President: Lebanese army, groups to defend Lebanese lands
Lebanon-Israel, Politics, 7/24/2006

The Lebanese army would join Hizbullah and other Lebanese groups to defend Lebanon from an Israel entering into Lebanon officials declared.

Katyusha missiles, fired on northern Israeli settlements, have forced 250,000 Israelis to flee the region in the past 11 days, according to the media of the Qods-occupying regime.

The media said on Sunday that Israeli military and political officials have admitted mass exodus of thousands of Israelis from nearby settlements.

The media quoted mayor of one of the settlements as saying that thus far, half of the 500,000 population of northern Israeli regions have left the area for safety out of fear of Hizbullah missiles.

The source said hundreds of tourists too have left northern Israel and Haifa port, returning the countries of origin. In a retaliatory move, Lebanese Hizbullah has fired more than 1,000 missiles on the Jewish settlements north of the occupied Palestine, killing at least 40 Israelis and injuring hundreds of others.

Today an Israeli report an Israeli helicopter going down with 6 soldiers hurt, but the Israeli army claimed it was not shot down by Hizbullah.

Hizbullah in a fresh move on Sunday fired several missiles on Haifa, killing at least two Israelis and injuring 14 others. Israel's extensive raids on different parts of Lebanon over the past 11 days resulted in the martyrdom of more than 340 Lebanese, mostly civilians, and injury of more than 1,000 more.

A UN official in Beirut condemned Israel's incursion on civilians and the residential areas in Lebanon, calling it violation of international principles, norms and regulations.

The Israeli government has been defying demands of the UN and certain countries to stop war and establish ceasefire, insisting on continuation of war. Israel has also built up forces in southern Lebanon.

Amid wide scale condemnation of the Israeli aggression on civilians and destruction of Lebanon's civil infrastructure under the guise of targeting Hizbullah, Israeli retreated from two objectives it insisted it would not compromise on to halt its attacks: that Hizbullah must disarm, and that that it would not negotiate on prisoners release.

Meantime, Hizbullah leader Nasrallah said incursions of Israeli forces in Lebanon will not bear fruit for Israeli officials. The Lebanese As-Safir daily today quoted Nasrallah as saying Israel's ground attacks on Lebanon will not stop Hizbullah from from firing rockets into northern Israel.

He stressed the importance of putting an end to the blistering air and ground strikes of Israel on Lebanon, and said Hizbullah was ready to hold serious talks and put forward its views after Israel ends its atrocities.

He said there would be no problem if the Lebanese government would take up the responsibility of holding indirect talks for a prisoner swap.

Nasrallah rejected any official intermediary role for German officials with Hizbullah leaders, saying Germany plays an intermediary role but other channels can be considered.

Asked about the domestic situation in Lebanon after almost two weeks of Israeli missile strikes, the Hizbullah chief said Lebanese groups are politically united and their unity is stronger at the national level.

He praised members of all Lebanese groups and tribes that support Hizbullah in its current struggle against the Israeli forces.

Meantimme, Lebanon's president had told CNN that the Lebanese army will join Hizbullah to defend Lebanese lands if Israel entered into Lebanon. That was echoed by the Lebanon's parliament speaker who is also the leader of the Amal movement. Another Lebanese government official said that we will all stand together at this time, and any other discussions are inappropriate at this time under the aggressions being held on Lebanon.

Israel repeatedly violates Lebanon's sovereignty, air and sea, on a near daily basis, for which it has been asked repeatedly by the UN to stop doing so. Israel, shows no regard for international law, attacking Palestinian and Lebanese civilians and infrastructure. It does so knowing it has the best weapons given to it from the United States, and under the protection of the US veto at the UN Security Council where the US shoots down resolutions against Israel. Many international organizations have declared Israel to be in violation of International Humanitarian Law, Geneva Convention, organizations such as the Red Cross, Amnesty international, and others. The most recent public declaration that Israel has broken the Geneva Convention came most recently ago from the neutral country of Switzerland. The UN Human Rights Council weeks ago also voted against Israel and agreed to investigate the Israeli acts. Israel frames its aggressions as defensive moves, without mentioning that it is an occupier and outlaw of international resolutions and laws.

Israel, a brutal occupier and an aggressive nation that has no respect for other countries due to military superiority, likes to portray itself to the world as a victim. Some seems to have been convinced of this portrayal.

Despite its superior military might, Hizbullah dealt Israel a major defeat and was able to eject Israel from Lebanon after Israel invaded and occupied Lebanon several years ago.

Previous Stories:
  US holds Lebanon hostage to gain levarage with Syria   (7/20/2006)
  UK Archbishop condemns Israel's destruction of Lebanon   (7/20/2006)
  German party: Israeli acts are barbarism in Lebanon and Gaza   (7/20/2006)
  500 thousand Lebanese displaced by Israel's aggression   (7/20/2006)
  MPs condemn Blair's failure to insist on Israeli ceasefire   (7/20/2006)
  Merkel spokesman dismisses Jewish group's criticism   (7/18/2006)
  Solana: Israeli destruction in Lebanon is dramatic   (7/18/2006)
  UN official: we come to Lebanon to declare our solidarity   (7/17/2006)
  US blocking UNSC action on Israel over Lebanon aggression   (7/17/2006)

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