Israelis Say Offensive Could Last Weeks

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

The New York Sun

JERUSALEM (AP) – Israeli officials said Tuesday their offensive in Lebanon could last several more weeks and involve large numbers of ground forces, casting doubt on diplomatic efforts to broker a cease-fire.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told a visiting U.N. delegation that “Israel will continue to combat Hezbollah and will continue to strike targets of the group” until captured Israeli soldiers are released and Israeli citizens are safe from attacks.

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said diplomatic efforts were under way, but a cease-fire would be impossible unless the captured soldiers are returned unharmed and Lebanese troops are deployed along the countries’ border, with a guarantee that the Hezbollah militia would be disarmed.

Livni’s remarks after meeting the U.N. delegation were the first indication that both sides were making significant efforts to end the weeklong conflict.

But military officials said the offensive was likely to go on, and perhaps expand.

Maj. Gen. Udi Adam, the head of the Israeli army’s northern command, said the offensive against Hezbollah, which has mostly been limited to Israel’s air force and navy, would continue.

“I think that we should assume that it will take a few more weeks,” he told Israel’s Army Radio.

The army’s deputy chief of staff, Maj. Gen. Moshe Kaplinski, told Israel Radio that Israel has not ruled out deploying “massive ground forces into Lebanon.”

Public Security Minister Avi Dichter said Israel may consider a prisoner swap with Lebanon to win the release of two soldiers captured by Hezbollah, but only after its military operation is complete.

“If one of the ways to bring home the soldiers will be negotiations on the possibility of releasing Lebanese prisoners, I think the day will come when we will also have to consider this,” Dichter told Army Radio.

Hezbollah fired more missiles at northern Israel, killing one Israeli in the northern town of Nahariya and wounding several others, Israeli officials said.

Rockets also hit the northern city of Haifa.

Hezbollah has fired hundreds of rockets at northern Israeli towns from the Lebanese border since fighting began July 12, forcing hundreds of thousands of Israelis to take cover in underground shelters or flee to the south.

Israeli strikes in Lebanon raised the death toll in that country to at least 226.

Israelis strongly support the military operation against Hezbollah, according a to poll in the Israeli daily Yediot Ahronot. It said 86 percent of Israelis believe the operation is justified, 81 percent want it to continue and 58 percent say it should last until Hezbollah is destroyed. The poll had a margin of error of 4.2 percentage points.

Nevertheless, Livni said, “We are beginning a diplomatic process alongside the military operation that will continue.”

“The diplomatic process is not meant to shorten the window of time of the army’s operation, but rather is meant to be an extension of it and to prevent a need for future military operations,” she told reporters.

Israel’s two-front offensive against Islamic militants began on June 25 when Hamas-linked guerrillas in the Gaza Strip carried out a cross-border attack on a military outpost in Israel, killing two soldiers and capturing one. Lebanon’s Hezbollah guerrillas joined the fray this month, attacking a military patrol on the border in northern Israel, killing three soldiers and capturing two.

Israel has been reluctant to use ground forces because of memories of its ill-fated 18-year occupation of south Lebanon, which ended in 2000.

Livni signaled Israel might be willing to accept a temporary international “stabilization” force in south Lebanon to bolster the 2,000-strong force already there. Western nations have been proposing the increased force as part of a possible cease-fire agreement _ an idea Israel had previously brushed off.

She said securing south Lebanon “requires activity by the Lebanese government, with the oversight (and) assistance of the international community.” She said Israel’s experience with the current U.N. force was “not satisfactory” and that it prefers no such force in the long-term.

In Belgium, U.N Secretary-General Kofi Annan said any international stabilization force must be “considerably” larger and better armed than the U.N.’s current force in Lebanon, which numbers some 2,000 troops and long has been viewed by all sides in the Middle East as ineffectual and lacking a strong mandate.

In recent days, Israeli officials have sent conflicting signals about whether Israel would demand Hezbollah’s immediate disarmament as a condition for a cease-fire. Livni’s comments indicated Israel would accept future disarmament, provided that Lebanon immediately deploy its own troops along the border to prevent any future rocket attacks against northern Israel.

U.N. negotiator Terje Roed-Larsen said in Jerusalem after meeting Livni that “concrete ideas” had been presented to the Israeli government to solve the crisis, and that Israel would deliberate on them in the coming days.

“I think both parties agreed that it is necessary to have a political framework in order to reach, eventually, a cease-fire,” Roed-Larsen said.

He did not elaborate on the proposals.

The U.N. team, led by Annan’s special political adviser Vijay Nambiar and Mideast envoy Alvaro de Soto and including Roed-Larsen, arrived in Jerusalem Monday night to try to broker an end to the week of violence.


The New York Sun

© 2024 The New York Sun Company, LLC. All rights reserved.

Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. The material on this site is protected by copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used.

The New York Sun

Sign in or  Create a free account

By continuing you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use