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|casualties1='''Militants:'''<br />estimates only<ref> According to an Associated Press report, the Israeli Chief of Staff claims that nearly 100 Hezbollah guerillas have been killed in the Israeli offensive. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/21/world/middleeast/21cnd-mide.html?hp&ex=1153540800&en=2a6dbe655bda96a4&ei=5094&partner=homepage
|casualties1='''Militants:'''<br />estimates only<ref> According to an Associated Press report, the Israeli Chief of Staff claims that nearly 100 Hezbollah guerillas have been killed in the Israeli offensive. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/21/world/middleeast/21cnd-mide.html?hp&ex=1153540800&en=2a6dbe655bda96a4&ei=5094&partner=homepage
According to The Jerusalem Post, 3 Hezbollah militants were killed on July 19 during an attempt to infiltrate the Israeli town of [[Metula]], at least one was killed during a firefight near [[Moshav Avivim]] on the Lebanese side of the border and 2 were killed on July 20th near [[Moshav Avivim]], also 2 militants were killed before july 18th. Please note that the Jerusalem Post regularly updates this article removing old information. {{cite news | title =Three soldiers wounded, one seriously, in gunfights | first = Yaakov | last = Katz | publisher = [[The Jerusalem Post]] | date = 2006-07-20 | accessdate = 2006-07-20 | url = http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?apage=1&cid=1153291959561&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull}}</ref><ref>According to The Daily star Lebanon, 1 50-year old Hezbollah militant was killed on July 20 in clashes at Maroun Al-Rass.{{cite news | title =Invaders test ground defenses in South | publisher = [[Daily Star (Lebanon)]] | date = 2006-07-20 | url = http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=74137}}</ref>
According to The Jerusalem Post, 3 Hezbollah militants were killed on July 19 during an attempt to infiltrate the Israeli town of [[Metula]], at least one was killed during a firefight near [[Moshav Avivim]] on the Lebanese side of the border and 2 were killed on July 20th near [[Moshav Avivim]], also 2 militants were killed before july 18th. Please note that the Jerusalem Post regularly updates this article removing old information. {{cite news | title =Three soldiers wounded, one seriously, in gunfights | first = Yaakov | last = Katz | publisher = [[The Jerusalem Post]] | date = 2006-07-20 | accessdate = 2006-07-20 | url = http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?apage=1&cid=1153291959561&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull}}</ref><ref>According to The Daily star Lebanon, 1 50-year old Hezbollah militant was killed on July 20 in clashes at Maroun Al-Rass.{{cite news | title =Invaders test ground defenses in South | publisher = [[Daily Star (Lebanon)]] | date = 2006-07-20 | url = http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=74137}}</ref>
|casualties2='''Civilians:'''<br/>15 killed<ref name="BBC news">{{cite news | title= Dozens die in fresh Lebanon raids | date=[[2006-07-19]]| publisher= [[BBC news]]|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5193662.stm}}</ref><br>500+ injured <ref name=haaretz2>{{cite news|title=500 Israelis injured since fighting began|publisher=[[Ynetnews]]|date=[[2006-07-15]]|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3276249,00.html}}</ref>10,000+ displaced<br/>
|casualties2='''Civilians:'''<br/>15 killed<ref name="BBC news">{{cite news | title= Dozens die in fresh Lebanon raids | date=[[2006-07-19]]| publisher= [[BBC news]]|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5193662.stm}}</ref><br>500+ injured <ref name=haaretz2>{{cite news|title=500 Israelis injured since fighting began|publisher=[[Ynetnews]]|date=[[2006-07-15]]|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3276249,00.html}}</ref>'''Soldiers:'''<br />19 killed<ref name="Jerusalem post">{{cite news | title=2 IDF troops killed during fighting in Lebanon| date=[[2006-07-20]]| publisher= [[The Jerusalem Post]] | url = http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1153291959561&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull}}</ref><ref name="AP 07-18">According to the [[Associated Press]], 2 militants were killed before [[18 July]]. {{cite news | title=Mideast Casualties at a Glance| date=[[2006-07-18]]| publisher= [[Associated Press]] | url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/18/AR2006071800730.html}}</ref><ref name="AP 07-21">{{cite news |title=Israel hints at full-scale Lebanon attack|date=[[2006-07-21]]|publisher=[[Associated Press]]|url=http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060720/ap_on_re_mi_ea/lebanon_israel;_ylt=Ait1paVKa6HbIkP2CymNhaWs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA2Z2szazkxBHNlYwN0bQ--}}</ref><ref name="KBCI2">{{cite news | title=Israel says soldiers killed in clash with Hezbollah| date=[[2006-07-21]]| publisher= [[KBCI 2]] | url = http://www.kbcitv.com/x51828.xml?URL=http://10.56.1.26/APWIREFEED/d8j07fso1.xml&NewsSection=InternationalHeadlines}}</ref><br />32 wounded<ref name="KBCI2">{{cite news | title=Israel says soldiers killed in clash with Hezbollah| date=[[2006-07-21]]| publisher= [[KBCI 2]] | url = http://www.kbcitv.com/x51828.xml?URL=http://10.56.1.26/APWIREFEED/d8j07fso1.xml&NewsSection=InternationalHeadlines}}</ref><br />2 captured<ref name="haaretz3">{{cite news |title=Hezbollah kills 8 soldiers, kidnaps two in offensive on northern border|date= [[2006-07-13]] |publisher=[[Haaretz]]|url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/737825.html}}</ref> (Israeli military accounts)
'''Soldiers:'''<br />19 killed<ref name="Jerusalem post">{{cite news | title=2 IDF troops killed during fighting in Lebanon| date=[[2006-07-20]]| publisher= [[The Jerusalem Post]] | url = http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1153291959561&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull}}</ref><ref name="AP 07-18">According to the [[Associated Press]], 2 militants were killed before [[18 July]]. {{cite news | title=Mideast Casualties at a Glance| date=[[2006-07-18]]| publisher= [[Associated Press]] | url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/18/AR2006071800730.html}}</ref><ref name="AP 07-21">{{cite news |title=Israel hints at full-scale Lebanon attack|date=[[2006-07-21]]|publisher=[[Associated Press]]|url=http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060720/ap_on_re_mi_ea/lebanon_israel;_ylt=Ait1paVKa6HbIkP2CymNhaWs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA2Z2szazkxBHNlYwN0bQ--}}</ref><ref name="KBCI2">{{cite news | title=Israel says soldiers killed in clash with Hezbollah| date=[[2006-07-21]]| publisher= [[KBCI 2]] | url = http://www.kbcitv.com/x51828.xml?URL=http://10.56.1.26/APWIREFEED/d8j07fso1.xml&NewsSection=InternationalHeadlines}}</ref><br />32 wounded<ref name="KBCI2">{{cite news | title=Israel says soldiers killed in clash with Hezbollah| date=[[2006-07-21]]| publisher= [[KBCI 2]] | url = http://www.kbcitv.com/x51828.xml?URL=http://10.56.1.26/APWIREFEED/d8j07fso1.xml&NewsSection=InternationalHeadlines}}</ref><br />2 captured<ref name="haaretz3">{{cite news |title=Hezbollah kills 8 soldiers, kidnaps two in offensive on northern border|date= [[2006-07-13]] |publisher=[[Haaretz]]|url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/737825.html}}</ref> (Israeli military accounts)
|casualties3=330 killed<ref>{{cite news|title=Civilian Death Toll in Lebanon Passes 300|date=[[2006-07-20]]|publisher=[[Chosun Ilbo]]|url=http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200607/200607200001.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Israel: Lebanese in south should flee now|date=[[2006-07-20]]|publisher=[[MSNBC]]|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13929959/}}</ref><ref name="AP 07-21" /><br/>1100 injured<br />500,000+ displaced
|casualties3=330 killed<ref>{{cite news|title=Civilian Death Toll in Lebanon Passes 300|date=[[2006-07-20]]|publisher=[[Chosun Ilbo]]|url=http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200607/200607200001.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Israel: Lebanese in south should flee now|date=[[2006-07-20]]|publisher=[[MSNBC]]|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13929959/}}</ref><ref name="AP 07-21" /><br/>1100 injured<br />500,000+ displaced
'''Soldiers:'''<br />22 killed<br />63 wounded<ref name="BBC news" /><br />
'''Soldiers:'''<br />22 killed<br />63 wounded<ref name="BBC news" /><br />

Revision as of 18:43, 21 July 2006

2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict
Part of the 2006 Arab-Israeli conflict
File:54454.jpg
An IDF M109 self-propelled howitzer fires into Southern Lebanon.
Date12 July 2006 – present
Location
Lebanon and northern Israel
Result Ongoing
Belligerents
File:Flag of Hezbollah.svg Hezbollah Israel Lebanon
note: AA only[1]
Commanders and leaders
Hassan Nasrallah (Secretary General) Dan Halutz (CoS)
Udi Adam (Regional)		 Michel Sulaiman (CoS)
Casualties and losses
Militants:
estimates only[2][3]		 Civilians:
15 killed[4]
500+ injured [5]Soldiers:
19 killed[6][7][8][9]
32 wounded[9]
2 captured[10] (Israeli military accounts)

330 killed[11][12][8]
1100 injured
500,000+ displaced

Soldiers:
22 killed
63 wounded[4]

The 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict is a series of ongoing military actions and clashes in northern Israel and Lebanon involving Hezbollah's armed wing and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). On 12 July 2006 Hezbollah initiated Operation Truthful Promise,[13] named for a “promise” by its leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah to capture Israeli soldiers and swap them for the remaining three Lebanese prisoners held by Israel for more than 20 years.[14][15] The early morning raid into Israeli territory resulted in eight Israeli soldiers killed and two captured. Israel then responded with Operation Just Reward,[16] later renamed Operation Change of Direction.[17] This retaliatory strike has thus far encompassed bombing raids by the Israeli Air Force (IAF), an Air and Naval blockade Lebanon especialy southern Lebanon and Beirut by IDF ground troops, as well as some small raids into southern Lebanon.[4]

Hezbollah has concurrently engaged in extensive rocket attacks on Israel's northern cities, including areas like Haifa which thus far have been out of range, as well as a number of attempted infiltrations.Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page).

Timeline

Main article: Timeline of the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict
See also: Military operations of the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict

Template:Campaignbox Arab-Israeli conflict

Hezbollah raid

File:Hassan Nasrallah Hezbollah.jpeg
Sayed Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah Secretary General, depicted on a billboard.

At 9:05 AM local time (0605 GMT) on 12 July 2006[10] Hezbollah’s military wing launched a barrage of rockets and mortars on Israeli military positions and the northern Israeli village of Shelomi, apparently as a diversion, wounding five civilians in the process.[18] A Hezbollah force then attacked two armoured IDF Humvees patrolling the Lebanese border road near the Israeli village of Zar’it with anti-tank rockets killing three soldiers and taking two captive, possibly transporting them into Lebanon.[19]

The IDF confirmed that two Israeli soldiers were captured by Hezbollah, and identified them as Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev. An Israeli Merkava Mark II tank was destroyed by a 300 kilogram (660 lb) improvised explosive device as it attempted to pursue Hezbollah into Lebanon. All four of the crew members were killed. Another Israeli soldier was killed when he came under heavy fire during an attempted recovery of the bodies from the tank.[19] In all, eight soldiers were killed, two captured, and six wounded.[10]

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah then declared that “No military operation will return them… The prisoners will not be returned except through one way: indirect negotiations and a trade [of prisoners].”[20]

Israeli response

Prime Minister of Israel Ehud Olmert declared the attack by Hezbollah’s military wing an “act of war”, and promised Lebanon a “very painful and far-reaching response.”[21] Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz also said that “the State of Israel sees itself free to use all measures that it finds it needs, and the Israeli Forces have been given orders in that direction.”[22]

Amir Peretz
Israeli Minister of Defence

Israel said it held the Beirut government responsible for the attack, but Prime Minister Fuad Siniora denied any knowledge of the raid and stated that he did not condone it.[23] An emergency meeting of the Lebanese government reaffirmed this position.[24]

Following several days of Israeli bombing raids, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah stated that Hezbollah was now ready for "open war" with Israel.

An unnamed senior IDF officer stated that the strike was targeted against rocket launch sites and rocket storerooms, although many of them were intentionally located by Hezbollah in civilian population centers.[25][26][27] An unnamed Lebanese official responded that “Hezbollah did not store arms in civilian areas.”[28]

Early on 13 July 2006 Israel sent IDF jets to bomb Lebanon's international airport near Beirut, forcing its closure and diverting its arriving flights to Cyprus. Hezbollah continued its attack by bombarding the Israeli towns of Nahariya and Safed, as well as villages nearby with rocket fire. The attacks killed two civilians and wounded 29 more.[29] Nahariya residents began leaving the city en masse in fear of further Katyusha attacks.[30] Israel is now imposing an air and sea blockade on Lebanon,[31][32] and has bombed the main Beirut–Damascus highway.[33]

Israel's Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev claims the Hezbollah unit that captured the two soldiers is trying to transfer them to Iran without any proof or evidence.[34] Maj.-Gen. Udi Adam of the Northern Command, says Israel has not ruled out sending ground forces into Lebanon.[35]

Hezbollah rocket campaign

Map showing Israeli localities attacked by rockets fired from Lebanese soil as of Sunday, July 16th

Concurrent to the Israeli response, and claimed to be in retaliation to it, Hezbollah declared an all-out military alert, and said it had 13,000 rockets capable of hitting towns and installations far into northern Israel. As a result, Defense Minister Peretz told commanders to prepare civil defense plans, and some 220,000 Israeli civilians were sent to bomb shelters.[36][37][38][39] Hezbollah continued to fire hundreds of Katyusha rockets into northern Israel's towns and cities, including Nahariya, Safed, Hatzor HaGlilit, Rosh Pina, Kiryat Shmona, and Karmiel, and numerous small agricultural villages.[40][41][42][40][43]

For the first time, Hezbollah attacks have penetrated as far south as Haifa, Israel's third largest city, as well as the Jezreel Valley and the cities of Nazareth and Afula. Al-Manar has reported that the Hezbollah attack included a Fajr-3 and a Ra'ad 1 liquid-fuel missiles, developed by Iran.[44][45] Hezbollah claimed the attack was aimed at a large Israeli fuel storage plant adjacent to the railway facility. Photo of the area, with oil drums and smoke rising from the railway depot. Haifa is home to many strategically valuable facilities such as shipyards and oil refineries, and their targeting by Hezbollah is seen as an escalation.[46] [47]

On Sunday evening Hezbollah militants attempted to infiltrate an Israel Defense Forces post on the Lebanese Border.[48]

Defence Minister Amir Peretz has declared martial law throughout north Israel.[49]

Civilian targets

Strikes on Lebanon's civilian infrastructure include Beirut airport, ports, grain silos, bridges, roads, factories, medical and relief trucks, and the country's largest dairy farm Liban Lait.[50] Widespread damage to fuel containers and service stations also raised the likelihood of fuel shortages. [51] In one instance, families evacuating the village of Marwahin in South Lebanon were struck on an open road by an Israeli missile attack; 13 or 18 were killed, some of them women and children.[52][53] Human Rights Watch called for an investigation into this incident: “The IDF needs to investigate this attack on a civilian convoy and provide more details about the circumstances … Having warned civilians to evacuate their village, Israeli forces should have been aware that civilians would be using this road and should have taken great care to avoid harming them.”[54]

Israel has stated that "Hezbollah has a huge arsenal and has fired 1,000 missiles at us. We are acting in self-defence. We are targeting only military objectives, including transport facilities that Hezbollah can use, but you have to remember that Hezbollah often hides in civilian areas. We sent flyers and gave other warnings to civilians to leave before our attacks."[55]

Louise Arbour, United Nations high commissioner for human rights, expressed "grave concern over the continued killing and maiming of civilians in Lebanon, Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory." She suggested that the actions of Israel and Hezbollah may constitute war crimes, warning that "This obligation is also expressed in international criminal law, which defines war crimes and crimes against humanity. … The scale of the killings in the region, and their predictability, could engage the personal criminal responsibility of those involved, particularly those in a position of command and control."[56][57][58] Arbour was the Chief Prosecutor of War Crimes before the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia in The Hague. Arbour called for Israel to obey a "principle of proportionality" and said, "indiscriminate shelling of cities constitutes a foreseeable and unacceptable targeting of civilians … Similarly, the bombardment of sites with alleged military significance, but resulting invariably in the killing of innocent civilians, is unjustifiable." The UN Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Jan Egeland has said that one third of the dead are children.[59]

One day after the call for a ceasefire by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on 20 July 2006, a U.N.-run observation post located near Zarit, Israel near the Lebanese border was hit by direct fire during fighting between Israel and the Hezbollah militia; 10 people were injured. The Israeli army claimed Hezbollah rockets hit the U.N. post; however, a U.N. officer claimed that an artillery shell fired by the Israeli Defense Force "impacted a direct hit on the U.N. position overlooking Zarit."[60] During an Israeli air and artillery offensive against Lebanon in 1996, Israeli artillery destroyed a U.N. base at Qana in southern Lebanon, killing more than 100 Lebanese civilians who had taken refuge with the peacekeepers.

After widespread attacks on Lebanon by Israeli forces, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said "In the beginning, we started to act calmly, we focused on "Israel" [sic] military bases and we didn't attack any settlement, However, since the first day, the enemy attacked Lebanese towns and murdered civilians … Hizbullah militants had destroyed military bases, while the "Israelis" killed civilians and targeted Lebanon's infrastructure."[61] Artillery rockets by Hezbollah were fired at civilian targets throughout the conflict, landing in all major cities of northern Israel including Haifa, Nazareth, Tiberias, Nahariya and Safed.[62]

Human Rights Watch stated on 18 July that "Hezbollah's attacks [on Haifa] were at best indiscriminate attacks in civilian areas, at worst the deliberate targeting of civilians. Either way, they were serious violations of international humanitarian law and probable war crimes." [63] Amnesty International condemned both parties and called for UN intervention, stating: "The past few days has seen a horrendous escalation in attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure. Yet the G8 leaders have failed conspicuously to uphold their moral and legal obligation to address such blatant breaches of international humanitarian law, which in some cases have amounted to war crimes."[64]

James Dobbins, head military analyst for the Rand Corporation said he believes: "The military rationale seems rather thin, since many of the targets have no conceivable relationship to Hezbollah."[65]

Claims of weaponized phosphorus use by IAF

On 16 July Lebanese President Emile Lahoud claimed the Israeli Air Force (IAF) have used "phosphorus incendiary bombs, which are a blatant violation of international laws, … against Lebanese civilians."[66][67][68] Information Minister Ghazi Aridi also said, "Israel is using internationally prohibited weapons against civilians."[66][67][69] The use of incendiary weapons on civilians is prohibited by the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons.[70] As of July 21, despite massive coverage by the world media of this conflict these reports remain unconfirmed and are regarded by the media to be part of "War Of Words waged by Lebanon and Israel" [71]

Historical background

Israeli-Lebanon conflict

After the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, 110,000 Palestinians fled or emigrated from Israel to take refuge in Lebanon.[citation needed], and make up 695,000 refugees in Lebanon as of today [72]. From 1970 to 1973, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) was engaged in the Black September in Jordan, which routed a large number of Palestinian fighters and refugees into neighboring Lebanon. By 1975, they numbered more than 300,000, creating an informal state-within-a-state in South Lebanon. The PLO became a powerful force and played an important role in the Lebanese Civil War. Continual fighting occurred between Israel and the PLO from 1968 onward. In 1978, Israel invaded Lebanon in an attempt to rout out Palestinian militants who had been using southern Lebanon as a base for raids on northern Israel since 1968.[citation needed] As a result the United Nations passed UN Resolutions 425 and 426, which called for the immediate withdrawal of Israeli forces and an end to military action in Lebanon.[73] At the end of the operation, Israeli forces withdrew from Lebanon, leaving behind a UNIFIL force, and their allies, the South Lebanon Army.

Israel invaded again four years later in 1982 in response to an assassination attempt against Israel’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, Shlomo Argov by Fatah - Revolutionary Council and to artillery attacks launched by the PLO against populated areas in northern Israel. Israel’s attack forced PLO forces out of Lebanon (mostly to Tunisia), and Israel occupied the southern part of the country. In 1985, Israel withdrew its forces from parts of Lebanon and remained in a 4-6 km deep strip of southern Lebanon named by Israel “The Security Zone”, which Israel cited as a protective measure to defend its Northern towns against Katyusha rockets. This occupation lasted until 2000. During the 18-year period from 1982, Israel was involved to varying degrees in a guerrilla conflict and a number of incidents including the Qana shelling[74] and the Sabra and Shatila Massacre.

On 24 May 2000, Israel withdrew its troops from southern Lebanon, more than six weeks before its stated deadline of 7 July.[75] This was considered by some Lebanese a victory for Hezbollah and boosted its popularity hugely in Lebanon.[76]

The pullout was certified by the UN as complete as of 18 June 2001, in compliance with the mandate of United Nations Security Council Resolution 425 for Israel to “withdraw its forces from all Lebanese territory”.[77] However, Lebanon claims the Shebaa Farms, a 35 square kilometre (13.5 sq mi) area, controlled by Israel, to be Lebanese territory.[78] This is territory which the United Nations Security Council has ruled is an occupied territory of Syria, and not part of Lebanon.[79][80] Hezbollah has fired mortar rockets into Israel, whilst Israel has carried out numerous attacks aimed at striking Hezbollah bases. (see: Hezbollah activities)[81][82][83][84][85]

In June 2006, the Lebanese military arrested an alleged assassination squad led by former South Lebanese Army corporal Mahmoud Abu Rafeh. According to army statements, the cell was trained and supported by the Israeli Mossad and "used ... to carry out assigned assassinations in Lebanon." Among the killings attributed to the squad are those of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (Holy War) Mahmoud Mjzoub and his brother (May 26, 2006), and Hezbollah (Party of God) officials Ali Saleh (2003) and Ali Hassan Dib (1999).[86]

Hezbollah

Main article: Hezbollah
File:Flag of Hezbollah.svg
Hezbollah flag

Hezbollah is a Lebanese Shi’a Muslim organization formed in 1982 “primarily to offer resistance to the Israeli occupation.”[87] Hezbollah's political doctrine has consistently called for the destruction of Israel.[87]

It has a military and civilian wing, the latter participating in the Lebanese parliament, taking 18% of the chairs (23 out of 128) and the bloc it forms with others, the "Resistance and Development Bloc", a little less than thirty percent for a total of 35 seats, (see Lebanese general election, 2005). It is a minority partner in the current Cabinet.

Hezbollah's armed wing is called Al-Muqawama Al-Islamiyya ("The Islamic Resistance"). One of its broadcasting outlets is the satellite TV station Al-Manar ("The Beacon").

Previous prisoner exchanges

During an attack in October 2000 on Shebaa Farms Hezbollah captured three IDF soldiers who were killed either during the operation or in its immediate aftermath. Hezbollah sought to obtain the release of 14 Lebanese prisoners in exchange, together with Palestinian prisoners.[88] The prisoner swap was carried out on 29 January 2004: 30 Lebanese and Arab prisoners, the remains of 60 Lebanese militants and civilians, 420 Palestinian prisoners, and maps showing Israeli mines in South Lebanon were exchanged for an Israeli businessman and army reserve colonel Elchanan Tenenbaum captured in 2001 in a business trip, and the remains of the three IDF soldiers mentioned above.[citation needed]Three Lebanese nationals are still held in Israel's prisons (including Samir Kuntar, held in jail since his conviction in 1979 on charges of murder and terrorism, for killing two Israeli civilians and two Israeli policemen).[citation needed]

Casualties

The ongoing nature of the conflict makes assessing the precise number of casualties difficult.

Lebanese

According to various media, between 230 and over 300 people are reported dead, with the wounded put at between 480 and over 600.[89][90][91][92]

According to Dan Halutz, close to 100 Hezbollah gunmen killed.[5]

Israeli

  • 19 Israeli soldiers were killed including one pilot, 2 captured, and 32 more wounded.[7][9]
  • 15 civilians have been killed, while another 500 civilians were treated in hospitals, 11 of whom were seriously injured.[5]

Foreign nationals

  • Seven Lebanese-Canadians from Montreal, including four children and all from the same family, were killed and six severely injured by an Israeli attack on Aitaroun in South Lebanon on 16 July. An eighth member of the family died later from injuries sustained in the blast.[93]
  • A family of four Brazilians, including two children, was killed in the Israeli bombings in Srifa,[94] drawing condemnation from foreign relations minister Celso Amorim.[95] Another Brazilian child was killed in an Israeli strike in Tallousa.[96]
  • Four members of a German-Lebanese family, including two minors, from Mönchengladbach, Germany were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Chehour in southern Lebanon while on vacation.[97][98]
  • The Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry has reported that two Kuwaiti nationals have been killed by Israeli bombing.[99]
  • A Sri Lankan was killed in an Israeli bombing.[7]
  • One Iraqi was killed by Israeli bombing.[7]
  • One Jordanian was killed when Israeli missiles hit trucks near Zahleh in the mountains above the eastern Bekaa Valley.Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page).

Refugees and evacuations

Two U.S. Marine Corps CH-53 at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus following their flight from the U.S. Embassy in Beirut.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has received reports of 50,000 to 60,000 internally displaced people fleeing from the heavily Shia-populated south of Lebanon and southern suburbs of Beirut, areas that have borne the brunt of the Israeli attacks.[100] United Nations estimates run as high as 500,000 internally displaced Lebanese. Media reports indicate that thousands of people have fled Lebanon into Syria, with 15,000 reportedly entering through the Masnaa crossing on 15 July alone.[101] United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) monitors believe most of these people are Syrian nationals working in Lebanon.[102]

Foreign nationals

Main article: International reactions to the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict § Evacuation of foreign nationals
See also: List of countries evacuating citizens from Lebanon

The Israeli strategy of blockade, including seaports, the Beirut airport, and key roads and bridges, meant that normal escape routes were unavailable[citation needed]. Lebanon borders only Israel and Syria. According to a spokesman for the British High Commission in the Republic of Cyprus, both France and the US have secured permission from the British to use the facilities of the British Sovereign Base Areas,[103] which includes RAF Akrotiri.

Many governments are engaged in efforts to evacuate their nationals by boat to Cyprus or Turkey or by bus to Syria.[104][105]

Further information: [[:List of countries with foreign nationals in Lebanon]]

Position of Lebanon

Almost immediately after hostilities began, Lebanon's Prime Minister Fouad Siniora called for a ceasefire. On 14 July, following a phone call between Siniora and President Bush, the Prime Minister’s office issued the statement that “Prime Minister Siniora called on President Bush to exert all his efforts on Israel to stop its aggression on Lebanon, reach a comprehensive ceasefire and lift its blockade.”[106]

The next day, in a televised message to the Lebanese people, and afterwards in an interview with CNN, Siniora said “We call for an immediate ceasefire backed by the United Nations.”[107]

On 16 July, the Lebanese special envoy to the UN, Nouhad Mahmoud, claimed that the United States was obstructing the Security Council's attempt to broker a ceasefire.[108] Condoleezza Rice, speaking from St. Petersburg on 16 July, seemed to oppose an immediate cessation of violence, claiming that the ceasefire demanded by Siniora would be unworkable unless it addressed Hezbollah violence and the support it gets from Syria and Iran. She said the only way to deal with the problem is “to deal with the extremists, isolate the extremists, and put in place moderate democratic states”.[109]

Many Lebanese feel the international community is not doing enough to end the conflict and consider Israel's attack to be unjustly punishing a country that has hardly any control over Hezbollah. There is also anger at Hezbollah for provoking Israel into attacking Lebanon.[110]

On 20 July, an emotional Lebanese prime minister called for an immediate cease-fire, stating his country "has been torn to shreds".[111] By the next day, 21 July, Lebanese Defence Minister Elias Murr said the country's army would retaliate if Israel invaded Lebanese territory, prompting fears of a war between the two nations. [112]

Negotiations for ceasefire

Hezbollah has demanded that Israel trade three Lebanese prisoners for the two captured Israeli soldiers but Israel refused.[113]

On 14 July BBC News reported that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert would agree to a ceasefire if Hezbollah returned the two captured soldiers, stopped firing rockets at Israel, and if Lebanon implemented UN Security Council resolution 1559, which calls for the group’s disarmament.[114] Two days later, it was reported that Israel would agree to a ceasefire under two conditions: 1) The return of the two soldiers captured on 12 July and, 2) The Army/Government of Lebanon would have to ensure that Hezbollah would pull back to the Litani River.[115]

On Monday, 17 July Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said the fighting in Lebanon would end when Hezbollah guerrillas freed two captured soldiers, rocket attacks on Israel stopped and the Lebanese army deployed along the border.[116]
But a spokesman for Hezbollah says it wants an unconditional ceasefire.[117]

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said that a prisoner exchange was the only way to secure the release of the soldiers.[118]

IDF Chief of General Staff Dan Halutz is understood to believe that Israel should have launched the kind of anti-Hezbollah offensive now being carried out in late 2000, after the previous capture, and that the failure to act then was a central inspiration for the second intifada.[119]

International reaction

Main article: International reactions to the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict

International reactions to the conflict for the most part have condemned both Hezbollah and Israel, with many nations expressing concern over a possible escalation of the conflict.[120] Some nations, including the United States,[121] United Kingdom, Germany and Canada, have asserted Israel's right to self-defense. The nations of the G8 blamed the upsurge in violence in the Middle east on "extremists" and accepted Israel's right to self-defense whilst exercising restraint.[122][123]

George W. Bush supports the Israeli attacks and on 13 July said Israel has a right to defend itself. [124] At the G8 Summit, President Bush said "the root of the problem is Hezbollah" and that the U.S. is "never going to tell a nation how to defend herself."[125] On the other hand, a number of European countries criticize the Israeli offensive which they fear may lead to war. Jacques Chirac castigated the Israeli offensive into Lebanon on 14 July.[126] The EU says Israel's use of force is disproportionate.[127]

Russia sharply criticized Israel over its onslaught against Lebanon, now in its ninth day, sparked when Hezbollah militants captured two Israeli soldiers. The Russian Foreign Ministry Sergei Lavrov said Israel's actions have gone "far beyond the boundaries of an anti-terrorist operation" and repeating calls for an immediate cease-fire. [6] He said "this is a disproportionate response to what has happened and if both sides are going to drive each other into a tight corner then I think that all this will develop in a very dramatic and tragic way." He added: "We firmly reaffirm support for Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity." [128] and a Russian newsagency said "Putin believes that Israel pursues other aims in the Middle East, except for the return of hostages." [129]

Iran, Syria and Yemen have given support to Lebanon and Hezbollah.[130] The Arab League "condemns the Israeli aggression in Lebanon which contradicts all international law and regulations". However, Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia also criticised Hezbollah for harming Arab interests and blame them for starting the conflict (while simultaneously criticizing Israel for the what they view as an over-escalated response).[131] On 20 July UN Secretary General Kofi Annan demanded both sides stop all violence immediately, condemning Hezbollah for sparking the conflict but also attacking Israel for its "excessive use of force".[132]

Frontline blogs

Additional commentary, fact files, and miscellaneous

References

  1. ^ "Lebanese Army Seen As Key to Mideast Peace". Associated Press. 2006-07-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ According to an Associated Press report, the Israeli Chief of Staff claims that nearly 100 Hezbollah guerillas have been killed in the Israeli offensive. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/21/world/middleeast/21cnd-mide.html?hp&ex=1153540800&en=2a6dbe655bda96a4&ei=5094&partner=homepage According to The Jerusalem Post, 3 Hezbollah militants were killed on July 19 during an attempt to infiltrate the Israeli town of Metula, at least one was killed during a firefight near Moshav Avivim on the Lebanese side of the border and 2 were killed on July 20th near Moshav Avivim, also 2 militants were killed before july 18th. Please note that the Jerusalem Post regularly updates this article removing old information. Katz, Yaakov (2006-07-20). "Three soldiers wounded, one seriously, in gunfights". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2006-07-20.
  3. ^ According to The Daily star Lebanon, 1 50-year old Hezbollah militant was killed on July 20 in clashes at Maroun Al-Rass."Invaders test ground defenses in South". Daily Star (Lebanon). 2006-07-20.
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  120. ^ Developments in Israel-Lebanon Crisis
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  127. ^ http://english.people.com.cn/200607/16/eng20060716_283551.html
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  129. ^ http://www.tass.ru/eng/level2.html?NewsID=10628944&PageNum=0
  130. ^ Arabs divided over Hezbollah's role in Lebanon crisis - Deutsche Presse-Agentur - 15 July 2006
  131. ^ Al Jazeera (2006-07-16). "World divided over Mideast conflict". Al Jazeera.net. Retrieved 2006-07-16. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  132. ^ BBC News (2006-07-20). "Annan demands Lebanon ceasefire". BBC.co.uk. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

More background

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