* More than 950 people have died in the conflict so far, Israelian authorities said. Most have been Lebanese civilians.
* An Israeli government spokeswoman said the Marjeyoun- offensive was not part of an expanded campaign that Israel's Security Cabinet had approved earlier in the day. More than 950 people have died in the conflict so far, Israelian authorities said. Most have been Lebanese civilians.
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|'''Hezbollah'''
|'''Hezbollah'''
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* Lebanese security forces said that, to this day 834 people have died, most of them civilians, and nearly 3,211 have been wounded since fighting began on July 12.<ref name=CNN-08-10>{{CNN-08-10>{{cite news|title=Troops, tanks storm into southern Lebanon|date=[[2006-08-10]]|publisher=[[CNN]]|url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/08/09/mideast.main/index.html}}</ref>
* Lebanese security forces said that, to this day 834 people have died, most of them civilians, and nearly 3,211 have been wounded since fighting began on July 12.<ref name=CNN-08-10>{{CNN-08-10>{{cite news|title=Troops, tanks storm into southern Lebanon|date=[[2006-08-10]]|publisher=[[CNN]]|url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/08/09/mideast.main/index.html}}</ref>
* About 350 Lebanese soldiers and police in [[Marjayoun]] have been detained by Israeli forces, after IDF took the village.<ref>{{cite news|title=Lebanon Min: Israel Holds 350 Troops, Police In Marjayoun|date=[[2006-08-10]]|publisher=[[Nasdaq]]|url=http://www.nasdaq.com/aspxcontent/NewsStory.aspx?cpath=20060810\ACQDJON200608101337DOWJONESDJONLINE001054.htm&selected=9999&selecteddisplaysymbol=9999&StoryTargetFrame=_top&mkt=WORLD&chk=unchecked&lang=&link=&headlinereturnpage=http://www.international.na}}</ref>
* About 350 Lebanese soldiers and police in [[Marjayoun]] have been detained by Israeli forces, after IDF took the village.<ref>{{cite news|title=Lebanon Min: Israel Holds 350 Troops, Police In Marjayoun|date=[[2006-08-10]]|publisher=[[Nasdaq]]|url=http://www.nasdaq.com/aspxcontent/NewsStory.aspx?cpath=20060810\ACQDJON200608101337DOWJONESDJONLINE001054.htm&selected=9999&selecteddisplaysymbol=9999&StoryTargetFrame=_top&mkt=WORLD&chk=unchecked&lang=&link=&headlinereturnpage=http://www.international.na}}</ref>
* Receiving warning leaflets from Israel were northern Lebanese towns including [[El Beddaoui]], Lebanese Internal Security Forces said. Those leaflets warned that Israel will target any type of truck moving along the coastal road. "Be aware that anybody using pick-ups or trucks puts his life in danger," one leaflet warned. The leaflets said such vehicles will be targeted under suspicion of "transporting rockets, military ammunitions and terrorists." North of Beirut, three Israeli rockets launched from the sea also hit three state radio towers, Lebanese police said. Those towers already have been targets of attacks during the conflict. Israeli troops had warned residents to remain in their homes as forces moved toward the nearby town of Blatt, Lebanese military intelligence and police said. While Lebanese intelligence said Israeli troops did not experience any resistance during their advance intoSouthern Lebanon, Lebanese military sources and U.N. observers described a vicious battle in Khiyam, which Israel said is a Hezbollah stronghold. More than 950 people have died in the conflict so far, Lebanese authorities told. Most have been Lebanese civilians.<ref name=CNN-08-10>{{cite news|title=Israel strikes at heart of Beirut, drops warning leaflets|date=[[2006-08-10]]|publisher=[[CNN]]|url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/08/10/mideast.main/index.html}}</ref>
* Receiving warning leaflets from Israel were northern Lebanese towns including [[El Beddaoui]], Lebanese Internal Security Forces said. Those leaflets warned that Israel will target any type of truck moving along the coastal road. "Be aware that anybody using pick-ups or trucks puts his life in danger," one leaflet warned. The leaflets said such vehicles will be targeted under suspicion of "transporting rockets, military ammunitions and terrorists." North of Beirut, three Israeli rockets launched from the sea also hit three state radio towers, Lebanese police said. Those towers already have been targets of attacks during the conflict. Israeli troops had warned residents to remain in their homes as forces moved toward the nearby town of Blatt, Lebanese military intelligence and police said. While Lebanese intelligence said Israeli troops did not experience any resistance during their advance to Marjeyoun, Lebanese military sources and U.N. observers described a vicious battle in Khiyam, which Israel said is a Hezbollah stronghold. More than 950 people have died in the conflict so far, Lebanese authorities told. Most have been Lebanese civilians.<ref name=CNN-08-10>{{cite news|title=Israel strikes at heart of Beirut, drops warning leaflets|date=[[2006-08-10]]|publisher=[[CNN]]|url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/08/10/mideast.main/index.html}}</ref>
|-
|-
|'''United Nations'''
|'''United Nations'''
* The UN's top humanitarian official, [[Jan Egeland]], criticised both Israel and Hezbollah for hindering access to southern Lebanon, calling the situation a "disgrace".<ref>{{cite news|title=UN attacks Lebanon aid 'disgrace'|date=[[2006-08-10]]|publisher=[[BBC News]]|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4778591.stm}}</ref>
* The UN's top humanitarian official, [[Jan Egeland]], criticised both Israel and Hezbollah for hindering access to southern Lebanon, calling the situation a "disgrace".<ref>{{cite news|title=UN attacks Lebanon aid 'disgrace'|date=[[2006-08-10]]|publisher=[[BBC News]]|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4778591.stm}}</ref>
* U.N. Secretary-General [[Kofi Annan]] pushed the [[Security Council]] to come up with a plan by week's end, August 12 to August 13, for ending the conflict. In a statement issued early afternoon, Annan's office said he is working "very intensely" on reaching a resolution acceptable to both Israel and Lebanon, and he repeated his call to end the fighting and "save civilians on both sides from the nightmare they have endured for the past four weeks." "The secretary-general believes that it ought to be possible for the Security Council to adopt a resolution by the end of the week," his office said. Meanwhile, the United Nations warned of a major food crisis in Lebanon, saying that the displacement of nearly a million people has coincided with the country's main cereal harvest. Of the 915,000 people the U.N. estimates to be internally displaced in Lebanon, 45 percent are children, it said. Fighting has disrupted the delivery of food, fuel and medical supplies and devastated much of the country's infrastructure, and the U.N. said 100,000 people in southern Lebanon won't be receiving vital relief. The emergency coordinator for the [[World Food Programme|U.N. World Food Program]], [[Zlatan Milisic]], said no aid has been able to reach areas south of [[Sidon]]. A relief convoy planned for [[Nabatiya]] was denied IDF approval, said Milisic. U.N. observers described a vicious battle in Khiyam, which Israel said is a Hezbollah stronghold during the Israelian advance intoSouthern Lebanon.<ref name=CNN-08-10>{{cite news|title=Israel strikes at heart of Beirut, drops warning leaflets|date=[[2006-08-10]]|publisher=[[CNN]]|url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/08/10/mideast.main/index.html}}</ref>
* U.N. Secretary-General [[Kofi Annan]] pushed the [[Security Council]] to come up with a plan by week's end, August 12 to August 13, for ending the conflict. In a statement issued early afternoon, Annan's office said he is working "very intensely" on reaching a resolution acceptable to both Israel and Lebanon, and he repeated his call to end the fighting and "save civilians on both sides from the nightmare they have endured for the past four weeks." "The secretary-general believes that it ought to be possible for the Security Council to adopt a resolution by the end of the week," his office said. Meanwhile, the United Nations warned of a major food crisis in Lebanon, saying that the displacement of nearly a million people has coincided with the country's main cereal harvest. Of the 915,000 people the U.N. estimates to be internally displaced in Lebanon, 45 percent are children, it said. Fighting has disrupted the delivery of food, fuel and medical supplies and devastated much of the country's infrastructure, and the U.N. said 100,000 people in southern Lebanon won't be receiving vital relief. The emergency coordinator for the [[World Food Programme|U.N. World Food Program]], [[Zlatan Milisic]], said no aid has been able to reach areas south of [[Sidon]]. A relief convoy planned for [[Nabatiya]] was denied IDF approval, said Milisic. U.N. observers described a vicious battle in Khiyam, which Israel said is a Hezbollah stronghold during the Israelian advance to Marjeyoun.<ref name=CNN-08-10>{{cite news|title=Israel strikes at heart of Beirut, drops warning leaflets|date=[[2006-08-10]]|publisher=[[CNN]]|url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/08/10/mideast.main/index.html}}</ref>
Hezbollah's military wing staged a cross-border attack in northern Israel on two Israeli Humvees. Three Israeli soldiers were killed and two were taken prisoner, with several civilians injured. "Fulfilling its pledge to liberate the Arab prisoners and detainees, the Islamic Resistance... captured two Israeli soldiers (Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev) at the border with occupied Palestine," Hezbollah said in a statement.[2]
In attempt to pursue the Hezbollah force and release the captured soldiers, an Israeli Merkava Mark II tank is hit by a 200-300 kilogram mine. All 4 crew members are killed.[2]
In an attempt to recover the bodies of the soldiers from the burnt tank, another Israeli soldier is hit by Hezbollah fire and killed.
Israeli navy gunships bombarded an electric power station on the coast at Jiyeh, about 25km south of Beirut.[3]
Hezbollah
Hezbollah bombarded the Israeli towns of Nahariya and Safed, as well as villages nearby, with 9K51 Grad rockets. The attacks killed two civilians and wounded 29 more.[4]
Fired two Iranian built C-802 Cruise Missiles of Chinese design - one damages an Israeli Sa'ar 5-class missile boat, the INS Hanit, killing four crew members. The other missile damages a civilian vessel of Egyptian registry. It is later debated whether Hezbollah or Iranian military personnel fired the cruise missiles.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the president of Iran, warned Israel of a "fierce response" if it attacks Syria.
Syria
The ruling party in Syria, Baath, said that Syria fully backs Hezbollah against the "barbaric Israeli aggression".
IDFMap of conflict as of July 142006. In yellow is the Israeli blockade, in the red area regions of active conflict.
Bombs the airport road in the south of the capital, Beirut.
Drops leaflets warning residents to stay away from the Hezbollah offices in southern Beirut, where Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah is thought to live.
Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert outlined three conditions for the Israeli operation to end: full implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1559 calling for the disarming of Hezbollah, an end to rocket attacks from Lebanon on Israeli towns, and the return of the two abducted soldiers.[5][6][7]
Fires 20 rockets into Haifa killing 8 and wounding 20. 10 rockets also fired into Tiberius for the first time, forcing many displaced Israeli civilians who came to the city for shelter from northern cities farther south.
Nazareth and Afula are hit by Hezbollah rockets, reaching the deepest of all rockets fired by the militant group.[10]
IDF
45 people killed and more than 100 wounded in various air strikes in southern Lebanon around the border town of Aitaroun. Among the dead were seven Canadians, with six other Canadians critically wounded.[11]
Air attacks on Beirut's southern suburbs, continued through the day and evening. [12]
Air force bombs the Palestinian foreign ministry building in Gaza City and completely destroyed what remained of the building, damaging nearby homes. Several injuries were reported.[13]
Israeli air strikes targeted a Hezbollah stronghold in Lebanon, which killed 17 combatants. Hezbollah retaliated by firing away Katyusha rockets thirty-five miles south of the Lebanese border, which landed in the northern Israeli town of Atlit; although, there were no casualties reported.[14]
Some Israeli ground troops briefly entered into Lebanon, its southern portion, with the intent of completing a mission of attacking Hezbollah bases on the border.[15]
United Nations / United Kingdom
U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan and UK Prime Minister Tony Blair urge an international stabilization force to the Mideast to stop the cross-border fighting.[16] Israel responds that it is too early to call for a UN force.[17]
Hezbollah
Three rounds of Hezbollah rockets struck the Israeli port city of Haifa, that wounded two people and partially destroyed a three-story building.[18]
Rockets were also reported to have hit the town of Atlit, 35 miles south of the border and 5 miles south of Haifa. No injuries were reported. [19]
"Israel will not agree to live under the threat of missiles or rockets aimed at its citizens. Citizens of Israel, there are moments in a nation's life where it must face reality and say: Enough! And I am telling you all. It is enough."[20]
Canada
Canadians gather in front of the Israeli consulate in Montreal to protest the Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon.[21]
United States
An estimated 10,000 demonstrators rallied outside the United Nations in New York City in support of Israel, with smaller crowds of anti-Israel protesters also present. [22]
Four IDF soldiers were killed and six others were wounded in heavy clashes with Hezbollah just inside south Lebanon, close to Moshav Avivim.[citation needed]
One soldier was killed and three soldiers were injured late night on July 20 when two Apache helicopters collided in northern Israel, near Kiryat Shmona.[27]
Hezbollah
Hezbollah fired mortar shells in the area in effort to disrupt the rescue of the wounded. The IDF believes that several Hezbollah guerillas were killed in the close-quarter confrontation.[citation needed]
Israel calls up several reserve army battalions and drops leaflets over southern Lebanese villages warning civilians to leave the area.[28]
Brigadier-General Alon Friedman, who is in charge of Israeli army operations in the north, said: "It's possible that in the coming days our ground operations will increase.[29]
The Israeli air force continues to hit targets around Lebanon. More than 300 Lebanese civilians have now been killed in the raids.[30]
Hezbollah
Hezbollah launch fewer rockets than on any day since the conflict began. Only 40 rockets reach Israel.[31]
Israeli ground troops move into the village of Maroun al-Ras in south Lebanon and take control. The Israeli army insists that incursions will be limited in scope despite the recall of thousands of reserve troops.[32]
Hezbollah
Hezbollah rockets again strike Haifa, wounding several Israelis.[33]
Israel continues its offensive by hitting communications targets in Lebanon, including a relay station used by several Lebanese television stations.[34]
Hezbollah fires at least 150 rockets hitting several cities and villages in northern Israel.[35]
17 people wounded Saturday as 160 Katyushas land in north; 4 people hurt in strike on Safed home. [36]
Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, describes the plight of Lebanon as part of the "birth pangs of a new Middle East" and says that Israel should ignore calls for a ceasefire.[39]
Israeli airstrike kills four UN observers in southern Lebanon.[43] United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan called the strike “apparently deliberate.”[44]
"Let it be clear, we will reach everyone, no matter where they are, and we shall not hesitate to take the most severe measures against those aiming thousands of rockets and missiles against innocent civilians, with a single purpose in mind – to kill them. This is something we shall not tolerate."[45]
Over 75 rockets fired at Israel during the day; No less than 22 hit within urban areas [47]
Over 100 rockets hit communities across north; 13 lightly wounded [48]
United Nations
The UN Security Council proposed the condemnation of the Israeli attack on the UNIFIL outpost. However, this was prevented by the veto of the U.S..[49]
IAF airstrike of a three-story building in Qana, Southern Lebanon, kills 28 people, including 16 children, hiding in its bombshelter. 13 people were reported missing.[54] As a result, Israel announces its intention to severely restrict further airstrikes for a 48-hour period beginning 2 am July 31, 2006. Previously, it was estimated that 56 people died, 34 of them children.[1]
Israel Air Force continues airstrikes in support of ground forces in southern Lebanon, but refrains from attacks elsewhere in accordance with its stated 48-hour period of restraint.
The Israeli military and Hezbollah forces started engagement in the town of Ayta al-Sha`b in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah also holds its fire, with "the Israeli Army counting only three mortar shells landing in Israel ... and no rockets." [56] at least three in Haifa, wounding six people.
At the graduation ceremony at the National Security College in Glilot, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said:
"This war cannot in any way be measured by the number of missiles or the range of missiles that are still being fired at us. Not for a moment, not from day one did the defense minister, myself or the Israeli government - and I must say in its support – the military leadership as well – did anyone promise the people of Israel that at the end of the this campaign there would be no missiles with a range capable of reaching the State of Israel. No one has the power to make such a promise."[58]
After air strikes on the town of Baalbek, 100km into Lebanon, in which 11 people died, Israeli commandos landed by helicopters and fought a lengthy gun battle.
Eight civilians are killed by rocket attacks in Northern Israel and four IDF soldiers are killed in Southern Lebanon in what was referred to as "the deadliest day for Israel in its two-front war" [62]
Hezbollah's leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah warned that the group would launch rockets at Tel Aviv if Israel attacked the central parts of Beirut. Nasrallah stated: "If you strike Beirut, the Islamic resistance will strike Tel Aviv and it is able to do so." Nasrallah also proclaimed that Hezbollah would end its rocket attacks against Israel if it (in turn) stopped attacking Lebanon [63].
33 civilian farm workers are killed and 20 wounded after Israeli airstrike in a farm near Qaa in Lebanon, close to the Lebanon-Syria border in the Beqaa valley[64]
Israel bombs a house in the frontline Taibeh village in south Lebanon killing seven civilians and wounding 10. [65]
Israeli aircraft destroyed four bridges on the main coastal highway north of Beirut, disrupting efforts to aid civilians displaced or trapped by the conflict. [65].
Hezbollah
A rocket hits the Israeli city of Hadera, 80 kilometers south of the border and the deepest rocket attack into Israel since the conflict began. [66]
Israeli commando soldiers landed in Tyre, where fighting erupted with Hezbollah forces. Israeli forces were supported by air strikes from helicopter gunships and fighter-bombers. One commando was killed while 4 others were injured.[67]
Israeli air strikes killed at least five people in the village of Ansar near the port of Sidon. Three other Lebanese civilians were killed when an Israeli missile hit a private house in Naqoura. Bridges and roads in other places in Lebanon were also targeted and destroyed. Two roads linking the Bekaa plain with Beirut and northern Lebanon were also hit, as well as two bridges in the Akkar province.[68]
A missile launcher that fired rockets into Haifa was later destroyed in an Israeli airstrike in the Lebanese town of Qana.[69]
Hezbollah
Twelve Israeli reservists were killed when a Hezbollah rocket hit Kfar Giladi in northern Israel; eight other people were injured in the attack.[70] At least 15 people were injured in the missile attacks, some of them seriously.[71]The attack was the single deadliest Hezbollah rocket attack on northern Israel since hostilities began in July 2006.[69]
Hezbollah launched 5 rockets against Haifa. 3 people were killed and at least 40 people were injured in the attack. The rockets hit residential areas in the city, and at least one building collapsed.[72]
A Hezbollah rocket hit the headquarters of the Chinese UNIFIL contingent, injuring three Chinese peacekeepers.[73]
Hezbollah militants fired more than 180 rockets into northern Israel.[69]
Syria
Syria's foreign minister stated that Syria's army had standing orders to respond immediately to any Israeli attacks: "If Israel attacks Syria by any means, on the ground, in the air, our leadership ordered the armed forces to reply immediately."[74].
Israeli planes attacked targets in southern Beirut and the eastern Bekaa valley. Ground fighting with Hezbollah-fighters was reported around Houla in the south of Lebanon.[75]. Israeli air strikes struck several houses in Houla during the fighting, and dozens of civilians were feared buried under the rubble. Reports stipulated that at aircrafts first destroyed a house where 17 people were hiding in the village. Other strikes a short time later hit two nearby houses where about 30 other people were staying[76]. At the beginning Lebanon's prime minister falsely stated that 40 civilians had been killed [77], but later had to apologize and admit there was just one killed. The IDF said it has warned residents for the past two weeks to leave.[78]
Israel stated that IDF-soldiers killed 14 Hezbollah fighters in fighting in southern Lebanon. 3 Israeli soldiers were wounded[79].
An Israeli engineering unit were reported having blown up a Hezbollah headquarters located in southwestern Lebanon[80].
30 Israeli commandos landed on a hilltop overlooking Ras al-Biyada, south of Tyre, fighting Hezbollah-soldiers in close combat in a bid to destroy its rocket launchers[81].
Israel Defense Forces says in a statement that they plan to increase their offensive in Lebanon in response to the rocket attacks on Israel August 6. A senior General Staff officer told that Israel now plans to attack strategic infrastructure targets and symbols of the Lebanese government.[82].
An Israeli strike hit a south Beirut street on the edge of the city's mostly Christian eastern district, killing forty one people and wounding 61.[83] The strike hit a building near a mosque in the upscale southern suburb of Shiyyah. The strike came shortly after Israel warned residents south of Lebanon's Litani River to stay off roads after 10 p.m., Israeli military sources said. The IDF warned residents it "intends to intensify its attack against Hezbollah."[78]
Israeli airstrike killed at least seven civilians near the southern city of Sidon, Lebanese officials said. The IDF in recent days had dropped leaflets on Sidon, urging civilians to evacuate.[78]
Israel
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said that the Israel Defense Forces would have no limitations in the fight against rocket fire in the north, saying it was unacceptable that so many people were forced to exist in bomb shelters. "We have to stop the rockets," Olmert said during a visit to the Northern Command."We cannot have a million residents living in shelters. On this matter, there will be no limitations on the army. This war has involved fatalities, which hurts and is traumatic. This we know, but at the moment we have to cope with it, both on the battlefield and the home front. I will give you every strength and support, we are not stopping [the fight]."[84]
Israel is attempting to establish a buffer zone between Israel and the Litani -- about 25 miles (40 kilometers) from the border -- to halt the Hezbollah cross-border rocket attacks./ Israel also said it had shot down a Hezbollah drone[85]/ Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, in a taped address to an American Jewish charity, said Israel was prepared to pay "a terrible price" to battle Hezbollah now rather than face a strengthened foe later. Olmert called on the "solidarity and partnership" between Jewish communities overseas and the people of Israel for support./ Israel has long supported the idea of Lebanon's army taking control of the border from Hezbollah. But Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said Israel expects to see details presented at the United Nations, questioning whether Hezbollah would be disarmed [78].
Lebanon
Lebanon proposed changes to a draft U.N. resolution aimed at halting the Israel-Hezbollah conflict that left some 800 people dead. Lebanon's government agreed to dispatch 15,000 troops to its southern border as part of a peace agreement if Israeli troops leave the country, a government spokesman said. Lebanon's proposed changes would have Israeli troops hand over their current positions to the U.N. Interim Force In Lebanon as they withdraw. UNIFIL then would hand over control to Lebanese forces within 72 hours and help them deploy, according to a draft of the Lebanese plan. And Lebanese troops would ensure "total respect of the cessation of hostilities in the area.[86]
Hezbollah
Hezbollah claims to kill three Israeli soldiers in the Lebanese town of Bint Jbeil[87]. IDF confirmed only one initially, but published later that 2 more soldiers were killed in the fighting when their tank was hit by anti-tank-rockets[86].
In Southern Lebanon at least 14 civilians died. Altogther far more than 800 people have died up to now, most of them civilians. [88]
The draft U.N. resolution calls for "the immediate cessation by Hezbollah of all attacks and the immediate cessation by Israel of all offensive military operations." A second resolution would later establish an international peacekeeping force that would help Lebanon's army take control of the country's southern border, where Hezbollah has held sway since the Israeli withdrawal in 2000 [78].
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan made another appeal to Israel and Hezbollah "to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law," in a preliminary report on the July 30 attack in Qana. "The attack on Qana should be seen in the broader context of what could be, based on preliminary information available to the United Nations, including eyewitness accounts, a pattern of violations of international law, including international humanitarian law and international human rights law, committed during the course of the current hostilities," Annan stated [90].
An Israeli soldier was killed and five others were wounded in heavy fighting between IDF troops and Hezbollah. The soldier was killed when Hezbollah fighters fired an anti-tank missile at an IDF "Puma" armored personnel carrier in the village of Dibel. Two Hezbollah fighters were killed in the fighting.[91]
Overnight combat between Israel and Hezbollah left one Israeli soldier dead and four wounded, officials said. It is the 28th day of fighting. Israeli forces killed four Hezbollah fighters in the village of Al Mansouri and three others in the villages of Bint Jbeil and Ramiya, the IDF said. According to the Israeli military, five guerrillas were taken prisoner in Bint Jbeil and Shihin. Bint Jbeil has been the scene of heavy fighting since the Israeli campaign began July 12, after Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid.
The soldier's death brings the Israeli death toll in the nearly month-old conflict to 98, including 35 civilians killed by Hezbollah rocket attacks. The IDF reported 82 airstrikes in Lebanon overnight that targeted buildings, access routes and missile launchers. Security sources also said an Israeli warship off the coast fired on Shiyah at night, hitting a building near a mosque. In addition Israeli airstrikes hit the southern Lebanese town of Ghaziye, near Sidon, killing 14 civilians and wounding 33, Lebanon's security forces said. The attacks occurred as mourners were burying villagers killed in a bombing August 7, the AP and Reuters reported.[92]
In later fighting two IDF paratroopers were killed in battles in Bint Jbail. One of the paratroopers was treated by medics at the scene, but he could not be extricated due to heavy gunfire from Hezbollah militants. During the rescue attempt, a soldier from the paratroopers' search and rescue force was also killed.[93]
The Israeli military dropped leaflets over the southern Lebanese city of Tyre, warning of stepped-up operations and urging people not to drive on roads. One leaflet, which a Lebanese Broadcasting Corp. reporter showed on the air, said that "terrorist elements ... are using you as human shields by launching rockets toward the state of Israel from your homes." The translated leaflet continued, "All cars and of any type will be shelled if seen moving south of the Litani River because it will be considered a suspect of transferring rockets, military ammunitions and those causing destruction. The warning is in effect for all residents south of the Litani River. "You need to know that anyone moving in any type of car will put their life in danger."[92]
On the diplomatic front, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert termed "interesting" a Lebanese proposal to send 15,000 troops to its southern border, The Associated Press reported. But he also said the Israeli Security Cabinet on August 9 may consider expanding the offensive in southern Lebanon.[92]
The area of Tyre has been a launching point for Hezbollah's Katyusha rockets.[94]
Hezbollah
Hezbollah rocket fire wounded two people in Israel, police said. Rockets hit the towns of Safed, Kiryat Shmona and Maalot, and open fields near Akko, Tiberias, Safed and Nahariya, some setting fields ablaze and causing damage to buildings, police said. Hezbollah, after Israeli troops had handed over their current positions in southern Lebanon to the U.N. observer mission and UNIFIL then had handed over control to Lebanese forces within 72 hours (according to a draft of the Lebanese plan), would withdraw to positions north of the Litani River. [92]
Lebanon and its Arab League allies are pressing the United Nations to call for an immediate Israeli withdrawal as part of a deal to end the fighting. Such a withdrawal is not mentioned in a U.N. draft resolution by the United States and France, an omission that Lebanon's government and Arab League diplomats have called unacceptable. Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's Cabinet, which includes two ministers from Hezbollah, made its decision on troop deployment unanimously, ministers said. The deployment of Lebanese national troops to the south is part of the U.S.- and French-backed peace plan under discussion at the United Nations. Monday's proposal does not call for Hezbollah to disarm, but the Cabinet said it would allow only Lebanese government troops and U.N. peacekeepers to operate south of the Litani River, Finance Minister Jihad Azour said. Lebanon prefers a single resolution that would deal with a cease-fire and all of the political issues rather than a two-phase approach that the Lebanese Embassy's charge d'affaires in Washington, Carla Jazzar, said would give Hezbollah a pretext to continue fighting. The Lebanese proposal calls for Israel to hand over the disputed territory of Shebaa Farms to the United Nations, "pending delineation of the border." And it would bolster UNIFIL rather than creating a new peacekeeping force with more robust rules of engagement. In Lebanon, security forces put the death toll at more than 776, most of them civilians. [92]
Red Cross
The International Committee of the Red Cross has been exempted from the Israeli targeting of Tyre, said Roland Hueguenin-Benjamin, a spokesman for the group. He said the Red Cross has negotiated "freedom of movement" for its convoys, which have been providing aid to people in the region. Thousands of people are still believed to be living in shelters in southern Lebanon villages. While the Red Cross is allowed to bring ships into the Lebanese ports of Tyre and Sidon, he said, damaged roads have hindered the delivery of aid into the countryside. The president of the International Committee of the Red Cross accused Israel on of violating the Geneva Conventions by preventing aid convoys from getting into areas targeted by Israeli airstrikes. The official, Jakob Kellenberger, demanded more access to civilians in southern Lebanon. He will meet with Israeli officials on August 9. "By letting down leaflets you cannot get rid of your responsibilities under international humanitarian law," Kellenberger said, referring to warnings the Israeli military has issued before airstrikes[92].
Médecins Sans Frontières
The destruction of a main road and a makeshift bridge by airstrikes forced Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) to bring supplies into the southern Lebanese city of Tyre by forming a human chain across the Litani River, said a spokesman for the aid group.[92]
United States
President Bush said he anticipates that Hezbollah and Israel will not agree with all aspects of a Mideast cease-fire resolution but said "we all recognize that the violence must stop." A spokesman for the U.S. State Department described the proposal as "significant," the Associated Press reported.Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page).
Israeli helicopters fired five shells at an administration building in Lebanon's largest Palestinian refugee camp early morning, according to the head of Fatah in Lebanon. At least one person was killed and six others injured at the Ain El-Helwe camp near Sidon, Sultan Abu Alaynen said. Israel said it was targeting the home of a Hezbollah militant. The camp houses about 50,000 registered refugees and probably at least that many who are unregistered, Abu Alaynen said.[95] The attack left two people dead and wounded five, officials stated.[96]Later, the Israeli military struck Beirut's southern suburb of Haret Hreik, once home to Hezbollah headquarters. Lebanese TV showed heavy smoke rising from the area. An Associated Press photographer at the scene said the strike hit a largely abandoned Hezbollah stronghold about a mile from where mourners were burying the dead from an earlier attack. About 400 people were in a funeral procession, the AP report said, with marchers chanting, "Death to America! Death to Israel!" after the strike. Meanwhile in Gaza, an Israeli helicopter fired at a vehicle in Gaza City, killing one Palestinian militant and wounding three others, according to Palestinian security sources. In a written statement, the Israel Defense Forces said Hezbollah had been firing rockets from Khiyam into the Israeli cities of Metula, Kiryat Shmona and the Galilee panhandle.[94]
In the eastern Bekaa Valley five people were reported killed and two feared dead after an Israeli airraid. In other Israeli airstrikes a two-storey building in Mashghara were levelled, ending with seven people from the same family trapped under debris, according to security officials. Five bodies were later pulled out and the remaining two relatives were feared dead.[96]
Along the Israel-Lebanon border, Israeli troops wearing black face paint and camouflage accompanied numerous tanks into Lebanon. The Israeli military launched grenades, rocket-propelled grenades and tank shells from multiple locations as the sound of machine gun fire filled the air.[92]In the evening the same scenario: Israel lobbed artillery rounds into southern Lebanon as troops backed by tanks and armored vehicles moved across the border.[94]
Hezbollah and Israeli soldiers fought overnight battles in southern Lebanon, wounding 15 Israeli soldiers.[94] 2 Israeli soldier were also confirmed killed in fighting near Bint Jbeil during the night[97]. 4 other Israeli soldier were killed in the lebanese village Ayta ash Shab, being hit by a Hezbollah-rocket.[98] In Aita el Shaab and Debel at least 15 soldiers were killed in fighting , the most Israel has lost in a single day since the fighting began, the IDF said. West of the Galilee panhandle, dozens of Israeli soldiers were injured during fighting around Bint Jbeil, Lebanon, where Israeli troops have battled militants for much of the four-week conflict, the IDF reported.[94]
Israeli Navy ships fired at Hizbullah targets in southern Lebanon[99].
Israeli troops landed by helicopter in the village of Kharayeb, during the night, and searched houses there. Nobody were reported injured, killed or taken prisoners.[100]
To this date, Israeli casualties in the conflict stand at 120 dead, including 38 civilians, and more than 700 wounded, according to the Israel Defense Forces.[94]
On the recommendation of Israel's Security Cabinet, ground forces are authorized to push up to the Litani River, 18 miles (29 kilometers) inside Lebanon, in an attempt to eliminate Hezbollah threats. Senior military officials said the offensive would begin far quicker than two or three days, Associated Press reported. It is unclear if the agreement allows Israel to call up more reservists. The decision is pending final approval from Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Amir Peretz, according to the prime minister's office. About 10,000 Israeli troops are on the ground in southern Lebanon, according to Israeli military analysts.[94]
Israel
"It is time to bring this conflict to an end," said Dan Gillerman, Israel's ambassador to the U.N. "But speeches and resolutions do not themselves end conflicts. Neither do good intentions. Conflicts are ended by actions, not by words. They are ended when those who sparked the conflict and those who seek to continue to threaten the region are confronted and overcome."[92] "We will leave, and we will be happy to withdraw the minute the area has been stabilized, the minute the international presence will make sure that the Hezbollah has been removed and disarmed," said Dan Gillerman, Israel's ambassador to the United Nations. Gillerman also said he had problems with the idea of a U.N. force being deployed to stabilize the region, and he pointed to the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon as an example. "This interim period has lasted 28 years," he said. "It's an interesting time frame for an interim force. During that time it has been totally incompetent, impotent, in preventing any terror attacks against Israel." Israel's Security Cabinet recommended that the Israeli military expand its campaign against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. Cabinet Minister Eli Yishai told The Associated Press the proposed operation was expected to take 30 days, although a U.N. cease-fire resolution is expected before then. The plan will go into effect once it is formally approved by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Amir Peretz, according to a statement from Olmert's office. The ministers are expected to sign off quickly on the plan, but the AP, citing an Israeli Security Cabinet minister, reported Israel's offensive would not begin for two or three days to allow time for further U.N. debate on a cease-fire resolution. A spokeswoman for the Jewish state said the offensive was not part of an expanded campaign that Israel's Security Cabinet had approved earlier in the day. "It's a small operation that looks large from where we're looking right now, but this is not opening up any new front," spokeswoman Miri Eisen said. "It's taking care of one that has been consistently hitting Kiryat Shmona." Israel says it won't leave Lebanon until it can guarantee security on its northern border.[94]
Hezbollah
Hezbollah fired mortars towards the Israeli town of Metula. Some damage was reported [101]
Hezbollah sent totally 160 rockets across the border during the night, including 22 that landed in cities, according to Israeli police. Two people were wounded.[94] Hezbollah forces also fired a Syrian-made 302-mm Khaibar-1 missile at the Israeli port city of Haifa.[102]
Anti-tank missile fire wounded five Israeli soldiers north of Bint Jbail, Lebanon, and another soldier was wounded during a ground operation in Ras El Beida, an Israeli military spokesman said.[94]
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised speech he supports Lebanon's plan to send 15,000 troops into southern Lebanon. "In the past we used to oppose or not agree on deployment of the army at the borders ... because we were concerned about the army. ... We agree on deployment of the army, but do note hide our fear for it," Associated Press quoted Nasrallah as saying. Hours after the Cabinet made its decision to expand the campaign against Hezbollah, the leader appeared on Al-Manar television, threatening to turn southern Lebanon into "a graveyard" for the Israelis. "I say to the Zionists, you could come anywhere, invade, land airborne forces, enter this village or that, but I repeat, all this will cost you a high price," he said. He added that the Israeli military offensive has yet to diminish the Islamic militia's military capabilities. "We will fight until the last bullet, as long as there's a grenade, as long as there's a rocket, there will still be fighting," Nasrallah said.[94]
Lebanon
"We come to the Security Council asking for an immediate and comprehensive cease-fire," Tarek Mitri, Lebanon's special envoy to the U.N., told the council. "Twenty-seven days ago, we asked for an immediate cease-fire. More than 900 lives ago, we asked for an immediate cease-fire." Diplomats say the Arab proposal has piqued France's interest. [92]
The death toll from the August 7 Israeli attack on the southern Beirut suburb of Shiyah has risen from 30 to 41, Lebanon's security forces said. The number of injured stands at 65. According to Lebanese military sources, a vicious battle broke out between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters in Khiyam, which Israel says is a Hezbollah stronghold. Lebanese security forces said that, to this day 827 people have died, most of them civilians, and nearly 3,200 have been wounded. Lebanon wants an "ironclad" commitment to a full Israeli withdrawal, said Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa. Lebanese proposal calls for an international peacekeeping force. Lebanon also is proposing to deploy 15,000 of its troops to the border, an offer the United States called "significant." [94]
United Nations
The UN-Security Council-proposal calls for Hezbollah to move out of the south and into positions north of the Litani River, but it makes no mention of disarmament.Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page).
According to U.N. observers, a vicious battle broke out between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters in Khiyam, which Israel says is a Hezbollah stronghold.[94]
Arab League
Arab League chief Amr Moussa said that talks from the evening of August 8, which came after the Arab delegation presented its views at a Security Council session, "were promising." "There are new developments and points that the Arab side wishes to insert," he said. " ... on August 9 we will resume our consultations. We hope that by August 10 all sides will know at least the skeleton of what kind of a new draft will be." The Arab League wants an "ironclad" commitment to a full Israeli withdrawal.<[94]
United States
A Bush administration official keeping track of the U.N. developments said the White House is "sympathetic" to the concerns raised by an Arab delegation. But the official said, "We want a final product that has a reasonable chance of success." The United States is concerned the Lebanese army will be not able or willing to stop the resupply of Hezbollah and is not convinced that a bolstered U.N. peacekeeping force could do the trick either. The official added that Israel has "even stronger" views. Nonetheless the U.S.-backed draft resolution calls for an international peacekeeping force. Meanwhile, diplomats still hoped for a vote on August 10 on the U.N. resolution aimed at ending the conflict, but an Arab-backed proposal that calls for a full Israeli withdrawal threatened to tip "a very delicate balance" and set the process back again, a Bush administration official said. As fighting raged in the Middle East, senior White House officials said it did not appear likely that a vote would come August 10 on a U.N. resolution to end the conflict. The United States, an Israeli ally and chief supplier of the Jewish state's weapons, warned both sides against enlarging the conflict. "The escalation is something that we do not want to see," White House spokesman Tony Snow said. "But also, you have to have a resolution that addresses the root cause of Hezbollah, has a practical solution to making sure that the Lebanese government will be able to have military and political control of the south." The United States and France, which offered a draft resolution on August 5, were trying to agree on certain segments of a revised draft, officials said. One point of contention is a Lebanese proposal, backed by the Arab League, that calls for Israel's immediate withdrawal from Lebanon. But the U.S.-French resolution does not call for Israel's withdrawal. There is also some disagreement on the timing of a deployment of Lebanese and U.N. troops to the region. The United States says it is pushing for "flexibility" so Israel can monitor the deployment before pulling out, a position the Israelis favor. "Everybody wants to see that the deployment of 15,000 Lebanese troops to the border used to transform the situation in the region, which means fundamentally that we don't want Hezbollah to reinfiltrate the southern part of Lebanon," said U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton.[94]
France
The United States and France, which offered a draft resolution on August 5, were trying to agree on certain segments of a revised draft, officials said. One point of contention is a Lebanese proposal, backed by the Arab League, that calls for Israel's immediate withdrawal from Lebanon. But the U.S.-French resolution does not call for Israel's withdrawal. There is also some disagreement on the timing of a deployment of Lebanese and U.N. troops to the region.[94]
The IDF reveals that 15 reserve soldiers were killed and 40 were wounded in clashes on August 9, Israel's deadliest day of fighting since the war began. [103] In fighting in the villages of Marjayoun, Khiam and Kila, eight israeli soldiers were wounded in a mortar attack. Another soldier was lightly hurt by anti-tank rocket fire. One soldier was also wounded by anti-tank fire in the the security zone near Bint Jbail[104].
As cease-fire negotiations appeared to stall, Israel lobbed artillery rounds into southern Lebanon at daybreak while troops backed by tanks and armored vehicles moved across the border. Israel ratcheted up its fight against Hezbollah, beginning operations aimed at the heart of Beirut, taking control of a largely Christian southern Lebanese town. The Israeli military also dropped leaflets in Beirut, warning of expanded operations inside the capital and urging people in southern Shiite neighborhoods to evacuate. Those neighborhoods have been bastions of support for Hezbollah. "To the people who live in Hay El Soulom, Borj El Barajneh, Shiyah ... For your safety," one flier warned. "You must evacuate these areas immediately and evacuate any area from where Hezbollah and its members or their assistants are launching their terrorist operations. "Be aware!" To date, Hezbollah has fired 3,333 rockets into northern Israel, Israeli authorities report.[105]
Israeli troops have seized the southern Lebanese town of Marjeyoun and heavy clashes were reported in the area around the town after armoured columns crossed the Lebanese border overnight. Other Israeli troops also advanced on the town of Khiam. Israeli jets also struck a lighthouse used as a cell phone communications tower in central Beirut. [106]Witnesses said they saw a man being loaded into an ambulance at the scene. There was no immediate information on his condition. The area, located in an upscale neighborhood where slain former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri lived, is outside the Hezbollah-dominated southern suburbs that Israeli forces have targeted up to now. Israeli troops had warned residents to remain in their homes as forces moved toward the nearby town of Blatt, Lebanese military intelligence and police said. The secured area overlooks the Litani River, where Hezbollah fighters have reportedly launched rockets into Israel, sources said.[105]
An Israeli unmanned drone fired a missile on a minibus driving in the Bekaa Valley, thus killing one person and wounding 12. The attack happened near the town of Rayak. Another air strike targeted a road linking the city of Baalbek with the Syrian city of Homs [107].
Israel
An Israeli government spokeswoman said the Marjeyoun- offensive was not part of an expanded campaign that Israel's Security Cabinet had approved earlier in the day. More than 950 people have died in the conflict so far, Israelian authorities said. Most have been Lebanese civilians.
Hezbollah
Two Israeli civilians -- including a child -- were killed and two were wounded after Hezbollah militants launched a Katyusha rocket into the village of Deir al Assad in northern Israel, ambulance service officials said. Another rocket struck Kriot in the northern suburbs of Haifa, Israel, authorities said. The strike on Haifa came a day after Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah urged Israeli Arabs in the city, Israel's third-largest to leave, lest Muslim blood be shed. Hezbollah announced "violent battles" in Marjeyoun, and Arab news networks Al-Manar and Al Arabiya reported at least two Israeli tanks were destroyed in fighting there. By afternoon, Hezbollah had sent 136 rockets into northern Israel, police said. To date, Hezbollah has fired 3,333 rockets into northern Israel, Israeli authorities report.[105]
Lebanon
Lebanese security forces said that, to this day 834 people have died, most of them civilians, and nearly 3,211 have been wounded since fighting began on July 12.[105]
About 350 Lebanese soldiers and police in Marjayoun have been detained by Israeli forces, after IDF took the village.[108]
Receiving warning leaflets from Israel were northern Lebanese towns including El Beddaoui, Lebanese Internal Security Forces said. Those leaflets warned that Israel will target any type of truck moving along the coastal road. "Be aware that anybody using pick-ups or trucks puts his life in danger," one leaflet warned. The leaflets said such vehicles will be targeted under suspicion of "transporting rockets, military ammunitions and terrorists." North of Beirut, three Israeli rockets launched from the sea also hit three state radio towers, Lebanese police said. Those towers already have been targets of attacks during the conflict. Israeli troops had warned residents to remain in their homes as forces moved toward the nearby town of Blatt, Lebanese military intelligence and police said. While Lebanese intelligence said Israeli troops did not experience any resistance during their advance to Marjeyoun, Lebanese military sources and U.N. observers described a vicious battle in Khiyam, which Israel said is a Hezbollah stronghold. More than 950 people have died in the conflict so far, Lebanese authorities told. Most have been Lebanese civilians.[105]
United Nations
The UN's top humanitarian official, Jan Egeland, criticised both Israel and Hezbollah for hindering access to southern Lebanon, calling the situation a "disgrace".[109]
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan pushed the Security Council to come up with a plan by week's end, August 12 to August 13, for ending the conflict. In a statement issued early afternoon, Annan's office said he is working "very intensely" on reaching a resolution acceptable to both Israel and Lebanon, and he repeated his call to end the fighting and "save civilians on both sides from the nightmare they have endured for the past four weeks." "The secretary-general believes that it ought to be possible for the Security Council to adopt a resolution by the end of the week," his office said. Meanwhile, the United Nations warned of a major food crisis in Lebanon, saying that the displacement of nearly a million people has coincided with the country's main cereal harvest. Of the 915,000 people the U.N. estimates to be internally displaced in Lebanon, 45 percent are children, it said. Fighting has disrupted the delivery of food, fuel and medical supplies and devastated much of the country's infrastructure, and the U.N. said 100,000 people in southern Lebanon won't be receiving vital relief. The emergency coordinator for the U.N. World Food Program, Zlatan Milisic, said no aid has been able to reach areas south of Sidon. A relief convoy planned for Nabatiya was denied IDF approval, said Milisic. U.N. observers described a vicious battle in Khiyam, which Israel said is a Hezbollah stronghold during the Israelian advance to Marjeyoun.[105]
^Brandon, James (2996-07-11). "Israelis in the mood for war". Aljazeera. Retrieved 2006-07-27. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
