ISRAEL: Israeli soldiers wounded in battles with Hizbollah being evacuted; in Tel Aviv anti-war protesters gather

Record ID: 397223

  • Title: ISRAEL: Israeli soldiers wounded in battles with Hizbollah being evacuted; in Tel Aviv anti-war protesters gather
  • Date: 13th August 2006
  • Summary: (W5)TEL AVIV, ISRAEL (AUGUST 12, 2006) (REUTERS) ISRAELI PROTESTERS DEMONSTRATING OUTSIDE HOUSE OF ARMY CHIEF OF STAFF DAN HALUTZ PROTEST SIGN READING ' DEMONSTRATORS PROTESTING, CALLING TO STOP THE WAR SECURITY MEN SCUFFLING WITH DEMONSTRATORS DEMONSTRATORS CHANTING, PROTESTING
  • Embargoed: 28th August 2006 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Israel
  • Country: Israel
  • Reuters ID: LVAVX1LDPYE5EE6WEIVOWYBHL3Y
  • Story Text: Israeli soldiers wounded in fighting with Hizbollah in southern Lebanon, which killed at least 11 soldiers, were evacuated on Sunday (August 13) to an Israeli hospital as military forces pushed deeper into Lebanon.
    The Israeli army confirmed that 11 Israeli soldiers were killed in southern Lebanon and more than 70 were wounded.
    Some of the wounded troops were evacuated by military helicopters to the Rambam medical centre in the Israeli rocket hit city of Haifa early on Sunday (August 13).
    An Israeli army spokeswoman said the most recent attacks included an Israeli officer and two soldiers who were killed when Hizbollah fighters fired an anti-tank missile at their tank.
    She said another soldier died when Hizbollah launched a similar attack on a structure in the area where he and other troops had taken position.
    Hizbollah guerrillas also shot down an Israeli helicopter in the area. Israeli media said there were casualties but did not say how many.
    The army said it was the first aircraft shot down in Lebanon since its war with Hizbollah began on July 12, sparked by the group's capture of two soldiers in a cross-border raid.
    Arab television stations said 17 Israeli soldiers were killed on Saturday (August 12), which would be the highest single-day death toll of the war for the Israeli military.
    The army said it had killed more than 40 Hizbollah fighters in the last 24 hours and destroyed several rocket launchers. Hizbollah denied it had lost 40 fighters in the clashes.
    Hizbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said his fighters would abide by Friday's U.N. Security Council resolution calling for a "full cessation of hostilities" once the timing of the truce was agreed and once Israeli forces also adhered to it.
    Israel would halt offensive operations in Lebanon at 0400 GMT on Monday but would continue to engage Hizbollah in areas where the army was operating, a senior government official said. Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni also said the offensive would end on Monday (August 14) but did not specify a time.
    Helicopters lifted hundreds of Israeli troops into south Lebanon as part of an expanding offensive launched even though Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has backed the U.N. vote. Olmert was expected to ask his cabinet to approve the resolution on Sunday (August 12).
    Lebanon's government unanimously approved the resolution in a session on Saturday, Lebanon's prime minister said.
    Lieutenant-General Dan Halutz, Israel's top general, said Israel had tripled its forces in Lebanon since Thursday (August 10).
    Outside his house in Tel Aviv dozens of Israeli protesters demonstrated on Saturday night against Israel's offensive in Lebanon, calling on the Chief of Staff to pull out all troops from the neighbouring country.
    Israeli air strikes killed up to 20 people on Saturday, Lebanese security sources said. Hizbollah fired at least 65 rockets into Israel -- a considerable decrease from recent days -- lightly wounding several people.
    The Security Council resolution adopted on Friday aimed at ending the month-old war.

    ENDS.
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