce took effect at 0500 GMT. Then there was silence.

The Israeli army said soldiers shot dead a Hizbullah fighter in southern Lebanon after he opened fire on them, marking the first casualty since the truce started. It said soldiers elsewhere shot another Hizbullah guerrilla who had approached them and aimed a gun at them. It was not known if he was killed.

Thousands of Lebanese displaced by five weeks of fighting headed south towards their homes, choking bomb-damaged roads with their cars in spite of a warning from Israel not to return to the area. Drivers honked their horns in celebration.

"I'm so excited to see my home," said Sanaa Ayyad, carrying a baby while two young boys followed her. "I'd heard news it was completely destroyed, but even if there's one room intact, I will stay there with my children."

In northern Israel, soldiers coming out of Lebanon were greeted with hugs and handshakes by their comrades. Streets became busier as residents emerged from homes and bomb shelters.

"I feel safer," said 12-year-old Johnny Wena, riding his bicycle through the streets of Metula. "I think Israel will have to go in again at some point, but for now I'm enjoying myself."

Around 1,100 people in Lebanon, mostly civilians, and 156 Israelis, including 116 soldiers, have been killed in the war that began after Hizbullah captured two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid on July 12.

Israel says around 530 Hizbullah guerrillas were killed in the war. Hizbullah has acknowledged only about 80 dead.

Thousands of Israeli troops remain in southern Lebanon, and they are not expected to withdraw fully until an expanded UNIFIL peacekeeping force arrives alongside Lebanese troops.

"We are entering the stage of a cease-fire. The firing is over," a senior Israeli army officer said over the radio, giving orders to his soldiers.

"We hope the cease-fire will be kept. We are asking you to stay alert and prepare as Hizbullah could still break it."

A senior Lebanese political source said contacts were under way to arrange the deployment of the Lebanese army in the south. He said the deployment could not happen before Sunday.

BOTH SIDES CLAIM VICTORY

Israel's government says it inflicted a heavy blow on Hizbullah in the war. "We did not fail in this war," Interior Minister Roni Bar-On said. "The capabilities of (Hizbullah's) long-range rockets have been minimised almost to zero."

Hizbullah has also claimed victory. A flyer distributed in Beirut proclaimed "the divine victory" and showed a Hizbullah flag flying above a rocket launcher and two guerrillas.

Israel said a ban on unauthorised traffic south of the Litani river remained in place, and that any vehicles on the roads risked attack. An air and sea blockade of Lebanon would also continue, a military source said.

"We call on Lebanese residents not to return for now to areas south of the Litani until the deployment of the Lebanese army and UNIFIL," army spokesman Captain Jacob Dallal said. "This is to ensure the safety of the civilians."

Aid groups said they needed swift access to southern Lebanon to help 100,000 people stranded in the area south of the Litani river, which has not been reached by aid convoys for a week.

"With the cease-fire in place, there can no longer be any no-go areas in Lebanon," David Shearer, the UN humanitarian coordinator in Lebanon, said in a statement.

An Israeli air strike on a van on the outskirts of the eastern city of Baalbek killed seven people minutes before the truce began, Lebanese medical sources said. Earlier air raids killed at least 11 people.

Under a UN Security Council resolution adopted on Friday, Israeli forces must start to withdraw as foreign peacekeepers and Lebanese soldiers deploy in the south. Hizbullah must also pull its fighters out of southern Lebanon.

Hizbullah has said it accepts the UN resolution although it regards some aspects of it as unjust. The group has said it will cooperate with the peacekeeping force and Lebanese troops that deploy in the south, but has not said whether it will pull out its forces from the area south of the Litani river.

The truce has not resolved many key issues including the fate of the two captured Israeli soldiers, the question of whether Hizbullah will disarm and the status of the Shebaa Farms area which is claimed by Lebanon but occupied by Israel.

The war in Lebanon coincided with an Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip to free another captured soldier.

An Israeli air strike on Monday killed three Palestinians in the Gaza Strip shortly after at least one rocket was fired into Israel from the area, doctors said. The Israeli army said it had targeted militants who had launched the rockets.

 

[A.Rahman]

As a Cease-Fire Draws Near, Israel Seeks an Edge
Analysis: Having failed to deliver a knockout blow in Lebanon, Israeli forces pummel Hizballah in the hope of creating a perception of victory

In boxing terms, Israel's war with Hizballah is heading for a draw. The U.N. Security Council cease-fire proposal has sounded the bell for the last round, with the combatants having hurt each other, but never landing a decisive blow — or appearing likely to. The remainder of the bout will see a flurry of punches thrown by both fighters in the hope of persuading the judges to award a victory on points.


The U.N. truce would force both sides to accept an outcome far short of what they had sought going into the clash. It envisages an immediate cessation of hostilities, followed by a phased Israeli withdrawal with Lebanese Army troops, backed by a dramatically upgraded U.N. force, taking control of areas vacated by the Israelis. Southern Lebanon below the Litani River would become demilitarized, although the resolution does not specifically stipulate Hizballah disarmament, it does call for an arms embargo that would help facilitate that long-standing U.N. demand. Hizballah loses control of southern Lebanon and, eventually, its profile as a resistance army. But Hizballah's military arm remains alive and kicking after an onslaught aimed at reaffirming Israel's deterrent power by eliminating the Shi'ite militia.

So, each side now faces the challenge of painting the truce as a victory.
Claiming victory may be harder for the Israeli leadership, which initially defined success by the image of Hizballah leader Hassan Nasrallah either dead or crying for mercy, his army and its rockets scattered to the four winds. Instead, Israeli leaders now have to convince their increasingly skeptical citizens that the war has been won. It's hardly surprising, then, that Israel is using the interlude before the truce takes effect — Israeli officials are reported as saying that moment will come at 7am on Monday — to drive deep into Lebanon to draw whatever blood and teeth as they can from Hizballah. Even that may not be enough to sway an Israeli public openly doubtful that the war has been won. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has seen his poll numbers take a dive similar to those of President Bush, from upward of 70 percent approval to figures in the low 40s — except that while Bush's slide occurred over the four years that followed 9/11, Olmert's came in just four weeks of war. The Prime Minister has looked skittish and indecisive, caught between the impulses of escalation and restraint, and apparently more reliant on signals from Washington than Israeli leaders prefer to show themselves to be.

Ari Shavit, writing in the left-of-center daily Haaretz on Friday, offered a savage critique of Olmert accepting a truce while failing to finish off Hizballah: "If Olmert runs away now from the war he initiated, he will not be able to remain prime minister for even one more day," wrote Shavit. "You cannot lead an entire nation to war promising victory, produce humiliating defeat and remain in power. You cannot bury 120 Israelis in cemeteries, keep a million Israelis in shelters for a month, wear down deterrent power, bring the next war very close, and then say — oops, I made a mistake. That was not the intention."

Even if it's not as brutal as Shavit's, the judgment of Olmert's leadership by Israelis across the political spectrum may not be much more forgiving. A prime minister dependent on a diverse coalition to keep him in power may have been turned into a lame duck by the indecisive outcome of the clash with Hizballah.

Hizballah, for its part, has achieved the "victory" of surviving the Israeli onslaught, and has burnished its standing in the Arab world by its ability to land painful blows on Israel. That will spur it to seek the last word and deny Israel's efforts to shape perceptions of the outcome. Nasrallah on Saturday accepted the cease-fire plan despite reservations, but made clear that his men will keep fighting Israeli forces that remain on Lebanese soil even if they ceases rocket fire into Israel. The Israelis want the closing image of the war to show their forces taking control of Hizballah-land in southern Lebanon; Hizballah wants the final frame to be the Israelis retreating under fire.
Still, whatever the final image, Hizballah will have lost substantial ground militarily. It will be forced to cede control of southern Lebanon to the Lebanese Army, which it had previously resisted, and will have seen much of its capability to strike Israel with missiles neutered. The political path ahead remains perilous for a movement now forced to choose between its identity as an anti-Israel resistance and as a Lebanese political party and social movement. Although Hizballah won't put down its weapons immediately, the pressure to do so — or, at least, to put them under the control of the Lebanese Army — will soon be overwhelming. And to the extent that Iran had relied on Hizballah's rocket capability in southern Lebanon to help deter U.S. or Israeli attacks against its nuclear facilities, full implementation of the cease-fire will have weakened Tehran's deterrent.

But with the fight raging on for a final round despite the fighters having touched gloves under the referee's supervision in anticipation of the final bell, a final verdict may be premature. Both sides will want to inflict maximum pain in the coming hours, and fighting on the ground will escalate — Israel lost a further seven soldiers Saturday, and fierce fighting in the coming hours portends more casualties on both sides. Come Monday morning, the situation on the ground will find the fighters in a clinch, and very likely trading punches even after the bell — punches whose consequences are always unpredictable.
—With reporting by Aaron Klein/Jerusalem

 

[A.Rahman]

Source: TIME

 

[Owais]

UN calls for up to 3,500 peacekeepers in Lebanon within two weeks

NEW YORK: The United Nations called for up to 3,500 international peacekeepers to be deployed to southern Lebanon within 15 days as part of a plan to beef up an existing UN force there, a senior UN official said Wednesday.

"We would like to see 3,000 to 3,500 troops within 10 days to two weeks," said Hedi Annabi, the assistant secretary-general for peacekeeping operations.

"That would be ideal to help consolidate the cessation of hostilities and start the process of withdrawal and deployment of the Lebanese forces as foreseen in the resolution," Annabi said,
referring to UN Resolution 1701 passed late last week by the Security Council to end the conflict.

"The initial steps can be taken quite fast if the political will is there," he said.

UN Security Council Resolution 1701, unanimously adopted Friday, mandates that the multinational UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) will swell from its current level of 1,990 troops to 15,000.

No precise timetable has been set for the deployment of the force, which will likely include contingents from France, Italy, Malaysia, Belgium and another half-dozen countries.

Resolution 1701 calls for the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon as UNIFIL forces take up position.

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said Monday that he had not yet received firm commitments from countries who have said they may contribute troops to the international contingent.

Operating in southern Lebanon for 28 years, UNIFIL's rolling mandate was extended for one month by a UN Security Council vote on July 31. It currently counts troops from China, France, Ghana, India, Ireland, Italy, Poland and Ukraine, under French command.

 

[Owais]

Arab world sees hope, Israel 'godfather of global terrorism'


AMMAN (updated on: August 15, 2006, 23:22 PST): The Arab world reacted with some hope and much scepticism on Tuesday to the UN-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hizbullah that brought fragile peace to south Lebanon after a month-long conflict.

Jordan, which years ago signed a peace treaty with Israel, said it hoped the ceasefire will hold but added that a solution to the Palestinian issue was at the core of lasting regional peace.

"Jordan supports the positions of the Lebanese government and actively called for a ceasefire from the onset of the Israeli aggression on Lebanon," government spokesman Nasser Jawdeh said.

But he added that "the root causes (of Mideast instability) should be addressed ... in particular the Palestinian question."

Jawdeh reiterated that Jordan will not send troops to Lebanon but would continue to provide help in rebuilding the country.

"Jordan will provide every logistical support that is needed, if it is requested, but certainly we will not be taking part in the (UN) force," he said.

In Egypt, the first Arab country to make peace with Israel, a leading MP in President Hosni Mubarak's ruling party called Israel the "godfather of global terrorism".

Mustafa al-Fiqi, chairman of parliament's foreign affairs committee, wrote in the Arabic-language daily Al-Hayat that "what happened in Lebanon brings to mind Nazi practices ... and has sown hate and rancour for future Arab generations against this aggressive state that is Israel.

"To be victims of Nazi gas chambers does not give them the right to commit similar crimes against other people," he added.

Writing in the mass-circulation government paper Al-Ahram, commentator Fahmi Howeidi took issue with those who "minimise Hizbullah's great victory".

In the same paper Mostafa Sami wrote: "The US-Israeli plot will not stop in Lebanon -- it will get even bigger to touch the entire Arab world."

Gulf newspapers accused Israel of continuing the war by maintaining its air and sea blockade of Lebanon.

Israel may have stopped the bombardment on Monday, "but its war on Lebanon continues by other means. In fact, besieging Lebanon, denying it access to aid supplies, is an act of war," wrote the Emirati daily Gulf News.

"The world should also make it clear to Israel that no truce can hold as long as its troops remain in any part of Lebanon," it said, adding that fighting the occupation is "not only legitimate but also a duty" under international law.

Qatar's Al-Watan cautioned against Israel's "old habit" of "interpreting or distorting" UN resolutions so as to ultimately flout them.

"What does the international community, specifically the permanent members of the UN Security Council, have to say about the Jewish state's arrogant announcement that it will maintain the blockade on Lebanon?" the paper asked.

"Doesn't imposing such a blockade amount to an act of war that violates Security Council Resolution 1701 (which established a cessation of hostilities)?"

Dubai's Al-Bayan pointed to "the consensus among writers in Israel and the West" that the Jewish state had failed to score a victory in its month-long "criminal aggression" against Lebanon.

This is because "Lebanon's heroic people refused to be defeated and rallied behind their resistance (Hizbullah)," the paper said.

Al-Khaleej, another Emirati daily, poured praise on "the great Lebanese people" who stood fast in the face of Israel's onslaught and streamed back to the towns and villages from which they fled during the fighting the moment the guns fell silent.

"There are some who still ask: who won? It is the willpower of the Lebanese that won," the paper said.

But Saudi Arabia's Al-Watan warned that Israel might exploit divisions among the Lebanese over the issue of disarming of Hizbullah.

Moves to complete implementation of Resolution 1701 "necessitate a single Lebanese position and a single negotiator" speaking on Beirut's behalf, the paper said.

One sign of hope, according to the Jordan Times, was that since the ceasefire Israel and the Hizbullah "appear to be acting with wisdom, something sorely lacking in the past month".

In a editorial headlined "So far, so good", the English-language daily warned that any lasting solution demands an Israeli pullout from south Lebanon, including the contested Shebaa Farms, and from all occupied Arab land.

"If there is any silver lining to last month's unnecessary bloodshed it may be a final resolution of all outstanding issues between Lebanon and Israel," the newspaper said.

"Only then can Hizbullah be pressured properly into disarming and making a final transition from a resistance movement to a purely socio-political one."

 

[Owais]

Israel violated Lebanon ceasefire: Annan

UNITED NATIONS: Israel has violated the terms of a UN-mandated halt to fighting in Lebanon, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said Saturday, calling on all parties to respect an embargo on unauthorized arms shipments to Lebanon.

"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," a statement issued by Annan's
spokesman said.

"The incident involved an Israeli raid in eastern Lebanon on Saturday. According to UNIFIL, there have also been several air violations by Israeli military aircraft," it said.

"All such violations of Security Council Resolution 1701 endanger the fragile calm that was reached after much negotiation and undermine the authority of the government of Lebanon."

Annan discussed the matter with Israel Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora Saturday, the UN chief's spokesman said.

Israeli commandos mounted a deadly raid deep inside Lebanon Saturday in the biggest challenge yet to the six-day-old ceasefire that brought a halt to a month of devastating conflict.

Israel said the raid was aimed at blocking weapons shipments to the Shiite militia Hezbollah from Iran and Syria.

Lebanon warned it might suspend its troop deployment to Hezbollah's stronghold in the south if the UN failed to ensure Israel honored the UN resolution.

Annan has requested daily reports of compliance with the ceasefire to be provided to the Security Council, according to his spokesman.

"The Secretary-General further calls on all parties to respect strictly the arms embargo, exercise maximum restraint, avoid provocative actions and display responsibility in implementing
resolution 1701," the statement read.

The UN Security Council resolution was unanimously approved August 11 after the fighting between Israel and the Shiite militia Hezbollah based in Lebanon had killed almost 1,450 people, mostly Lebanese civilians, according to a news agency's tally.

 

[Owais]

Israel says UN truce violation sparked commando raid

JERUSALEM: Israel said Saturday that its overnight commando raid deep inside Lebanon was in response to Hezbollah's violation of the UN-brokered truce deal, which bans the transfer of weapons to the militia.

"Israel was acting because there was a violation of the resolution," foreign ministry spokesman Mark Regev said.

Israel said it staged a commando operation near the eastern town of Baalbek to prevent cross-border arms smuggling from Syria and Iran to Hezbollah.

"We wouldn't have acted if Mr Siniora had deployed forces at the border with Syria to prevent incoming arms shipments to Hezbollah," Regev said.

"We were responding to a frequent violation of the ceasefire," he added, referring to a provision in the UN Security Council resolution that bans the supply of arms to any group unless authorised by the government.

 

[sigatoka]

Israel says UN truce violation sparked commando raid

Israel said it staged a commando operation near the eastern town of Baalbek to prevent cross-border arms smuggling from Syria and Iran to Hezbollah.

"We wouldn't have acted if Mr Siniora had deployed forces at the border with Syria to prevent incoming arms shipments to Hezbollah," Regev said.

"We were responding to a frequent violation of the ceasefire," he added, referring to a provision in the UN Security Council resolution that bans the supply of arms to any group unless authorised by the government.

Israel's political leaderships is under immense pressure from the population to continue the conflict with Hezbollah. Such raids are a way to cater to their populations wishes and which can only lead to further losses. (They lost a commando in the raid i believe)

 

[A.Rahman]

Israel's political leaderships is under immense pressure from the population to continue the conflict with Hezbollah. Such raids are a way to cater to their populations wishes and which can only lead to further losses. (They lost a commando in the raid i believe)

A List of UN SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTIONS against Israel

1955-1992:
* Resolution 106: " . . . 'condemns' Israel for Gaza raid".
* Resolution 111: " . . . 'condemns' Israel for raid on Syria that killed fifty-six people".
* Resolution 127: " . . . 'recommends' Israel suspends it's 'no-man's zone' in Jerusalem".
* Resolution 162: " . . . 'urges' Israel to comply with UN decisions".
* Resolution 171: " . . . determines flagrant violations' by Israel in its attack on Syria".
* Resolution 228: " . . . 'censures' Israel for its attack on Samu in the West Bank, then under Jordanian control".
* Resolution 237: " . . . 'urges' Israel to allow return of new 1967 Palestinian refugees".
* Resolution 248: " . . . 'condemns' Israel for its massive attack on Karameh in Jordan".
* Resolution 250: " . . . 'calls' on Israel to refrain from holding military parade in Jerusalem".
* Resolution 251: " . . . 'deeply deplores' Israeli military parade in Jerusalem in defiance of Resolution 250".
* Resolution 252: " . . . 'declares invalid' Israel's acts to unify Jerusalem as Jewish capital".
* Resolution 256: " . . . 'condemns' Israeli raids on Jordan as 'flagrant violation".
* Resolution 259: " . . . 'deplores' Israel's refusal to accept UN mission to probe occupation".
* Resolution 262: " . . . 'condemns' Israel for attack on Beirut airport".
* Resolution 265: " . . . 'condemns' Israel for air attacks for Salt in Jordan".
* Resolution 267: " . . . 'censures' Israel for administrative acts to change the status of Jerusalem".
*Resolution 270: " . . . 'condemns' Israel for air attacks on villages in southern Lebanon".
* Resolution 271: " . . . 'condemns' Israel's failure to obey UN resolutions on Jerusalem".
* Resolution 279: " . . . 'demands' withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon".
* Resolution 280: " . . . 'condemns' Israeli's attacks against Lebanon".
* Resolution 285: " . . . 'demands' immediate Israeli withdrawal form Lebanon".
* Resolution 298: " . . . 'deplores' Israel's changing of the status of Jerusalem".
* Resolution 313: " . . . 'demands' that Israel stop attacks against Lebanon".
* Resolution 316: " . . . 'condemns' Israel for repeated attacks on Lebanon".
* Resolution 317: " . . . 'deplores' Israel's refusal to release Arabs abducted in Lebanon".
* Resolution 332: " . . . 'condemns' Israel's repeated attacks against Lebanon".
* Resolution 337: " . . . 'condemns' Israel for violating Lebanon's sovereignty".
* Resolution 347: " . . . 'condemns' Israeli attacks on Lebanon".
* Resolution 425: " . . . 'calls' on Israel to withdraw its forces from Lebanon".
* Resolution 427: " . . . 'calls' on Israel to complete its withdrawal from Lebanon.
* Resolution 444: " . . . 'deplores' Israel's lack of cooperation with UN peacekeeping forces".
* Resolution 446: " . . . 'determines' that Israeli settlements are a 'serious
obstruction' to peace and calls on Israel to abide by the Fourth Geneva Convention".
* Resolution 450: " . . . 'calls' on Israel to stop attacking Lebanon".
* Resolution 452: " . . . 'calls' on Israel to cease building settlements in occupied territories".
* Resolution 465: " . . . 'deplores' Israel's settlements and asks all member
states not to assist Israel's settlements program".
* Resolution 467: " . . . 'strongly deplores' Israel's military intervention in Lebanon".
* Resolution 468: " . . . 'calls' on Israel to rescind illegal expulsions of
two Palestinian mayors and a judge and to facilitate their return".
* Resolution 469: " . . . 'strongly deplores' Israel's failure to observe the
council's order not to deport Palestinians".
* Resolution 471: " . . . 'expresses deep concern' at Israel's failure to abide
by the Fourth Geneva Convention".
* Resolution 476: " . . . 'reiterates' that Israel's claim to Jerusalem are 'null and void'".
* Resolution 478: " . . . 'censures (Israel) in the strongest terms' for its
claim to Jerusalem in its 'Basic Law'".
* Resolution 484: " . . . 'declares it imperative' that Israel re-admit two deported
Palestinian mayors".
* Resolution 487: " . . . 'strongly condemns' Israel for its attack on Iraq's
nuclear facility".
* Resolution 497: " . . . 'decides' that Israel's annexation of Syria's Golan
Heights is 'null and void' and demands that Israel rescinds its decision forthwith".
* Resolution 498: " . . . 'calls' on Israel to withdraw from Lebanon".
* Resolution 501: " . . . 'calls' on Israel to stop attacks against Lebanon and withdraw its troops".
* Resolution 509: " . . . 'demands' that Israel withdraw its forces forthwith and unconditionally from Lebanon".
* Resolution 515: " . . . 'demands' that Israel lift its siege of Beirut and
allow food supplies to be brought in".
* Resolution 517: " . . . 'censures' Israel for failing to obey UN resolutions
and demands that Israel withdraw its forces from Lebanon".
* Resolution 518: " . . . 'demands' that Israel cooperate fully with UN forces in Lebanon".
* Resolution 520: " . . . 'condemns' Israel's attack into West Beirut".
* Resolution 573: " . . . 'condemns' Israel 'vigorously' for bombing Tunisia
in attack on PLO headquarters.
* Resolution 587: " . . . 'takes note' of previous calls on Israel to withdraw
its forces from Lebanon and urges all parties to withdraw".
* Resolution 592: " . . . 'strongly deplores' the killing of Palestinian students
at Bir Zeit University by Israeli troops".
* Resolution 605: " . . . 'strongly deplores' Israel's policies and practices
denying the human rights of Palestinians.
* Resolution 607: " . . . 'calls' on Israel not to deport Palestinians and strongly
requests it to abide by the Fourth Geneva Convention.
* Resolution 608: " . . . 'deeply regrets' that Israel has defied the United Nations and deported Palestinian civilians".
* Resolution 636: " . . . 'deeply regrets' Israeli deportation of Palestinian civilians.
* Resolution 641: " . . . 'deplores' Israel's continuing deportation of Palestinians.
* Resolution 672: " . . . 'condemns' Israel for violence against Palestinians
at the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount.
* Resolution 673: " . . . 'deplores' Israel's refusal to cooperate with the United
Nations.
* Resolution 681: " . . . 'deplores' Israel's resumption of the deportation of
Palestinians.
* Resolution 694: " . . . 'deplores' Israel's deportation of Palestinians and
calls on it to ensure their safe and immediate return.
* Resolution 726: " . . . 'strongly condemns' Israel's deportation of Palestinians.
* Resolution 799: ". . . 'strongly condemns' Israel's deportation of 413 Palestinians
and calls for their immediate return.

how can you expect them to honor the cease fire?

 

[Neo]

Good find Rahman, I was looking for it!
Thanks!

 

[Averroes]

Try getting a list of UN resolutions where the US has vetoed against it. Recently it was against the resolution for Israel to stop its aggression in Gaza, the aerial bombardment and kidnappings.