Israeli Force Made Brief Penetration into South Lebanon

An Israeli force made of eight soldiers has made a brief penetration into south Lebanon in violation of U.N. resolutions, media reports said Saturday.
Citing security sources, they said the force on Friday penetrated 100 meters into Mais al-Jabal in the Marjayoun province before pulling out.

Lebanese army patrolmen and Nepalese troops from the U.N. peacekeeping force headed to the area to monitor the movement.

The sources said the Israeli force pulled out about 15 minutes later.

Lebanese bombarded with more phone messages from ‘Israel’

BEIRUT: Lebanese citizens on Thursday reported receiving recorded phone messages asking for information about missing Israeli soldiers.

The message asks people to view an Israeli Web site or call a phone number in the United Kingdom if they have any information on the whereabouts of the missing troops.

The Web site, http://www.10million.org, belongs to a foundation set up by the Israeli government, according to the Associated Press. The site pictures five missing Israeli soldiers, including Ron Arad, whose plane was shot down over Lebanon in 1986. The Web site, in English, Arabic and Farsi, offers a $10 million reward for information on any of the missing troops.

One editor for The Daily Star and three Associated Press staffers were among those who received the calls on their mobile telephones Thursday. A foundation spokeswoman refused to say if it was behind the calls.

Last month, similar messages in Lebanon criticized Hizbullah’s leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and prompted Lebanese outrage over what some officials said was the Jewish state’s tampering with Lebanon’s telecommunications system.Telecommunications Minister Jebran Bassil said last month that he wrote a letter of protest to United Nations chief Ban Ki Moon protesting over the messages, calling them a violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the summer 2006 war with Israel.

Israel’s Defense Ministry declined to comment on those claims. But an Israeli official told AFP that Israel uses “all sorts of methods to weaken Hizbullah” and that it was engaged in “intelligence and electronic warfare” against the group.

Many Lebanese had received similar phone messages urging them not to support Hizbullah during the course of the 2006 war, a conflict which killed more than 1,200 Lebanese, mostly civilians and more than 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers. – The Daily Star, with agencies

Israel Warns Citizens Against Hizbullah Abduction Attacks

Israel on Wednesday issued a severe warning claiming that Hizbullah is seeking to kidnap Israelis abroad.
Israel’s counter-terror bureau issued the warning at a peak traveling season for Israelis, calling on tourists and businessmen to take special precaution in hotels, restaurants and recreational spots.

“The Hizbullah organization is unremitting in its efforts to attack Israelis throughout the world, with its emphasis on kidnappings,” a statement said.

“Avoid allowing entrance to your hotel room or apartment by unexpected or suspicious visitors,” it added.

Israelis were also urged to turn down “unexpected and alluring proposals in both business and recreation” and to alter routines and habits.

The anti-terror bureau earlier this year had warned that Hizbullah was seeking to target or abduct Israelis abroad following the assassination of top Hizbullah commander Imad Mughniyeh in Damascus in February.

Hizbullah has accused the Jewish state of responsibility for Mughniyeh’s assassination, something Israel has denied.

In 2000, Hizbullah snatched Israeli businessman Elhanan Tannenbaum after luring him to the United Arab Emirates. He was released in January 2004 as part of a prisoner exchange deal with the group.(AFP)

UNIFIL chief accuses Israel of violating Resolution 1701

Maj.-Gen. Claudio Graziano, head of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) on Thursday accused Israel of unilaterally violating UN Security Council Resolution 1701, the cease-fire agreement that ended the 33-day-long Second Lebanon War.

Ambassador Dan Carmon, head of Israel’s UN delegation, met with the UNIFIL chief on Friday over the remarks he made about Israel.

Graziano made his comments at a press conference at UN headquarters in New York. He said that continued Israel Air Force flights in Lebanese airspace and Israel’s refusal to submit maps of areas on which it dropped cluster bombs during the war constituted a “permanent violation of 1701.”
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Graziano also referred to the village of Ghajar, which sits on the Israel-Lebanon border, as “a permanent area under occupation.”

The Italian general, meanwhile, said that Hezbollah recognizes Resolution 1701, and that the militant Lebanese group and UNIFIL forces enjoy excellent cooperation with one another. He added that apart from UN and Lebanese soldiers and local hunters, no one is armed south of the Litani River.

When asked about the smuggling of weapons into Lebanon, Graziano said he could not ensure that the area under his jurisdiction would be impenetrable, though he said there is no evidence of arms smuggling nor has there been movement of armed gunmen.

Graziano would not comment on the newly sworn-in Lebanese cabinet whose guidelines state that Hezbollah has the right to “liberate occupied lands,” but he did say it was important for Lebanon to carry out its obligations as well.

The United States has expressed anger at the new Lebanese president, Michel Suleiman, and Prime Minister Fouad Siniora for yielding to Hezbollah’s demands on various matters.

Israeli defense officials have said the new Lebanese government platform is a worrisome development that attests to Hezbollah’s growing strength as well as the continuing disintegration of Resolution 1701.

Israeli defense officials believe Hezbollah is seeking a new pretext for prolonging its armed struggle with Israel. One of the possibilities being examined by the Shi’ite organization is attempting to down Israel Air Force planes during their sorties over Lebanon.

LEBANON: Gen. Petraeus discusses military aid with top officials

Gen. David Petraeus, commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, met with top Lebanese officials during a visit to Lebanon on Tuesday.

According to a statement released by the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon, Petraeus’ discussions with officials here focused on the U.S. “assistance to the Lebanese armed forces so it can maintain peace and stability, and safeguard the Lebanese people.”

In the fall, Petraeus will be in charge of U.S. military activities throughout the Middle East and northeastern Africa as the next chief of the U.S. Central Command.

“This is an exploratory visit to Lebanon, which is part of the region he will be responsible for,” Nizar Abdel-Kader, a former general in the Lebanese army and a columnist at a local newspaper, told Babylon & Beyond.

According to the state-run national news agency, Petraeus met with newly elected President Michel Suleiman, who was the former army chief, as well as Premier Fouad Siniora and Defense Minister Elias Murr.

“Petraeus was here to follow up on military aid allocated in the past two years,” a spokesman for Murr said. “This aid includes ammunition, logistical equipment and training.”

An army statement said that Petraeus also met acting army commander Shawki Masri and discussed how to “strengthen the army’s defensive capabilities, training and logistics.”

Patraeus’ visit comes after the U.S. undersecretary of defense for policy, Eric Edelman, met in May with Suleiman and asserted that Washington was committed to providing all the support needed to the Lebanese armed forces.

In the past few years, the U.S. increased dramatically its military aid to Lebanon, to $270 million in 2007.

But according to Abdel-Kader, the U.S. military assistance remains “insufficient” and mainly helps only in boosting the mobility of troops.

“The Lebanese army has asked for arms from the U.S. but the Jewish lobby pressured Washington not to provide weapons to Lebanon,” Abdel-Kader said. “What the Lebanese army needs is a defense system to protect its southern border with Israel.”

New York’s right-wing The Sun daily newspaper wrote that the U.S. general’s visit comes amid growing concerns in Israel regarding the rearmament of Hezbollah:

“With Israel increasingly concerned about Hezbollah’s military buildup on its northern border and about the growing political influence of the Iranian-backed organization in the Lebanese capital, General David Petraeus made an unannounced visit to Lebanon … [which] is an indication of the growing strategic prominence of Lebanon in the complex regional map.”

Israeli officials have said recently that Hezbollah has developed antiaircraft systems with the help of Iran and Syria. Last week, the Lebanese Shiite militant group denounced Israeli violations of Lebanese airspace and said that it was close to taking “operational steps” to stop them.

Earlier this week, the policy statement of the newly appointed Lebanese government recognized Hezbollah’s right to continue defending Lebanon.

— Raed Rafei, in Beirut