Israel threatens to attack Syria, Washington calls for easing down
Syria-Israel, Politics, 7/21/2004

The US has called on both Israel and Lebanon for self- control in order to avoid more escalation in the crisis which started one day after the assassination of Ghaleb Awali, one of the security leading figures in the Hizbullah party in Mu'wad area in Southern Beirut's district.

US spokesman Richard Boucher said " it is in the interests of all sides ( Lebanon, Syria and Israel) to abide by calmness on the Lebanese- Israeli borders." He explained that the US talked with representatives for the UN forces run by the UN in Lebanon and is now following up incidents closely.

Boucher ruled out that Israel is behind the assassination of Ghaleb on Monday, alleging that the evidence proving Tel Aviv's involvement in the operation " is not existent " but he underlined the importance of proceeding into criminal investigations until discovering the sides which killed Awali. Boucher also stressed the need of halting violence "and controlling" the Hizbullah Party which is classified by Washington as a terrorist organizations.

The American call to ease down came after the commander of the northern area in the Israeli occupation army accused Damascus and Tehran of arming Hizbullah, warning that continued attacks by Hizbullah will lead to Israel's launching of a qualitative and painful Israeli military operation against Syria.

For its part, the Lebanese government decided to file a complaint to the UN against Israel because of its attacks against South Lebanon. This was, however, after the Israeli warplanes carried out a series of raids at the outskirts of Eita al-Shaab border town in southern Lebanon. A fire exchange also took place between the fighters of the Lebanese Hizbullah Party and the occupation army across the border. The escalation led to the killing of two Israeli soldiers and one Hizbullah member.

Israeli fighters launched fake raids over Beirut's southern suburbs earlier in the day, Tuesday. News reports quoted Lebanese security and official sources in Hizbullah that the Israeli warplanes carried out two fake raids in the airspace of al- Na'emah airspace and the Lebanese and Syrian anti- aircraft opened its fire against the Israeli jets.

Two Israeli soldiers were killed in an attack launched by Hizbullah fighters at an Israeli military position in the western sector on the border between Lebanon and Israel. Israeli military sources said that Hizbullah fighters opened their weapons fire at a base for the Israeli occupation army in the western Galilee near Zarit town. The sources added the Israeli forces retaliated by firing a tank shelling at one position for the Hizbullah party in southern Lebanon.

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  Syria bans four Israeli ship and 9 companies   (5/6/2004)

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