LEBANON/ISRAEL: Israel's defence minister says offensive in Lebanon will continue, while Israeli Arabs take to the streets to demand a stop to the fighting

Record ID: 395395

  • Title: LEBANON/ISRAEL: Israel's defence minister says offensive in Lebanon will continue, while Israeli Arabs take to the streets to demand a stop to the fighting
  • Date: 5th August 2006
  • Summary: (W4) SAFED, ISRAEL (AUGUST 4, 2006) (REUTERS) WIDE OF BRIGADIER GENERAL SHUKI SHAHUR, AIDE TO NORTHERN COMMAND'S HEAD OF GENERAL STAFF, BRIEFING JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (English) BRIGADIER GENERAL SHUKI SHAHUR, AIDE TO NORTHERN COMMAND'S HEAD OF GENERAL STAFF SAYING: "Our forces are doing the best not only to run after the launchers (of missiles into Israel) we do not in
  • Embargoed: 20th August 2006 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: War / Fighting,Defence / Military
  • Reuters ID: LVA4JWBCKKHFPO9NUDVB1YBJ1NPB
  • Story Text: The Israeli military continued its offensive in southern Lebanon on Friday (August 4) while Israeli Arabs demonstrated in demand to stop the fighting.
    The Israeli army distributed footage showing soldiers walking inside a southern Lebanese village, searching houses for Hizbollah guerilla fighters and taking over buildings.
    Israeli Defence Minister Amir Peretz said the operation will continue until Hizbollah will no longer be threatening northern Israel.
    "The fighting is proceeding according to plan. We have just completed a very important stage with the taking over on one of the most difficult areas and we intend to continue and complete the whole mission. Don't let the Hizbollah delude itself -- we have no intention of giving up," he said during a visit to the northern Israeli town of Carmiel.
    During an army briefing in the northern town of Safed, Brigadier General Shuki Shahur, aide to Northern Command's Head of General Staff said the army was completing its missions slowly, but safely.
    "Our forces are doing the best not only to run after the launchers (of missiles into Israel) we do not intend to catch each one of them. They (Israeli troops) do the best to hit the terrorists and to destroy the infrastructure and to give the government the best conditions for any future decision they will take," he said.
    Earlier on Friday rockets fired into northern Israel by Hizbollah guerrillas in Lebanon killed at least three people and injured more than 100 more, medics and police said.
    One person died near the town of Carmiel in the Galilee region of northern Israel, medics said.
    Another barrage of rockets killed two people, including a woman in a direct hit on her house in the Druze-Arab village of Maghar, police said.
    The other person was killed when a rocket landed near his car on the outskirts of Kiryat Shmona, Israel's northernmost town, rescue officials.
    More than 190 rockets have landed so far on Friday, police said.
    Elsewhere, in the Israeli Arab town of Taibe, scores of the town's residents demonstrated in protest against Israel's offensive in Lebanon.
    Men and women carried signs calling for Israel to halt all fighting.
    The three civilian deaths on Friday raised to 30 the number of people killed by rocket fire from Lebanon during the conflict. Forty-four military personnel have been killed.
    Hizbollah rockets killed eight people in northern Israel on Thursday.
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