MIDEAST: Israel plans to allow more time for diplomacy before carrying out planned expanded ground offensive

Record ID: 791345

  • Title: MIDEAST: Israel plans to allow more time for diplomacy before carrying out planned expanded ground offensive
  • Date: 10th August 2006
  • Summary: (BN09) NEAR THE BORDER WITH LEBANON, ISRAEL (AUGUST 10, 2006) (REUTERS) TANKS ROLLING DOWN A HILL TANKS DRIVING MORE TANKS LINE OF TANKS ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD SOLDIER SLEEPING ON TOP OF TANK SOLDIER INSIDE TANK TANKS FIRING MORE TANKS FIRING
  • Embargoed: 25th August 2006 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: War / Fighting
  • Reuters ID: LVADPI9J5CHMM6JINEOP19B89A46
  • Story Text: Israel plans to allow more time for U.S.-led diplomatic efforts to resolve its dispute with Hizbollah before carrying out its decision to expand a ground offensive in Lebanon, a cabinet minister said on Thursday (August 10).
    "The government yesterday decided on stepping up our ground operations against Hizbollah in order to defend our population against this continuing barrage of rockets and missiles into Israeli towns and cities. The timing of future operations will be decided by the Prime Minister and, of course, we are also very much looking at the U.N. Security Council, at the discussions there. And I can say clearly -- if the international community takes concrete steps on the ground to implement the U.N. resolutions on Lebanon that of course makes the Israeli military option superfluous", Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev told Reuters.
    Yitzhak Herzog, a member of Israel's security cabinet, said there was a certain diplomatic process under way and that the Israeli government could allow a little more time to see if there's a possibility for a diplomatic process.
    Israel Radio quoted a senior political source as saying Israel was pessimistic about chances the diplomatic efforts would succeed, adding "these efforts could collapse within hours.
    Israel's Maariv daily said in a front-page report that Israeli leaders decided after midnight to suspend plans they had decided on hours earlier to widen the four-week-old assault.
    Israeli forces currently operate within around 8 km (5 miles) of the border but Wednesday's decision could bring the army to the Litani River, some 20 km (12.5 miles) into Lebanon.
    Israeli forces pushed into south Lebanon late on Wednesday (August 9) as Hizbollah's leader vowed to turn it into a graveyard for Israeli troops and unleash more rockets on the city of Haifa.
    Israeli television and Lebanese witnesses said armoured columns were moving into southern Lebanon under cover of intensive artillery fire. The Israeli army said the push was to quell Hizbollah rocket fire from the town of al-Khiam and would not go beyond the current area of military operations.
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