Conflict..

Olmert: There will be no cease-fire in coming days Ha'aretz 8/1/2006 Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's political-security cabinet voted in the early hours of Tuesday morning to expand Israel's ground operation in south Lebanon. Under the plan, and similar to last week's operation carried out in Bint Jbail, IDF forces will mount raids on villages that have served as Hezbollah bases. The plan was presented to Olmert during meetings held Saturday with Defense Minister Amir Peretz and defense establishment heads. The cabinet voted nearly unanimously in favor of the plan, with.. one abstention. Political sources in Jerusalem said on Monday that the UN Security Council would call for a cease-fire on Friday that would take effect starting Saturday. The fighting, however, may continue for a few more days, sources estimated. more.. Desperate survivors use truce to flee for safety The Guardian 8/1/2006 They came in sorry procession down the hill from Bint Jbeil yesterday, the last four patients from the abandoned hospital pushed in wheelchairs, families holding sticks with white flags, a father struggling with four small children propped on pillows in a wheelbarrow. Taking advantage of an Israeli pledge not to bomb southern Lebanon for 48 hours, the last survivors of the town's two-week siege seized the chance to escape, fear and exhaustion etched on their faces. Bint Jbeil has seen the fiercest fighting of this war in which nine Israeli soldiers died. The Israelis withdrew from the town four days ago. Coming out of the basements for the first time yesterday the people of Bint Jbeil found their town in ruins, as though an earthquake had struck. more.. Rescue teams recover dozens more bodies The Daily Star 8/1/2006 Rescue workers began on Monday the gruesome task of digging up dozens of bodies from under the rubbl e of villages in South Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley, taking advantage of a 48-hour suspension of Israeli air attacks. Rescuers recovered 28 bodies from the rubble of collapsed houses in the South, Lebanese Red Cross sources said. They said 12 bodies were recovered in the village of Srifa, nine in Zibqin and four in Qleileh, all east of the port city of Tyre. Three other bodies were recovered in three other villages. They added that rescue workers were looking for dozens more bodies believed to be buried under the rubble in a cluster of border villages and towns bombarded by Israeli aircraft over the past three weeks. Lebanese Health Minister Mohammad Khalifeh put the number of unrecovered bodies and missing at 200. more.. Mother and Two Children Killed in Israeli Attack on Gaza By Sami Abu Salem, Electronic Intifada 7/31/2006 Photo Story -- 15-year-old Somaia Okal ignored her sister Maria as she asked her to leave the swing for her, while their mother Asma, 30, played with her 8-month-old infant Shahd, in Jabalia, north of Gaza. This Wednesday, an Israeli shell hit their house and put an end to the laughing and chatter of the innocent Maria and Shahd. The mother was also killed, and Somaia critically wounded in the head; the 5-year-old, Amani, was wounded in the foot. Samir Okal, 35, a father of seven, did not expect that the Israeli tanks will hit his house as he lives in the "serene" neighbourhood of Abd Rabbu. Even his relatives wanted to leave their homes and stay at his house because it enjoys a reputation for "safety. "... When the dust had vanished, Samir was grief-stricken when he saw that blood covered his wife and children. more.. Mass burial of unclaimed bodies in Tyre, Lebanon Ma'an News 7/31/2006 TYRE, 30 July (IRIN)-- Lebanese authorities buried 32 unclaimed bodies in a mass grave in wasteland outside Tyre on Saturday. The Lebanese soldiers retch as they unload maggot-infested body bags into coffins laid out for the mass burial. The bodies had lain unrecovered for up to ten days in the burned-out shells of cars, or scattered around the devastated villages of south Lebanon. "We just cannot hold onto them anymore," says Salman Zaynadeen, director of the government hospital in the al-Bas Palestinian camp in Tyre, where the bodies of villagers recovered this week were taken for storage. The sound of nails being hammered quickly into thin wooden coffins mixes with the thump of Israeli missile strikes on suspected Hizbullah positions and the buzz of an airborne drone scouting for targets. more.. Furious mob damages United Nations headquarters in Beirut to protest Qana The Daily Star 7/31/2006 BEIRUT: Thousands of angry demonstrators attacked the UN headquarters in Beirut, breaking windows and burning curtains in an outpouring of anger and grief at the Qana massacre of Sunday morning. "We are angry at the whole world for their silence on the massacres happening in Lebanon," as one demonstrator put it. Speaking to The Daily Star, Sawsan Ali, who hails from the South but who was forced to become a "refugee in my own country," said that she heard and saw on television the "newest Israeli massacre against my people. ""They have hit Qana. They killed 55 people, half of whom were children. "Though she didn't take part in attacking UN House, Ali said she wishes the UN would "disappear because its presence is as useless as its non-presence. " more.. Hezbollah fires on Israeli warship off Tyre, Israel denies, new raid on Masnaa The Daily Star 7/31/2006 (AFP) - The Israeli army onMonday denied a claim by Hezbollah guerrillas that they had fired amissile on one of its warships off the coast of Lebanon. Hezbollah's military arm, the Islamic Resistance, said in astatement that its guerrillas had "destroyed a Zionist warship... off Tyre. "But an Israeli army spokesman denied that any of its ships offLebanon's coast had been targeted by a missile, saying: "The reportis simply not true. "Hezbollah had vowed revenge following the killing of 52 people,most of them women and children, in an Israeli air raid on thevillage of Qana on Sunday. On July 14, just two days after Israel launched its offensiveagainst Lebanon, Hezbollah fired a rocket into warship off Beirut, killing four Israeli sailors. more.. Lebanon: We’ll deploy army in south YNet News 8/1/2006 Lebanon's acting foreign minister presents UN with long-term solution for country, including withdrawal of Israeli army, disarmament of militias. Ambassador Gillerman: Isn’t it time that Lebanon take its fate into its own hands and not cry out to the Security Council? -- A top Lebanese official asked the UN Security Council on Monday for an international inquiry into the Israeli raid on the southern Lebanese village of Qana that killed at least 54 civilians, mostly children. Tareq Mitri, Lebanon's acting foreign minister, also renewed a government plea for an immediate end to the fighting between Israel and Hizbullah, which has raged since July 12. "The onslaught continues unabated. It has to stop," Mitri, who is also Lebanon's culture minister, told the council. more.. Air strikes shatter pause as Israel starts new ground assault The Guardian 8/1/2006 48-hour bombing respite not a truce, says Israel · Lebanese soldier killed and three others hurt -- The 48-hour pause in bombardment announced by Israel to allow civilians to leave southern Lebanon was interrupted within hours of its start yesterday when the Israeli military launched three air strikes at targets near the border. Israeli troops also pressed on with a ground offensive around the Lebanese villages of Kfar Kila and al-Taiba. A separate ground incursion began yesterday, with infantry troops and armoured vehicles closing in on the village of Aita al-Shaab, the military said. The village is west of Bint Jbeil, the scene of heavy fighting last week. An Israeli military spokeswoman said the pause in bombing, which began at 2am yesterday, was a "partial suspension". more.. Israeli airforce violates commitment to pause airstrikes in Lebanon; bombs have not stopped falling International Middle East Media Center 7/31/2006 Local sources in southern Lebanon have reported that Israeli air strikes have continued unabated despite public promises made by Israeli officials Sunday night that the strikes would pause for 48 hours. On Monday, Israeli defense minister changed the tone of the Israeli plan, saying they will not halt, but will expand their attack on southern Lebanon - despite a bombing that killed 60 civilians and sparked international outrage just the day before. A Lebanese soldier was killed, and three were injured in an Israeli naval attack on a Lebanese military base north of the city of Tyre in southern Lebanon. Al-Awayda area, Kafr Shuba' and Kafr Hamam were all hit Monday morning by heavy Israeli shelling, local sources reported. more.. 600 Palestinians taken prisoner by Israel over the past month International Middle East Media Center 7/31/2006 In an official report, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Israeli soldiers took 600 Palestinian residents prisoners since the abduction of the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit from a military post in the southern Gaza Strip last month. The minister added that a total of 10,073 detainees are currently imprisoned in 30 prisons, detention facilities and interrogation centers. Following the capture of Shalit on June 25, Israeli soldiers carried out wide scale invasions in the West Bank and Jerusalem, taking a total of 600 Palestinians as prisoners. Among the arrestees are 27 elected legislators with the Palestinian Legislative Council, and 7 Hamas cabinet ministers, the ministry reported. Also, the ministry added that 31 members of the Palestinian police and security force are among the arrestees. more.. Israeli artillery bombardment kills Palestinian youth, 16 Ma'an News 7/31/2006 Gaza -- Medical sources at the Kamal Adwan hospital in the Gaza Strip said that a Palestinian youth, Nahed Muhammad Ash-Shinbari, 16 was killed by Israeli artillery bombardment of Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip. Eyewitnesses said that Muhammad was standing in front of his home when he was hit by shrapnel which caused his death. [end] more.. Robert Fisk Reports From Lebanon on the Israeli Bombing of Qana That Killed 57, Including 37 Children Democracy Now! 7/31/2006 AMY GOODMAN: Following Israel’s bombing of the town of Qana, that killed nearly 57 people, we turn to veteran war correspondent, Robert Fisk. I reached Robert Fisk early this morning at his home in Beirut. Robert Fisk's reporting in Lebanon led to the United Nations condemnation of the Israeli attack on Qana ten years ago, in 1996. Early this morning, when we reached Robert Fisk, he had just returned from Tyre, where victims from Sunday’s Israeli air strike in Qana were taken, following the attack.... RF: "... When I arrived there, there were a number of, maybe 20, 30 children, the corpses of children, lined up outside the government hospital, hair matted, still in their night clothes. " more.. Qana relives 1996 massacre as air strike kills at least 60 civilians The Daily Star 7/31/2006 QANA: The bodies were carried into daylight one by one, all gray-skinned with dust, one small boy his mouth stuffed with dirt, a stiffened arm pointing accusingly into the air. Wasps and flies buzzed with greedy excitement around his face and blood-sodden hair. "It's Ali Shalhoub," muttered an onlooker as the child was placed on a stretcher and carried away. Ten years after Israeli forces slaughtered more than 100 civilians sheltering in a United Nations base in Qana, mass death has visited this straggly hill village once again. "Where is the humanity? Why are these massacres being committed against civilians? " asked Naim Raqa, the head of the Lebanese Civil Defense unit in the nearby village of Jawaya, who was assisting in the rescue operation. There were dozens of people drawn from two extended families sleeping on the ground floor of an unfinished house when an Israeli jet dropped two bombs on them... more.. UN denies that UN security staff used tear gas against demonstrators in Gaza on Sunday Ma'an News Agency 7/31/2006 UN property was severely damaged on Sunday -- Ma'an- The Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO) issued the following statement on 31st July 2006: Suggestions that United Nations security officers used tear gas against demonstrators at the UNSCO office in Gaza yesterday, or that UN staff clashed with demonstrators, are completely untrue. The UNSCO office in Gaza is a weapons-free compound. When it was violently attacked by demonstrators yesterday, United Nations staff left the compound, and responsibility for the security of the premises was handed over to the Palestinian authorities. We should add that the demonstrators wreaked substantial destruction to the UNSCO Gaza office, damaging buildings, office equipment and vehicles. more.. Photos: Another Qana Massacre The Daily Star 7/31/2006 Photos from the Israeli attack on civilians in Qana, Lebanon. more.. Two Israeli tank rounds hit UNIFIL position in Hula Electronic Intifada/UNIFIL 7/31/2006 NAQOURA -- According to UNIFIL reports, there were no incidents of rocket firing or aerial bombardment in the UNIFIL area of operations since 4am this morning, except in the area of At Tayyabah in the eastern sector, where two air strikes were reported around 10am. It seems that IDF forces maintain their presence in two locations inside Lebanese territory, in the general area of Marun Al Ras in the central sector, and the general area of Kafr Kila in the eastern sector. It was reported that some of the IDF forces withdrew from the area of Marun Al Ras yesterday evening. The situation in these areas is relatively quiet this morning, and there are no reports of serious fighting. Heavy shelling from the Israeli side is reported this morning in the general area of Ayta Ash Shab and Ramyah. more.. Homeless and alone after devastating Israeli strike The Daily Star 8/1/2006 NABATIEH: He stepped out to get some water for his family and when he came back, he found a demolished home and no one left but his dead wife and four children. Adnan Harakeh from Nabatieh wandered the street where his home once stood and holding pictures of his family, cried and screamed: "I am responsible for their death. I wish I had moved to Beirut. " An Israeli raid that hit their home in Nmeirieh had left the man homeless and alone. "You went and left me alone... What will I do without you? " he cried. "I went to bring some water for my children... 20 minutes later, Israeli warplanes raided my house, killing my wife and kids," he told The Daily Star. Harakeh is a civil defense worker who worked on aiding dozens of civilians killed and wounded during Israel's strikes on Nabatieh. more.. Shortages of fuel and funds threaten relief effort The Daily Star 8/1/2006 BEIRUT: The United Nations held a news conference Monday to highlight ongoing relief work in Lebanon, as well as obstacles to getting supplies where they are needed. "The UN is well aware that Lebanon and the Lebanese government would have been capable of providing for the entire country had there not been a military blockade by land, air and sea," said Mona Hammam, the United Nation's resident coordinator in Lebanon and humanitarian coordinator. "We are assisting the government to do what they cannot do - to provide for its people during this time," Hammam added. "If we run out of fuel everything will come to a standstill," said Hamman. According to Hammam, Beirut could start to feel the effects of an oil shortage in less than 48 hours. more.. Closure imposed on West Bank due to terror alerts YNet News 7/31/2006 Security forces receive 17 specific warnings regarding terror groups’ intent to carry out suicide, mortar, rocket and shooting attacks from West Bank; officials say terrorists aim to open third front against Israel -- The IDF and Israel Police have imposed a full closure on the West Bank Monday, this in light of 17 specific warnings received by the security establishment regarding the terror groups’ intent to carry out attacks in Israel. The majority of warnings relate to possible suicide, mortar, rocket and shooting attacks emanating from the West Bank, as well as attempts to kidnap Israeli civilians and soldiers. However, it was decided to allow the passage of Palestinians in humanitarian cases and to allow Christian worshipers to pass through thecrossings as well. more.. A Refuge That Became a Place of Death Washington Post 7/31/2006 Victims Were From Two Extended Families; Most Suffocated 'in Debris' [from implosion effects of the bomb - Ed. ] -- QANA, Lebanon, July 30 -- The bulldozer slowly clawed at the rubble Sunday, in motions gentle for a machine. In its path were what was left of life: a bag of onions and a can of beans, a dirt-crusted sandal, a baby bottle, a plaid bag with a diaper still tucked inside and a punctured picture of a young boy, posing awkwardly, his arms stiff at his side. As the sun arced overhead, Israeli shelling thundering in the distance, the shouts went out: "Stop! Stop!" Rescuers surged, then one emerged, his back slightly stooped.... The victim's name was Abbas Hashem, and he was 1 year old. His blue pacifier still dangled from his green tank top. more.. 25 more bodies dug up in south Lebanon YNet News 7/31/2006 Rescue workers begin gruesome task of digging up dozens of bodies from rubble in cluster of villages, towns bombarded by Israel -- Rescuers recovered 25 bodies on Monday at the start of the gruesome task of digging up dozens of bodies from the rubble of south Lebanon during a 48-hour suspension of Israeli air attacks. Lebanese Red Cross sources said 12 bodies were recovered in the village of Sreefa, nine in Zibqeen and four in Qleileh, all east of the port city of Tyre. They said rescue workers were looking for dozens more bodies believed to be buried under the rubble in a cluster of border villages and towns bombarded by Israeli aircraft over the past three weeks. Israel's three-week offensive in Lebanon has killed around 575 people, mostly civilians. more.. Olmert refuses to apologize to the victims in Lebanon Ma'an News 7/31/2006 Israeli PM Olmert (Ma'an)Bethlehem --Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has refused in a speech delivered on Monday evening in Tel Aviv to apologize to the civilian victims of the Israeli atrocities committed in Lebanon. He said: "Despite our sorrow for the civilians who were forced to evacuate their homes and flee away, and despite the unintentional casualties, we don't apologize because the residents of southern Lebanon know quite well that their enemy is Nasrallah and his associates. " [end] more.. Fresh ground assault on Hizbullah villages The Guardian 7/31/2006 Israeli troops backed by dozens of tanks launched a new ground operation in southern Lebanon yesterday under the cover of a massive wave of artillery. Troops pushed towards the villages of Taiba and Adisa, which are close to the border but further north-east than previous ground offensives. Yesterday's operation began even as the US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, was discussing the possibility of a ceasefire with government leaders in Jerusalem. It marked Israel's third ground incursion since the conflict began nearly three weeks agoOne Israeli soldier was shot and wounded near Adisa, the military said. The village has been used as a launching site for Hizbullah's Katyusha rockets.... Soldiers who have fought in southern Lebanon have said anti-tank missiles were one of the biggest challenges they faced. more.. 'Hizbullah has only few launchers left' Jerusalem Post 7/31/2006 The IDF assessed on Monday that Hizbullah's rocket launching capability was significantly compromised by the fighting that took place in the past three weeks. It was estimated that, while the organization still has hundreds of rockets with a sufficient range to reach Afula and Haifa, there were only a number of launchers remaining with launching capability. The Hizbullah still had several Zilzal rockets left that could reach central Israel, Army Radio reported. In the course of the fighting, the IDF asserted that it had killed some 200 Hizbullah operatives. Though most of the names were not released, one of the more prominent targets hit was Jihad Atiya, who was said to be responsible for the killing and kidnapping of IDF soldiers Benny Avraham, Adi Avitan and Omar Sueid in 2000. more.. Mine explodes near Israel-Syria border YNet News 7/31/2006 Landmine exploded Sunday on Syrian side of Israel-Syria border on Sunday; military officials say incident possible attempt by Hizbullah to drag Syria into conflict -- Channel 2 TV reported that a landmine exploded on the Syrian side of the Israel-Syria border on Sunday. Military officials said the incident, which took place near the Kunetra crossing, may have been an attempt by Hizbullah to drag Syria to the conflict withIsrael. The circumstances of the incident remain unclear at this point; it is possible that an explosive device was attached to the mine and set it off. Security forces are also looking into the possibility that the mine exploded by accident. No injuries were reported among IDF soldiers. more.. Hezbollah claims destruction of Israeli warship Ma'an News 7/31/2006 Bethlehem--Hezbollah has confirmed in a statement on Monday evening that their fighters were able to destroy the Israeli naval warship "Sager", opposite the shores of Tyre, which carried 56 Israeli soldiers on board. This is the second warship that Hezbollah claims to have destroyed since the beginning of the war 19 days ago. An Israeli spokesperson denied the news. Hezbollah had earlier announced that their fighters had destroyed five Israeli tanks and two military bulldozers, in addition to an armored jeep. [end] more.. Evening Roundup: Hizbullah Claims it Attacked 2nd Israeli Warship Since the Beginning of the Onslaught as Villagers Flee en Masse An Nahar 7/31/2006 Hizbullah claimed its fighters fired a missile on an Israeli warship off the coast of the southern port city of Tyre on Monday as a lull in raids allowed thousands of villagers to flee the war-ravaged south. The group's military wing, the Islamic Resistance, claimed in a statement that its fighters had "destroyed a Zionist warship... off Tyre. " "At 4:30 pm (1330 GMT), the Islamic Resistance attacked with its blessed missiles an Israeli SAAR 4. 5 (fast attack missile boat), with a crew of 53 officers and soldiers, off the coast of Tyre," it said. "It was hit and destroyed. This is the beginning of the vengeance for the children of Qana. " Hizbullah had vowed revenge following the killing of 60 people, most of them women and children, in an Israeli air raid on the village of Qana on Sunday. more.. Israel and Hizbullah engage in fierce fighting The Daily Star 7/31/2006 Heavy clashes broke out between Israel and Hizbullah Sunday in the border town of Taibeh, after an elite Israeli team attempted to sneak into the Lebanese territory. Hizbullah issued a statement saying the elite Israeli Army team named Goulani tried to sneak into the southern town of Taibeh, a few kilometers to the west of Fatima Gate, a sealed border crossing into Israel, but Hizbullah fighters fought them. "Hizbullah's fighters are still engaged in ferocious clashes with the Israeli military... and have inflicted severe casualties among the Israeli military. " The Hizbullah statement said its militants had inflicted casualties on the Israeli forces. "Our fighters are following the Israeli military elite team members from one place to another while the Israeli helicopters were not able to evacuate the wounded and casualties... " more.. Israelis withdraw from Hizbollah border stronghold The Guardian 7/30/2006 Israeli forces pulled out of the Lebanese border town of Bint Jbeil yesterday on the 18th day of the Middle East crisis. Israeli troops had raided the Hizbollah stronghold, 2. 5 miles from the Israel-Lebanon border, earlier in the week as part of a major offensive but were taken by surprise by the strength of resistance from militia. Israeli Military Northern Command chief Udi Adam said the army would continue to operate in southern Lebanon, saying: 'We will continue to fight in the area of Bint Jbeil. We hold commanding positions in the areas. 'Adam told reporters that troops killed 70 to 80 Hizbollah guerrillas in the territory over the past few days. The army had suffered its biggest losses in fighting with Hizbollah in Bint Jbeil and nearby areas. more.. My journey on the highway of fear with families who lost everything By Peter Beaumont, The Observer 7/30/2006 The Observer's Foreign Affairs Editor records his remarkable week with Lebanese refugees fleeing the Israeli onslaught -- You can hear the bombs detonate and see the damage in Beirut, but something changes in people's faces as you drive out and down along the coast road. South of Sidon you reach the war. By Tyre, the faces are desperate as they race their cars north, seeking some element of safety. Israeli gunships shell the coastal road. They sit out of sight, just over the horizon. All you hear is the buzzing of the Predator drones transmitting GPS coordinates of targets to the ships and planes. Where the coastal road is destroyed you wind on to a track lined with abandoned, dust-covered cars that have run out of petrol. Others are wrecked by shell and missile blasts. more.. Israeli army continues bombardment of southern Gaza Strip Ma'an News 7/31/2006 Khan --Ma'an - The Israeli army continued its bombardment of the southern areas of the Gaza Strip throughout Monday. Ma'an's correspondent reported that Israeli forces continued their artillery bombardment of the Faraheen area in 'Abasan town, east of Khan-Younis, and in the district of Al-Shokeh to the south east of Rafah. The correspondent added that most of the artillery shells fell on agricultural land near the homes of citizens, causing panic among the residents and their children. It was stated that the eastern regions of the southern Gaza Strip, especially the districts of Al-Shokeh, Al-Fakhari, Al-Farahin and Ksovim, was an area of high tension following daily bombardments for over a month, resulting in the killing and wounding of a large number of civilians, as well as extensive material damage to the homes of citizens. [end] more.. Army installs a military checkpoint to the south of Al Far'a village near Salfit International Middle East Media Center 7/31/2006 Israeli army troops installed a military checkpoint to the south of the Al Far'a village near Salfit for the second day in row Monday. Soldiers stopped residents and civilian cars, searched them, and checked ID cards. Many residents were forced to stand for long hours under the sun, eyewitnesses reported. Residents also said soldiers opened fire at the residents and cars who tried tobypass the checkpoint using a nearby farming road. [end] more.. Army takes one prisoner at military checkpoint near Yatta village north of Hebron International Middle East Media Center 7/31/2006 The Israeli soldiers stationed at the Yatta village military checkpoint took one man prisoner Monday. Troops stopped Mossa Dawoed, 35, at the checkpoint, searched him, then checked his ID card before taking him to an unknown location without giving any reason, eyewitnesses reported. [end] more.. Israeli forces raid West Bank towns, arrest 8 Palestinians Ma'an News 7/31/2006 Bethlehem -- Israeli sources reported that the Israeli forces entered and raided a number of towns and cities in the West Bank. They arrested 8 Palestinians during the raids, claiming that they were "wanted. "The sources added that the Israeli forces arrested 2 Hamas activists, one Islamic Jihad activists from Tulkarem and three Hamas and Islamic Jihad activists from Ramallah. The sources said that the Israeli forces also entered Bethlehem and arrested 2 Fatah activists. The names of those who have been arrested in these raids are not yet available. [end] more.. Army takes one prisoner at a checkpoint near Hebron International Middle East Media Center 7/31/2006 Israeli soldiers stationed at a military checkpoint north of the West Bank city of Hebron have taken one residents prisoner Monday. Ahmad Ebiat, who lives in the near by city of Bethlehem, was arrested while trying to cross the checkpoint to get to the city of Hebron. Ebiat was taken to unknown location and the Israeli army gave no reason behind the arrest. [end] more.. Israeli air strikes hit family home, government buildings in Gaza Strip Ma'an News 7/31/2006 Gaza --Eyewitnesses reported that an Israeli air strike hit a house in Sheikh Radwan in the central Gaza Strip. They reported that an Apache helicopter fired two missiles into the compound housing Palestinian government buildings. One missile landed on the two-storey home of Ismail Abu Hasira, slightly injuring two people and causing great damage to the house. The Ma'an correspondent reported that adults and children are in a state of panic and terror as a result of the continuous Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip. Israeli warplanes also bombarded the home of a Hamas member in the Ash Shaima' district in Beit Lahiya in the north of the Gaza Strip. According to witnesses the Israeli warplane fired a missile at the three-storey home of Jaber Subohon, a Hamas leader, who was told two days in advance to evacuate the house. more.. Army invades Iktaba area in Tulkarem and takes three prisoners International Middle East Media Center 7/31/2006 The Israeli army troops invaded the Iktaba area east of the West Bank city of Tulkarem Monday morning, taking three residents prisoners. The three were identified as: Mohamed Alariah, 18, Sami Alariah, 19, Baha'e Badawi, 18. According to eyewitnesses, troops surrounded the area and searched several houses after forcing the families out at gun point. The men were taken to unknown locations. [end] more.. Brigades increase launches of home-made projectiles from Gaza Strip Ma'an News 7/31/2006 Gaza --Palestinian medical sources said that Muhammad Al Maghazi, 22, died from wounds sustained during the Israeli invasion and raid of the Al Maghazi refugee camp in the center of the Gaza Strip a week ago. The Israeli invasion led to the death of 18 Palestinians. In related news, the director of the first medical association in the Ministry of Health, said that the Israeli army demanded that the ministry send ambulances to remove the bodies of two Palestinian fighters who were killed near the Israeli military post "of Kissufim, east of Deir Al Balah. Eyewitnesses confirmed that there was firing in the area, but denied that anyone had been killed. However Palestinian ambulances have already entered the area to look for the dead bodies. more.. Al Quds Brigades launch grenades from the Gaza Strip Ma'an News 7/31/2006 Ma'an -- Ma'an- The Al Quds Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Jihad, declared launching rocket propelled grenades towards an Israeli military observation tower to the east of Deir al Balah city, located in the central Gaza Strip on Monday at noon. In a statement from the Al Quds Brigades, they assured that this operation was in response to the Israeli aggression towards the Palestinian and Lebanese people. [end] more.. Brigades attack Israeli military post Ma'an News 7/31/2006 Gaza--The National Resistance Brigades, the military wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), claimed responsibility for launching 3 heavy mortar shells at the Israeli military post of Kissufim. In related news, a joint cell comprising the Al Asifa Brigades and the Baha Iddin Sa'id, two small militant groups affiliated to the Fatah movement, launched two home-made projectiles at the Israeli military post of Miftahim, east of Khan Younis, in the south of the Gaza Strip. The brigades said in a statement that they will continue resistance until the end of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land. [end] more.. Probe launched into threats against MK El-Sana YNet News 8/1/2006 Anonymous callers threaten Arab lawmaker: 'We’ll kill you like we killed Rabin. ' El-Sana charges that in current crisis situation, Jewish public using Arabs as scapegoat ‘like in Germany when Nazis rose to power’ -- Chairman of the United Arab List-Ta’al MK Taleb el-Sana requested Monday that the Knesset security administration investigate threats against his life, apparently by extremist Jewish elements. The anonymous warnings included such statements as, “Your end is near,” “We will murder you like we murdered Rabin,” and “Your place is not in the Knesset but under the ground. ” In a conversation with Ynet, el-Sana sounded extremely concerned. “This is a dangerous phenomenon.... people think... that the Arabs are a fifth column. " more.. Crisis in the Middle East Washington Post 7/31/2006 Includes map - The latestnews, photos and videos surrounding the conflict between Israel and militant groups in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. more.. Army stops residents and students from Nablus to enter Ramallah International Middle East Media Center 7/31/2006 Israeli soldiers stationed at several military checkpoints around the West Bank city of Nablus have stopped residents and students from traveling to Ramallah Monday. Troops at Za'tara and Howwara checkpoints south of Nablus only allowed residents older than 35 to pass the checkpoints, eyewitnesses reported. Eyewitnesses also said soldiers were searching residents younger than 35 in a humiliating manner. [end] more.. Israeli air forces: Israeli military intelligence to blame for Qana massacre Ma'an News 7/31/2006 Bethlehem --Officers in the Israeli air force have refused to take responsibility for the massacre in Qana, saying instead that they held Israeli military intelligence entirely responsible for the massacre. They said, "We are not talking here about an initiative by the air forces to strike a particular target. It is military intelligence that decided on the target for us. "Responding to journalists, an officer in the air force said, "You should direct your questions to Israeli military intelligence concerning the importance and nature of the target and its surroundings. They claimed that hundreds of Katyusha rockets were launched from Qana during the last two weeks. " more.. Five killed in Gaza attacks AlJazeera 7/28/2006 At least 150 Gazans have died since the Israeli assault began - half were civilians -- Israeli attacks have killed five civilians in the Gaza Strip, a day after fighting that left 24 Palestinians dead, Palestinian medical workers and witnesses have said. A 75-year-old woman was hit by shrapnel from an Israeli tank shell fired at her house near the town of Jebaliya. Later on Thursday, a 12-year-old boy was killed by Israeli gunfire as he stood on the roof of his house at the edge of the Jebaliya camp. Two civilians, aged 16 and 23, were killed in an air strike in eastern Gaza City. An 18-year-old manwas hit when a tank shell fell near his house in northern Gaza. Also on Thursday, Israeli troops surrounded a house in the West Bank city of Jenin. Residents said they opened fire at stone throwers, slightly wounding two. more.. Israeli bombardment of Gaza continues, killing an elderly citizen; 26 killed in last two days Ma'an News 7/27/2006 Gaza --Israeli artillery bombardment in a region close to the Salah Ad Din Street in northern Gaza City killed an elderly citizen, Thursday morning. Medical sources confirmed that the elderly woman, Kamlah Ahmad An Najjar, 75, was killed by an artillery shell, while she was riding a donkey cart. The sources added that the missile resulted in the scattering of severed body parts and injured another citizen as well. The Israeli artillery bombardment continued on Gaza. Israeli forces bombarded a gathering of citizens with artillery at the Al Qarm junction in the east of Gaza City on Thursday afternoon, leading to the injury of a number of the citizens. Among the wounded was the child, Mariam Al Kafarnah, 9, she was seriously injured by shrapnel in her head. more.. Palestinian child killed in Jabalia International Middle East Media Center 7/28/2006 Palestinian security sources in Gaza reported that a Palestinian child was shot and killed by Israeli military fire in Jabalia, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. The Media Center that belongs to the National Security Force reported that the child, Anas Zamlat, was killed late of Thursday at night while standing in front of his parents' house. The center added that the child was killed after the Israeli Air Force opened fire at houses in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. Five Palestinians were killed by Israeli military fire and shells in the Gaza Strip on Thursday. At least 25 residents were injured, five seriously. Troops shelled several houses in Al Qarem area, east of Gaza City, and shelled several areas in the northern and southern parts of the Gaza Strip. more.. Israeli warplanes shell Agricultural College in the Gaza Strip Palestine News Network 7/27/2006 Palestinian security sources and eyewitnesses report that Israeli warplanes shelled Siqsaf Agricultural College in the northern Gaza Strip late Wednesday evening. The college is located just north of the town of Beit Hanoun, which has fallen prey to numerous Israeli attacks and incursions in the past month. The sources told PNN that Israeli forces warned of the attack, citing that members of the Palestinian armed resistance had been using one of the buildings near the college to manufacture projectiles to launch at Israeli targets. In addition to the attack on the college last night, Israeli forces also bombed a home in he Jabaliya Refugee Camp in the northern Gaza Strip. The home belonged to the leader of the Al Qassam Brigades, the armed resistance wing of Hamas. more.. Israel targets the Palestinian governmental institutions International Press Center 7/27/2006 GAZA, Palestine, July 27, 2006 (IPC) - - For the first time and unprecedented war, Israel started to target the Palestinian governmental institutions in its war on the Palestinian people as part of the so-called operation "Summer Rains". The Israeli F16 warplanes bombarded and completely destroyed on Monday, 17/7/2006, the building of the Palestinian ministry of Foreign Affairs, and a number of wounded were reported. The number of the Palestinian governmental institutions has been exposed to the Israeli attacks inflicting grave damages of them while tens of the wounded were reported. On Saturday morning 15/7/2006, the Israeli warplanes shelled the Palestinian ministry of economy in the north of Gaza city. According to the witnesses, the occupation Apache warplanes fired missile at the ministry inflicting grave damages on it. more.. Israeli government confiscating 215 dunams of Palestinian land between Hebron and Bethlehem for Wall Palestine News Network 7/27/2006 Official sources in the Palestinian Office of the Public Land Defense Committee announced Thursday that the Israeli government will confiscate another 215 dunams of land for the Wall. This time the site is between northwestern Hebron and southwestern Bethlehem. The Public Land Defense Committee reported, “The land targeted by the Israeli military order is targeting occupied lands in the West Bank for new sections of the Apartheid Wall. ”The latest statement added, “The military order gave landowners weeks for the necessary legal objections. The confiscation includes lands located from Hebron and into Wadi Foukin in Bethlehem. ”Historically speaking, using the Israeli court system to fight Israeli land confiscation for its Wall in the West Bank, despite the ruling against it by the [ICJ] in the Hague, have proven unsuccessful. [end] more.. One resident killed in Kofer Qadom village, east of Qalqilia International Middle East Media Center 7/27/2006 On Thursday afternoon, sources in the Qalqilia Governorate announced the death of Hamada Da'ass, 18, a resident of Kofer Qadom village, east of the city. Da'ass sustained injuries during a pre-dawn invasion of the village while he was standing in front of his home. Medical sources report that injuries were sustained to his head, neck and shoulder. He was moved to the city hospital where he died later in the day. Meanwhile, during the invasion, local sources said that troops took four prisoners who were identified as: Mohamed Jo'ma, Wahid Barham, Kaiser Jo'ma and Yahid Da'assLocal residents said that troops searched several houses and enforced curfew before taking the four and leaving the town. [end] more.. Israeli forces invade Jenin, injured PNN and Al Jazeera correspondents International Middle East Media Center 7/27/2006 Some 40 Israeli military vehicles invaded the northern West Bank city of Jenin Thursday afternoon. As the raid began, Israeli forces immediately injured six Palestinians. As the attacks continued, Israeli soldiers began targeting journalists, including Ali Samoudi, correspondant of the Palestine News Network (PNN), and a correspondant of the Qatar based Al Jazeera TV. Israeli soldiers hit Sammoudi in the back with a rubber-coated bullet and also targeted a photographer by his side. [end] more.. Israel to increase troop numbers AlJazeera 7/28/2006 Israel said despite the call up it was not expanding its offensive -- Israel has called up 30,000 reservists to support its offensive in Lebanon, but its security cabinet said it would not expand its campaign for the time being. The cabinet said it had authorised the move in case the fighting intensified. In recent days, senior Israeli generals had urged the government to authorise a broader ground campaign in southern Lebanon, which they said would help the thousands of troops already engaged in bloody battles there. Israel's security cabinet authorised the army to call up three additional reserve divisions to refresh the troops in Lebanon if they were were needed, but rejected the generals' advice to expand the offensive. more.. Security cabinet okays mass call-up of reservists, but nixes expansion of south Lebanon operation Ha'aretz 7/28/2006 The security cabinet on Thursday authorized the mobilization of three divisions of reservists, "to prepare the force for possible developments," but said that they will be deployed, if necessary, only after further approval by the cabinet. Three divisions of reserve soldiers would amount to around 15,000 soldiers, or 5,000 troops per division, IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz said. The only cabinet member who opposed calling up the reservists was Minister of Science, Culture and Sport Ophir Pines-Paz, who said that he feared that the force is meant to expand the ground operation in Lebanon.... Calling the conflict in Lebanon "a war of no choice," Peretz added, "I say this as a man of peace who has examined all other alternatives. " more.. Palestinians: IDF troops leave north Gaza after two day sweep Ha'aretz 7/28/2006 Early Friday, Israeli troops and tanks pulled out of northern Gaza, residents said, after a bloody two-day sweep. In southern Gaza, an Israel Air Force aircraft hit a metal workshop in the city of Khan Younis early Friday, wounding nine people, including two children, hospital officials said. Nearby buildings were also damaged, and rescue workers were searching through the rubble. The military said the target was a weapons storehouse. The IAF fired three missiles at a house owned by the family of a militant from the ruling Hamas faction in Gaza City late on Thursday, witnesses said. They said the family had left the house after being warned by the Israel Defense Forces that it would be targeted. However, it was still unclear if there were any casualties from the strike. more.. Katyushas hit communities across north; 13 lightly wounded Ha'aretz 7/28/2006 The Upper Galilee was hit by a heavy Katyusha barrage on Thursday afternoon, as 25 rockets landed in and around Kiryat Shmona. Hezbollah guerillas in Lebanon fired over 100 Katyusha rockets at targets in northern Israel on Thursday, landing across the Galilee and Hula Valley. Thirteen people were lightly injured in rocket strikes on Carmiel, Majdal Krum, Kiryat Shmona, and the area of Rosh Pina. Three people were lightly wounded by shrapnel, and 16 went into shock. Buildings, cars, roads and water pipes were badly damaged in the attacks. One Katyusha hit a house, another hit a factory containing chemicals, and a third hit an educational facility. A firefighter was lightly hurt during operations aimed at putting out several fires. more.. Israeli Offensive Triggers 'Worst 'Environmental Crisis in Lebanese History' An Nahar 7/27/2006 Lebanon's greens launched an international appeal for help Thursday to combat an environmental crisis caused by a huge oil spill south of Beirut. "The escalating Israeli attacks on Lebanon did not only kill its civilians and destroy its infrastructure, but it is also annihilating the environment," warned the Green Line Association, a Lebanese NGO. It said an air strike two weeks ago on the Jiyeh power plant which serves southern Lebanon had resulted in a 15,000-ton oil spill. "The power plant has six fuel tanks. Four of them have burnt completely, while the fifth one, which is also the main cause of the spill, is still burning," it warned. The spill has hit more than 100 kilometers of the Lebanese coast from Jiyeh to Shekka, in the north, including Beirut's only sandy public beach of Ramlet al-Baida, said Green Line. more.. Midday Roundup: Israel Intensifies Air Bombardment After Heavy Losses on the Ground An Nahar 7/27/2006 Israel on Thursday intensified its airstrikes on Lebanon a day after its forces suffered heavy losses in ground battles with Hizbullah fighters and as one of its cabinet ministers said disagreement over a ceasefire gave his country the green light to press on with its devastating offensive. Three people, one policeman and two civilians, died in Israeli attacks on the Bekaa hitting cars and trucks, witness said. A woman was killed in a strike near Tyre and two people died in Kafra further south. Warplanes also launched extensive raids on Iqlim al Tuffah, a highland in the south where Hizbullah is believed to have bases and offices. The attacks came as the Israeli cabinet met to decide whether to extend its offensive launched on July 12 after Hizbullah captured two soldiers in a deadly cross-border raid. more.. Palestinian resident killed in Jerusalem International Middle East Media Center 7/28/2006 The Israeli police in Jerusalem reported, on Thursday at night, that Israeli policemen from the border guards division shot and killed a Palestinian resident in east Jerusalem. The police claims that the resident opened fire at policemen before they shot him down. The sources added that a Palestinian youth arrived at a checkpoint near Jabal Al Mokabber area in east Jerusalem, and fired at policemen; one policeman was moderately injured while another suffered mild wounds. Border-guard policemen fired at the youth and killed him, the sources added. Meanwhile, a Palestinian source reported that one fighter was killed after opening fire at Israeli policemen and injuring them in Jabal Al Mokabber. [end] more.. Police discover body of missing settler in Palestinian village Ha'aretz 7/27/2006 Police suspect that a settler missing since Thursday morning from the northern West Bank was killed by Palestinians, who then burned and dismembered his body. The missing man was a resident of the settlement of Yakir in the northern West Bank, east of Qalqilyah. His scorched body was discovered in the [trunk] of a burnt car with Israeli license plates, near the Palestinian village of Kafr Abbus in the northern West Bank. The car belonged to the father of the settler, who apparently had been driving the vehicle at the time of his disappearance. Larges forces had been out since morning searching for the missing settler and his car.... Police are not ruling out a criminal, rather than nationalist, motive in the murder. more.. Israeli forces kill three more Palestinians in Gaza Strip Palestine News Network 7/27/2006 Thursday, 27 July 2006Palestinian medical sources and eyewitnesses reported Thursday afternoon that Israeli forces launched more air raids on Gaza City’s Shafa neighborhood, injuring 15 people. Among them, two are now dead. Eyewitnesses said that an Israeli warplane fired a missile on a group of Palestinian citizens and members of the resistance in the northeastern Gaza City area. Al Shifa Hospital sources reported that five of the injured were in critical condition, with several others requiring amputations. Further north, sources at Kamal Adwan Hospital reported that Israeli tanks shelled the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun earlier today and critically injured a girl.... 75 year old Mohammad Al Najah died, while his son was injured with shrapnel and taken to Kamal Adwan Hospital... more.. Israel kills 23 Palestinians in Gaza: mother & her children, a 3 year old, & many of the resistance Palestine News Network 7/27/2006 [More complete accounting of yesterday's massacre in Gaza] -- After a full day of attacks that began just after midnight, Israeli forces killed 23 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip yesterday. The Wednesday killings included a three year old a dawn, a mother, and her two young children. The family died during an Israeli air attack on the town of Jabaliya north of Gaza City. Israeli reconnaissance warplanes launched missiles at the Tufa and Shafa neighborhoods, killing three members of the armed Palestinian resistance. Medical sources reported that Israeli forces killed the mother, Amal Aucul, and her two children on Wednesday evening, while the other sisters suffered serious injuries. Israeli tanks then again shelled Jabaliya. more.. Palestinian faction fires at Israeli soldiers occupying a house in Gaza City; one soldier injured Ma'an News 7/27/2006 Gaza --The Al Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Jihad, claimed on Thursday that they fired at Israeli forces stationed on a house in the Ash Sha'af district in the east of Gaza City on Thursday morning. The Brigades also claimed to have launched a rocket-propelled grenade (RBG) at an Israeli military post in the same district. In a statement, the Brigades said that eyewitnesses had reported that one of the Israeli soldiers stationed on the roof had been injured. The Brigades said that the two operations were in response to the ongoing Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip. [end] more.. Israeli forces arrest three near Nablus Ma'an News 7/27/2006 Nablus --Israeli forces arrested four citizens of Furik, east of Nablus, and another from Khalit Al Eiman region, north of Nablus, early Thursday morning. Several Israeli military vehicles raided Furik, and broke into several houses to search them, claiming that they were searching for wanted persons. They arrested Adel Hanani, Ziyad Hanani and Waheid Hanani and took them to an unknown location. Israeli forces also arrested youth Tha'er Al Ahjbar, 20, from his house in the Khalit Al Eiman region then they withdrew. [end] more.. Israeli forces close off two towns in Jenin area Ma'an News 7/27/2006 Jenin --Israeli forces set up two temporary barriers at the main entrances of the towns of Ya'abad and Araba, west of the city of Jenin. They prevented citizens whose ID cards do not show residence in the towns from entering. Eyewitnesses reported that the Israeli forces at the barriers forced citizens to remove their clothes and prevented vehicles from entering the towns. [end] more.. Izzeddin Al Qassam Brigades hits Israeli bulldozer during incursion Ma'an News 7/27/2006 Gaza --Izzeddin Al Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military group, launched a homemade projectile at an Israeli bulldozer near the Al Phirdaws Mosque in the east of Gaza City on Thursday morning, during the Israeli military penetration of At Tuffah district. In a statement, the brigades said that the launching operation was in response to the ongoing Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip. [end] more.. Israeli forces clamp down on Tubas area Ma'an News 7/27/2006 Jenin --Israeli forces set up several temporary barriers in different regions in the Tubas area and tightened military measures against the citizens. Palestinian security sourced reported that the Israeli forces set up temporary barriers at the entrances of the Az Zababdah town, the southern and western entrances of the city of Tubas, Al Aqaba, Al Far'a and Al Badhan. Eyewitnesses said that the Israeli forces detained a large number of Palestinian citizens at the Tayasir barrier, in the east of the city of Tubas, and prevented them from passing. [end] more.. Israeli forces arrest three in West Bank on Thursday morning Ma'an News 7/27/2006 Hebron --Israeli forces arrested two Palestinian citizens during a raid of Yatta, south of the city of Hebron, and arrested one from the city of Jericho early on Thursday morning. According to Palestinian sources that: "An Israeli force reinforced by dozens of military vehicles penetrated Yatta and arrested Moussa Makhamarah, 34, and Khalil Al Jabarein, 32, after they broke into their houses. "The Israeli forces also raided the city of Jericho and arrested the citizen Basha'er Amter, 20, at the military barrier in the south of the city. [end] more.. Israeli warplanes target home in Jabalia refugee camp Ma'an News 7/27/2006 Gaza --Israeli warplanes bombarded a Palestinian home in the Jabalia refugee camp, resulting in significant damage to the home, Wednesday night. Israeli sources reported that: "The Israeli warplanes targeted a storehouse of munitions belonging to the Palestinian factions. " The sources alleged that the storehouse contained a Palestinian homemade projectiles and ammunition to be used against Israeli targets. [end] more.. Israeli forces attack Palestinian youth near Nablus Ma'an News 7/27/2006 Nablus – Ma'an -- Nablus – Ma'an- Israeli forces attacked Palestinian youth, Ramzi Hilmi in the Bizzariya, a village west of the city of Nablus on Wednesday evening, severely beating him with their rifles. He was transferred to the Rafidya hospital in Nablus. The arbitrary actions in the surrounding Bizzaraya come after an Israeli bulldozer was stolen from the Anabta Israeli settlement near the village. Israeli authorities accused a Palestinian group from the village of the theft but have not shown proof. [end] more.. One resident injured in Israeli shelling to east suburbs of Gaza city International Middle East Media Center 7/27/2006 Medical sources reported on Thursday at noon that one resident from Al Tufah neighborhood was injured when Israeli army tanks targeted the area. Doctor Muawiya Hassinen, Director of the Ambulance and Emergency department of the Ministry of Health, said that tanks stationed to the east of Gaza shelled several neighborhoods with heavy artillery, and the injured man lies in Al Shifa hospital after sustaining moderate wounds. [end] more.. Israeli forces demand that Palestinian security headqaurters be cleared of all "wanted" persons Ma'an News 7/27/2006 Jericho --Palestinian security sources said on Thursday that Israeli forces ordered them to clear their security headquarters and the governmental organizations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip of all persons whom Israel claims are "wanted. "The sources added that the Israeli army threatened to target their posts if they did not apply the resolution. [end] more.. Army invades Beit Furiq and takes three prisoners International Middle East Media Center 7/27/2006 Three residents were taken as prisoners when troops from the Israeli army invaded the village of Beit Furiq, east of the West Bank city of Nablus, on Thursday morning at dawn. The three were indentified as: Khalid Hanini, Ze'ad Hanini and Wahid Hanini. Soldiers also searched several houses before leaving the village. This is the second invasion in as many days. Yesterday, the village was invaded and four residents taken. [end] more.. Israeli forces shoot Palestinian youth near Qalqilia Ma'an News 7/27/2006 Qalqilia --Israeli forces shot and injured Palestinian youth, Hamadah Shtiwi, 20, when they besieged a home in Kufur Qaddom, east of the city of Qalqilia, Wednesday evening. Eyewitnesses reported that the Israeli forces blockaded the young man in the house using several other young men as human shields. The forces used heavy gunfire in the operation, claiming that there were resistance members in the house. The soldiers claimed that they opened fire on Shtiwi when he tried to escape. The sources added that an ambulance belonging to the Israeli army transferred Shtiwi to an unknown destination and they did not know the extent of his injuries. Israeli forces besieged several abandoned houses in the in the town and used loudspeakers to call on the citizens to evacuate the houses, threatening to demolish them if they refused. [end] more.. A wary defiance in the village Hizbullah's leader calls home The Guardian 7/28/2006 The village betrays no sign of life at our approach. The shutters of the shops are down and gathering dust. No faces gather at the windows of the stone houses as we walk past. Aside from the drone of Israeli surveillance planes overhead, all is silent. But within moments, the first sentinel appears, then three more: bearded and intense men, who use their mobile phones to receive instructions before allowing us to enter the village - and even then only under their sullen, constant gaze. In a war in which Hizbullah seems almost to be an invisible presence in southern Lebanon, such an appearance is unusual. But then, Bazuriyah, three miles (5km) east of Tyre, merits special attention: the village is the home of Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hizbullah. more.. IAF knocks out Hezbollah missile command in Tyre Ha'aretz 7/28/2006 The Israel Air Force on Thursday scored a successful direct hit against Hezbollah's missile command center deployed in Tyre, which has been primarily responsible for targeting Haifa and its surroundings. The regional command center was located on the 12th floor of a Tyre building that the IAF destroyed. The IAF bombings continued bombing as Israel Defense Forces artillery pounded townships in the south. According to reports from Lebanon, two women were killed in the attacks, raising the number of Lebanese killed in the fighting to about 400. The western sector of south Lebanon, which was quiet until recently, was also shelled on Thursday, and residents of more villages were ordered to leave their homes. more.. Refugees pour into Syria AlJazeera 7/28/2006 At the Masnaa border crossing between Syria and Lebanon hundreds of people continue to flee the fighting between Hezbollah and Israeli forces. The border zone is a bustling area. A line of cars, taxis and minibuses wait to go through Syrian customs procedures, whilst dozens of volunteers and aid workers hand out food and drink to new arrivals. Although the influx is less frantic than in the earlier days of the two-week-old Israeli bombardment, many poorer families from ravaged areas of Lebanon are still making their way across the border. According to UN figures, more than 140,000 Lebanese, 1,000 Palestinians and 20,000 other foreign nationals have crossed into Syria since fighting began. more.. Not even infants are spared brutal war The Daily Star 7/28/2006 TYRE: There have been thousands of innocent victims in the ongoing war in Lebanon, but somehow it is the tiniest casualties who cause a nation the greatest grief. Two such stories have unfolded in Tyre this week, both involving newborn babies who had no role in the ongoing violence but will nonetheless be forever marked by its ferocity. The first, named Ibn Zahra (son of Zahra) by a mortician at Tyre's governmental hospital, was born prematurely in the back seat of a taxi under a hail of Israeli bombs as his family fled the South for the safety of this Southern port city. The taxi finally fell victim to an air strike that killed Ibn Zahra's two brothers and severely wounded his mother. "He lived for only an hour or two," says Abu Chadi, the mortician who named the infant. "He never had a chance. " more.. Thursday: About 80 rockets, some 40 injured YNet News 7/27/2006 VIDEO) Some 80 rockets land in north since Thursday morning; 40 people lightly wounded by evening hours, most suffering from shock. Several rockets land in Tiberias. Fire breaks out near Kiryat Shmona factory -- VIDEO - North under rocket attack: Hizbullah on Thursday evening fired mortar shells at several communities in the Galilee panhandle close to the border fence. There were no reports of injuries. Dozens of rockets landed earlier in the Upper Galilee and Western Galilee communities. The last barrage was at around 7:20 p. m. in Kiryat Shmona, which was hit by three rockets. Three people who were hurt by shrapnel arrived at the city's emergency room. Another 16 suffered from shock. more.. MKs surprised by Katyushas in Karmiel Jerusalem Post 7/27/2006 Knesset members were in the midst of a makeshift lunch in the rocket-torn city of Karmiel when the siren sounded, tearing MKs away from their food and into a nearby shelter. Not even a Katyusha could tear MK David Azoulay (Shas) from his food, joked the MKs. At the time, they didn't know that nearly a dozen rockets were falling on Karmiel and its surrounding villages, and that Azoulay's brother-in-law would be among the day's injured. It was only when the group arrived at their next stop, at the Nahariya Government Hospital, that they saw the ambulances arriving, and Azoulay was notified that he had a relative among the injured. Doctors told the MK that his brother-in-law, Daniel Vaknin, would be alright. more.. 'IDF may be morally justified in flattening terror strongholds' Jerusalem Post 7/27/2006 The man who wrote the IDF code of ethics, Professor Asa Kasher, has indicated that in the current circumstances in southern Lebanon, provided the appropriate precautions are taken, it may be "morally justified" to obliterate areas with high concentrations of terrorists, even if civilian casualties result. "I don't know what the truth is about the circumstances," Kasher stressed. "But assuming that we warned the civilians and gave them enough time to leave, and that the civilians who remained chose, themselves, not to leave, then there is no reason to jeopardize the lives of the troops," he told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday.... Israel has been reluctant to use sufficient weaponry to flatten the Hizbullah "terrorist capital" of Bint Jbail, a policy that many have criticized as being overly sensitive toward the enemy and its civilians. more.. Israel’s invasion of Lebanon in photos (1) Mehr News Agency 7/27/2006 BEIRUT, July 27 (MNA) -- Photos of bombed and burned buildings and streets - A selection of images of the Lebanese cities attacked by the Zionist army during the past days. -- See also: Israel’s invasion of Lebanon in photos (2) and Israel’s invasion of Lebanon in photos (3) more.. Israel’s invasion of Lebanon in photos (4) Mehr News Agency 7/27/2006 BEIRUT, July 27 (MNA) -- Photos of bombed and burned buildings and streets - A selection of images of the Lebanese cities attacked by the Zionist army during the past days. -- See also: Israel’s invasion of Lebanon in photos (5) more.. Israel's heaviest losses fuel doubts over strategy The Guardian 7/28/2006 Soldiers were trying to take border town · Offensive predicted to last several weeks -- Growing evidence that the ground battle in Lebanon will be far tougher than Israel had expected emerged yesterday after firefights against Hizbullah in two border villages left Israeli troops counting their highest death toll in a single day since the conflict began. Up to 13 Israeli soldiers were killed and many more wounded yesterday in the southern Lebanese town of Bint Jbeil during the fiercest battle so far in the Middle East conflict. Nearby, in the village of Maroun el-Ras, which troops had entered at the weekend, an Israeli officer was reported killed. Last night the city of Tyre was hit in a major Israeli air strike. Sixteen people, including six children, were injured when a seven-storey building that had been used as a Hizbullah community centre collapsed. more.. The summit fails. War rages The Guardian 7/27/2006 14 IDF soldiers killed · Surprise at Hizbullah strength · US-UK block ceasefire move -- Israel yesterday suffered its worst day since the Lebanon conflict began when 14 of its soldiers were believed to have been killed in fighting with Hizbullah, a military calamity that could prove to be a turning point in the warThe setback appeared to unnerve Ehud Olmert, Israel's prime minister. Less than a day after he had vowed to fight Hizbullah to the end, he yesterday spoke for a need for a quick end to the conflict. The Israeli military has been taken by surprise by the ferocity of Hizbullah's resistance and may have to rethink its strategy. Last night Mr Olmert called an emergency meeting of his generals as General Udi Adam, head of the Israeli army's northern command, said fighting in Lebanon could continue for several more weeks. more.. 24 Killed As Israel Moves Into N. Gaza Washington Post 7/26/2006 Deadliest Day in Strip Since '05 Withdrawal -- JERUSALEM, July Israeli troops pushed into the northern Gaza Strip early Wednesday, sparking intense street clashes with local fighters that left 24 Palestinians dead and at least 57 wounded, Palestinian security and hospital officials said. They said most of the victims were struck by Israeli tank shells or missiles launched from Israeli drones flying overhead. The fighting made Wednesday the deadliest day in Gaza since Israel pulled out of the strip last year. At least 30 Israeli tanks joined the operation, which began about 3 a. m. and continued throughout the day in the al-Tofah neighborhood east of Gaza City, witnesses said. more.. Israelis ignored repeated warnings before killing UN observers The Guardian 7/27/2006 16 pleas for firing to stop went unheeded · Furious Annan condemns targeting of post -- Israel came under mounting pressure last night to explain why its military ignored repeated warnings and bombed a prominent UN post in southern Lebanon, killing four unarmed international observers. The four UN soldiers, from China, Austria, Finland and Canada, were taking shelter in a bunker at the white, three-storey building in Khiyam on Tuesday after at least six hours of Israeli bombing and shelling, when it was destroyed by what UN sources say was a precision-guided aerial bomb. The UN contacted Israeli forces up to 10 times about the strikes. The UN's deputy general secretary, Mark Malloch Brown, made several calls to the Israelis to protest at the shelling and to call for it to stop, he told the security council yesterday. more.. Babies among dead on Gaza front line The Independent 7/27/2006 Only the bloodstains on their white shrouds spoke of the tragedy that had unfolded. Two Palestinian girls, one just eight months old, were dead. They were killed when an Israeli tank shell struck a house near Jabalya in the besieged Gaza Strip. Yesterday marked the end of Cpl Gilad Shalit's first month in captivity and Israel stepped up operations inside the Strip in an operation codenamed Sampson's Pillar. The ferocity of the response to that kidnapping, and the determination of operations to stop Palestinian militants' rockets, saw a barrage of air strikes and raids yesterday that killed at least 19 Palestinians, including three children and a handicapped man. Israeli shells struck at a rate of one a minute throughout the afternoon, with the buildings of Beit Hanoun shaking under the sustained fire. more.. Rescuers: Many dead have yet to be counted The Daily Star 7/27/2006 TYRE: The number of fatalities from Israel's two-week bombardment of Lebanon has been "grossly underestimated," according to paramedics and emergency response crews, with some putting the true tally near 1,000. "In Tyre alone we had 125 dead and 150 missing or buried under the rubble," said Sami Yazbek, the head of Red Cross operations in this southern port town. "Those trapped under the rubble are impossible to reach due to the complete destruction of the roads in the South, so we have no choice but to presume they are dead by now. ""Tyre is the least-hit area when compared with the volume of assaults in the South," Yazbek added. As Israel's massive assault on Lebanon continues, medical officials are predicting that the true number of casualties will soon be revealed as double the reported figure of 400, according to Yazbek. more.. 23 Palestinians killed in IDF raids in the northern Gaza Strip Ha'aretz 7/26/2006 The Israel Defense Forces killed 23 Palestinians in fighting across the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, including at least nine militants, three children and a disabled man, medics and witnesses said. Israel has stepped up air strikes and launched raids into Gaza to stop rocket attacks and recover a soldier abducted by militants on June 25. The IDF has killed 140 Palestinians since it began its assault. About half were civilians. Wednesday's death toll in Gaza was the highest in two weeks. Among those killed were eight loyalists of the governing Hamas militant group and one gunman from the kindred Islamic Jihad faction, which is also dedicated to destroying Israel. Another two gunmen were killed later, one from the militant group Popular Resistance Committees. The other gunman's affiliation was not clear. more.. Wounded troops describe Bint Jbail battle as 'hell on earth' Ha'aretz 7/27/2006 Wounded soldiers who took part in heavy combat Wednesday on the outskirts of the Hezbollah stronghold of Bint Jbail recounted their experiences from their hospital beds at Haifa's Rambam Medical Center, which received 22 of the wounded casualties of the battle. "They suffer mostly from shrapnel and also from penetration of bullets," said Dr. Micky Hilbertal, who runs the emergency room where the soldiers are hospitalized. "Most of the injuries are in the limbs, a few of them are in the chest and stomach. " Hilbertal said the most similar experience he can recall when he was required to treat this many wounded was during the first Lebanon war. "[Back then], helicopters landed here almost non-stop," he said, noting that Rambam is working in full emergency mode. more.. Hizbullah: Next target – Netanya YNet News 7/26/2006 Senior terror group commander says ‘we have not yet shown the Zionist regime and its supporters our full rocket-launching capabilities’ -- A senior Hizbullah official said that the organization has set a new target for itself - the city of Netanya, as reported by the Iranian news agency Fars in Lebanon. According to the report, Fuad Dirani, commander of the Hizbullah organization, called for the residents of Netanya to evacuate theirhouses because "soon the range of our rockets will reach 100 kilometers (62 miles) into Israel and we will attack military installations and infrastructure. The fact that more than two million Israelis have run away from their homes has put pressure on senior officials in Israel. “Hizbullah has not yet shown the Zionist regime and its supporters its full rocket-launching capabilities. " more.. Hezbollah claims victories in Wednesday's fighting Ma'an News 7/26/2006 Al-Manar TV channel announced that a special unit performed an operation which resulted in the killing of 4 Israeli intelligence men. Thus the death toll of Israeli soldiers in Wednesday's battles rises to 17 and 20 injuries. Hezbollah reported that the Israeli forces failed to transfer their dead and injured soldiers from the battle field. In addition 20 more Israelis were injured in Katyusha shelling, on Wednesday, against the Israeli cities of Haifa, Akko, Safad, and the Israeli towns of Karmiel and Karyot. In related news, Lebanese sources reported that Israeli raids continued during the night and Wednesday morning on different southern areas, including the electricity network of Marjayoun. They also continued artillery bombardment of Ibil As-Saqi, Al-Qulayah, Al-Khiyam, Kafr Kila and Matalla. more.. Evening Roundup: Bint Jbeil Faces Fierce Resistance as Civilians Flee en Masse An Nahar 7/26/2006 As Israeli bombardment of the south continued Wednesday, fighting raged on between Hizbullah fighters and Israeli forces that are battling to move deeper inside the border town of Bint Jbeil. The army said 8 Israeli soldiers were killed in fierce fighting with Hizbullah fighters in the key border town, a Hizbullah military stronghold in the border area which Israeli forces first broke into on Tuesday. A ninth was killed in the nearby village of Maroun al-Ras. "Eight soldiers were killed and 22 injured in fighting at Bint Jbeil," an army spokesman said. Al-Jazeera TV network earlier said that at least 13 had been killed. The fierce exchanges came as Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told a parliamentary committee he wanted to establish a security zone of one to two kilometers in southern Lebanon. more.. Beirut classrooms become clinics BBC 7/26/2006 Over 85,000 refugees are staying in Beirut's public schools -- As a team of doctors wiped down school desks with pungent disinfectant, a group of women with babies in their arms jostled at the classroom door. "Just wait a minute," one of the doctors called to the mothers as he carried a brown box of pharmaceuticals over to the window sill. With Arabic grammar scrawled on the blackboard this does not look like a normal doctor's clinic - but that is what it is. Lebanon's social services are overwhelmed after up to a million Lebanese fled from their homes in the south of country and Beirut's southern suburbs as the Israeli bombardment of these areas continue. more.. Villagers Flee en Masse After a 3-Hour Israeli Ultimatum An Nahar 7/26/2006 Over a thousand inhabitants of eight Lebanese villages close to the Israeli border were desperately fleeing their homes en masse Wednesday after being given a three-hour ultimatum to leave by the Israeli army, a local mayor said. "There are 300-500 families fleeing on foot, with the adults shouting and the children crying, walking in the direction of Tyre" a dozen kilometers to the north, said the mayor of the village of Al-Bustan, Shamman Mohammed an-Nasser. He said at 1:00 pm (1000 GMT) an Israeli military jeep approached the barbed wire that marks the border and an officer threatened the Sunni inhabitants of Al-Bustan, Um at-Tout, Dhaira, Zalloutiye and other villages which lie along a four kilometer stretch on the border. The villagers were warned "that they would be bombed if they did not leave before 4:00 pm (1300 GMT)", he said. more.. Palestinian television journalist seriously injured in Gaza Ma'an News 7/26/2006 Gaza -- Palestine TV's Ibrahem Al Otlah was seriously injured while covering the Israeli bombardment of the At Tuffah district in Gaza on Wednesday morning. Eyewitnesses said that Al Otlah was recording fast-moving events in the At Tuffah district in the east of Gaza when an Israeli artillery missile hit him. He was seriously injured requiring the assistance of others around him. Muhsin Jabra was also injured at the same time. The spokesman for the Ministry of Health, Khalid Radi, said that Al Otlah has been stabilised once he arrived at the hospital. He had been injured in the chest by the shrapnel, which caused internal bleeding. Doctors at Ash Shifa'a Hospital say that they have managed to stabilise him and are now able to manage his condition. more.. Israeli raid on Palestinian Authority headquarters and Palestinian television station Ma'an News 7/26/2006 Ramallah --The Israeli army has said that it arrested a member of the Popular Resistance Committees in Ramallah on Tuesday evening. The arrest was made after the Israeli forces surrounded a house in the Am Ash Sharayet district, exploded a section of the house and used the damaged area as an entrance into the house. The army said that it had arrested Ibrahim Hindi whom they claim is behind terrorist activities against Israel. Eyewitnesses reported that Israeli forces surrounded the Abu Al Lutuf building called near the Al Amin Square in the Am Ash Sharayet district and exploded its doors claiming that a "wanted" Palestinian was inside the building. The Israeli forces surrounded the building after they raided the district amid heavy gunfire and used loudspeakers to demand that residents leave the building and surrender. more.. Olmert Outlines Plan to Carve Out 2-Km-Wide Security Zone in South An Nahar 7/26/2006 Israel wants to establish a two-kilometer-wide strip in south Lebanon that will be free of Hizbullah fighters, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Wednesday, for the first time giving the dimensions of Israel's new "security zone. "Omert outlined the plan in a closed-door meeting of parliament's Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee, according to participants who later briefed reporters. On Tuesday, Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz had first raised the idea of such a buffer zone, but left somewhat unclear whether Israeli troops would patrol such a no-go area or try to keep out Hizbullah fighters from a distance, by artillery fire and air strikes. Olmert told legislators on Wednesday that the zone would be two kilometers (just over a mile) wide. more.. IDF strikes Lebanese army base and relay station Jerusalem Post 7/27/2006 The IDF hit a Lebanese army base and a relay station belonging to Lebanese state radio north of Beirut early Thursday, local TV and radio stations said. The privately owned Lebanese Broadcasting Corp. TV station said IAF jets struck the army base at Aamchit, 50 kilometers along the Beirut-Tripoli highway north of the Lebanese capital near the coast and knocked down a relay tower in an adjacent field of antennas belonging to Radio Liban. Later, the Lebanese Broadcasting Corp. reported that Israeli warships had shelled the base and the relay station; however, the Voice of Lebanon radio station said the base was attacked by war planes. The army sealed off the area and prevented people from approaching, the Lebanese TV channel said. The IDF had no immediate comment on the reports. more.. War sparks environmental crisis too as oil leaks into sea after attack on power plant The Daily Star 7/27/2006 BEIRUT: At least 10,000 tons of heavy fuel oil have been spilled into the Lebanese sea, causing an environmental catastrophe with severe effects on health, biodiversity and tourism, environmentalists and the Environment Ministry said Wednesday. Two weeks ago, Israeli bombs targeted the Jiyye power station, located on the coast 30 kilometers south of Beirut. Part of the oil in storage tanks has been burning ever since and the other part is leaking into the Mediterranean. "The pollution has affected around 70 to 80 kilometers of both public and private rocky and sandy beaches from Damour, south of Beirut, through to Chekka in the North," Berge Hadjian, the Environment Ministry's director general said Wednesday. Another 15,000 tons of oil are expected to leak into the sea, he added. more.. Israel 'ignored UN bomb warnings' AlJazeera 7/26/2006 Kofi Annan has called for an investigation into the bombing -- Israel ignored repeated warnings it was shelling close to United Nations observers in southern Lebanon before an Israeli bomb killed four for them, the Irish foreign ministry has said. The ministry said on Wednesday a senior Irish army officer had called Israeli military liasion officers at least six times to warn them that Israeli munitions were landing close to UN installations in the region. The peacekeepers were killed on Tuesday night when an aerial bomb struck a United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) building in Khiam, southern Lebanon, an UNIFIL spokesman said.... the Israeli premier said it was "inconceivable" for the UN to think that the incident was deliberate. more.. Lebanese Americans flee conflict zone BBC 7/26/2006 Many southern Lebanese villagers on the receiving end of Israel's bombardment are also, paradoxically, citizens of Israel's closest ally and strongest military backer, the United States. This is an outcome of the years of Israeli occupation of south Lebanon, when thousands of people, especially Shia Muslims, emigrated to the US. So when the current round of fighting broke out on 12 July, the village of Yaroun, just a few kilometres from the Israeli border, was packed with Lebanese Americans. Young and old had been enjoying their summer holidays, little suspecting that their ancestral homes would soon be subjected to a remorseless battering by Israeli firepower. Teenager Ali Nasser recalls the family huddling in one corner during an Israeli bombardment. more.. Four people hurt, one seriously, as over 120 rockets hit northern Israel Ha'aretz 7/26/2006 Four people were wounded Wednesday, one seriously and the rest lightly, as more than 100 rockets slammed into northern Israel. Another 14 people were treated for shock. Two people were wounded by shrapnel while driving in a Haifa suburb, one of them seriously. Another two were hurt Wednesday afternoon in Ma'alot. A barrage of rockets was fired at the Galilee and Kiryat Shmona. Dozens more struck the Haifa suburbs, Tiberias, Safed, Carmiel, the village of Jish and the Hula Valley during the day. In the Haifa suburbs, one of the rockets started a small fire. Around 8 P. M. , Hezbollah gunners launched a salvo of rockets at Ma'alot and surrounding communities. There were no reported casualties but firefighters were called to the scene to extinguish a fire that broke out. more.. Hizbullah sending text messages to Israelis? YNet News 7/26/2006 Now Now Now.. Go out from your home Hizballah willing shelling of the area’ reads text message received by dozens of Orange cell phone service subscribers Wednesday. Orange: We'll block messages -- Dozens of Israeli customers of the Orange cellular service provider received unexpected SMS messages on their phones Wednesday evening, with the English message: "Now Now Now... Go out from your home Hizballah willing shelling of the area, Israel Government Cheating you And refuse recognition Defeat. ” It was not yet clear whether Hizbullah operatives were in fact behind the messages of intimidation, or whether the messages were no more than a joke in poor taste by other network subscribers. more.. 1,402 rockets shot at Israel since onset of fighting YNet News 7/26/2006 Northern District Police report 19 dead, more than 1,200 injured as a result of rocket attacks. Only Wednesday, 98 rockets launched by afternoon hours, resulting in several casualties -- Since the onset of the current confrontation on the northern border, 15 days ago, 1,402 rockets have been launched at Israel, the Northern District Police's spokesperson reported. Nineteen civilians have been killed and 1,262 wounded, including 46 who are still hospitalized. Many of the injured suffered from shock. On Wednesday, the barrages on the north continued. As of the afternoon, 98 rockets were fired at northern Israel, leaving one man severely injured. Some 21 others were lightly injured and 14 suffered from shock, as a result of the barrage. more.. Photos: From Israel to Lebanon fromisraeltolebanon.info 7/26/2006 From The Lebanese People To The So Called "Civilized" West: "Thank You" --Watch Out - Sensitive Pictures Below - What CNN never shows you - Petition to save Lebanese Civilians. more.. Battle rages for Lebanese town AlJazeera 7/26/2006 Thirteen Israeli soldiers have been killed and 12 wounded in fighting with Hezbollah in a southern Lebanese town, Aljazeera's correspondent in Lebanon says. There were conflicting reports about the number of casualties and the Israeli army said eight soldiers had been killed and 22 wounded in clashes around the town of Bint Jbeil on Wednesday. Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV said "violent confrontations" erupted between its fighters and Israeli forces attempting to advance from a hilltop towards a hospital in the town. The clashes came as more than 125 rockets were fired at northern Israel by Hezbollah during Wednesday, wounding dozens, Israeli security and medical sources said. One rocket landed near a car in Haifa, seriously wounding a driver, medics said. Rockets also landed in the towns of Acre, Carmiel and Safed. more.. Losses from strikes on Lebanese manufacturing at $150 million and counting The Daily Star 7/26/2006 BEIRUT: The relentless Israeli air strikes against some of Lebanon's industrial plants have caused losses of more than $150 million, and the figure may be much higher if industries in the South are included, a leading industrialist said on Tuesday. "The losses are more than $150 million in the current book value and we are afraid the situation will get worse," Jacques Sarraf, a chemical plant owner and the former president of the industrial association, told The Daily Star. More than a dozen factories in the Bekaa valley and other areas were hit by Israeli strikes in two weeks of bombing. Among the factories that were hit and destroyed were the country's largest dairy farm, Liban Lait; a paper mill; a packaging firm and wood plant. more.. In pictures: Conflict in Lebanon BBC 7/26/2006 Photos: Oil spill - Another day of violence and worry in the Middle East, as Israel and Hezbollah continue to trade blows 15 days after fighting first erupted in the region. / In Israel, the UN humanitarian chief Jan Egeland toured the city of Haifa, which has come under sustained attack from Hezbollah rocket fire. more.. The travails of escaping Lebanon BBC 7/24/2006 Ali Zabad has two major concerns in the midst of Israel's bombardment of his native south Lebanon. He wants to get his wife, Rose, and their two young grandchildren as far away as possible from the relentless bombing that has killed more than 372 people - overwhelmingly civilians. But he also has to look after his mother Nayfi, who has suffered a stroke and is in no fit state to make the onerous journey out of the war zone without full medical back-up. Their home in Mansoureh village was flattened by Israeli bombing, but not before the family fled to Tyre. They came with just a few belongings on the second day of the crisis, which erupted after Hezbollah guerrillas seized two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid. more.. Nine IDF soldiers killed in bitter south Lebanon fighting Ha'aretz 7/27/2006 Troops walk into ambush near Hezbollah stronghold - Nine Israel Defense Forces soldiers died Wednesday and 27 others were injured in the hardest day of fighting in southern Lebanon since the war began two weeks ago. Five of the injured soldiers are in serious condition. The IDF believes that Hezbollah lost 15 of its fighters in Wednesday's fighting. Eight of the IDF dead - five soldiers and three officers - were from the Golani Brigade; they were killed in fighting in the town of Bint Jbail. The ninth soldier, a paratrooper, was killed last night in Maroun Ras. The IDF began its operation against Bint Jbail on Monday morning. By Tuesday evening, troops from the Golani and Paratroops Brigades had taken up positions on the outskirts of the town, and Golani soldiers had also ntered some of the homes. more.. Israeli Army levels a house east of Qalqilia, seriously injuring one youth International Middle East Media Center 7/27/2006 Wednesday at night, Israeli soldiers invaded a town near Qalqilia, north of the West Bank, leveled one house and seriously injured a youth by shooting him in his head, the Palestinian News Agency, WAFA, reported. The agency stated that soldiers surrounded the town and leveled the house of Mohammad Hussein Qaddoumi, in Kafer Qaddoum village, east o Qalqilia and demolished it. Soldiers broke into the house of Qaddoumi and detained him and his family members, along with several other residents, in a nearby house and interrogated them before leveling the house. The other detainees residents were identified as Mohammad Saleh Shtewy, Hamada Shaker Shtewy, Abdul-Hamid Izzat Shtewy, along with several other residents. Soldiers imposed a strict siege over the village and barred the residents from leaving their homes. more.. Israeli forces kill 10 Palestinians in air attacks on the Gaza Strip, including 3 year old child Palestine News Network 7/26/2006 Palestinian medical sources and eyewitnesses confirmed that Israeli forces killed 10 more Palestinians in aerial bombardments throughout the besieged Gaza Strip early Wednesday morning. In addition to the dead, Israeli forces injured 20 Palestinians. One of the shellings targeted members of the armed resistance to the northeast of Gaza City and the northern Strip. In the early morning pre-dawn hours, Israeli warplanes began the first air attacks and artillery shelling throughout the Gaza Strip, concentrating on the north and the east of Gaza City, and apartment buildings in the northern Strip. The Palestinian security sources reported Wednesday morning that Israeli military tanks fired artillery shells on the Shafa neighborhood northeast of Gaza City, killing six Palestinians andinjuring six others who are hospitalized in critical condition. more.. High death toll in Gaza clashes BBC 7/26/2006 Israeli military attacks in the Gaza Strip have killed 23 Palestinians, including several children, witnesses and medical sources say. At least 11 militants were among the dead, but many civilians were also killed, and about 70 people were hurt. The raids come amid Israeli efforts to release a soldier captured by Palestinian militants last month. About 140 Palestinians and one Israeli soldier have been killed since Israel launched its offensive. The attacks on Gaza have been overshadowed by fierce clashes between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Girls killedIsraeli air strikes began early on Wednesday and were backed by up to 30 tanks and other ground forces.... Three girls, including one infant, were among the dead, Palestinians said. more.. Israeli forces raid Kufur Qaddom, near Qalqilia Ma'an News 7/26/2006 Qalqilia --Israeli forces reinforced by military vehicles and a bulldozer raided the Palestinian village of Kufur Qaddom, east of Qalqilia, and surrounded a house claiming that Palestinian gunmen were hiding in the house, Wednesday evening. Eyewitnesses from the village reported that the Israeli forces are surrounding a number of deserted houses in the area and addressing the residents through loud-speakers to get out otherwise they will demolish the houses. They also reported that Palestinian citizens have been used as human shields during the raid. [end] more.. Israeli soldiers detain dozens at a flying checkpoint near Tulkarem Ma'an News 7/26/2006 Tukarem --Israeli soldiers detained dozens of Palestinians at a flying checkpoint between Nablus and Tulkarem governorates. Eyewitnesses said that "dozens private and public vehicles and buses were detained throughout the afternoon on Wednesday at a check point which was erected near Beit Led in eastern Tulkarem. They added that children, women, and old men were left under the heat of the sun in the street. "The Israelis perform such measures after receiving threats that a Palestinian will sneak into Israeli territories in order to perform a bomb attack. [end] more.. Army installs a checkpoint at the southern entrance of a Jenin town International Middle East Media Center 7/26/2006 On Wednesday at dawn, the Israeli army installed a checkpoint at the southern entrance of the West Bank town of Qabatia, south of Jenin. Local sources reported that soldiers present at the checkpoint stopped the vehicles and forced those inside to exit their vehicles before searching them and examining their identity cards. The sources added that Israeli military vehicles chased residents who took the side roads and confiscated their vehicles. [end] more.. Four brigades carry out military operations against Israeli forces in Gaza Ma'an News 7/26/2006 Gaza --Four Palestinian armed wings succeeded in exploding a Merkava tank and two soldiers' transports and fired two home-made projectiles on Israeli Netiv Ha'asara, north of the Gaza Strip, Wednesday afternoon. The Mujahidin group and the Popular Resistance Committees declared in a joint statement that they will continue to retaliate for the Israeli targeting of brigades' fighters and Palestinian citizens until the liberation of Palestine. In related news, the Al Fatah Al Mubeen Group, a small military group affiliated with Fatah, were able to explode an Israeli Merkava tank near Ar-Rayyis farm in Gaza. In the same regard, the Al-Quds Brigades, the armed group of the Islamic Jihad movement blew up an Israeli soldiers' transport in Ash-Sha'af in eastern Gaza. [end] more.. One resident injured in clashes with army in Dura village near Hebron International Middle East Media Center 7/26/2006 One resident was injured during clashes with the Israeli army troops who invaded the village of Dora, southwest of the West Bank city of Hebron, late Tuesday night. Troops stormed the village and shot tear gas and rubber coated bullets at the stone throwing youth who resisted the invasion. Local sources said soldiers detained several youth from the village and started to harass them which caused the clashes. [end] more.. Resident killed, two injured in Gaza, death toll rises to fourteen on Wednesday International Middle East Media Center 7/26/2006 Thirteen residents killed, at least 40 injured in the Gaza Strip -- Palestinian medical sources in Gaza City reported on Wednesday at noon that one resident was killed and at least two were injured in an Israeli air strike that targeted a residential area in Gaza. Number of Palestinians killed on Wednesday in the Gaza Strip rose to fourteen, among them a 3-year old child. Eyewitnesses reported that the Israeli air force fired at least two missiles at a fuel station in Salah Ed Deen Street, on Wednesday afternoon, killing one resident and injuring two others. The body of the killed resident was severely mutilated. Ambulances and civil defense vehicles that rushed to the area were also subjected to Israeli military fire, medical sources added. more.. More Palestinians arrested from Nablus, Ramallah and Bethlehem Ma'an News 7/26/2006 Bethlehem -- Israeli forces arrested 6 Palestinians from the West Bank cities of Nablus, Ramallah and Bethlehem early on Wednesday morning. The Israeli forces entered these cities and broke into several homes, claiming that they were looking for "wanted. "Israeli sources said that the Israel forces arrested six Palestinians who are activists of the Hamas and Fatah movements. Israeli sources said that an explosive device was thrown at Israeli troops in Nablus, while the Israeli military barrier in Ramallah was fired at. No injuries were reported. [end] more.. Settler shoots Palestinian near Bethlehem Ma'an News 7/25/2006 Bethlehem --Palestinian sources told Ma'an that an Israeli settler shot Mousa 'Atiyya Hamamrah, 47, from the Palestinian village of Husan, in the Bethlehem governorate. Hamamrah was injured while he was coming home and an Israeli settler from nearby settlement, Betar Illit, opened fire in the area. The gunfire hit him in his lower jaw and he was transferred to an Israeli hospital. [end] more.. Four peacekeepers killed - Annan: UN base was 'apparently deliberately targeted' Ha'aretz 7/25/2006 Four peacekeepers were killed on Tuesday in an Israel Air Force strike on a United Nations base in southern Lebanon. The victims included observers from Austria, a Canada, China and Finland, UN and Lebanese military officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information to the media. Israel said on Wednesday that it regrets the "tragic" deaths of the observers and would thoroughly investigate the causes that led to their deaths. "Israel sincerely regrets the tragic death of the UN personnel in south Lebanon," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan had earlier called for an inquiry into what he called Israel's "apparently deliberate targeting" of the UN observer force. more.. Israeli forces render 100s of Gaza families homeless; Red Cross denies telling residents to evacuate Palestine News Network 7/25/2006 Israeli intelligence informed the family of Abu Abed, east of Gaza City, to vacate their two-story home. The Israelis said they intended to use warplanes to destroy the house. A number of missiles were fired, destroying the family home, killing two, and injuring four civilian Palestinians late Monday.... the same situation was repeated with the citizen Salah Sha’er and his four-story home on the road between the western provinces and Rafah and Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.... Israeli forces displaced some 400 families in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahia Monday. They claimed missiles were fired at Israeli towns north of the Gaza Strip.... Today Israeli forces bombed houses from the air, which forced families with no where else to go to watch their homes destroyed. more.. About 50 tanks re-enter northern Gaza Jerusalem Post 7/26/2006 50 IDF tanks moved back into northern Gaza early Wednesday, residents and Palestinian security said, as Israel pressed ahead with its Gaza offensive alongside fighting in Lebanon. Aircraft carried out at least three airstrikes as the troops moved in, killing a Hamas operative and wounding five others. Hamas said the men were about to fire a rocket at Israel. The army said forces were operating in northern Gaza as part of a campaign to stop terrorism and rocket barrages at Israel. The military said aircraft targeted three groups of militants who were approaching the troops. Early Wednesday, troops took over rooftops of several houses in northern Gaza, residents said, and Israeli aircraft blasted several houses of Hamas and Islamic Jihad operatives after warning the people to leave. more.. Civilians Bear Fear, Injuries, Death, Grief Truthout 7/25/2006 (AP) Tyre, Lebanon - Dirty bandages hid the worst of 8-year-old Zainab Jawad's swollen, bloodied nose Monday. Her arm, fractured in two places, was strapped to her chest. Stretched out on a bed at Najem Hospital, Zainab squeezed her brown eyes shut as memories of the attack flooded back, some of her words muffled as she fought sobs. A day earlier, Israeli bombs destroyed her family's home in the southern village of Ayta Chaeb. Then rockets slammed into the family's car as they fled.... Jawad Najem, a surgeon at the hospital, said patients admitted Sunday had burns from phosphorous incendiary weapons used by Israel. The Geneva Conventions ban using white phosphorus as an incendiary weapon against civilian populations and in air attacks against military forces in civilian areas. more.. Israeli Special Forces killed a child, injured his father and sister in Gaza International Middle East Media Center 7/26/2006 Tuesday at night, undercover united of the Israeli army shot and killed a Palestinian child, and injured his father and sister while they were standing near their house, east of Al Qarara, close to the border line in the Gaza Strip. Palestinian sources reported that an undercover unit of the Israeli army infiltrated into Abu Zaher area, east of Al Qarara in Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip and opened fired at three residents of the same family while they were standing close to their house.... Moreover, Palestinian security sources reported that Israeli armored vehicles invaded Al Faraheen area in Khan Younis while military helicopters fired rounds of live ammunition at dozens of houses there. more.. 'Save us,' she screamed as another shell landed The Guardian 7/26/2006 'Save us,' she screamed as another shell landedIt is their feet that tell their story. They are bloody, swollen and bandaged after carrying them over mountains and under rocket barrages as Israel's war against Hizbullah erased the lives behind them. In their villages lay ancestral houses crushed by bombs, family heirlooms abandoned mid-flight, the elderly and the frail, and of course the dead, their bodies trapped beneath the rubble. All that belonged to the past now. The awful present was here in Tibnin General Hospital, a modest facility even in ordinary times, whose doors yesterday opened on a vision of hell: as many as 1,600 desperate and terrified refugees caught up in Lebanon's deepening humanitarian crisis. more.. Soldiers shell a residential building in Ramallah, three injured International Middle East Media Center 7/26/2006 Israeli soldiers shelled invaded late on Tuesday night the west Bank city of Ramallah, and surrounded a residential building in Um Al Sharayet neighborhood, in the city. The Palestinian News Agency, WAFA, reported that troops fired several shells at the building after invading the area and imposing curfew barring the residents from leaving their houses. At least three residents were injured in the attack and were transferred to a local hospital in the city. WAFA added that soldiers surrounded the building after invading the neighborhood and fired rounds of live ammunition before using loud speakers to demand the residents to leave the building.... In a separate incident, one child was wounded by Israeli military fire during clashes that erupted after the army invaded the city. more.. Teen girl killed, at least 16 wounded as Hezbollah rockets slam into northern cities Ha'aretz 7/26/2006 One person was killed and 20 others were wounded as Hezbollah guerrillas renewed their bombardment of communities across northern Israel on Tuesday, launching an estimated 90 rockets. In Maghar, Da'a Abbas, 15, was killed when a Katyusha rocket directly struck a residential home in a Muslim neighborhood in the Galilee village. Magen David Adom medical crews reported that the girl's 30-year-old brother was seriously hurt and her 12-year-old sister was moderately wounded. Two more rockets landed in the village, lightly wounding two people; 20 more people suffered from shock. Residents said they are not looking to blame anyone, but call on both sides to end the fighting. "This situation cannot go on," one said. more.. Israel captures Hezbollah stronghold AlJazeera 7/26/2006 Israeli troops entered the border town of Bint Jbeil, a Hezbollah military stronghold, for the first time late on Tuesday as they pushed deeper into Lebanese territory, a UN spokesman said. The Israeli army, which has been encountering fierce resistance in its war on Hezbollah despite its clear military superiority, entered the border town following a day of fierce fighting with the Lebanese Shiite guerrillas. "The Israeli army is in Bint Jbeil. Some sporadic fighting is ongoing inside and around the town," Milos Strugar, spokesman for the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL), told AFP. Asked whether the Israeli troops had captured the town, Strugar said: "It is difficult to know what is really happening at this time. "The civilian population in Bint Jbeil is caught in the crossfire," he added. more.. Israeli forces arrest 11 Palestinians in the Hebron area, including two sets of brothers Palestine News Network 7/25/2006 Israeli forces arrested 11 Palestinians, including five brothers, at dawn Tuesday morning in the southern West Bank city of Hebron and its surrounding villages. The arrests came following raids in several neighbourhoods in the city. From Hebron City, Israeli forces took 20 year old Osama Badawi and 19 year old Ismail Abu Eisheh to unknown locations. In addition, 21 year old Mohammed Hamdi Sharhah from Dura, and 20 year old Ahmad Nadi Al Salibi from Beit Amr are presumably in Israeli interrogation camps. According to official sources in the Hebron office of the Palestinian Prisoner Society, Israeli forces took seven Palestinians, including five brothers, from Taramah Village just south of Hebron, to unknown locations. more.. Israeli strikes in Beirut renewed: 12 civilians killed; IDF Hunts Nasrallah YNet News 7/25/2006 According to reports, Israeli warplanes blasted Dhaiya neighborhood in southern part of town. IDF official: 'Nasrallah know we're after him, his attitude has changed' -- IDF warplanes blasted Beirut Tuesday evening, killing 12 civilians in the southern Dhaiya quarter in town. The area, which has not been targeted in the last two days, was struck with 23 bombs and eyewitnesses reported that smoke was billowing over the entire region. A senior IDF official said that "Nasrallah is a target and hitting him would have a great effect on Hizbullah's position. We are trying to hurt him and he knows this, and this affects his mood and the way he functions. " more.. Twelve Lebanese killed, Hezbollah shells Israeli cities, army claims capturing Lebanese villages International Middle East Media Center 7/25/2006 The Israeli army claimed on Tuesday controlling Bint Jbeil Lebanese town, less than 10 km north of the strategic village of Maroun Al-Ras, which was captured by the Israeli army at the weekend. At least twelve Lebanese, six Israeli soldiers and one Israeli civilian were killed on Tuesday. General Alon Friedman, a senior commander in the northern regions said on Tuesday that Bint Jbeil became under the control of the Israeli fores. Talking to the Israeli Radio, Friedman said that soldiers are tanks are now controlling the town. Fierce fighting raged in the area with Hezbollah fighters on Monday as Israeli forces pushed deeper into its northern neighborhood. Moreover, the Israeli military confirmed that six Israeli soldiers were killed in battles near the town, at least fourteen soldiers were injured, including six who were injured by friendly fire. more.. Red Cross ambulances destroyed in Israeli air strike on rescue mission The Guardian 7/25/2006 Volunteer paramedics demand UN guarantees · Flags and lights prove no protection for aid teams -- The ambulance headlamps were on, the blue light overhead was flashing, and another light illuminated the Red Cross flag when the first Israeli missile hit, shearing off the right leg of the man on the stretcher inside. As he lay screaming beneath fire and smoke, patients and ambulance workers scrambled for safety, crawling over glass in the dark. Then another missile hit the second ambulance. Even in a war which has turned the roads of south Lebanon into killing zones, Israel's rocket strike on two clearly marked Red Cross ambulances on Sunday night set a deadly new milestone. Six ambulance workers were wounded and three generations of the Fawaz family... with what were originally minor injuries, were left fighting for their lives. more.. Israeli Warplanes Destroy Building in GS WAFA - Palestine News Agency 7/25/2006 KHAN YOUNIS, July, 25, 2006, (WAFA)-Israeli warplanes destroyed Tuesday at pre-dawn a building in the Gaza Strip (GS) city of Khan Younis, witnesses said. They added that Israeli jet-fighters fired number of missiles on a four-storey building belonging to al-Sha'er family in Qeezan al-Najjar area at the north of the city, turning it into wreckage. Ambulances rushed to the site but no causalities were reported. Earlier, overnight, Israeli warplanes targeted two houses in Rafah, west of GS and in Shaja'yeh neighbourhood, east of Gaza city, where the two houses were partially destroyed and other numbers of citizens were wounded, witnesses told WAFA. [end] more.. Israeli Artillery Wounds 4 Citizens, including Boy WAFA - Palestine News Agency 7/25/2006 KHAN YOUNIS, July 25, 2006 (WAFA)- Four citizens , including a boy were wounded on Tuesday as Israeli artillery bombarded the Gaza Strip cities of Khan Younis and Rafah, medical sources said. They told WAFA that the 12-yaer-old boy was hit with shrapnel and wounded in his shoulder, west east of Khan Younis city while the youth Zoheir al-Malahi was hit with shrapnel and wounded in his legs. Medics said that two citizens were wounded when Israeli artillery bombarded an area around Sofa crossing, east of Rafah. [end] more.. Israeli tanks facing huge losses in Lebanon Ma'an News 7/25/2006 Bethlehem --A high ranking Israeli military source has called for revision of the role of Israeli tank forces in the aftermath of huge losses that Hezbollah caused when they succeeded to destroy the most advanced Mekava 4 Israeli tanks. The Israeli source added: "The Israeli tanks encounter dangers which they haven't faced for decades because of the quantity and quality of fire. We face intense rocket fire and the ground is full of explosive devices," said an Israeli general. [end] more.. Army takes four prisoners in invasion to Nablus and Asker refugee camp International Middle East Media Center 7/25/2006 Four residents were taken prisoners by the Israeli army after troops and army jeeps stormed the West Bank city of Nablus and the nearby Asker refugee camp Tuesday at dawn. Soldiers stormed several resident's homes and ransacked them before taking Mohamed Al Ashkar, 18, and Ahmad Manssour, 18, from Asker refugee camp and Majdi Al Shak'a, 32, and Azam Yassen from the city to unknown locations, eyewitnesses reported. Army said the invasions are part of a campaign to imprison what the army call "Wanted People". [end] more.. Israel drops leaflets on Gaza, threatening escalation Ma'an News 7/25/2006 Gaza --Israeli war planes dropped leaflets on Gaza Tuesday afternoon warning of the consequences if the Palestinian resistance continues to lob projectiles towards Israel. The leaflets threatened "escalation of Israeli operations against the store houses of military ammunition and the terrorists who endanger the citizens in Gaza and Israel. "The resistance fighters are depicted in these leaflets as "showing off, pretending to solve the Palestinian issue, while in fact they cause losses of Palestinian properties, all under the guise of half-truths, like those of Nasrallah to the Lebanese people. [end] more.. Army closes main and side roads around Tulkarem International Middle East Media Center 7/25/2006 Israeli army soldiers closed several main and side roads around the West Bank city of Tulkarem early Tuesday morning. Troops stopped public taxi and civilian cars at flying checkpoints, searching them and checking ID cards of the passengers. According to residents, troops did not allow citizens under the age of 35 to enter the city. Meanwhile, eyewitnesses reported that soldiers also closed the main road that connects the city with the nearby city of Jenin, and were not allowing residents from Tulkarem to travel to Jenin. [end] more.. Another generation of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, comes under fire ReliefWeb/IRIN 7/24/2006 BORJ AL-BARAJNEH, 24 Jul 2006 (IRIN) - Community leaders in Lebanon's largest refugee camp, Borj al-Barajneh in southern Beirut, say thousands of Palestinian families have fled the area around the camp, and sought safety inside it, straining its fragile resources. Terrified families, they say, are now living as many as 16 persons to a room. "This camp is a disaster area,” says Abu Zaher al-Habet, a member of the Popular Committee that organises the camp. "Ninety percent of the people are unemployed. Sixty percent live below the poverty line. We have no running water normally, only water trucks, and now even those are not making deliveries. "Several generations of Palestinians here have been on the receiving end of Israeli attacks. Zakia Hamad was just three years old when her mother was killed by the Israeli army in 1948. more.. Refugees shelter among victims of earlier conflict The Guardian 7/26/2006 War has often struck at Lebanon's biggest Palestinian refugee camp but for the first time the guests have become the hosts. As Lebanese villagers escaping Israeli air strikes move northwards from the border, some have sought refuge among the refugees of an earlier phase of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Displaced by Israel in 1948, the Palestinians of Ein el-Hilweh find themselves sheltering the Lebanese refugees of 2006. The year on the calendar advances but the grim dynamic has stayed the same. "So many refugees are coming to Sidon. Local schools are full, so we cooperated with the municipal authorities to take them in," said Amne Jibril Suleiman, who heads the camp's branch of the Union of Palestinian Women in Lebanon. more.. Iranian report: Suicide bombers en route to Lebanon YNet News 7/26/2006 Iranian news agency claims expeditionary force of suicide bombers sent from Tehran via Syria to Lebanon. Its goal: To wreak havoc near military, civilian targets, trigger civil war in Lebanon -- Is Tehran stepping up its involvement in the Israeli-Lebanese confrontation? Iran is set to send the first group of suicide bombers to Lebanon on Wednesday, the Iranian news agency ILNA reported. The expeditionary force, dubbed by the Iranian regime as "Loyalists of Islamic Justice," will be the first ever to be sent to Lebanon. According to the report, the force is compiled of seekers of the Shahadah (death for the sake of heaven), who are set to depart from Tehran after the noontime prayer on Wednesday. more.. Israel to 'control security zone' AlJazeera 7/25/2006 Israeli forces would a 3-4km 'buffer zone' inside Lebanon -- Israel has said it plans to enforce a "security zone" in southern Lebanon until an international force can be sent to take it over. "We have no other option... We will have to build a new security strip, a security strip that will be a cover for our forces until international forces arrive," Amir Peretz, the Israeli defence minister said on Tuesday. Peretz said Israel would maintain control of the security zone by firing at anyone who enters it. Israeli government sources estimated a zone 3-4km in width. Western diplomats briefed by Israel said it could be as wide as 5-10km in some places. Government officials said Israel would keep up its offensive until a proposed peacekeeping force begins deploying along the southern border... more.. IDF suspects friendly fire downed Apache helicopter Ha'aretz 7/26/2006 Monday's helicopter crash, which killed two Israel Defense Forces officers, may well have been caused by a hit from an IDF rocket, according to the preliminary findings of an air force investigation. The two casualties, Colonel Zvi Luft and Captain Tom Farkash, will be buried Wednesday. The Apache Longbow helicopter crashed near Moshav Kerem Ben-Zimra while it was assisting the ground forces fighting at Bint Jbail, in southern Lebanon. According to Israel Air Force officers, an examination of the direction and timing of IDF firing in that area shows that an MLRS rocket was launched at the right time and on the right trajectory to have hit the helicopter. Since an MLRS rocket has a relatively high trajectory, it would be capable of hitting a helicopter that was flying fairly high, as the Apache was. more.. Analysis: The IDF's new definition of victory Jerusalem Post 7/25/2006 Hizbullah's fighting force in southern Lebanon can be totally eliminated, say generals in the IDF, but that will take a much more intensive invasion by ground troops, capturing all the territory up to the Litani River. There is a consensus, both at the political and the military levels, that Israel shouldn't be doing that as the cost - in casualties, in economic damage caused by a widespread reservists call-up and in international support - is deemed prohibitive. But the generals are continuing to promise a victory at the end of this round of fighting; so how do they define victory? A senior IDF source said on Tuesday that the victory wouldn't be measured only in military terms, but also in diplomatic ones. more.. Ma'alot: 4 hurt in evening rocket attack Jerusalem Post 7/25/2006 The north of Israel found itself once again under rocket fire early Tuesday evening and four people were lightly wounded as twenty rockets fell near Ma'alot. 16 others suffered from shock from the evening barrage. Simultaneously, another volley of rockets rained down in Karmiel, but no one was wounded. For a Jerusalem Online video of events click hereAfter a comparatively quiet morning, rockets landed in Kfar Mrar, Kiryat Shmona, Acre, Tiberias, Ma'alot, Safed, and Nahariya in the afternoon. The heaviest barrage, which included 16 rockets, struck Haifa. In Kfar Mrar, 15-year-old Dou'a Abbas was killed after a rocket struck her home near a mosque in the Galilee village, which is home to Druse, Christians, and Muslims. Also, a 76-year-old Haifa resident died of a heart attack during the latest barrage of rockets on the city. more.. Lebanese Palestinians to join Hizbullah Jerusalem Post 7/25/2006 Palestinian gunmen in Lebanon are set to join the fighting against the IDF, the leader of the Fatah faction in Lebanon, Sultan Abu al-Aynain, announced on Tuesday. He said Fatah, which is headed by Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, has thousands of fighters in Lebanon who are prepared to participate in the fighting and warned Israel against targeting Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon. It is unclear whether the announcement was made in coordination with Abbas. Sources close to Abbas refused to comment on Abu al-Aynain's threats, but acknowledged that he was Fatah's "military commander" in Lebanon. The sources pointed out that in the past, Abu al-Aynain had dispatched Palestinians to Iraq to fight against US troops. more.. Massive firepower to back ground assault The Guardian 7/24/2006 Israeli forces appear ready to launch significant ground operations in the Tyre area of south Lebanon from which Hizbullah fighters continued to launch rocket salvoes against northern Israel yesterday. With two more civilians killed by Katyushas hitting Haifa, Israeli military sources signalled that combat units being deployed in the border area were likely to move into action south of the Litani river as air attacks proved incapable of stopping the rockets. "Tyre and its surroundings will get separate and special treatment," reported the Yediot Aharonot daily. "It will take a very hard pounding. " Leaflets have been dropped over 13 villages in the area warning residents to flee. more.. Syria: Palestinians stranded at border ReliefWeb/IRIN 7/24/2006 DAMASCUS, 24 Jul 2006 (IRIN) - The UN is urgently appealing to Damascus to ease restrictions at the Syria-Lebanon border to allow Palestinians fleeing Lebanon to enter. "There are 200 Palestinians stranded at border points; some on the main Damascus-Beirut route, others at Dabboussyah near the border governorate of Homs," Panos Moumtzis, director of the UN Relief Works Agency (UNRWA) in Syria, told IRIN on Monday. More than 100,000 people, mostly Syrian but including Lebanese and other foreign nationals, have fled ongoing Israeli attacks and crossed into Syria since 12 July. Some 150 Palestinians have crossed into Damascus since the crisis started.... Many of the 400,000 Palestinians in Lebanon do not have rights or residency status or even documents with them when fleeing. more.. IDF troops clash with militants, push into northern Gaza Ha'aretz 7/26/2006 More than a dozen Israel Defense Forces tanks, backed by helicopter gunships, pushed nearly 1 km (0. 6 miles) into the Gaza Strip overnight and exchanged fire with militants, witnesses and security sources said on Wednesday. The tanks took over a hilltop on the edge of the northern Gaza town of Jabalya. There were no immediate reports of casualties in the clashes. Meanwhile, an Israel Air Force strike hit a building used by a Hamas-led security force in eastern Gaza City, witnesses said. There were no immediate reports of casualties. Earlier on Wednesday, an Israeli aircraft fired two missiles at militants east of Gaza City. No casualties were reported. [end] more.. The Palestinian resistance shells Miftahem settlement International Middle East Media Center 7/25/2006 Palestinian resistance fighters shot one long-range home-made Qassam shell at the Israeli settlement of Miftahem, located east of Rafah city in Gaza Tuesday morning. The Al Qassam Brigades claimed responsibility for the attack and said it will continue its struggle until Palestinian land is free. The group also said that these attacks come as a response to the continuous Israeli army attacks on civilians in Gaza and Lebanon. [end] more.. Israel used cluster grenades on civilians AlJazeera 7/25/2006 A US-based human rights group has accused Israel of using artillery-fired cluster grenades against a Lebanese village last week during its assault against Hezbollah. Human Rights Watch said on Monday that it had taken photos of cluster grenades stored by Israeli artillery teams on the Israel-Lebanon border. It also said that a cluster grenade attack on Wednesday killed one and wounded at least 12 civilians in the village of Blida. "Cluster munitions are unacceptably inaccurate and unreliable weapons when used around civilians," Kenneth Roth, Human Rights Watch executive director, said in a statement. "They should never be used in populated areas. " An Israeli army statement said: "The use of cluster munitions is legal under international law... " more.. Israelis kill 5 in Gaza, including 12-year-old and his grandmother The Daily Star 7/25/2006 Israeli shells killed five people and wounded several others in the Gaza Strip on Monday, including two members of the same family who were riding a donkey cart when they were hit, Palestinian witnesses said. The dead included a 60-year-old woman and her 12-year-old grandson, medics said. The three other Palestinians who were killed Monday were standing outside an apartment building in the northern Gaza neighborhood of Beit Lahiya. Two were civilians and the third was an off-duty police officer, residents said. Later, an explosion in a house in eastern Gaza City on Monday caused no casualties, witnesses said. It was not immediately clear what caused the blast. Germany said on Monday it was hopeful for progress on the release of abducted Corporal Gilad Shalit... more.. Hizbullah fighters defend key Southern town The Daily Star 7/25/2006 Israeli soldiers and paratroopers advanced on the Southern Lebanese town of Bint Jbeil Monday but were repelled by Hizbullah fighters, as the death toll rose to over 370 Monday with the deaths of at least seven more civilians and three Hizbullah fighters. The political adviser to the UN peacekeeping force in the South, Milos Strugar, said Monday that the Israeli Army was "a few kilometers [inside] the UN-demarcated Blue Line," in the area of Maroun al-Ras. Speaking to local satellite television station LBCI, Strugar said the Israeli Army was "reinforcing" its presence nearMaroun al-Ras, but said he could not predict whether Israel intended to invade Bint Jbeil. In a statement, Hizbullah said it had shot down an Israeli helicopter and hit five tanks, inflicting casualties in fierce battles that erupted as Israeli forces pushed north. more.. Israel Warns it Will Destroy 10 Buildings in Southern Suburbs for Every Rocket Fired An Nahar (Naharnet) 7/24/2006 The Israeli air force is under orders to blast 10 buildings in south Beirut, a Hizbullah stronghold, for every rocket the group fires at the Israeli port of Haifa, army radio said Monday. "Army chief of staff Dan Halutz has given the order to the air force to destroy 10 multi-storey buildings in the Dahiya district in response to every rocket fired on Haifa," a senior air force officer told the station. Hizbullah rockets fired from southern Lebanon killed two people on Sunday in the northern city of Haifa, which has been hit by dozens of missiles since the latest conflict started on July 12. Israel kept up its offensive on Lebanon on Monday, with its ground forces pushing deeper into the territory and warplanes carrying out a new blitz of about 40 air raids overnight. more.. Eight hurt as north struck by new barrage of Hezbollah rockets Ha'aretz 7/24/2006 ight people were wounded - two of them were in moderate to serious condition - Monday afternoon when a barrage of rockets fired by Hezbollah guerillas in Lebanon landed in cities and towns across northern Israel. Dozens of rockets struck the north in several waves, hitting Tiberias, Nahariya, the Haifa suburbs, Acre, Safed, the Upper Galilee, Shlomi, the Ma'alot area, the Druze village of Kisra and Tefen. Two people in a community located to the east of Ma'alot were moderately to seriously wounded with shrapnel wounds to the neck and stomach. Of the wounded, two from Nahariya and one each from Shlomi and Acre were evacuated to Nahariya Hospital. Two people sustained shrapnel wounds in Tiberias and 22 suffered from shock. more.. 2 IDF troops killed, 13 wounded in S. Lebanon, 5 from friendly fire Ha'aretz 7/25/2006 Israel Air Force missiles that struck a house in south Lebanon early Tuesday killed seven people and wounded one other, Lebanese hospital and security officials said. IAF jets fired a missile at the house in the market town of Nabatiyeh, destroying it and killing its owner, a man named Mohammed Ghandour, along with six other people including his son Hassan. It was not immediate clear if the five others killed were related. One woman was also wounded, according to the officials. It was not immediately clear why the IAF had targeted the Ghandour house. The attack came a day after Israel Defense Forces troops battled their way to a key Hezbollah stronghold in south Lebanon, seizing a hilltop in heavy fighting andcapturing two guerrillas, according to the IDF. more.. IAF probing possibility Apache was shot down by accidental IDF fire Ha'aretz 7/25/2006 Two Israel Air Force pilots were killed Monday when their Apache Longbow helicopter crashed while on a combat mission in the north. The two pilots were named as Colonel Zvi Luft, 42 and First Lieutenant Tom Farkash, 23. The circumstances of the accident, the second involving Apache helicopters in the past five days, have yet to be established, and the IAF has appointed a team to investigate the incident. "The reason for the crash is unknown at this stage," the head of the IAF's Air Directorate, Brigadier General Yohanan Locker, said last night. The IAF is examining the possibility that the helicopter was accidentally shot down by Israel Defense Forces fire. more.. Morning Roundup: Israeli Force Take Over Hizbullah Stronghold of Bint Jbeil After Pitched Battles An Nahar (Naharnet) 7/25/2006 The Israeli army said Tuesday that its forces have seized the strategic town of Bint Jbeil after ferocious battles with Hizbullah fighters as its airforce continued strikes on other towns in the south killing seven members of one family in their house. "Beit Jbeil is in our hands," General Alon Friedman, one of Israel's top commanders for its northern region, told Israeli army radio. As Israel's offensive on Lebanon entered its 14th day with no sign of a diplomatic breakthrough to secure a ceasefire, civilian casualties continued to rise. Israeli jets fired a missile at a house in the southern town of Nabatiyeh destroying it and killing its owner, Mohammed Ghandour, along with six other people including his son Hassan. His wife was still buried under the rubble, security officials said. more.. IAF hits weapons warehouse in Gaza Jerusalem Post 7/24/2006 The IAF on Monday night fired at two Islamic Jihad warehouses in Gaza City containing large amounts of ammunition. This was the second such warehouse that was targeted on Monday. Local residents claimed that seven people were wounded in a large explosion that resulted from the strike. The IDF said that it had distributed fliers before the strike, warning residents to keep away from places where weapons were stored, as those locations would be targeted by the army. In a renewed burst of violence earlier in the day, Israeli artillery fired a shell at a group of Hamas terrorists who had just launched a series of rockets at Israel from Gaza, killing five Palestinians, including a woman and her grandson, and wounding several others. more.. Hizbullah says "no place" safe for Israelis Jerusalem Post 7/24/2006 The Hizbullah representative in Iran struck a defiant tone Monday, warning that his group plans to widen its attacks on Israel until "no place" is safe for Israelis. "We are going to make Israel not safe for Israelis. There will be no place they are safe," Hossein Safiadeen told a conference that included the Tehran-based representative of Hamas and the ambassadors from Lebanon, Syria and the Palestinian Authority. "You will see a new Middle East in the way of Hizbullah and Islam, not in the way of Rice and Israel," Safiadeen said. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made a surprise visit to Beirut on Monday while en route to Israel. more.. 6 Palestinians killed by shells in northern Gaza YNet News 7/24/2006 Palestinians report man and wife killed by shell while riding on donkey in Beit Lahiya; two of couple's children apparently seriously hurt. Three Palestinians, girl reportedly killed after shell hits building -- Palestinian sources in the Gaza Strip reported that at least six Palestinians were killed Monday and 21 were wounded, four of them sustaining serious wounds, after being hit by shells in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahiya. Palestinian sources in the northern Gaza Strip reported Monday evening that a girl was killed after being hit by an IDF shell fired at a building. Four other Palestinians were apparently wounded in the incident. According to the Palestinians, a man and his wife were killed Monday afternoon by a shell that was fired at them while they were riding on a donkey near the American school in the town. more.. Israelis blame Palestinian government and begin firing into Gaza refugee camp just hours later Palestine News Network 7/24/2006 (Gaza City) Israeli forces have not stopped the assault on the Gaza Strip, despite spending immense energy attacking Lebanon. Palestinian security sources and eyewitnesses said that at dawn Monday Israeli Apache helicopters hit the home of Sheikh Mohammed Dib in Gaza City’s Beach Refugee Camp. Palestinian medical sources said the Israeli aerial bombardment injured two Palestinians with shrapnel wounds, while a home owner is suffering from panic. All three are currently hospitalized. Israeli forces destroyed homes in the western Gaza City camp. The International Red Cross reported that several families rushed from their homes in panic when the bombs hit, but only one suffered such a severe case that he required hospitalization. more.. Israeli forces kill three Palestinians in the northern Gaza Strip Palestine News Network 7/24/2006 During attacks on the northern Gaza Strip Monday, Israeli forces killed three Palestinians. Medical sources at Kamal Adwan Hospital reported that three corpses arrived this afternoon. Israeli forces were targeting an apartment building in the northern Gaza Strip. Deputy Director of the hospital said that those killed arrived in pieces due to shrapnel hitting throughout their bodies. Eyewitnesses said the three Palestinians were killed and several others injured when Israeli forces fired missiles into Beit Lahia. Ambulances rushed to the scene however it was impossible to save the three lives. Israeli forces began shelling the northern Strip since this morning’s pre-dawn hours. [end] more.. Israeli forces hit a Palestinian girl during air attack on northern Gaza Strip Palestine News Network 7/24/2006 The Israeli military hit a young Palestinian girl during an air attack on the northern Gaza Strip early Monday morning. The attack on Beit Hanoun was one of two in Gaza this morning, including hitting a Gaza City refugee camp. Eyewitnesses said the sound of missile artillery resonated throughout northern Strip agricultural areas. Palestinian medical sources report that that several people were admitted to the hospital with injuries. Among them was a young girl. [end] more.. Girl of five among Gaza dead AlJazeera 7/24/2006 A five-year-old girl was among six Palestinians killed in the latest Israeli bombing of Gaza, as the Palestinian prime minister called on the US to pressure Israel to stop its attacks. A five-year-old Palestinian girl was the youngest casualty on Monday when an Israeli artillery shell landed in the north of the Gaza Strip. The girl died when the shell landed on her house near the town of Beit Lahiya, three other people were wounded. In another attack a 60-year-old woman and her grandson were left dead after a shell hit their donkey cart. Three other Palestinians were killed in another attack on Beit Lahiya. The attack came after six rockets were fired at the Israeli town of Siderot by Palestinian fighters. Ismael Haniyeh, the Palestinan prime minister, urged the US "to restrain the Israeli aggression and stop it". more.. Forgotten in Gaza YNet News 7/24/2006 They barely get four hours of sleep at night and spend their time preparing ambushes and searching for tunnels. But no one hears about them. After all, when the same thing is happening in Lebanon, does anyone still remember Gaza Strip? -- Life is not easy for soldiers in Gaza. Of course, the Strip was never an enjoyable place to serve in, but until recently these Israel Defense Forces fighters could take comfort in the fact that all eyes were directed their way. Once the northern front opened up, however, the nation’s attention has been redirected.... "Now, the Gaza Strip is no longer in the headlines. They’ve forgotten about us, and you feel a wrench in your heart, because you’re continuing with the grunt work... Now, no one is interested in us anymore. ” more.. IAF stops UAV from firing on troops Jerusalem Post 7/24/2006 The IAF revealed on Tuesday that it had prevented a potentially serious disaster on the previous day when it had halted the fire that a UAV was shooting at Israeli troops. A senior Air Force officer said that the UAV opened fire on ground troops operating in Bint Jbeil after receiving the coordinates from the Golani Brigade. The fire was stopped when the IAF realized the mistake. For a Jerusalem Online video of events click hereIn its continuing operations in the south-central Lebanese town, the army said that at least two Hizbullah operatives were killed and several were wounded, when two IDF infantry brigades, armored and engineering corps units entered the outskirts of Bint Jbeil. The Israeli troops did not sustain any wounds. A senior IDF officer said that the operation was to be extended to neighboring towns. more.. Israel battles Hezbollah as troops move deeper into Lebanon The Daily Star 7/24/2006 TYRE, Lebanon, July 24, 2006 (AFP) - Israeli troops were lockedin bloody battles with Hezbollah guerrillas Monday as they tried toadvance deeper into Lebanon but stopped just short of the borderarea's main town. A dozen Israeli soldiers, including a commander of an eliteinfantry battalion, were wounded in the fighting, an Israelimilitary spokesman said. The Arabic-language television channel Al-Jazeera said twoIsraeli soldiers were killed and 17 wounded. Residents of Bint Jbeil took what shelter they could in theirhomes for want of underground shelters, witnesses said. Manyfamilies had already left the town in the face of the Israelioffensive now in its 13th day. Israeli troops and tanks rolled past the border village of Marunal-Ras, seized in an operation on Saturday... more.. Israeli attacks empty 2,000-year-old Lebanese city The Daily Star 7/24/2006 BAALBEK, Lebanon, July 24, 2006 (AFP) - The tourist fortunes of Baalbek, a historic city with Roman ruins dating back more than 2,000 years, had slowly been reviving. But now it is yet another casualty of Israel's offensive on Lebanon. The eastern town, a UNESCO World Heritage protected site, has taken many direct hits in nearly two weeks of air strikes that have emptied its streets and put an end to summer festivities that were in full swing two weeks ago. On Thursday those attacks reached a fierce level when Israeli jets lobbed 24 tonnes of bombs on the centre of the town, and on Friday Lebanon's culture minister called on UNESCO to protect the country's archaeological treasures. "Already fragile ancient structures are being threatened by repeated explosions and they risk being hit directly... " more.. Egyptian legal committee warns of Israeli use of chemical weapons in the Strip Palestinian Information Center 7/22/2006 Cairo - An Egyptian legal committee has warned of the serious consequences of the IOF use of chemical weapons against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip for more than a week now. The committee for citizens' rights in northern Sinai, adjacent to the Strip, charged that the IOF warplanes have been releasing chemical materials against the Palestinian populace in the Strip for the past week. It said that the chemical agents cause extraordinary burns that could turn into cancers and added that they could also cause miscarriages and death of patients especially those suffering chest diseases. The committee said its members saw the warplanes while releasing those chemicals from the Egyptian-Palestinian borders. [end] more.. Lebanon Accuses Israel of Using Internationally Prohibited Weapons Against Civilians An Nahar (Naharnet) 7/16/2006 President Emile Lahoud accused Israel on Sunday of using banned weapons against Lebanese civilians in its military offensive against the country. Lahoud said Israeli forces have fired "phosphorus incendiary bombs, which are a blatant violation of international laws,... against Lebanese civilians. " He called on the United Nations to help "deter Israel from using destructive weapons which violate human rights and the United Nations charter. " In an extraordinary meeting earlier Sunday, the Lebanese government also accused Israel of using banned weapons against Lebanese civilians. "We are facing a real annihilation carried out by Israel," Information Minister Ghazi Aridi told reporters after the cabinet meeting. more.. Israel, Lebanon Wage War Of Words CBS News 7/16/2006 The Lebanese information minister did not elaborate on the weapons allegedly used. But there were Lebanese media reports, which could not be confirmed, that Israel had used phosphorus incendiary bombs and vacuum bombs, which suck up the air and collapse buildings. -- Israel Will Fight Until 'Reality Changes,' Lebanon Fears 'Annihilation' -- (CBS News) BEIRUT, Lebanon Israel Defense Minister Amir Peretz said Sunday that Israel will not stop its offensive in Lebanon until "the reality changes," adding that it will continue to target the sources of guerrilla rocket fire into northern Israel. However, Peretz added, Israel will not reoccupy Lebanon, nor will it stay there for the long term. ... "Israel is using internationally prohibited weapons against civilians," Lahoud said. more.. How the Katyusha became a potent threat Jerusalem Post 7/25/2006 According to the IDF, Hizbullah has fired more than 1,000 Katyusha rockets into northern Israel since the beginning of the most recent escalation of violence, killing 17 people, damaging roads and buildings, sending hundreds of thousands living in northern communities into bomb shelters, and shutting down the North's economy. Hizbullah and before it the PLO have fired these rockets from southern Lebanon since the 1950s, when Lebanon and Syria acquired the weapons from Soviet and Chinese stockpiles leftover from World War II. The Katyusha (little Katie in Russian) was initially a primitive projectile designed in the late 1930s by Swedish rocket engineer Georgy Langemak for the Red Army. It was first used in 1941, during the initial stages of the German invasion of the Soviet Union. more.. SLA: War price for leaving Lebanon YNet News 7/25/2006 Former Southern Lebanese Army fighters living in Israel, who have experienced combat against Hizbullah first-hand, say it is clear what caused current crisis and when it should end: 'War is price of IDF’s six-year absence from Lebanon. Combat can only end when Nasrallah is no longer relevant' -- Former members of the Southern Lebanese Army residing in Israel are not surprised. From their perspective, the unfolding of events could have been foretold. A former SLA officer, who fought alongside Israel, told Ynet: “The fighting in Lebanon will be long, but it is part of the price of a six-year absence of the Israeli army from Lebanon. " more.. General speculates on what 'surprises' resistance has in store for Jewish state The Daily Star 7/25/2006 The Israeli Army's chief of intelligence says the "surprises" Hizbullah keeps promising could go beyond long-range rockets and could mean the capture of more Israeli soldiers or an attack on Israeli targets abroad. "I believe that Hizbullah is trying to fray the nerves of Israeli citizens by promising surprises," Major General Amos Yadlin said during a news conference in Tel Aviv on Sunday. Asked what those "surprises" might be, Yadlin said: "Hizbullah is threatening to fire rockets with an even longer range; therefore, this is no longer a surprise. "Hizbullah may try to surprise us by mounting another operation to kidnap soldiers or civilians," he added. "It might also attempt to take action against the state of Israel abroad. more.. Halutz: Ground operations will be limited in scope Ha'aretz 7/22/2006 IDF chief: Close to 100 Hezbollah gunmen killed -- Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Dan Halutz told reporters in Tel Aviv on Friday that any military incursion into Lebanon will be limited in scope. "We will fight terror wherever it is because if we do not fight it, it will fight us. If we don't reach it, it will reach us," Halutz said in a nationally televised news conference. "We will also conduct limited ground operations as much as needed in order to harm the terror that harms us. "When the army presented its plans for an operation in Lebanon, the timeframe that it provided was one of "weeks". "It takes time to hit at terror," Halutz said. "The restraint which we showed over the course of years is interpreted by those among the terrorists as weakness," the army chief said. more.. U.S. Speeds Up Bomb Delivery for the Israelis New York Times 7/22/2006 WASHINGTON, July 21 — The Bush administration is rushing a delivery of precision-guided bombs to Israel, which requested the expedited shipment last week after beginning its air campaign against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, American officials said Friday. The decision to quickly ship the weapons to Israel was made with relatively little debate within the Bush administration, the officials said. Its disclosure threatens to anger Arab governments and others because of the appearance that the United States is actively aiding the Israeli bombing campaign in a way that could be compared to Iran’s efforts to arm and resupply Hezbollah.... Israel’s request for expedited delivery of the satellite and laser-guided bombs was described as unusual by some military officers, and as an indication that Israel still had a long list of targets in Lebanon to strike. more.. Israel continues Gaza, West Bank killing AlJazeera 7/21/2006 The Israeli army has killed one Hamas fighter and four civilians in central Gaza. The five Palestinians died when Israeli shells hit their house in Gaza City's Shijia district on Friday morning, medics and Hamas members said. The Israeli attack killed the Hamas fighter and four of his relatives, including his mother and two of her grandchildren. The deaths came only hours after Israeli tanks and troops pulled out of central Gaza. Their withdrawal from the area ended a three-day raid which has caused the death of 15 Palestinian fighters and civilians. Israel also continued a vast operation in the West Bank town of Nablus on Friday, where troops destroyed almost all the local Palestinian Authority headquarters, sources on both sides said. more.. Siege of Nablus' security compound continues; a sixth Palestinian killed as walls collapse Ma'an News 7/21/2006 Nablus --The death toll in Nablus over the last two days has now risen to six. A Palestinian male nurse, Ahmed Annab, 40, was killed in Mu'atah Street in the city of Nablus on Friday as the Israeli forces' continued to destroy the city's governmental and security headquarters, Al Muqata'a. The Israeli forces invaded the northern West Bank city of Nablus on Wednesday morning and laid siege to the Muqata'a compound, which houses the local headquarters for the Palestinian security forces and governmental representatives, as well as Nablus' central criminal jail. The Ma'an correspondent reported that Annab, who is from Balata refugee camp in the east of Nablus city, is a male nurse at Rafidya hospital in the city. more.. Infrastructure of Nablus in ruins Ma'an News 7/21/2006 Nablus --General-Manager of the Ministry of Interior in the Palestinian city of Nablus, Abdul-Ilah Al-Atira, said that the Israeli army has destroyed the Palestinian infra-structure in the city. In a special dialogue with Ma'an correspondent, he added that 256 thousand files belonging to Palestinian citizens were ruined in the building of the directorate of interior and passports when the building was razed to the ground. The Israelis have demanded the evacuation of prisoners from the detention center near the head office of the governorate in a gesture that they intend to destroy the last of the security buildings in the Muqata'ah. [end] more.. Five Palestinians injured in Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip Ma'an News 7/21/2006 Gaza --The artillery bombardment of citizen's homes in the northern and eastern Gaza strip injured five Palestinians including two Fatah, Al-Aqsa brigades members. The two members were trying to launch a home-made projectile near the Kissufim crossing when the Israeli artillery hit them causing moderate injuries. Three Palestinians were wounded after the Israeli artillery struck the house of the 'Ubeido family in the northern Gaza Strip. [end] more.. Israeli artillery bombardment of northern Gaza kills a mother, her two sons, and a cousin Ma'an News 7/21/2006 Gaza --Four members of the same family were killed in an Israeli artillery strike on the northern Gaza Strip on Friday morning. The mother of the Hararah family, two sons and a cousin all died when the Israeli artillery bombarded their house in the Ash Shuja'iyyah district of Gaza City near the Al Mintar (Karni) crossing in the northeast of the Gaza Strip. Another member of the family, who was not killed or injured in the attack, Jabir Hararah, is allegedly an activist in the Al Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas. Palestinian medical sources named the mother as Sabah Hararah, 45; her sons as A'amer, 21; and Mu'amin, 18; and their cousin as Muhammad Hararah, 26. Another three members of the same family were seriously injured in the attack. more.. Death toll tops 100 in Israel's Gaza offensive ReliefWeb 7/21/2006 GAZA CITY, July 21, 2006 (AFP) - Four Palestinians were killed on Friday as the death toll from Israel's Gaza offensive shot to over 100 and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan renewed calls for an end to "disproportionate" violence. At least 106 Palestinians and one Israeli soldier have now been killed in the impoverished territory since Israel on July 5 stepped up its operation with the aim of retrieving a missing soldier and stopping militant rocket fire. The Jewish state has ignored repeated international calls for restraint, and the latest Palestinians to die -- a militant from the armed wing of the governing Hamas, and his family -- were killed when tank fire hit their home. Palestinian prime minister Ismail Haniya.... warned Arabs and Palestinians were at "strategic risk" from Israel's parallel offensives in Gaza and Lebanon. more.. Lebanese hospitals struggle to treat injured as residents flee Beirut suburb Ma'an News 7/21/2006 BEIRUT, 21 July (IRIN)-- Din grabbed her screaming granddaughter, brushed off the debris from their ruined apartment in Beirut's southern suburbs, and headed for her local hospital to help treat the wounded. "We received 14 casualties after the first strike and we tried to help them, but we had to send some to other hospitals," said the 48-year-old nurse, standing in the empty reception area of the smart Saleh hospital in Haret Hreyk, a densely populated neighbourhood south of Beirut that has been devastated by a week of Israeli air strikes. "It was never like this before, even in the worst days. People are terrified," said Nuha al-Din. "My family in America called me and asked me to leave, but I have a duty to stay. " more.. Nearly 20 percent of Lebanese population displaced by fighting Ha'aretz 7/21/2006 The United Nations estimated this week that 500,000 people have been displaced in Lebanon due to the fighting with Israel - nearly 20 percent of the Lebanese population. Between 130,000 and 150,000 are estimated to have fled to Syria, and about 45,000 are believed to be in need of assistance. Israel renewed its bombing of targets in Lebanon on Friday, warning hundreds of thousands of southern Lebanon residents to flee northward. A World Food Program official in Lebanon Amer Daoudi expressed concern about getting food to the displaced, saying "damage to roads and bridges has almost completely disrupted the food supply chain, hurting large numbers of the displaced. " more.. 30% of northerners have left home Ha'aretz 7/21/2006 Officials in the local authorities estimate that 30 to 50 percent of northern residents have left their homes over the past week due to the fighting in Lebanon. The roads in the north are almost empty, and the traffic becomes sparser the farther north one travels. However, in Haifa, which has paid the highest price for the fighting so far, people insist that there is no mass evacuation. "We don't know of cases in which many families have left town in a planned or orderly way," said city spokesman Tzahi Terano. "Judging by the traffic in town, not many people have left. Today, there was heavier traffic in the streets. "Carmiel Mayor Adi Eldar, who is also the chairman of the Union of Local Authorities, said that the streets of his town remind him of Yom Kippur. "I estimate that a third of the Jewish residents of the north have left in the past week... " more.. Dozens missing in Lebanon AlJazeera 7/21/2006 Many bodies have not been recovered -- Doctors and NGOs are reporting heavy civilian casualties in south Lebanon after Israel's offensive in the area. Although as many as 500,000 people have left the border area, which has received the worst of the Israeli bombing, thousands remain. In the village of Sreefa near Naqoura at least 21 people were confirmed killed and 60 missing after Israeli rockets hit 13 homes yesterday. Nayla Mouawad, the Lebanese social affairs minister, said: "Sreefa has suffered a real massacre but we don't have enough details. "Although the current toll in Lebanon is above 300, it is likely to be higher, especially in the southern areas where bodies have not been recovered, doctors say. more.. Analysis: The ground operation has begun under our noses Ha'aretz 7/21/2006 AVIVIM - Right under our noses, the Israel Defense Forces ground operation in Lebanon began Thursday. What was described as a minor commando operation was in fact a fairly large assault, involving several specialized units that are entering villages, carrying out searches and engaging in hard, close-range fighting with Hezbollah units. The air force's limited success and the continued rocket attacks against northern Israel have drawn the IDF into Lebanon, where it is confronted by a well-organized, well trained and highly motivated Hezbollah force. In two days of fighting, eight soldiers belonging to the IDF's best units have died. The losses on the other side are greater, even if they are not being released. more.. South Beirut suburb devastated AlJazeera 7/21/2006 Many buildings in Haret Hreik are unrecognisable -- After more than a week of heavy bombardment, south Beirut suburb Haret Hreik resembles a Hollywood-like scene of apocalypse. As we drove through the rubble-strewn road in the predominantly residential area that also contains Hezbollah's main offices, the smell of smoke and acrid burning filled the air. We had to wait for Ghassan, a Hezbollah media officer, to escort us. The two minutes of waiting felt very long, an eerie, tense silence bearing testimony to the fact that Haret Hreik had become a ghost town. To my relief, Ghassan showed up in a BMW with a driver and asked us to follow him. Moments later, two young men riding a motorcycle emerged from out of nowhere and fired several warning shots in the air until the driver stopped. more.. Poison Gas Used on Villages in South Lebanon Wayne Madsen Report 7/20/2006 July 20, 2006 -- WMR reported that the Israeli military was using poison gas on villages in south Lebanon. According to a former U.S. weapons expert who served in Iraq, the artillery shell in a photo taken in Lebanon (below) is a chemical weapon delivery device. It is being handled by an Israeli Defense Force soldier and Hebrew lettering can be clearly seen on the armored vehicle. Another chemical weapons shell of the same type can be seen lying on the ground to the right. It is not known what type of chemical is in the chemical canister, however, gas dropped by the Israelis in villages in southern Lebanon has resulted in severe vomiting among the civilian population. Media commentators have scoffed that Israel, with its relatively unique history, would ever use chemical weapons or poison gas in any war. It is precisely because of that perception that they are using such weapons... more.. Reports of poison gas and depleted uranium shells in the south of Lebanon Wayne Madsen Report 7/16/2006 Our intelligence sources in Lebanon have reported to us exclusively that Israel is now using poison gas and depleted uranium shells on towns in the south of Lebanon. Residents of the small village of Kasarshoba became violently ill, experiencing severe vomiting, after the Israelis hit the village with poison gas. In other cases, underground shelters in southern Lebanon were hit by Israeli depleted uranium shells. Our sources also report that the entire southern suburbs of southern Beirut, with a population of 800,000, have been totally depopulated. Israel has targeted thousands of civilian homes for destruction. Meanwhile, Israeli government spokespersons and Bush administration officials took to the Sunday morning talking head programs in Washington to defend Israel's barbarous actions. more.. Israel gears up for ground war The Guardian 7/22/2006 The Lebanon crisis entered a dangerous new phase last night as Israeli troops and tanks massed on the border in preparation for a sweeping ground operation against Hizbullah fighters. Israeli commanders plan to clear a 1. 5km-wide zone on the Lebanese side of the border, where there are a series of well-fortified Hizbullah positions, a senior Israeli official said. Thousands of Israeli reservists were being called up. The significant change of strategy to higher-risk ground fighting is a tacit admission that the campaign of aerial bombing has been less successful than hoped. So far the military has said it is only involved in "pinpoint incursions" across the border, but preparations appear to be under way for a much larger and potentially more costly troop operation for the first time since the conflict began 11 days ago. more.. 16 hurt, 4 moderately, in Katyusha strike on Haifa Ha'aretz 7/22/2006 Four people sustained moderate wounds and 12 were lightly hurt Friday when, after a reprieve of nearly a day, Hezbollah renewed its rocket attacks on Haifa on Friday, firing ten rockets into the northern city and its suburbs in two waves. The wounded were taken to Rambam Medical Center, Carmel Medical Center and Bnei Zion Medical Center (Rothschild) for treatment. Most of the wounded were hurt when a rocket slammed into a central post office branch. Another rocket hit a residential building. No one was in the apartment that was hit in the strike, and no injuries were reported. A third rocket hit a parked car in the city. Shortly after the rocket strike, municipality workers began clearing the rubble. more.. 'We'll make this place a graveyard' The Guardian 7/22/2006 As we walked through the southern suburb of Beirut known as the Dahiya, a chubby, bearded man in the black uniform and tin helmet of Hizbullah, wearing webbing and carrying an AK-47, shouted at us from behind. "Yah, Haj, you can't go there," he said. "The MK are flying above. Go round to the other street. " The "MK" are what the Lebanese call the unmanned drones Israel has been sending to attack targets in Lebanon over the past week and a half, nicknamed for the initials on their casing. The Dahiya's warren of streets has been fortified in the past 10 days with barricades made from construction sand and rubble. Why do you have all these fortifications, I asked the bearded fighter. Do you expect the Israelis to invade? "God willing," he said. "I hope so. We have been waiting and preparing for this for such a long time now. The Israelis haven't forgotten their defeat in 2000 [when they withdrew from Lebanon]. We will turn Dahiya into their graveyard. " more.. IDF launches raid in West Bank targeting Hezbollah militants Ha'aretz 7/22/2006 Israel Defense Forces launched a raid in the West Bank city of Nablus on Friday, because it believed that Hezbollah operatives were preparing to carry out attacks across the country, a military source said on Saturday. The IDF destroyed a Nablus government compound where Israel believed the Hezbollah militants and others were holed up. "There were Hezbollah operatives in the building who were told by their leadership in Syria and Lebanon to send out attackers across Israel. That is why we were in such a hurry to get them," the military source told Reuters. Earlier Friday, IDF soldiers killed a Palestinian doctor as he tried to help wounded protesters in the West Bank on Friday, witnesses and medics said. more.. 72 Lebanese victims buried in mass grave International Middle East Media Center 7/22/2006 TYRE, Lebanon - Soldiers laid 72 coffins in two trenches, a mass grave for victims of the Israeli bombardment. Elsewhere, mounds of rubble sat undisturbed; rescue workers were too fearful of missiles to search for bodies. Lebanese have streamed out of south Lebanon since fighting erupted between Israel and Hezbollah last week, leaving some villages almost deserted. But many people are believed trapped in their homes — too poor to live anywhere else, too afraid to travel or unable to go because bridges and roads have been destroyed. An estimated 400,000 Lebanese make their home south of the Litani River, 20 miles from the Israeli border, and it's not known how many remain — but those that do risk being caught up in an Israeli ground offensive against Hezbollah. more.. Army weighs likely cost of major ground fighting to crush Hizbullah The Guardian 7/22/2006 What's Israel's next move? -- When elite Israeli troops crossed into Lebanon to clear booby-trapped Hizbullah positions along the border this week, they expected little resistance. Instead, they found fighters waiting for them with mortars and anti-tank weapons. These small, cautious incursions have proved relatively costly to the army, a warning to Israel of the heavy fighting that awaits any major operation. In the Palestinian territories, the army comes up against fighters armed with little more than Kalashnikovs. Hizbullah, by contrast, has a well-quipped arsenal: its 2,000-5,000 men have access to missiles, artillery, anti-aircraft guns, and anti-tank weapons. more.. Israel set war plan more than a year ago San Francisco Chronicle 7/21/2006 Strategy was put in motion as Hezbollah began increasing its military strength -- Jerusalem -- Israel's military response by air, land and sea to what it considered a provocation last week by Hezbollah militants is unfolding according to a plan finalized more than a year ago. In the years since Israel ended its military occupation of southern Lebanon, it watched warily as Hezbollah built up its military presence in the region. When Hezbollah militants kidnapped two Israeli soldiers last week, the Israeli military was ready to react almost instantly. "Of all of Israel's wars since 1948, this was the one for which Israel was most prepared," said Gerald Steinberg, professor of political science at Bar-Ilan University. "In a sense, the preparation began in May 2000, immediately after the Israeli withdrawal... " more.. Lebanese defense minister: Army will fight ground invasion Ha'aretz 7/21/2006 Lebanon's army, which so far has sat on the sidelines of the violence raging in the country, will fight an Israeli ground invasion, Defense Minister Elias Murr said on Al-Jazeera television Thursday. "The Lebanese army - and I stress - the Lebanese army will resist and defend and will prove that it is an army that deserves respect," he said. In most of the previous Israeli attacks, including in 1978 and the 1982 invasion in which Beirut was occupied, the Lebanese army largely stayed out of the fighting. Some 20 Lebanese soldiers have been killed in strikes on their bases during the Israeli bombardment of Lebanon. more.. IDF to Lebanese: Inform on Hizbullah YNet News 7/21/2006 Army airdrops leaflets on south Lebanon offering rewards to residents who share information on Hizbullah; provides phone number and email address to contact army -- The IDF called on residents of Lebanon to pass on information on Hizbullah, in leaflets the army scattered across the southern villages in airdrops Friday. Residents living south of the Litani river were requested to transfer information to the IDF via a phone number and email address printed on the leaflets. The IDF set up an internet website at www. all4lebanon. org. The leaflet read: “We turn to all those who can and want to help Lebanon, to remove the Hizbullah scar from your hearts and the heart of Lebanon, and to return to the previous period of independence and achievement. more.. Northern Command chief: Don’t count the casualties YNet News 7/21/2006 After 10 days of fighting on northern border, Maj. Gen. Udi Adam explains: War costs lives. We need to show strength and determination. Regarding Nasrallah, he says, ‘I believe we’ll get to him in the end’ -- Northern Command Chief Maj. -Gen. Udi Adam noted Friday that the fighting in the north was highly demanding and casualties were unavoidable. “This is a demanding operation and we are at war. War costs lives. Civilians will be killed too. I suggest not counting the dead. We need to show strength and determination,” Adam said during a briefing Friday held near the site of an IAF helicopter accident Thursday night. Adam also addressed the battle in which Egoz unit fighters were killed. more.. VIDEO - IDF: Hizbullah rockets strike UN observation post YNet News 7/21/2006 Barrage of HIzbullah-fired rockets aimed at northern Israel fell short of their targets, striking a UN observation post near Zarit, army spokesman says; adds it isn't immediately clear if UNIFIL post was occupied at time of incident or if anyone was injured. Hizbullah claims IDF fired at post -- VIDEO - A barrage of HIzbullah-fired rockets aimed at northern Israel fell short of their targets and struck a United Nations observation post near Zarit, the Israeli army said Friday. An army spokesman said it wasn't immediately clear if the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon post was occupied at the time of the incident or anyone was injured. A call seeking comment from UNIFIL was not immediately returned. more.. Israeli forces quit Gaza camp, 15 Palestinians dead ReliefWeb 7/21/2006 GAZA, July 21 (Reuters) - Israeli tanks and troops withdrew from a Palestinian refugee camp in the Gaza Strip on Friday after a three-day assault that killed 15 gunmen and civilians, witnesses said. They said that, having quit Maghazi camp, the Israeli forces were massing on the border ahead of a possible new incursion against the nearby Bureij refugee camp, a stronghold of militants from the governing Islamist faction Hamas. Israel launched a Gaza offensive after Palestinian gunmen killed two soldiers and abducted a third in a cross-border raid last month. The recent fighting in Gaza has been largely overshadowed by a much wider offensive launched in Lebanon following the capture of two soldiers by Hizbollah guerrillas. more.. IDF enlists more reservists YNet News 7/21/2006 In addition to recruitment of yeshiva students and 3 reserve battalions called in for active duty earlier this week, three more battalions summoned to support IDF forces. Most reservists are to replace active-duty soldiers across Israel, who will be sent north -- Friday morning the IDF began calling in reserve soldiers to assist forces already active on the various fronts and to allow active-duty forces to be deployed to the north. Several infantry and armored corps battalions began calling in reservists via special orders issued Defense Minister Amir Peretz and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. -Gen. Dan Halutz. The IDF is mounting forces on the northern border including artillery, infantry and armored corps units. more.. Galilee towns demonstrate against the war on Lebanon Ma'an News 7/21/2006 Ma'an-- Ma'an - The electronic website of the Israeli newspaper "Yedioth Ahranoth" has reported that "dozens of demonstrators gathered on Thursday in the cities of Haifa, Karmiel and Sakhnin in the Western Galilee, calling for an immediate end to the war on Lebanon and to begin the process of a prisoners' exchange". This is the first demonstration since the outbreak of the war against Lebanon and it has been given great importance because it took place in the cities that have been exposed to the daily Hezbollah bombardment since the beginning of the Israeli aggression. more.. Al Manar TV presents Israeli military equipment seized during clashes Ma'an News 7/21/2006 Ma'an -- run television channel "Al Manar" presented on Thursday evening a number of Israeli military objects seized by Hezbollah fighters during clashes with Israeli soldiers near Avivim, an Israeli town on the Israeli-Lebanese border. The channel presented the helmet of an Israeli soldier killed in the confrontation, a M-15 rifle, one pair of night-vision goggles, a radio, and a camera. The Israeli forces recognized on Thursday evening the killing of three soldiers and the injury of another six in a violent clash with Hezbollah fighters on the Lebanese border. [end] more.. Female criminal prisoners released from the Israeli siege of the Muqata'a in Nablus Ma'an News 7/21/2006 Nablus --Israeli forces released on Thursday evening the female criminal prisoners from Nablus' Central Prison after the intervention of the Red Cross. The Ma'an correspondent reported that "the Israeli forces allowed the release of 13 female prisoners from the central prison of Nablus that the Israeli forces have been besieging for two days claiming that "wanted" Palestinians are inside". Israeli soldiers have been besieging the central governmental and security compound in Nablus, the Muqata'a, since early on Wednesday morning. Five Palestinians were killed in clashes with the Israeli forces and three of the bodies were only released to the Palestinian Red Crescent on Thursday morning. more.. Gaza brigades continue launching operations Ma'an News 7/21/2006 Gaza --Al Aqsa Brigades, Fatah's main military group, claimed responsibility for launching two homemade projectiles into the Israeli town of Sderot Friday morning. In a statement, the brigades "rejected any haggling project or alternative to resistance, confirming their absolute solidarity with Lebanese Hezbollah facing the Israeli occupation". Al Mujahideen Brigade, of the Al Aqsa Brigades, claimed responsibility for damaging an Israeli tank in the east of the Al Maghazi refugee camp during the Israeli withdrawal from the camp. In related news, Izzeddin Al Qassam Brigades, a military wing affiliated with the Hamas movement, declared that they launched a homemade projectile, 'qassam', into Israeli Kibbutz Be'eri early on Friday morning. more.. Tel Aviv police arrest 3 suspects in plan to carry out terror attack Ha'aretz 7/22/2006 Tel Aviv police apprehended three people Friday night suspected of planning to carry out a terrorist attack in the city. The three, who matched the descriptions of suspected terrorists received by security forces, were apprehended in a car at the entrance to the Tel Aviv port and were taken into custody for questioning by police. Sappers who searched the vehicle, however, did not find any weapons or explosive devices nearby. The car's make and model also matched the description received by authorities a few hours prior to the arrest. Police remain on high alert although it is possible the level will be lowered in the next few hours. more.. 2 copters collide in north; thousands of IDF soldiers fighting in Lebanon Ha'aretz 7/21/2006 At least two soldiers were killed and 10 others were wounded in a series of battles fought just north of the border within Lebanon yesterday. The deaths occurred as the Israel Defense Forces significantly expanded its ground operations in southern Lebanon yesterday, sending in thousands of troops. Air assaults against Hezbollah targets also continued throughout the day. Around midnight last night, two IDF attack helicopters crashed west of Kiryat Shmona in the worst operational accident since the start of fig hting in Lebanon. more.. Child dies of wounds sustained in yesterdays shelling at al Maghazi refugee camp in Gaza International Middle East Media Center 7/20/2006 Fadwa Al Eroki, 10, died on Thursday afternoon due to wounds she sustained during Wednesday's Israeli shelling of Al Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza. Al Eroki was injured by several tank shell fragments that penetrated several areas in her body. Her mother died during the same period of shelling on Wednesday. With this ten year old child, today's death toll in Al Maghazi rises to 4 and the number of injured to 25. [end][end] more.. Where should I begin? I'm wondering where to begin this update... Rafah Today 7/19/2006 Perhaps I should begin with the children sending their appeal to the outside world. Or maybe the woman who can no longer afford food as the attacks continue at the Al Maghazi refugee camp. Or maybe even this cruel attack in the middle of Gaza which destroyed groves and orchards, men and all their belongings, as if the Israeli bulldozers' main enemy is every human walking on the ground. Nine Palestinians were killed as the Israeli Occupation Forces moved into the Al Maghazi refugee camp, beginning the fourth week of their deadly assault. In the West Bank, three Palestinians were shot dead by Israeli forces operating in the volatile West Bank town of Nablus. 100 were injured. [with photos] more.. Invaders test ground defenses in South The Daily Star 7/21/2006 BEIRUT: Israel has opened a 60-kilometer front along the southern Lebanese border, from Naqoura to Majidiyeh, a Lebanese security source said on Thursday. "This front is to estimate Hizbullah's retaliation strength on the ground," the source said. "The fighting zone is inside Lebanese territory, which the UN itself has marked and which Israel agrees is Lebanese. "As The Daily Star went to press, three Israeli bombs fell on the southern suburbs of the capital and additional ordnance hit the northern city of Baalbek, leaving both areas ablaze. No casualty count was available. Although up to now Israel has only hinted that it might undertake a full-scale invasion of Lebanon, on Thursday its tanks in fact attempted to cross the UN-demarcated Blue Line. more.. Dahiyeh sports terrible scars from merciless bombardment The Daily Star 7/21/2006 DAHIYEH, Lebanon: Rubble, smoke and tangled webs of dangling electrical cables now reside in an area that formerly housed over 500,000 Lebanese, the aftermath of Israeli air strikes that have ravaged Beirut's southern suburbs and show no sign of ending. "Only civilians lived here," said a Hizbullah spokesperson as he led journalists through what he called a "tour of the terror by Israel" in the once densely populated neighborhood. The scene included the usual debris of twisted metal, shattered glass and chunks of cement that follows bomb and rocket blasts, along with personal items, including abandoned toys, scorched mattresses and dusty books and photos. more.. Nightmare in South grows worse The Daily Star 7/21/2006 TYRE: A Lebanese family of five and two UN personnel remained buried under the rubble of a two-story building on Thursday after an Israeli strike Tuesday evening in the eastern Tyre suburb of al-Hosh. A UNIFIL rescue team has so far been unable to come to the aid of the family and the two UN workers, both from Ghana. In addition, local UN officials said they had yet to receive confirmation from the Israeli military regarding assurances of safe passage from their Naquora headquarters. Heavy shelling continues to pound the coastal road in the area, which is effectively under the control of the Israeli Army. "The Israelis have asserted their full control from air and sea over the area south of Tyre," a Lebanese Army official told reporters. more.. Thousands of IDF troops operating in S. Lebanon Ha'aretz 7/21/2006 Two IDF soldiers were killed and six others were wounded in heavy clashes with Hezbollah just inside south Lebanon, close to Moshav Avivim, on Thursday afternoon. Hezbollah fired mortar shells in the area in effort to disrupt the rescue of the wounded. The IDF believes that several Hezbollah guerillas were killed in the close-quarter confrontation. Four soldiers were injured late Thursday night when two Apache helicopters collided in northern Israel, near Kiryat Shmona. Major-General Benny Gantz, who serves as the head of the Ground Forces Command, said on Thursday that ground fighting in limited areas in Lebanon would continue despite the IDF's causalties. Hezbollah bunkers are well-hidden and discernible only from a close distance, said Gantz. more.. Battered Lebanon counts the cost of Israeli onslaught The Guardian 7/21/2006 Infrastructure damage will cost 'billions of dollars to repair' -- The catastrophic scale of destruction inflicted on Lebanon's infrastructure and economy by the Israeli bombardment was becoming apparent yesterday as government officials released details to the Guardian of the damage so far. With countless homes wrecked, 55 bridges destroyed and numerous roads made impassable, factories, hospitals and airports hit and fuel storage facilities destroyed, estimates of the reconstruction cost already run into billions of dollars. "We know the cost is in billions," a government spokeswoman said yesterday. "But it's very difficult to estimate more precisely because there are many places we can't reach. " more.. Analysts say Israel has not seriously damaged Hizbullah The Guardian 7/21/2006 Kofi Annan, the UN secretary general, mapped out a peace plan for Lebanon yesterday that produced a lukewarm response from Washington and ill-concealed fury from Israeli diplomats. Speaking at the security council in New York, Mr Annan said an "immediate cessation of hostilities" was "most urgent". He laid out a plan encompassing an expanded UN peacekeeping force on Lebanon's side of the border, along with the release of the captured Israeli soldiers. In a strongly worded address, Mr Annan criticised Hizbullah's "provocative attack" and "reckless disregard for the interests of the government of Lebanon". But he reserved his most detailed condemnation for Israel's "excessive use of force", which was doing "little or nothing to decrease popular support for Hizbullah in Lebanon or the region. " more.. Palestinians die in refugee camp raid AlJazeera 7/21/2006 Israel hit the Maghazi refugee camp for the second day -- Three Palestinians have been killed and 12 wounded in the latest operation by Israeli troops in Gaza's Maghazi refugee camp. A total of 14 Palestinians have been killed and more than 110 wounded in the latest violence. Israeli officals said two Palestinians were killed in separate airstrikes. Another had been shot dead in the camp earlier, Palestinian officials said. Israel launched the offensive in Gaza following the abduction of Corporal Gilad Shalit by Palestinian militants last month. Israeli naval boats also shelled a coastal road used by emergency vehicles and others. One ambulance was damaged in the attacks, medics said. more.. IDF withdraws from Gaza refugee camp after 2-day raid Ha'aretz 7/21/2006 Israedl Defense forces were pulling out of a Gaza refugee camp early Friday after a two-day sweep in which at least 14 people were killed, most of them militants. Residents said tanks and troops were heading back toward the nearby Israeli border before daybreak. The IDF military confirmed that the incursion was over, but siad it would continue operating there and in other places in the coming days in its campaign against Gaza militants. After two days of battles in the Mughazi camp, Israeli forces left behind considerable destruction, leveling farmland, tearing up water pipes and knocking down electricity wires. Some people in the camp of 22,000 were trapped in their houses by embankments the Israelis built as tank emplacements, residents said. more.. Israel using internationally prohibited weapons to kill and maim Gaza civilians; strike on Al Maghazi continues Ma'an News 7/20/2006 Gaza --A Palestinian youth was killed Thursday in an Israeli artillery bombardment targeting the Al Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on the second day of the invasion of the camp, after the aggression on the first day led to the killing of 9 citizens and the injury of other ten. Medical sources in Al Aqsa Hospital reported that Muhammad Muhra, 17, from Al Bureij refugee camp, was killed. His body arrived at the hospital in an almost unrecognisable state after the Israeli missiles tore his body to pieces. The general manager of ambulances and emergencies in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Muawiya Hassanein.... denounced in his report... "the.. Israeli forces [use of] internationally prohibited missiles that contain chemical materials and burning metals and in addition, have shrapnel in the shape of nails". more.. Israeli attacks continue in Maghazi Refugee Camp, killing one and injuring 20 PDF Print E-mail Palestine News Network 7/20/2006 Image Israeli reconnaissance warplanes bombed a gathering of citizens near a grade school this morning in Maghazi Refugee Camp in the Gaza Strip. The bombing killed one Palestinian cilivians and injured 20 others. The spokesman for the Ministry of Health, Radhi Khalid, told PNN that the 20 injured were all children, as the attack occurred very near to a grade school. He noted that all of the children were transferred to a nearby hospital, where nine are being treated for “serious injuries. ”This morning’s raid marks what is merely the latest in a series of Israeli attacks on the Gaza refugee camp. Since Israeli attacks began on Maghazi Camp just a few days ago, eight civilians have been killed, and a staggering 90 have been wounded. more.. Israeli forces tell Palestinian security to evacuate Gaza airport Ma'an News 7/20/2006 Gaza --Palestinian security sources reported that Israeli forces informed the Palestinian National Security Forces stationed in the Gaza International Airport in the Rafah governorate to evacuate the airport. The Israeli forces withdrew from the airport two weeks ago after damaging it during their ongoing operations in the Gaza Strip since the 25th of June. Citizens of Rafah and Khan Younis fear that the evacuation of the airport will lead to a new invasion by the Israeli forces of areas in the southern Gaza Strip. The Israeli artillery stationed in the northern Gaza Strip continued to bombard the Ash Shuka region, east of Rafah, and the Al Fukhari region, east of Khan Younis, no injuries were reported. [end] more.. Palestinian Ministry of Health: 113 Palestinians killed in operation "Summer Rain" Ma'an News 7/20/2006 Gaza --The Palestinian Ministry of Health declared that "the number of Palestinian citizens who were killed during operation 'Summer Rain' after the capture of the Israeli soldier, on the 25th of June, in the Gaza Strip is 113 and 481 more have been injured. "The ministry added that, "during the past 48 hours, four citizens were killed in the West Bank, eleven in Gaza strip and 29 were injured in the West Bank and 109 in Gaza. ""Three children were killed and another 51 were injured, and the Israeli forces blocked and hampered medical work in the West Bank through firing on ambulance crews," according to the ministry. [end] more.. Aid agencies in Lebanon are hampered by Israeli strikes Ma'an News 7/20/2006 BEIRUT, 20 July (IRIN)-- BEIRUT, 20 July (IRIN) - Humanitarian agencies working in Lebanon say their work is being hampered by continued Israeli attacks on aid convoys and access routes. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) yesterday reiterated its 13 July appeal to both parties involved in the conflict in Lebanon to "respect humanitarian volunteers and workers and the Red Cross and Red Crescent symbols". This call follows an attack on Tuesday by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on a convoy of ambulances and trucks, sent by the United Arab Emirates Red Crescent (UAERC), on the road between Damascus and Beirut. According to the UAERC and other official sources, one truck was destroyed, two were damaged and four passenger vehicles were damaged, causing a number of injuries. more.. VIDEO - Heavy exchanges of fire in Avivim area YNet News 7/20/2006 Fighting in Avivim continues: Nine soldiers injured Hizbullah terrorist killed in exchange of fire; during morning hours three soldiers hurt when missile strikes tank in same area -- VIDEO - Serious exchanges of fire have been taking place since the afternoon hours in the Avivim area on the northern border. Until now it has been reported that nine soldiers were injured and a terrorist was killed; Six of the wounded soldiers were evacuated hospitals in Israel, while the rest did not require further treatment. It was also reported that IDF forces operating near the Lebanese village of Maroun al-Ras struck at least six 'terror' cells. The Avivim area has turned in recent days into a battleground for IDF forces. On Wednesday, two soldiers were killed in battles with terrorists. more.. Rockets fired at Rosh Pina, Har Meron area YNet News 7/20/2006 Rockets land on kibbutzim in Har Meron area in Upper Galilee, no reports of injuries; at around 10 p. m. the siren goes off in Western Galilee region, short while later four rockets land in open fields near Rosh Pina -- After a day of relative calm, with the firing of lone rockets at Carmiel, Tiberias, and other areas in the Galilee, sirens have gone off again at around 5:45 p. m. in the Upper Galilee. Rockets fell near one of the kibbutzim in the Har Meron district in the Galilee. The rockets exploded in open territory and no injuries or damage were reported. Shortly after 7 p. m. the IDF said Hizbullah fired four rocket barrages at open fields in the Upper Galilee; two barrages were fired toward Rosh Pina and the Har Meron area; no injuries or damage were reported. more.. Report: Air Force renews attacks on Beirut YNet News 7/20/2006 Lebanese television station reports two powerful explosions in Hizbullah district of south Beirut -- The Air Force has renewed attacks on southern Lebanon, a Lebanese television station reported. According to the report two loud explosions were heard in the southern Hizbullah district of the city. One of the bombings was apparently directed at Hizbullah's military buildings, while the second attack was directed east of the first target. At 6 p. m. it was reported that the Air Force attacked over 70 targets in Lebanon since the morning hours. That number has now climbed to around 150.... IDF Land Forces Commander Major General Benny Gantz said Thursday during a briefing that up until now 3,000 attacks, out of those 150 being carried out today, have taken place since the start of fighting. more.. Lebanon 'has been torn to shreds' BBC 7/20/2006 The Lebanese prime minister has called for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah militants, saying his country "has been torn to shreds". Fouad Siniora said more than 300 people had been killed and 500,000 others displaced in a week of Israeli attacks. Israel says it carried out 80 air strikes in Lebanon in the early hours of Thursday morning. And it says its soldiers are now fighting Hezbollah militants along the border just inside Lebanon. The clashes are taking place north of the Israeli village of Avivim, an Israeli Defence Force spokeswoman said. On Wednesday evening, Israel said a wave of aircraft dropped 23 tonnes of explosives on a bunker in the south of Beirut where senior Hezbollah figures, possibly including leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, were believed to be hiding. more.. 'No refuge from the bombs' BBC 7/20/2006 The normally bustling Mediterranean city of Sidon is a little like a ghost town at the moment. The streets are virtually empty, an unusual sight in recent years since a modern coastal motorway linked Lebanon's second city to the capital Beirut, meaning there was little more than half-an-hour between the two. But now it is more like three hours by car because of Israel's bombing of strategic points along the 30-km (20-mile) route. People wishing to make the journey have to take a tortuous route through the spectacular but barely passable Chouf mountains. There is little concrete sign of the Israeli attacks along the way - just groups of cars, some of them flying white flags, packed with people fleeing the hardest-hit areas in the south. more.. VIDEO - Hezbollah's HQ destroyed BBC 7/20/2006 Israel's goal has been to wipe out the threat from Hezbollah fighters inside Lebanon, whose headquarters are in Beirut... "Thousands of homes have been crushed and burned. " Jeremy Bowen reports from Beirut on the destruction left behind after more than a week of bombing. -- Also: 'Lebanese civilians suffering in the crisis' 02:01 mins, 'Israelis fight Hezbollah on Lebanon border' 01:46 mins more.. Four Katyusha rockets land near Rosh Hanikra overnight Ha'aretz 7/21/2006 Four Katyusha rockets landed near Rosh Hanikra in the Western Galilee on Thursday night as Hezbollah renewed its rocket fire on Israel. More than 30 Katyusha rockets on Thursday landed in Tiberas, Carmiel, Safed, Nahariya, Kiryat Shmona, the western Galilee and the Upper Galilee. Warning sirens were heard in Haifa as well as in the Galilee. No injuries were reported in any of the rocket strikes. Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV station announced Wednesday evening that the organization had also aimed its fire at Haifa, but there was no evidence of rockets landing there. more.. In Scramble to Evade Israeli Bombs, the Living Leave the Dead Behind New York Times 7/21/2006 TYRE, Lebanon, July 20 — Carpenters are running out of wood for coffins. Bodies are stacked three or four high in a truck at the local hospital morgue. The stench is spreading in the rubble. The morbid reality of Israel’s bombing campaign of the south is reaching almost every corner of this city. Just a few miles from the Rest House hotel, where the United Nations was evacuating civilians on Thursday, wild dogs gnawed at the charred remains of a family bombed as they were trying to escape the village of Hosh, officials said. Officials at the Tyre Government Hospital inside a local Palestinian refugee camp said they counted the bodies of 50 children among the 115 in the refrigerated truck in the morgue, though their count could not be independently confirmed. more.. TV war correspondents rescued from angry mob by Hizbullah The Guardian 7/21/2006 Two British journalists were recovering in Beirut last night after being attacked by a mob which surrounded their car for almost an hour, smashing windows and trying to force them out. The journalists from GMTV, and their Lebanese interpreter and driver were rescued when two men thought to be Hizbullah officials pushed through the crowd, grabbed them and drove them to a safe house, television colleagues said. GMTV's roaming correspondent Richard Gaisford and producer Dave Mason were driving back to their hotel after reporting in western Beirut when a crowd began to follow them. "Richard said he had been surrounded in the car with the windows smashed and the keys taken," a television colleague said. Mr Gaisford had said he had feared for his life. more.. Halutz warns against war of attrition Ha'aretz 7/21/2006 Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Dan Halutz warned the security cabinet yesterday that Hezbollah wants to drag Israel into a war of attrition in Lebanon, whereas Israel wants "a short and forceful war. "His comments came as two Israeli children were killed by a rocket in Nazareth and two IDF soldiers were killed and nine wounded in clashes with Hezbollah gunmen in Lebanon. "They realize that prolonged attrition causes internal pressure from Israeli citizens and international pressure, and think that those are our weak points," Halutz said, adding that Hezbollah wants the fighting to extend over a long period "so that we will capitulate. " The chief of staff said that IDF operations are centering on south Lebanon. more.. Israeli bombardment of southern Lebanon hampering humanitarian aid Ma'an News 7/20/2006 Ma'an- According to the United Nations news service, IRIN, a humanitarian crisis is growing in southern Lebanon. The Israeli bombardment of the region is hampering aid agencies ability to provide assistance and medical care. According to the report: "Relief agencies working in the south of Lebanon say there is a shortage of medical supplies, particularly for infants and children. " The needs are most dramatic in the areas near the Israel-Lebanon border which have been cut of by the fighting. The lack of supplies is made worse by the destruction of the roadways. In many of the villages in the south all of the roadways have been damaged or disrupted by the bombardment, so even available supplies can not reach the destinations where they are needed. more.. An explosive image in Lebanon conflict The Guardian 7/20/2006 This photograph of Israeli children writing on artillery shells bound for targets in Lebanon has caused outrage among many bloggers, not least those from the Arab world.... "From the children of Israel, to the children of Lebanon, with love," writes one Greek blogger, Mavrosgatos, showing the image above a very graphic photograph apparently showing the scorched corpse of a Lebanese child. "These [Israeli] children are raised with hatred instead of milk," the blogger writes.... Lisa Goldman (who has also contributed to the Guardian News blog) has attempted to put the image in some kind of context.... she has done some research into the circumstances around the photograph being taken, calling people who were there.... Goldman's related account suggests it was the parents who invited the children to write messages. -- See also: Photo Album: Israeli Kids sign bombs, with Love, for Arab Kids! more.. Marines evacuate 1,000 Americans from Lebanon YNet News 7/20/2006 About 40 lightly armed Marines, aided by Lebanese soldiers, help 1,052 Americans, including many children, to troop carrier that sets sail for eastern Mediterranean island; Ahmed Temsah, 55, from Chicago, aboard the USS Nashville: What Israel is doing is terrible. If you want to go after Hizbullah, then beat them to the ground, please. But don't kill innocent people. It's a tragedy that women and children are dying -- US Marines waded ashore on a Beirut beach on Thursday and evacuated about 1,000 Americans to Cyprus, where thousands of foreigners have fled to escape Israeli air strikes against Lebanon. About 40 lightly armed Marines, aided by Lebanese soldiers, helped 1,052 Americans, including many children, to a troop carrier that set sail for the eastern Mediterranean island as two big booms shook the Beirut coastline. more.. Marines Return to Beirut to Aid U.S. Evacuation New York Times 7/21/2006 BEIRUT, Lebanon, July 20 — United States marines landed in Beirut on Thursday for the first time in more than 20 years to help evacuate Americans from Lebanon, as Israeli officials suggested that Israeli ground troops might take a more active role in combating the Hezbollah militia. There were also more strong condemnations of Israel’s heavy use of force in Lebanon. With the fighting continuing for a ninth day, fierce clashes erupted between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters inside Lebanon. Hundreds of Israeli troops were trying to destroy Hezbollah outposts and storage facilities, Israeli Army officials said. Two Israeli soldiers and a Hezbollah fighter were killed late Wednesday as Israel discovered a warren of storage rooms, bunkers and tunnels. The death toll in Lebanon for the nine days passed 300; the vast majority were said to be civilians. more.. Jericho was completely closed off on Wednesday Ma'an News 7/20/2006 Jericho --Israeli forces closed on Wednesday the northern and southern checkpoint into the city of Jericho in the occupied West Bank. The head of the Directorate of Jericho Work, Nasser Hudnah, reported that "a meeting was for all the coordinating syndicate committees from all the West Bank governorates in Ramallah at 11:00 am on Wednesday; however, participants from Jericho were unable to reach the city of Ramallah because of the closures. " [end] more.. Izzeddin Al Qassam Brigades launches mortars at Israeli military vehicles Ma'an News 7/20/2006 Gaza --Izzeddin Al Qassam Brigades, a military wing of the Hamas movement, claimed responsibility for launching three mortars towards a gathering of Israeli military vehicles, east of the Al Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza. In a statement, the brigades said that "the launching operation was in response to the ongoing Israeli aggression in Palestine and Lebanon. [end] more.. Armed resistance wing of Islamic Jihad hits Israeli town of Sderot Palestine News Network 7/20/2006 Saraya Al Quds, the armed resistance wing of the Islamic Jihad party, claimed responsbility today for the bombing of the southern Israeli town of Sderot. Members of the group told PNN that the three homemade projectiles fell on the town early Thursday morning. The Israeli army has announced that several citizens of Sderot were injured, and that a great deal of infrastructure was damage. In addition, the army specified that the attacks created a sense of panic among the residents. While the people of Sderot are used to attacks from the Gaza Strip, due to their proximity, the homemade projectiles rarely do any damage. Saya Al Quds issued a statement after the attack that emphasized that the bombing comes in response to the Israeli warcrimes being committed in the Gaza Stirp and Lebanon. more.. Israel occupies Palestinian airwaves Ma'an News 7/20/2006 Khan Younis --"Sawt Al Quds" ("The Voice of Jerusalem"), the radio station belonging to Islamic Jihad, declared on Thursday morning that its broadcast on 102. 7 FM was jammed by the Israeli occupation and listeners found themselves hearing calls denouncing the Palestinian resistance and inciting citizens to rise up against the resistance and its leaders. This campaign comes after the Israeli forces stepped up their hostile actions in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank following the Palestinian "Operation Scattering Illusion" that led to the capture of the Israeli soldier Cpl Gilat Shalit. A few days ago, "Sawt Al Aqsa" ("The Voice of Al Aqsa'), the radio station belonging to Hamas, declared that its broadcast in the southern governorates of the Gaza Strip had also been exposed to jamming by the Israeli army. more.. Faction launches three projectiles at Sderot; three Israelis treated for shock Ma'an News 7/20/2006 Gaza --The Al Quds Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Jihad, have claimed responsibility for launching three homemade projectiles into the Israeli Negev town of Sderot on Thursday morning. In a statement, the Brigades said that "the launching operation was in response to the ongoing Israeli aggressions against the Palestinian and Lebanese people". They added that Israeli sources confirmed the falling of three homemade projectiles, saying that three Israelis were treated for shock and a building was damaged. [end] more.. Israeli settler flees the scene after running over a Palestinian student near Nablus Ma'an News 7/20/2006 Salfit --An Israeli settler ran over a female Palestinian university student in the northern West Bank on Thursday and then escaped towards a nearby Israeli military camp. The settler hit Wafa'a Zubaidi, 20, near the Huwwara checkpoint, south of Nablus, and then fled to Huwwara military camp nearby. Eyewitnesses said that Wafa'a is a second-year student at the An Najah University in Nablus in the engineering department and she is from the West Bank town of Salfit. Wafa'a was hit in her head and leg and she was transferred to a medical care hospital in Nablus for treatment. [end] more.. Israel delivers remains of three killed in Nablus Wednesday, continues siege of Al Muqata'ah Ma'an News 7/20/2006 Nablus --On Thursday morning, Israeli authorities delivered the remains of three Palestinians who were killed on Wednesday in Nablus. The three were killed in the Israeli invasion that reached the headquarters of the Palestinian Authority, the Al Muqata'ah, in the city. Five citizens were killed in the invasion, hundreds of Palestinian security forces arrested and the headquarters of the Palestinian security apparatuses destroyed. Palestinian medical sources announced the names of the three, Mahmoud Al Khatib, 27, Hussam Badrasawi, 22, and Muhammad Abu Leil, 26. All three are from the Balata refugee camp in the east of the city of Nablus. The manager of the Rafidya hospital, Dr. Hosam Al Jawhari, said that "the number of the injured is 50... " more.. Israeli soldiers helicoptered into West Bank town amid flares and gunfire Ma'an News 7/20/2006 Jenin --Amid heavy gunfire and flares, Israeli helicopters dropped soldiers in various locations around the northern West Bank town of Tubas early on Thursday morning. Palestinian security sources said that "several planes flew intensively overhead and landed soldiers at the entrances to Tubas, Tammun, Al Far'a, and 'Aqqaba amid gunfire, flares and phosphor bombs". Currently, the Israeli forces are carrying out almost daily landing operations in Tubas and its surrounding area. [end] more.. Palestinian factions continue responses to Israeli attack on Al Maghazi camp Ma'an News 7/20/2006 Gaza --Palestinian factions claimed responsibility for launching operations, shooting Israeli soldiers and the explosion of an Israeli tank on Thursday, in response to the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Al Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. The Hamas movement's Izzeddin Al Qassam Brigades launched four mortars into the Israeli military site, Kerem Shalom. National Resistance Brigades, a military wing affiliated with the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and the Al Aqsa Brigades, Fatah's main military wing, launched two homemade projectiles into Sderot. Al Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad movement, claimed responsibility for the explosion of an Israeli tank by an explosive devise in Al Maghazi camp. more.. Despite Ties to Hamas, Militants Aren’t Following Political Leaders New York Times 7/20/2006 JABALIYA REFUGEE CAMP, Gaza, July 20 — Five men in black hoods emerged from a dimly lighted street of stark concrete houses and garbage-strewn lots. With Israeli drones buzzing overhead, they kept the meeting short. “We ask America to stop supporting the Israeli aggressors,” said the leader, who carried a new Czech-made Kalashnikov rifle while another shouldered a new Gaza-made rocket-propelled grenade launcher. After 20 minutes, they grew visibly nervous and disappeared into the shadows. The men are members of the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the well-armed, highly organized military wing of Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic movement that now governs the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. more.. 14 Palestinians killed in Israeli raids AlJazeera 7/19/2006 Aljazeera technician Wail Tallus was shot in the legs -- Israeli troops have killed at least 14 Palestinians and injured dozens of people, including an Aljazeera technician, in the occupied Palestinian territories. An Israeli military spokesman said troops on an arrest raid had opened fire at fighters in the West Bank city of Nablus on Wednesday. Aljazeera's correspondent in Nablus said a group of Palestinians threw stones at Israeli forces, who responded with rubber bullets. Wail Tannus, an Aljazeera broadcast technician, was shot in the legs. He was transferred to a hospital and is in a stable condition, the correspondent said. Palestinian witnesses said troops backed by armoured vehicles had surrounded a compound in Nablus where fighters were hiding. more.. IDF fighter jet crashes during take-off in Negev; no injuries Ha'aretz 7/19/2006 An Israel Air Force fighter jet crashed late Wednesday while taking off from an Israel Defense Forces base in the Negev for an operation in Lebanon. The pilot and navigator escaped from the aircraft without injury. Initial IAF investigations indicated that at one of the aircraft's tires burst during take-off. The jet was laden with weapons, and the additional weight made landing more difficult than usual. The crew followed procedures by ejecting themselves from the aircraft. The jet crashed without causing injury or substantial damage. more.. 57 perish on deadliest day of war so far The Daily Star 7/20/2006 BEIRUT: Israeli air strikes killed at least 57 civilians and a Hizbullah fighter on Wednesday, the single deadliest day of the war so far, as thousands of villagers continued to flee. The scale of civilian casualties was described by the UN human rights chief Wednesday as having the potential to result in charges of "war crimes"In the morning, Israel struck at the heart of Beirut's largest Christian neighborhood for the first time since the conflict started. A helicopter strike in Achrafieh destroyed two trucks stationed in an abandoned lot, but caused no casualties. "It's simply terrifying. Nowhere is safe anymore," said Arlette, shaking at the memory of the blast that went off a few meters from her home. Many families in the area were seen packing their bags shortly after the attack, leaving for the safety of the mountains. more.. Srifa was a bustling hillside village. Then yesterday the Israeli jets came The Guardian 7/20/2006 Aliyah, 30, lay on a life support machine in the Jabal Amal hospital in a coma. She was one of a handful of survivors who made it out of Srifa, a village in south-east Lebanon. The man treating her put her chances of survival at less than 20%. "She has severe injuries and has lost a lot of blood," he said. Fatima Ali Ashma was more fortunate, but not much more. She lay on a hospital bed struggling to breathe. The force of the blast which overturned the mini van she was fleeing in crushed her chest, damaging her lungs. She sustained severe injuries to her neck and arm. Speaking slowly and with difficulty, she described what had happened to her. "In the morning we woke up to find that 10 people in the village had been killed. more.. Fourteen residents, including mother and her child, killed Wednesday in Gaza and the West Bank International Middle East Media Center 7/19/2006 Palestinian and medical sources reported on Wednesday evening that the Israeli army killed fourteen Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. In a recent attack carried on Wednesday evening, three Palestinians were killed in Al Maghazi refuge camp, in the central Gaza Strip. A Palestinian medical source at Al Aqsa Hospital in Dir Al Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, reported that three civilians, including a mother and her child, were killed in the attack. At least thirty residents were injured in the attack. Five of the injured are in serious conditions. The Third resident killed on Wednesday evening in twenty years old, the source added. Sixteen of the injured residents lost or suffered burns to several parts of their bodies. more.. Israel steps up military attacks in 'forgotten war' with Palestinians The Guardian 7/20/2006 Israeli forces killed 13 Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank yesterday as the army began a new push into a refugee camp in central Gaza yesterday, clashing with gunmen and bulldozing farmland. Thirty military vehicles entered the Maghazi camp just before dawn, the latest offensive in a three-week operation in Gaza that has been overshadowed by the conflict in Lebanon. More than 100 Palestinians, about half of them militants, have been killed and roads, government offices and the main power plant damaged. Soldiers took over rooftops in the rundown Maghazi camp, home to 22,000 people. After heavy fighting and air strikes, eight Palestinians had been killed and more than 50 were injured. Five Israeli soldiers were injured by a hand grenade. more.. Israel bombs Hezbollah 'bunker' AlJazeera 7/20/2006 Israeli jets have dropped bombs on an area of southern Beirut where senior Hezbollah leaders were thought to be sheltering. Hezbollah said none of its leaders were killed during the air strike. Israeli military officials said dozens of aircrafts dropped 23 tons of explosives on the bunker in the Bourj al-Barajneh section of southern Beirut. Three unusally heavy explosions were heard in the evening from the southern districts of the capital. An army spokesman said Hezbollah's leader, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, may have been hiding in the bunker. Hezbollah said none of its leaders were killed during the air strike. A statement from the group said: "Hezbollah denies that any of its leaders or personnel were killed during the latest bombardment... in the southern suburb. " more.. Israeli forces arrest 150, kill 3 in major military operation in Nablus Palestine News Network 7/19/2006 In a major military operation in Nablus this morning, Israeli forces attacked the Palestinian Security Headquarters and arrested over 150 national security officials. Three members of Al Aqsa Brigades, the armed resistance wing of the Fateh party, were killed in the operation. Eyewitnesses said that the operation began around 3 a. m. when Israeli forces surrounded the headquarters and using loudspeakers, demanded that the security officials come out. The forces then prevented medical crews and journalists from approaching the building, threatening to shoot them. The Israeli forces blindfolded the security officials, took them in trucks to an unknown location, and proceeded to bulldoze large parts of the headquarters while onlookers watched in horror. more.. Two children killed in rocket strike on Nazareth Ha'aretz 7/20/2006 Hezbollah fired more than 100 Katyusha rockets at Israel on Wednesday, killing two brothers from Nazareth, aged 9 and 3, and sending 135 people to the hospital in Nazareth alone. The deaths bring the number of Israelis killed by Hezbollah rockets since the fighting began to 15. Another 12 people sustained light wounds in the attack, and were evacuated to the Italian Hospital in the town. The eighth day of rocket fire was one of the worst yet, with Hezbollah bombing dozens of towns in the north, including Haifa, Safed, Nahariya and Afula. The rockets targeting Nazareth and Afula appeared to be 220-millimeter Syrian rockets. Brigadier General Yuval Halamish, a senior intelligence officer, said that Hezbollah was firing from civilian areas.... he does not think that Hezbollah aimed for Nazareth... more.. Crisis escalates as food, medicines run low The Daily Star 7/20/2006 BEIRUT: The humanitarian crisis is quickly escalating in the South, where crucial medical and food supplies are running out quickly as Israeli air strikes have made it impossible to re-supply the embattled region, and in Beirut resources are strained from the influx of people fleeing Israeli bombardment in the South and southern suburbs. The Health Ministry will distribute medicine to hospitals around Lebanon, starting with those caring for the highest number of wounded civilians, Health Minister Mohammad Khalifeh said at a news conference Wednesday. Over 850 civilians have been wounded so far. "Hospital supplies in the South will last for a couple of days," told The Daily Star. "This is an ongoing disaster. In Beirut, we are losing our stocks of supplies and not replacing them. " more.. IDF: Hizbullah built mass bunker network YNet News 7/20/2006 Senior Northern Command officer tells Ynet that soldiers killed in Lebanon Wednesday were part of mission aimed at uncovering 40-meter deep poured concrete bunkers along border. Despite challenges, army determined to complete operation -- A senior IDF Northern Command officer told Ynet that Hizbullah has set up an extensive underground bunker network not far from the Israeli border. On Wednesdaytwo IDF soldiers from the Magellan unit were killed and nine more soldiers were wounded during army operationsaimed at uncovering the bunkers. Hizbullah terrorists were hiding out in the fortified underground bunkers some 40 meters (roughly 120 feet) underground, along with mass weapons caches, the officer said. more.. IAF targets top Hezbollah figures in Beirut bunker Ha'aretz 7/20/2006 Israel Air Force warplanes dropped bombs late Wednesday on a bunker in south Beirut where senior Hezbollah leaders were thought to be, the Israel Defense Forces said. IDF officials said dozens of aircrafts dropped 23 tons of explosives on the bunker. The officials said top Hezbollah figures were thought to be there, possibly including Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. The officials said the bunker was in the Bourj al-Barajneh section of southern Beirut. Hezbollah said in a statement on Thursday that none of its leaders were killed during the strike. "Hezbollah denies that any of its leaders or personnel were killed during the latest bombardment... in the southern suburb," the group said in the statement. more.. IAF kills Palestinian in Gaza, bring death toll in camp to 7 Ha'aretz 7/20/2006 Israel Defense Forces troops killed nine Palestinians, among them five civilians, in its offensive on the Mughazi refugee in the central Gaza Strip on Wednesday. An IAF aircraft opened fire on a group of some 20 Palestinians carrying an RPG missile late Wednesday, killing three of them and wounding more than a dozen. Earlier in the day, five IDF soldiers were wounded and six Palestinians were killed in clashes in the same refugee camp. IDF tanks moved into the camp before dawn Wednesday under cover of machine gun fire from troops in the latest incursion in its three-week military push in the seaside territory. At least two of the Palestinians killed in both gunfights and air strikes were civilians, and the rest were Hamas militants. more.. Lebanese who fled as youngsters forced to flee again with own children The Guardian 7/20/2006 Wearing a sweat-soaked vest and beach shorts and clutching a leather briefcase in one hand and a baffled five-year-old in the other, Joe Noujeim cut an odd figure as he walked down the gangplank of a 5,200 tonne British destroyer to a Cyprus tourist spot yesterday morning. Mr Noujeim, his Portsmouth-born wife, Maria, and their three children were among the first people to arrive at Limassol port in Britain's biggest sea evacuation since Dunkirk. Mrs Noujeim had packed only two rucksacks, full of food and water, and was encouraging her children to be brave in the face of danger. "Our building was shaking," said young Michael, not sure where he was. For nights on end the family had watched bomb attacks from their flat window 500 metres from the main Hizbullah neighbourhoods of south Beirut. more.. ANALYSIS: Hezbollah is still showing no signs of breaking Ha'aretz 7/20/2006 It was a bad news day. In the morning, Israeli forces in Lebanon clashed with Hezbollah near Avivim. Two soldiers were killed. In the afternoon, Hezbollah began to shell the entire northern region heavily. Scores of Katyusha rockets were fired and two children from Nazareth were killed. For eight days, the Israel Defense Forces has been pounding Lebanon and dropping thousands of tons of bombs on it, yet Hezbollah remains the same intransigent rival as before. It is showing no signs of breaking. The Israeli detail, operating in an especially entangled area in the former buffer zone, intended to take out Katyusha launchers. But the Hezbollah unit responsible for most of the short-range rocket fire from South Lebanon was not sufficiently harmed. more.. Israel finds new pretexts to kill Lebanese civilians The Daily Star 7/20/2006 BEIRUT: Israel's assault on Lebanon continued for the eighth day Wednesday, killing at least 55 civilians as Israeli jets and gunboats hit civilian targetsacross the country. In particular, the Israeli military seems to have "discovered" a new threat in trucks and vans, some of which were carrying civilians and medical supplies, but Israel maintains were bringing weapons and supplies to Hizbullah fighters. In Tyre, a Lebanese military jeep and a civilian van were destroyed when they were attacked by Israeli warplanes. An Israeli jet also fired four rockets on a truck used to drill for water, which reportedly was mistaken for a missile launcher. The truck was parked in a parking lot on a leafy road in a residential Christian neighborhood of central Beirut. more.. Fresh wave of attacks puts civilian death toll over 300 The Daily Star 7/20/2006 SOUTH LEBANON/ BEKAA VALLEY: At least 65 civilians and one Hizbullah fighter were killed in a new wave of Israeli attacks against Southern and Eastern Lebanon Wednesday, raising the death toll to about 300 civilians. Twenty-one Lebanese civilians were killed and 30 others wounded in raids on the village of Srifa near the southern port city of Tyre, where 13 houses in the Najdi quarter were destroyed, security sources said. Medical sources had earlier reported that at least 25 people were feared dead under the ruins, stressing the difficulty of reaching the region as all the roads were cut. Six people were also killed when a missile struck a neighborhood in the Southern Lebanese town of Nabatieh. The target was a commercial office of a firm belonging to Hizbullah, but those killed were residents. more.. Israeli Ground Troops Enter Lebanon The Guardian 7/19/2006 JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel declared Tuesday it was ready to fight Hezbollah guerrillas for several more weeks, raising doubts about international efforts to broker an immediate cease-fire in the fighting that has killed more than 260 people and displaced 500,000. The military said early Wednesday it sent some troops into southern Lebanon in search of tunnels and weapons. Despite the diplomatic activity, Israel is in no hurry to end its offensive, which it sees as a unique opportunity to crush Hezbollah. The Islamic militants appear to have steadily built up their military strength after Israel pulled its troops out of southern Lebanon in 2000. Israeli warplanes struck an army base outside Beirut and other areas in south Lebanon on Tuesday, killing 27 people,... more.. Israeli forces kill six Palestinians and injure 45 others during incursion into Al Maghazi Refugee Camp Palestine News Network 7/19/2006 Six Palestinians, including three members of the Hamas armed resistance wing Al Qassam Brigades, were killed at dawn this morning when Israeli forces invaded the Al Maghazi Refugee Camp in the central Gaza Strip. Additionally, five Israeli soldiers were wounded, two of them seriously. According to Palestinian security sources, Israeli forces penetrated some 900 meters into the Gaza Strip and then proceeded to occupy houses on the outskirts of the refugee camp. The forces turned the houses into military barracks and positioned snipers on the rooftops. Eyewitnesses said the Israeli forces then began launching rockets towards civilians at the nearby mosque. Medical sources told PNN that six Palestinians were killed in the incident and that some 45 others were taken to a nearby hospital for injuries. more.. Attacks on north intensify YNet News 7/19/2006 Hizbullah renews rocket fire: Barrage of rockets lands in Safed, injuring 4; rocket strikes empty home in Haia city, two people lightly hurt from shrapnel; rest land in open areas. Later 17 more rockets fired at north; 20 targets struck by IAF in Lebanon, among them long-range Zelzal missile launcher -- Four rockets fell in Tiberias and its surroundings on Wednesday. A number of people suffered from shock. A rocket exploded in a house, but no one was injured. A brush fire was set off in open fields on the city's outskirts. In one of the heaviest barrages fired at Israel since fighting broke out last Wednesday, a handful of rockets landed in Safed. A house suffered a direct hit, but no one was injured. Five rockets also fell on Ma'alot, with one hitting a house. No injuries were reported. Rockets were also fired at Kiryat Shmona. more.. IAF: 8 gunmen killed in central Gaza YNet News 7/19/2006 Conflicting reports: Palestinians claim 2 unarmed Palestinians killed, numerous children wounded when helicopter gunship fires four missiles in al-Maghazi area -- Eight Palestinians were killed Wednesday evening in an Air Force strike in central Gaza, the IDF said. Palestinians sources reported two unarmed Palestinians were killed and a number of children were wounded when an IAF helicopter gunship fired four missiles towards a group of people in the area of al-Maghazi. The IDF said soldiers identified a cell of gunmen armed with antitank missiles and opened fire on them. The operation was part of an ongoing IDF operation in Gaza, which was launched Tuesday night in the al-Muazi refugee camp and has thus far killed 17 gunmen. more.. Israeli forces destroy olive trees and vineyards in the Gaza Strip Ma'an News 7/19/2006 Rafah -- On Wednesday morning the Israeli forces started razing the land near the Sofa crossing,north east of Rafah, in the Gaza Strip. Eye witnesses said that hundreds of olive and vine trees were totally damaged by the Israeli force as were the poultry farms. They also said that the Israeli forces have begun to build a military barracks in the area. [end] more.. Increased Israeli checkpoints around Jenin Ma'an News 7/19/2006 Jenin--The Israeli occupation forces today erected several military checkpoints in the Jenin and Tubas governorates, in the northern West Bank. The soldiers checked the local Palestinian citizens' ID cards and searched their cars, causing huge traffic jams in the region. Eyewitnesses and Palestinian sources stated that checkpoints were set up on the road between Nablus and Jenin, and at the entrances to the towns of Arraba, 'Ajja, Mirka, Tammun, and Az Zababida. [end] more.. Israeli forces abduct 200 Fatah members Wednesday Ma'an News 7/19/2006 Ramallah --Under secretary of the Palestinian Ministry of Prisoners' Affairs, Ziad Abu Ain, announced that the Israeli forces abducted about 200 Fatah members and Palestinian security men in Nablus, Ramallah and a number of villages, Wednesday morning. He told the press that three Palestinians were killed in Nablus two of which were known: Mahmoud Miqdad Al-Khatib, the son of a prisoner in Israeli jails who spent 21 years so far, and Ahmad Sanakrah, who was injured before. In addition, Israeli forces injured dozens of Palestinians in confrontations in Nablus. The forces destroyed the office of the Preventative Security and the building of the interior ministry. The Israelis also arrested the manager of the interior ministry office, Nimir Sidqi and abused Na'im Shtayya. [end] more.. Israel Pounds PFLP-GC Bases Near Syrian Border International Middle East Media Center 7/19/2006 Israeli warplanes pounded bases of a pro-Damascus Palestinian militant group near the Syrian border Wednesday as they pressed a week-old air offensive in Lebanon, police said. There were no immediate reports of casualties from the three sorties launched against two connected bases of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command (PFLP-GC) in Sultan Yaacoub, less than 10 kilometers from the frontier. Four missiles struck the main part of the heavily fortified warren of tunnels maintained by the PFLP-GC, police said. Two missiles hit a connected base. [end] more.. Army starts to build new sections of the Wall in Al Ramadeen Area International Middle East Media Center 7/19/2006 The Israeli army started to build new sections of the Annexation Wall south of the West Bank city of Hebron and surveyed the area there and installed signs in order to erect the Wall. The new construction is in the area around the nearby illegal settlement of Ashkelot that is built on the private Palestinian lands of Al Thahreyah town. Abdel Kareem AlSh'ur, head of Al Ramadeen village, reported that Israeli military bulldozers and armored vehicles stated bulldozing the farmlands north east of Al Ramadeen village and are near the 1967 borders that belong to its residents in order to build new sections of the Wall there. Thousands of acres of farmlands would be lost if the construction continues, belonging to the residents of Al Ramadeen, Al Tahreyah and Dura towns are planted with almonds, olive and figs trees. more.. Army continues its offensive in Nablus, three killed, twenty-six people injured International Middle East Media Center 7/19/2006 The Israeli invasion in the west Bank city of Nablus continued leaving three residents killed, and 26, including two reporters injured. Among the injured Dr. Ghassan Hamdan, head of the Palestinian Medical Relief Committees in the city. Dr. Hamdan was mildly injured in his right leg by a rubber-coated bullet. Two medics, identified as Mohammad Al Damouny were also injured bu rubber-coated bullets fired by the army. The Israeli military offensive continued in the West Bank city of Nablus with army bulldozers starting to demolish the Palestinian Security Forces facility and the building of the Ministry of Interior in the city. Soldiers, tanks and jeeps are still in the city and surrounding the prison and a Palestinian security compound that belong to the PA, local sources reported. more.. Al Quds brigades fires on Israeli tank Ma'an News 7/19/2006 Gaza --Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad movement, claimed responsibility for lobbing a rocket propelled grenade at an Israeli tank in Al-Maghazi refugee camp, central Gaza. The brigade said in a statement that reached Ma'an that the operation is part of Palestinians right to defend their lands. [end] more.. Brigades attempt to sneak into Israeli settlement Ma'an News 7/19/2006 Jenin --The Ayman Judah Unit of Al-Aqsa Brigades, a military group related to the Fatah movement, and Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad movement, claimed responsibility for an attempt to sneak into the Israeli settlement of Zabid, north of Jenin, beyond the Wall. A source from Al-Quds Brigades mentioned that Israeli soldiers discovered the group and confrontations broke out. The source said that the group was able to withdraw without casualties after injuring Israeli soldiers. [end] more.. Brigades launch home-made projectiles Ma'an News 7/18/2006 Gaza --The Al Mujahideen Brigades, a military wing affiliated to the Fatah movement, and the Nasser Salah Adding Brigades, the military wing affiliated to the Popular Resistance Committees, claimed responsibility for the launch of two home-made projectiles into Yamit on Tuesday morning. In a statement, the two military wings said that the launch was in response to the ongoing Israeli aggression against the Palestinian and Lebanese people, and in defence of children and women in the face of Israeli attacks. [end] more.. In Pictures: Israeli incursions The Guardian 7/17/2006 Crater: A Lebanese soldier stands next to a crater following Israeli air strikes at the main Mar Mikhail crossroads in southern Beirut. Photograph: Pierre Bou Karam/AP - Israel vows to destroy Hizbullah /Grounded: A passenger plane sits on the tarmac of Rafik Hariri international airport in Beirut while fuel storage tanks burn after Israeli helicopter gunships targeted it with missiles. Photograph: AP - Trapped in Beirut / Flat damage: An apartment building is damaged following an air strike by the Israeli air force in suburban Beirut. Photograph: Mahmoud Tawil/AP - Interactive: Lebanon under seige... more.. Police hold soldier suspected of faking his own abduction Ha'aretz 7/20/2006 Police arrested Wednesday evening an Israel Defense Forces soldier, 19, suspected of falsely reporting that he had been abducted. On Wednesday morning police went on high alert following reports on the infiltration of a would-be suicide bomber to Israel. A few hours later a soldier told police that he spotted in Herzliya a vehicle that matches the description of the car allegedly used by the terrorist. A short time later a soldier called police, said he was being kidnapped and hung up. Police received yet another call some time later from a man who presented himself as a civilian, saying he had seen a soldier being forcibly taken into a car at the Herzliya train station. more.. Have spies been helping the enemy find its targets? The Daily Star 7/20/2006 BEIRUT: Over 20 people have been arrested by the Lebanese security forces for spying for Israel and pinpointing targets for its warplanes in the southern suburbs, local and international outlets said Wednesday. Reports emerged early Wednesday, picked up from an article by a German news agency quoting an anonymous Lebanese security source as saying that a 26-member network was caught giving signals and information to Israel. According to Al-Arabiyya television, the spies had been signaling to the Israelis and informing them where to target, adding that several of the suspects had confessed. But acting Interior Minister Ahmad Fatfat denied any knowledge of the reports, telling The Daily Star he had "not heard of the arrest of these people by the Lebanese security forces. " more.. Jailed troops to be released due to war YNet News 7/19/2006 Due to security situation soldiers jailed for minor offenses to be released from jail to rejoin their units -- Ynet has learned that in light of the security situation dozens of incarcerated IDF soldiers will be released from military prisons and returned to their units. “In times such as these it is important that soldiers with important duties remain in their units and prepare for any event, even if this means releasing them from jail early,” a military source told Ynet. Until now four soldiers were pleased to hear of their imminent release from prison. “It should be made clear that the soldiers slated for release are only those who were tried for minor offenses, not for defection or otherserious offenses,” the source told Ynet.... Colonel Aryeh: "It seems that everyone wants to take part in the IDF operation these days. " more.. Security forces nab Palestinian in Sharon for suicide attack bid Ha'aretz 7/19/2006 Security forces on Wednesday arrested in the town of Hod Hasharon a Palestinian suspected of planning to carry out a suicide bombing in the Sharon region. Security forces also arrested a man in Kafr Qasem suspected of assisting the Palestinian would-be suicide bomber. The arrest followed several hours of an intense manhunt during which high alert was declared in the Sharon region and roadblocks were erected at the entrances to Kfar Saba, Petah Tikva and other towns in the area, in attempts to thwart the attack. The alert level was declared after security officials on Wednesday morning received a warning that a Palestinian terrorist infiltrated Israel with the intention of carrying out an attack. more.. Peretz: Hizbullah’s flag will not fly above border YNet News 7/19/2006 In meeting with UN delegates, defense minister says: 'There is no intention to end this crisis and live in same reality' adds: 'We must prevent all possibility for renewed strengthening of Hizbullah after crisis' -- Defense Minister Amir Peretz and Vice Premier Shimon Peres stated Wednesday that there is no intention to end the military operation without affecting serious changes on the ground. They also slammed Hizbullah's rocket attacks on Israel and denied claims that Israel is using excessive force in Lebanon. At the start of his meeting with the UN secretary-general, Javier Solana, the defense minister said, “We are determined not to let Hizbullah gain control over Southern Lebanon again, and will certainly not allow their return to the Israeli border. " more.. Hezbollah ready for long war against Israel Middle East Online 7/19/2006 Hezbollah warned Wednesday that it had enough rockets to continue hitting Israel "for months" and that Israeli warplanes had failed to cut its supply lines despite eight days of bombardments. The Lebanese militia can continue to strike Israel with "an arsenal of rockets for long months, and not just days or weeks," Mahmud Qomati, a member of Hezbollah's political council, said. The Shiite Muslim militia has been firing off hundreds of rockets against northern Israel since the Jewish state launched a massive offensive against Lebanon in a bid to wipe out Hezbollah. Since the beginning of the conflict on July 12, a total of 13 Israeli civilians have been killed in rocket attacks. more.. More assistance in Syria given to besieged Lebanese Ma'an News 7/19/2006 DAMASCUS, 18 July (IRIN)-- Lebanese border to receive people fleeing ongoing aerial bombardments by Israel. Damascus has also opened up government schools and other institutions to Lebanese nationals who have nowhere to stay. A senior Syrian Red Crescent (SRC) official told IRIN on Tuesday that the aid organisation had established a direct telephone line to assist Lebanese nationals who are stuck without money or shelter. According to SRC headAbdul-Rahman Attar, some 20,000 Lebanese, Arab and other travellers traverse the four border crossings every day. Attar noted that the centres had received some 2,400 Lebanese nationals on Tuesday, most of whom were bussed into Syria with assistance from the government. more.. Dozens more die as air strikes continue The Guardian 7/19/2006 Scores of people were killed today as Israel broadened its military offensive in Lebanon while also launching raids into the Gaza Strip and West Bank. At least 57 Lebanese civilians were killed in the latest Israeli air strikes, raising the death toll of Lebanese to at least 293 since the offensive began last week. Lebanon's prime minister, Fouad Siniora, called on the international community to immediately call for a ceasefire to "end the Israeli onslaught" which had caused "unimaginable losses". He said his country badly needed international humanitarian aid, addint that there were 500,000 displaced Lebanese people, shortages of food and medical supplies, and the hospitals were crippled, he said. "I hope you won't let us down," Mr Siniora said in a televised appeal. more.. Evening Roundup: More Civilians Killed, Israeli Troops Clash with Hizbullah Fighters on 8th Day An Nahar (Naharnet) 7/19/2006 At least 55 civilians were killed Wednesday as Israeli jets and gunboats pummeled towns and villages across Lebanon and tens of thousands of people fled a conflict that both sides defiantly warned would have no limit. In the bloodiest day since the fighting erupted eight days ago, two Israeli children and one adult were also killed in a Hizbullah rocket attack on the holy city of Nazareth while two soldiers were killed in clashes with the group's fighters. Streams of Lebanese were fleeing their homes to find safe havens and thousands of foreigners, mainly Westerners, were being evacuated by sea from Beirut to the neighboring Mediterranean island of Cyprus. Prime Minister Fouad Saniora called for an immediate halt to Israel's offensive, requesting urgent international humanitarian aid and vowing to make Israel pay compensation to Lebanon. more.. Photo Album: Lebanon Under Attack An Nahar (Naharnet) 7/19/2006 Photos from the conflict -- The Israeli army said it carried out a raid on a Hizbullah leadership bunker in Burj el Barajneh but the group said a Mosque was targeted / Israeli warplanes destroyed in pre-dawn raids four bridges linking Lebanon to Syria in Akkar and the Bekaa Valley... more.. Lebanon-Israel foes hosted in Cyprus Middle East Online 7/18/2006 Cyprus haven once again hosts 'foes' from Lebanon and Israel fleeing deadly conflict. -- In the charming if somewhat rundown marina of Larnaca, the cedar-emblazoned flag of Lebanon flies proudly from a yacht as nearby Israelis clad in kippa and prayer shawl prepare for the sabbath. The holiday island of Cyprus and its coastal resorts, which have long played host to sworn foes in the Middle East, is once again gearing up to serve as safe haven for a troubled region. But given the bloodshed just 160 kilometres (100 miles) away across the water in Lebanon, the Israeli boats moored alongside the Lebanese yacht have opted to play it safe and not hoist the Star of David. more.. Lebanon toll passes 254 AlJazeera 7/19/2006 At least 29 people have been killed in the latest air strikes by Israeli warplanes in Lebanon, raising the toll there to more than 254. Israeli aircraft struck targets across Lebanon on Tuesday, hitting many areas north and east of Beirut that have so far been quiet. Nine civilians, all from one family and including children, were killed and four wounded in an air strike that destroyed a house in the south Lebanese village of Aitarun. Four others died in strikes elsewhere in the south. Another strike at a Lebanese army barracks at Jumhur area, east of Beirut, killed 11 Lebanese soldiers and wounded 30. Aljazeera television reported that Israeli forces had also attacked targets around Zahle, a mainly Christian town in central Lebanon, and attacked ambulances on nearby roads. more.. Latest targets of air blitz: milk and medicine The Daily Star 7/19/2006 BEIRUT: Israel switched gears in its military campaign against Lebanon Monday and Tuesday, launching a series of debilitating air strikes against privately owned factories throughout the country and dealing a devastating blow to an economy already paralyzed by a week of hits on residential areas and crucial infrastructure. The production facilities of at least five companies in key industrial sectors - including the country's largest dairy farm, Liban Lait; a paper mill; a packaging firm and a pharmaceutical plant - have been disabled or completely destroyed. Industry insiders say the losses will cripple the economy for decades to come. [VP of the Lebanese Association of Industrialists:] "I think the picture will be much worse than we can possible imagine when the whole thing ends... " more.. Israeli forces withdraw from Beit Hanoun Palestine News Network 7/18/2006 Israeli forces have officially pulled out of Beit Hanoun after two days of occupying the northern Gaza Strip town. Over the course of two days, the Israeli military caused extensive material damage. In addition, forces killed eight of the town’s residents and injured some 52 others, several of which are in critical condition. In a press conference Tuesday morning held by the Municipality of Beit Hanoun, the Palestinian Minister of Refugees, Dr. Atef Odwan, reported that the volume of damage caused by the Israeli forces is likely to total over seven million dollars (USD). Dr. Odwan stated that the losses included the demolition of seven houses and damage to 19 others. He told PNN that the Israeli forces also caused substantial damage to the town’s main roads, schools, farms, and a nearby cemetery. more.. Massive evacuation gathers pace The Guardian 7/19/2006 Thousands of Lebanese nationals and western expats were scrambling to leave the country yesterday as Israel's week-long bombardment of Lebanon continued. The first large-scale evacuation of British nationals began when HMS Gloucester docked at Beirut port to collect 180 "priority cases". As they boarded the warship, some spoke of a mixture of relief and regret to be leaving the country. Tony Blair told the Commons that 5,000 Britons would be evacuated by the end of the week. The initial batch of British evacuees - mainly people with medical conditions, pregnant women and children - sailed to Cyprus from where they were told to make their own travel arrangements. A civilian ship is expected to collect more people today. more.. Senior Israeli commander expects offensive to end 'within a few weeks' The Daily Star 7/19/2006 BEIRUT: Israel's deputy army chief said Tuesday that the offensive against Lebanon would end within a few weeks, as the Jewish state needed more time to complete "very clear goals. " Israel also agreed to arrangements with several Western governments for a major evacuation of foreign nationals from Lebanon Wednesday, a senior army commander told Agence France Presse. "Twenty boats are going to be able to leave Lebanon Wednesday against seven on Tuesday and just two on Monday," the commander said, asking not to be identified. Major General Moshe Kaplinsky told Israel's Army Radio that "the fighting in Lebanon will end within a few weeks. We will not take months. We need more time to complete our very clear goals... " more.. Israel may send troops into Lebanon AlJazeera 7/19/2006 Prime Minister Olmert blames Iran for the conflict -- Israel says it is prepared to fight Hezbollah for several more weeks and possibly send ground forces into Lebanon, raising doubts about the chances of growing international efforts to broker an immediate cease-fire. Two of Israel's top military commanders said on Tuesday that the war could be lasting a few more weeks and that Israel could be deploying ground forces into Lebanon. "I think that we should assume that it will take a few more weeks. " Major General Udi Adam, the head of the army's northern command, told Army Radio. Major General Moshe Kaplinski, the army's deputy chief of staff, said Israel had not ruled out deploying "massive ground forces into Lebanon. " more.. Israeli tanks enter Gaza refugee camp AlJazeera 7/19/2006 Israeli tanks have moved into the Mughazi refugee camp in central Gaza under cover of machine-gun fire from troops, the latest incursion in its three-week military push into the seaside territory. Early on Wednesday, the Israeli military confirmed that an operation was in progress. The camp, with 22,000 residents, is near the Gaza-Israel fence and across from the Palestinian town of Deir al-Balah. Israeli forces had operated in the region late last week before withdrawing. The troops have also swept through southern Gaza and carried out two invasions of northern Gaza, trying to stop militants from firing rockets at Israel. The move into Mughazi was preceded by several hours of tank movements on the Israeli side, as well as exchanges of fire between soldiers and Palestinian gunmen. more.. Five IDF soldiers wounded in clashes with militants in Gaza Ha'aretz 7/19/2006 Palestinians said three Hamas gunmen were killed and five wounded in clashes. -- Five Israel Defense Forces soldiers were wounded early Wednesday in an exchange of fire with militants in the central Gaza Strip. IDF tanks moved into the central Gaza Strip before dawn Wednesday under cover of machine gun fire from troops in the latest incursion in its three-week military push in the seaside territory. The IDF confirmed that an operation was in progress. Two of the soldiers sustained moderate injuries and were evacuated by helicopter to the Soroka Medical Center in Be'er Sheva. Another three soldiers were treated for light wounds on site.... Also, four children were slightly wounded when a tank shell hit a house in the camp, residents said. more.. Hezbollah fires over 100 rockets at northern Israel Ha'aretz 7/19/2006 Hezbollah guerillas launched over 100 Katyusha rockets at towns and cities in the north of the country, killing a man in Nahariya as he rushed to the bomb shelter. Another person was hurt in a rocket strike on Gush Halav, in the Mount Meron area of the Galilee. The death of Andrei Zelinksy, 37, brings the total number of Israeli civilians killed by Katyusha rocket fire from Lebanon since the start of fighting is thus far at 13. The fresh volleys struck also Safed, Hatzor, Carmiel, Moshe Sde Eleizer, Acre, Kiryat Shmona, Tiberias, the Krayot region (Haifa suburbs of Kiryat Yam, Kiryat Haim, and Kiryat Ata), Hatzor Haglilit, Yesod Hama'ala, the central Golan Heights, and the Haifa Bay region. Eye witness Eli Dayari told Channel 10 television that the rocket hit a two-story building in Nahariya, and an apartment there was on fire. more.. Reserve batallions called up as Israel pushes for a new northern buffer zone The Guardian 7/19/2006 Fighting will end within weeks, says general · Military chiefs refuse to rule out ground assault -- Israel is expected to press ahead with military strikes on Lebanon for several days in its efforts to force Hizbullah militants back from the border, Israeli military analysts said yesterday. Three battalions of army reservists were called up yesterday, signalling the conflict was still some way from ending, but several former military officers dismissed suggestions that a ground invasion of southern Lebanon was imminent.... Israel wants to create a buffer zone above its northern border, said Uzi Arad, director of the institute of policy and strategy at the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy in Herzliya and for 25 years a senior official in the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad. more.. Israeli attack on army base kills 11 troops as death toll hits 230 The Daily Star 7/19/2006 BEIRUT: Israeli warplanes on Tuesday struck an army base in Jamhour, east of Beirut, killing 11 soldiers and wounding at least 40 others. The death toll in Lebanon for the past week's violence had, by the time The Daily Star went to press, risen to at least 208 civilians and 22 soldiers. Jamhour's army base is responsible for managing and executing developmental projects such as paving roads and building and refurbishing bridges. "The unit carries out development projects in rural areas. It is not a combat unit but rather a developmental support unit," an army spokesperson told The Daily Star. The base was struck three times by Israeli warplanes, which also hit two ambulances transporting soldiers wounded in the initial attacks. more.. As Convoy Smolders on Hill, Villagers Warn Drivers of Raid Washington Post 7/19/2006 ZAHLEH, Lebanon, July 18 -- On a twisting mountain road in eastern Lebanon, little remained of the truck that had tried to pass through earlier: The fuel tank was enveloped in greasy, orange flames. The undercarriage had melted into something that resembled crusty wrought iron. And the cargo -- white sacks of sugar and rice bound for Beirut -- burned angrily despite high-pressure hoses trained on the wreckage by volunteer firemen. The blazing truck was surrounded by the wreckage of two other 10-wheelers, a pair of sedans and a four-wheel-drive taxi from Jordan. All were destroyed by Israeli warplanes that swooped down at midday Tuesday on a road that has become a lifeline for Lebanese fleeing to Syria for safety, and for truckers trying to bring needed supplies into besieged Lebanese towns. more.. Residents dig out after Israel departs Gaza town The Daily Star 7/19/2006 Residents of a town in northern Gaza dug through the rubble of their damaged homes and schools on Tuesday, after Israeli troops pulled out with a promise to continue a deadly offensive across the territory. Israel has been operating inside the Gaza Strip for three weeks since June 28, in a bid to retrieve a soldier abducted by militants and halt rocket attacks. A two-day incursion into the sprawling northern town of Beit Hanun, the deepest offensive during the ground operation, ended overnight Monday as troops withdrew to the land north and east of the town, Palestinian sources said. As morning came to Beit Hanun, where eight Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since Sunday, an AFP correspondent saw a number of electricity pylons lying broken on the ground and damaged homes. more.. Israeli military continues West Bank arrest campaign Palestine News Network 7/18/2006 Israeli forces arrested four Palestinian citizens today during an early morning raid on the southern West Bank towns of Hebron and Bani Naim. Palestinian security sources told PNN that the Israeli military invaded the two towns at dawn and stormed a number of houses. The Israeli forces then carried out inspections in the homes which lasted several hours. Officials sources at the Office of the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society in Hebron report that those arrested included 35 year old Khalil Na’el, 28 year old Muhammah Na’el, 30 year old Falah Chaouiki, and Mohammed Ahmed Abu Maria. Reasons for the arrests are unknown, and all of the men were taken to an unknown location. [end] more.. Qassam with longest range ever fired YNet News 7/18/2006 Palestinians improve range of Qassam rockets, concerns grow they may reach Lachish area -- Palestinians are continuing to improve the range of Qassam rockets: On Tuesday Palestinians succeed to launch a rocket at the Kibbutz Brur Hayil area, north of Sderot. A second rocket landed in the area of Ashkelon's national park. The Qassam strike on Brur Hayil, not far from the ranch containing the home of former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, again raised concerns that the terrorists will eventually reach communities in the Lachish region. The rocket landed very near the kibbutz, and a fire broke out after the attack. Firefighters and Jewish National Fund staff quelled the blaze. Although Ashkelon is further from Gaza than Brur Hayil, the rockets on Sderot are fired from a different launch zone. more.. Women's brigade formed in Gaza Ma'an News 7/18/2006 Gaza --The An Nasser Salah Addin Brigades, the military wing affiliated with the Popular Resistance Committees, declared the formation of a women's brigade to defend the Palestinian territories in the face of the ongoing Israeli aggression. Around one hundred armed woman, carrying homemade projectiles and rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) launchers, marched from the Al Yarmouk playground in Gaza City to the headquarters of the Palestinian Legislative Council in a female military presentation that was the first of its kind.... The spokeswoman for the brigade confirmed that "they were organized and trained in various types of weapons, and the brigade will fight to defend the honor of the nation in spite of the weakness of its men. " more.. Gunmen storm Fatah officer's home BBC 7/18/2006 Gunmen have stormed the home of a senior Palestinian security officer in Gaza, officials say. Nabil Tammous, a member of a security force loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas, was not there at the time. The attackers forced their way into the house, blew it up and also seized three bodyguards, security sources said. The ruling party Hamas, which has clashed frequently with Mr Abbas's Fatah party, denied any involvement in the attack. One report said a fourth guard was killed in the incident. The two factions, Hamas and Fatah, were locked in an intense power struggle for months after Hamas gained control of the Palestinian parliament in elections in January. more.. Lebanon condemns Israel 'madness' BBC 7/18/2006 Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora says Israel is "opening the gates of hell and madness" on his country. In a BBC interview, he urged Hezbollah to release two captured Israeli soldiers but said Israel's response to the crisis had been disproportionate. The UN is evacuating all non-essential staff, joining tens of thousands of foreigners fleeing the crisis. Fresh Israeli strikes have killed 11 Lebanese soldiers, while Hezbollah rockets killed an Israeli in Nahariya. Israel launched its assault and blockade last Wednesday after Hezbollah fighters captured two of its soldiers. About 230 Lebanese people have been killed since then - the vast majority of them civilians, but including about 30 soldiers. The number of Hezbollah fighters killed is not known. Twenty-five Israelis have died - 13 civilians and 12 members of the military. more.. IDF: We need two weeks to end Lebanon operation Ha'aretz 7/19/2006 The Israel Defense Forces estimate that 10-14 more days are necessary in order to meet the military aims of the operation in Lebanon. According to General Staff estimates, it is possible to greatly intensify the scope of the attacks against the Hezbollah rockets, with special emphasis on their longer-range weapons, as well as strikes against senior members of the group's operational arm. Defense Minister Amir Peretz said on Tuesday, during a meeting with senior IDF officers, that attacks against Hezbollah would continue "without letup and time limit. "A senior military source said on Tuesday that Israel seeks "to significantly weaken Hezbollah but not crush it. " He said that "it is impossible to crush a popular, religious movement. " more.. Nahariya: Man killed in rocket attack YNet News 7/19/2006 VIDEO) Massive rocket barrage hits northern Israel after several quiet hours: Two houses in Nahariya directly hit by rockets; one man killed, about 60 injured. At least six rockets land in Haifa area. Carmiel, Tiberias, Safed, Maalot and Rosh Pina also hit. Thirteen Israelis killed in rocket attacks since fighting in north began -- VIDEO - Massive rocket barrage hits northern Israel after several hours of calm: A 37-year-old man was killed Tuesday evening while running to a bomb shelter, raising the death toll of Israelis killed in rocket attacks since the fighting in the north began to 13. About 60 people were injured in Tuesday evening's rocket attack and were evacuated to hospitals in Safed and Nahariya. more.. IDF: Hezbollah may have drone laden with explosives Ha'aretz 7/19/2006 In a Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee meeting conducted on Monday, Military Intelligence officials announced that the Hezbollah could surprise the Israel Defense Forces with the launching of an unmanned drone laden with 40 kilograms of explosives and a Global Positioning System. The Hezbollah could detonate the explosives as far as several tens of kilometers south of the northern Israeli border, the officials said. The IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz said at the committee meeting that the IDF is trying to prevent such a launching, but "it is difficult. "He pointed out the fact that the Fajr rockets that have fallen on Haifa and Tiberias in the last few days contain more explosive power than the aforementioned drone. more.. Thousands of foreigners flee Lebanon AlJazeera 7/18/2006 Thousands of foreigners were fleeing Lebanon on Monday to escape Israeli air strikes which have pounded the country for six days, some travelling by road to Syria, others waiting for places on US and European ships. Syrian authorities said more than 100,000 people, three-quarters of them foreigners, had crossed into Syria from Lebanon over the past five days to reach safety after Beirutairport was bombed and forced to close. The United States flew out more than 40 citizens by helicopter and prepared to evacuate thousands more by ship. An Italian navy ship carrying 366 Europeans was the first vessel from Lebanon to reach the nearby Mediterranean island of Cyprus. "I am glad to be out, but, on the other hand, I am so sad at what is being done to Lebanon," said Mona Demachkieh, 27, originally from Milan. more.. In Pictures: Israel-Lebanon fighting AlJazeera 7/18/2006 Fourteen Photos --Image 1: Eldad Regev, 26, one of two abducted Israeli soldiers, is seen in this December 2002 photo released by the family. Israel began its offensive in Lebanon after the two soldiers were seized on Wednesday. (AFP) more.. Photo Album: Israeli Kids sign bombs, with Love, for Arab Kids! Bubbleshare 7/18/2006 Caption, photos 1-3: Israeli girls write messages on a shell at a heavy artillery position near Kiryat Shmona, in northern Israel, next to the Lebanese border, Monday, July 17, 2006. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner) Caption, photos 4+: Lebanese received the gifts from Israeli kids, with love! -- Disturbing images. -- See also: Sabbah's Blog more.. VIDEO - IDF: We're reaching new situation on border YNet News 7/18/2006 One week after Lebanon operation began, IDF top brass express satisfaction with results achieved so far. IAF strikes 1,000 targets, including rocket launchers, buildings used by Hizbullah, trucks delivering ammunition from Syria. However, 750-800 rockets land in northern Israel so far -- VIDEO - A week has passed since Hizbullah killed eight soldiers and kidnapped two , an incident which marked the beginning of Operation Change of Direction, and IDF officials expressed their satisfaction with the results. "We are closer than ever to a new situation on the northern border," a senior military official told Ynet. "For 10 years Hizbullah has been building capabilities, and in a number of days a considerable part of them has been destroyed. Hizbullah leaders also know that what was won't be anymore. " more.. IAF foils rocket transports from Syria YNet News 7/18/2006 While army continues to strike Hizbullah, limit its weapons resources, outside groups trying to rearm group. IAF manages to bomb trucks transporting missiles from Syria. IDF Maj. -Gen. Eisenkot: These rockets belong to Syrian army -- Although Hizbullah has suffered a harsh blow from Israeli air force strikes which took out a good percentage of their available weapons, Syria was continuing to smuggle arms into Lebanon to rearm the group, IDF Operations Branch Head Major General Gadi Eisenkot said during a press briefing Tuesday. Thus far, the IAF managed to intercept a number of trucks transporting rockets from Syria to Hizbullah, including trucks laden with the 20mm-diameter rockets with warheads like the one that hit the Haifa train depot Monday, claiming eight lives. more.. Half a million Lebanese become refugees YNet News 7/18/2006 Grave reports on situation of Lebanese population, which is 'on verge of humanitarian crisis. ' Government in Beirut, UN agencies point finger at Israel -- Fighting in Lebanon claims heavy price among civilians. About half a million Lebanese have turned into refugees, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) reported. In addition, dozens of civilians have been killed in Israel Air Force strikes. On the seventh day of the fighting in Lebanon, and after hundreds of strikes, the UN's agency in Beirut defined the situation as "catastrophic" and reported that about half a million of Lebanon's citizens have abandoned their homes and are considered refugees. UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Jan Egeland said on Monday that "it is already a 'protection of civilians crisis'. We hear and see a population which feels trapped as they are subject to indiscriminate attacks. " more.. USS Iwo Jima Ordered to Waters Off Lebanon to Evacuate Nationals An Nahar (Naharnet) 7/18/2006 Five amphibious warships led by the USS Iwo Jima helicopter carrier have been ordered to waters off Lebanon with 2,200 marines to assist in the evacuation of US nationals, the US Navy said Tuesday. "US sailors and marines from the Iwo Jima Expeditionary Strike Group and the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) have been directed to assist in the authorized departure of American citizens from Lebanon," the navy said. The ships, which were in the Red Sea for exercises, were expected to be in position "later this week," the navy said in a statement. Besides the Iwo Jima, the group includes the USS Nashville and the USS Whidbey Island. They have been joined by the USS Trenton and High Speed Vessel Swift 2. more.. Morning Roundup: Israeli Offensive Continues for 7th Day With no Signs of Abating An Nahar (Naharnet) 7/18/2006 Israeli warplanes on Tuesday continued for the 7th day their airstrikes on Lebanon by launching early morning raids on a Lebanese army base and on a coastal road north of Beirut Tuesday. Overnight, fighter jets continued pounding Beirut's southern suburbs, a Hizbullah stronghold and home for many Shiite families who have fled the devastated area seeking refuge with relatives as well as in schools and public parks. The warplanes also struck a military base in Kfarshima, a town just south of the capital, local television stations reported. There was no immediate confirmation from the Lebanese army.... By nightfall Monday, 210 Lebanese had been reported killed in the fighting including 12 soldiers. more.. Press sources: Hezbollah preparing surprises Ma'an News 7/18/2006 Bethlehem --Press sources reported that Hezbollah and its media are directing the war very intentionally. They will try to make use of surprises, such as attempts to capture more Israeli soldiers after confrontations between Hezbollah and Israeli commandoes at Sheba Farms, an area of Israeli settlements near the Israel-Lebanon border. Yet the more serious story is related to the shelling of Tel Aviv. According to these sources, the media of Hezbollah has given the Israeli press a chance to depict the great toll that the Lebanese civilians paid. They also enabled them to show Olmert as the winner of the war and almost to prepare for celebrations. The same sources said that "the Lebanese resistance is preparing a retaliation parallel to Israel's military actions. more.. VIDEO - IDF: Hizbullah lost half of its rocket capablities YNet News 7/18/2006 Air Force instructed to step up gear out of assumption that diplomatic clock has begun ticking. Bad news: Hizbullah, IDF officials estimate, will insist to be last to fire, and may still be able to fire at center of Israel 'with Iranian permission' -- VIDEO - The diplomatic clock has began ticking – and the Israel Defense Forces is seeking to harvest the gains of the operation in Lebanon as soon as possible. Army sources said Tuesday evening that the chief of staff has ordered the Air Force to destroy all Hizbullah positions on the northern border by Saturday. As part of the same effort, two outposts in the northern part of the Rajar village have been destroyed. "Explosives of between hundreds of kilograms to a ton have been planted among the outposts, which means we must act very cautiously," a senior IDF source said. more.. VIDEO - Lebanon: 50 killed in 24 hours YNet News 7/18/2006 Air strikes in Lebanon resumed Tuesday afternoon; Jordanian citizen killed as truck attacked. IDF: We struck trucks which may have been used for firing rockets. More than 100 targets struck overnight -- VIDEO - IDF continues shelling: More than 50 people were killed in Israel Air Force strikes in Lebanon in the last 24 hours. A Jordanian citizen was killed and two were wounded when the Air Force struck a truck making its way from the Lebanon Valley to Beirut. Lebanese security officials reported that at least ten Lebanese soldiers were killed and some thirty others were wounded as a result of a nocturnal Israeli air strike on a Lebanese army base, part of a renewed IAF attack on Beirut and northern Lebanon. more.. Civilan death tolls: 13 Israelis, 200 Lebanese Ma'an News 7/18/2006 Bethlehem --The Israeli death toll as a result of Hezbollah missile attacks, has risen to 13 civilians, according to the Israeli newspaper "Yedioth Ahranoth". This follows the death of a Nahariya resident in a rocket attack on Tuesday. The electronic website of the Israeli paper said that, despite the hard strike that Hezbollah has received, they have been able to launch missiles at the northern Israeli towns of Nahariya, Maalot, Haifa, Safed, Karmiel, Tiberias and Naqoura. The Israeli police said that the missiles which hit Haifa on Tuesday afternoon were smaller than the ones which hit the train station previously. A reliable source in the train station told Yedioth Ahranoth that the latest missile to land in Haifa came during a visit by an Israeli official to the station which was destroyed in the previous attack. more.. In pictures: Suffering deepens BBC 7/18/2006 Thousands of people are being evacuated from Lebanon, in an often traumatic operation described as one of the largest mass evacuations since World War II. / Many of those with dual nationality are leaving relatives behind, worried for their safety amid an ongoing Israeli military offensive against Hezbollah. / Israel's military campaign against the Hezbollah militia, launched after two of its troops were captured, continued apace on Tuesday... more.. The dangerous road into Lebanon BBC 7/18/2006 There are reckoned to be just three overland routes in and out of Lebanon - and you are advised not to take any of them unless you have a very good reason to. Smoke rises over Zahle in western Bekaa valleyTrouble ahead as smoke rises over ZahleAll three pass through the Syrian border, which surrounds this small rectangle of land to the north and east. The Mediterranean is to the west and to the south is Israel - which is currently bombarding Lebanon following the capture of two soldiers by Hezbollah militants in the border zone six days ago. On Tuesday, we took the most direct route from Syria's capital Damascus to the border at Anjar, crossing the Bekaa valley and climbing over the Lebanon mountain range into mainly-Christian East Beirut. more.. Jewish rabbis support killing of Palestinian and Lebanese children Ma'an News 7/18/2006 Jews praying at Western Wall (Ma'an)Jerusalem --The Committee of West Bank and Gaza Strip Settlement Rabbis issued a Jewish religious edict permitting the killing of innocent women and children, according to the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Aharonoth. According to the newspaper's electronic website, the religious edict was issued against the backdrop of Israeli aggression against Lebanon. The rabbis claimed that the edict was based on the Torah. According to the edict, "those who have mercy on the children in Gaza and Lebanon are tough with the children of Israel. " The rabbis called on crowds of Israelis to go to the "Haith Al Buraq", or the Western Wall as it is known by Israelis, to perform collective prayers on Monday afternoon to extricate Israel from the hardship that it is living in. more.. Lebanon divided over Hezbollah raid AlJazeera 7/14/2006 Some Lebanese are angry at Hezbollah for inviting reprisals -- With aerial bombardment and a naval and land blockade of Lebanon intensifying, many Lebanese are divided over Hezbollah's capture of two Israeli soldiers. Some politicians have expressed doubt about or condemned Hezbollah's cross-border raid on Wednesday. Michel Aoun, a member of parliament who leads the Free Patriotic Movement, called the raid a "pure military action" but also condemned Israel's retaliatory attacks on civilian targets. "The priority now is to stop military operations and move towards a solution through negotiations," Aoun, a former general who returned from exile last year, told Aljazeera. net. Aoun, a Maronite Christian leader, signed an understanding with Hezbollah in February after arguing that the Islamist group should be integrated into political reforms in Lebanon. more.. Thirst for US bills forces banks to cap individual withdrawals The Daily Star 7/19/2006 BEIRUT: Lebanese commercial banks have reported heavy demand for US dollar banknotes since the start of the Israeli onslaught a week ago. Thousands of Lebanese, Arabs and foreign nationals fleeing the country reportedly poured into different bank branches in Beirut and other cities to withdraw US dollars in cash, but were told by bankers that they could take out no more than $2,000 per person. The closure of Beirut's airport and roads leading to Syria was the main reason behind the sharp shortage of US dollar notes from the banks. More than 75 percent of total bank deposits are in foreign currency. Lebanon is considered a dollarized economy because the national currency has been pegged to the dollar since 1999. more.. Olmert vows to continue assault as Lebanese death toll passes 200 The Daily Star 7/18/2006 Israel continued its bombardment of Lebanon Monday, targeting the South, the Bekaa Valley and Beirut's southern suburbs, leading to the death of at least 46 Lebanese and pushing the overall death toll to over 200 since Wednesday. The latest strikes came as Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said the fighting in Lebanon would end when the two soldiers captured by Hizbullah on Wednesday were freed, rocket attacks on Israel stopped and the Lebanese Army deployed along the border. Delivering a speech to Israel's Parliament, Olmert said Israel would have no mercy on militants who attack its cities with rockets. "We shall seek out every installation, hit every terrorist helping to attack Israeli citizens, destroy the entire terrorist infrastructure, in every place... " more.. More than 100,000 people flee Lebanon through Syria Ha'aretz 7/18/2006 More than 100,000 people have crossed into Syria from Lebanon over the past five days to escape Israeli attacks, Syrian authorities said on Monday. ... At least 27,000 Arabs, mostly Gulf tourists, also left, together with more than 6,500 foreigners and 19,000 Syrians.... Meanwhile, United Nations peacekeeping force in South Lebanon said on Monday it was unable to supply food and water to its troops or deliver humanitarian aid to civilians because Israel would not guarantee their safe passage. The IDF have not responded to the UN's repeated requests to secure the safe transport of convoys carrying supplies to its positions, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said in a statement. more.. Israeli forces bomb Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of the Interior in Gaza Palestine News Network 7/17/2006 Israeli forces launched an air raid on the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Gaza City late Sunday night. The attack marks the second time in which the building was bombed by the Israeli military. This time around, the bombing led to the complete destruction of the building, and caused significant damage to nearby buildings. Fortunately, no casualties have been reported. The military also attacked the Ministry of the Interior, just north of Gaza City, on Sunday night. One member of Saraya Al Quds, the armed resistance wing of the Islamic Jihad party, was injured. In addition, residents in the northern Gaza Strip faced Israeli incursions this morning as the forces invaded the town of Beit Hanoun, in what has become a near daily occurrence. more.. IDF says army leveling 1km of territory inside south Lebanon Ha'aretz 7/17/2006 A senior Israel Defense Forces officer told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Monday that IDF troops had leveled land inside Lebanese territory extending up to one kilometer from Israel's northern frontier. The objective is to prevent the reestablishment of Hezbollah guerilla posts along Israel's border. Earlier Monday, Defense Minister Amir Peretz said that Israel intends to create an unmanned buffer zone in south Lebanon, from where Hezbollah has been pounding Israel with rockets for the past six days. "One of the aims of the [military] operation is to establish a security area in Lebanon, without the presence of IDF soldiers," Peretz said. IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz told the committee that Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah has been in an underground bunker since the start of Israeli air strikes... more.. IDF strike in Lebanon kills at least 13 YNet News 7/18/2006 Witnesses, Lebanese media say IAF jets resume attacks on Hizbullah stronghold in capital; Israeli warplanes also fire missiles on residential areas in Baalbek. IDF strike in south Lebanon village kills at least 13 -- Witnesses and Lebanese media said early Tuesday that Israeli warplanes renewed attacks on Beirut’s southern suburbs, a Hizbullah stronghold. The air strike caused a big explosion that reverberated across Beirut. Black smoke billowed from the area, which has been repeatedly bombed since Israel launched a military offensive on Lebanon last Wednesday after the guerrillas captured two Israeli soldiers. The planes returned 15 minutes later and fired three more missiles on the deserted southern suburbs, devastated by almost daily Israeli air strikes in the past few days. more.. Five hurt in rocket strikes across northern Israel Ha'aretz 7/18/2006 Hezbollah fired more than 50 rockets at Israel on Monday, including a barrage which landed after 10 P. M. in the northern towns of Safed, Rosh Pina, Tzivon, Sakhnin, Hatzur Haglilit and Peki'in. Five people were wounded in the rocket barrage, four when a rocket hit a public building in Safed and another in a separate incident in the region. Another rocket landed next to a medical institution in the Galilee. Israel Air Force warplanes in the early hours of Tuesday morning renewed their strikes on Hezbollah targets in Beirut and the Bekaa Valley, witnesses and Lebanese media said. The airstrike on Beirut caused a big explosion that reverberated across Beirut. more.. Peretz approves plan to call up limited number of IDF reservists Ha'aretz 7/18/2006 Defense Minister Amir Peretz on Monday approved a plan to call up a limited number of Israel Defense Forces reservists, in the wake of the IDF's escalating offensive on Lebanon. Three reservist units will take positions in Gaza and the West Bank as the units regularly serving there move to the north. IDF Deputy Chief of Staff Moshe Kaplinski on Monday said the IDF's offensive would continue at least another week. "We will continue to operate to shorten the breath of this organization," he said. Kaplinski said the IDF has continued to alert civilians in targeted neighborhoods in southern Lebanon before striking. Kaplinski ireiterated that the IDF was targeting militants, not civilians. more.. By the numbers: heavy damage to infrastructure The Daily Star 7/18/2006 BEIRUT: The relentless bombardment of Lebanon has caused an incredible amount of death and destruction. The first detailed report by the Internal Security Forces' directorate general, released Monday, documented the sheer amount of human and material damage since last Wednesday as a result of Israeli raids over vital public utilities and residential areas. Crucial infrastructure was among the first to be targeted, including an initial aerial attack on a power station. The runways of Rafik Hariri International Airport, the Qoleiaat Airport in North Lebanon and the Riyaq Military Airport in the Bekaa - were all severely damaged, as were the three main sea ports of Beirut, Tripoli and Jamil Gemayel... more.. Humanitarian groups rush to Lebanon's aid amid blockade The Daily Star 7/18/2006 BEIRUT: Humanitarian organizations are fighting to save lives and reduce the damage in Lebanon as Israel's devastating offensive continues. "People need everything. They need food, medicine. Some need blankets. The problem is security on the roads... Trips that used to take half-an-hour now take four to five hours," said Hicham Hassan, official spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Delegation to Lebanon. "The Lebanese Red Cross [LRC] is managing to move around but with difficulty. "Since the start of the Israeli attacks on Lebanon last Wednesday, the LRC has dispatched 2,000 Lebanese first aid volunteers concentrated in Beirut, the Bekaa Valley and the South. more.. UAE evacuates hundreds through Syria Gulf News 7/17/2006 Beirut/Dubai: The UAE mission in Lebanon yesterday evacuated hundreds of people, an official told Gulf News. Hamad Saeed Al Shamsi, a senior official at the UAE Embassy, told Gulf News 10 buses each carrying around 40-45 people had left for Syria. "Our citizens are safe and we are doing our best to evacuate them. " Five per cent of those evacuated by the mission on Monday were UAE citizens, while the rest were expatriates. The embassies of other Gulf countries are also exerting every effort to evacuate thousands of their nationals and expatriates through Syria. Sources in the Saudi Embassy in Lebanon said it has been asking its citizens to gather in Al Safeer Hotel in Roache area. "Hundreds of people have been evacuated and we are still working on moving others out of Lebanon through Syria," said the source. more.. IAF warplanes blast Beirut's southern suburbs, eastern city Ha'aretz 7/18/2006 Israel Air Force warplanes launched waves of bombings on south Beirut, on a Lebanese army base and on a coastal road north of the Lebanese capital in the early hours Tuesday, witnesses and Lebanese media said. The first strikes caused a big explosion that reverberated across Beirut. The planes returned 15 minutes later and fired three more missiles on the deserted neighborhood, devastated by almost daily IAF attacks in the past few days. The new raid caused three major explosions to shake the capital. In a third overnight air raid on Beirut, warplanes again pounded the southern Shi'ite Muslim neighborhood, along with an area near Beirut's airport, witnesses and Lebanese media said. Four major blasts were heard. more.. Last-minute talks in Lebanon amid fears of ground invasion The Guardian 7/17/2006 Israeli PM warns of far reaching consequences as rockets hit Haifa -- Last-minute talks were under way in Beirut last night in a desperate attempt to head off a major escalation in the six-day conflict between Israel and Lebanese Hizbullah militants. The UN secretary general's special envoy, Terje Roed-Larsen, and the EU foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, arrived in Beirut to meet the Lebanese prime minister, Fouad Siniora, in the hope of securing an agreement to curb the violence. Israel's prime minister, Ehud Olmert, warned of "far-reaching consequences" after eight civilian railway workers were killed and six seriously injured in a morning rocket strike in the city of Haifa, the deadliest strike in Israel since the conflict began last week. Some analysts now say a major ground invasion of southern Lebanon is being considered. more.. As the bombs rain down, a refugee crisis unfolds on the streets of Beirut The Guardian 7/17/2006 Thousands of homeless or trapped Shia seek shelter · Fleeing families killed in Israeli attacks on roads -- Lebanon was on the brink of a humanitarian crisis yesterday as Israeli forces continued their bombardment and thousands of Shia Muslims either fled their homes or found themselves trapped. In Beirut, where Israel has dropped leaflets from the air urging residents to leave the teeming suburbs controlled by Hizbullah, schools are being overwhelmed as families set up temporary homes in classrooms. Hundreds of others are sleeping out in the open. Among them were 600 homeless Shia, 70% of them children, who spent Saturday night in Sanayeh park, not far from the city centre. Police were turning journalists away yesterday. "No photographs," one said. more.. Loud Explosions Rock Beirut Suburbs The Guardian 7/17/2006 BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) - Israeli missiles hit the Lebanese capital shortly after sunrise Monday, as three loud explosions rocked the southern suburbs while another strike sparked a large fire in Beirut's port, witnesses said. The strikes came as the Israeli military said a Hezbollah rocket had fallen south of Haifa, the southernmost point hit by the Lebanese guerrilla in six days of escalating conflict. In Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanese TV showed columns of smoke rising from the Hezbollah stronghold, which was pummeled on Sunday after a Hezbollah rocket killed eight people in Haifa. Israeli air raids had killed 13 people and wounded at least 53 throughout Lebanon on Monday. Eight of the dead were Lebanese soldiers killed when aircraft bombed a position at the country's northern border. more.. Israeli city shaken by Hizbullah rocket attack The Guardian 7/17/2006 Eight die, many injured in strike on Haifa rail depot · Safety fears close schools, shops and factories -- The rocket came out of the morning sky and tore a gaping hole in the train depot's corrugated roof, directly above track number three. Windows in the trains on either side were shattered and on the ground ran broad stains of blood. Dozens of reddening surgical gloves lay where they had been discarded in a rush by the medics. The rocket struck shortly after 9am yesterday on what was a working day, when there were already 30 maintenance staff at their jobs in the Israel Railways yard at Hof Shemen, in northern Haifa. Police said a siren sounded, as they have sounded in towns across northern Israel for the past five days, giving a one-minute warning of an impending strike. more.. Eleven Israelis injured in Safad, two injured at a “sensitive facility” International Middle East Media Center 7/18/2006 Israeli sources reported that eleven Israelis were injured in Safad, north of Israel, and two Israelis were injured in what was described as “a sensitive facility” in Israel. Ten Israelis suffered shock and were transferred to a medical center. The sources stated that serenes were heard in Haifa and that three missiles fired by Hezbollah fighters detonated in open areas, no injuries were reported. Also, dozens of missiles and shells were fired at Maalot area and the regional council “Marom Hagalil” in the Galilee, and the areas of Al Matalla, Miron, Kfar Yoval, Hosoun, Dilton, Sikhneen, and a settlement in the Galilee. More shells were also fired at Safad and Rosh Bena area, Hatzor Hagilileet, and Ras Al Naqoura area north of Israel. more.. Amid attacks, health workers warn of waning supplies Electronic Intifada/IRIN 7/17/2006 BEIRUT - Local health workers say they face difficulties reaching the injured in southern Lebanon following furious Israeli artillery barrages and air strikes that came in response to the 12 July kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers by Hizbullah. “We’re cooperating with NGOs and other humanitarian associations to help us cope with the situation,” Minister of Health Muhammad Jawad Khalifa told IRIN. “But we’re experiencing difficulties in accessing affected areas to help the injured. ” Khalifa added that 175 deaths and 500 injuries had been reported since the bombing began on 12 July. Hizbullah has been fighting back with rockets fired at Israel, killing 12 people. The militant group says it will release the two soldiers in exchange for Lebanese prisoners held in Israel. more.. IDF takes out Hizbullah outposts in Rajar YNet News 7/17/2006 Deputy chief of staff says forces enter Lebanon-controlled northern part of village, destroy two terror group outposts; exchanges of fire reported during operation -- IDF Deputy Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Moshe Kaplinski said Monday evening that ground forces have been operating in the past few days to destroy Hizbullah outposts in the village of Rajar. Kaplinski said during a security briefing at Tel Aviv’s Kirya military base that IDF forces, including infantry and engineering corps soldiers, entered Rajar and demolished two Hizbullah outposts in the village’s northern section, which is under Lebanese control. He added that exchanges of fire were reported during the operation. more.. Explosion in Nablus kills one Israeli soldier, wounds at least seven others Palestine News Network 7/17/2006 A bombing early this morning carried out by members of the Al Aqsa Brigades, the armed resistance wing of the Fateh party, has claimed the life of one Israeli soldier and injured at least seven others. The explosion took place in the old city neighbourhood of Nablus, in the northern West Bank. Eyewitnesses told PNN that the explosion was huge, and that a state of panic prevailed among the soldiers. A spokesman for the Al Aqsa Brigades said that the operation had been a “gift” and that it was a tribute to the Lebanese resistance. On an unrelated note, Israeli forces arrested three young men from Nablus early this morning. Those arrested included 38 year old Ayman Sayed, 22 year old Nimar Alvdawi, and 22 year old Suhail Hanna. The men were taken to an unknown location. [end] more.. Israeli soldier killed in West Bank AlJazeera 7/17/2006 An Israeli soldier has been killed by an explosion in Nablus in the West Bank, according to an AFP reporter at the scene. The body was lying in an alley surrounded by a group of Palestinians. An anonymous caller told AFP that the soldier had been killed by a bomb planted by al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an armed offshoot of the Fatah party led by Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president. At least 86 Palestinians and an Israeli have been killed since July 5 after an increase in military attacks, which Israel says are intended to secure the release of one of its soldiers seized last month and to prevent fighters firing homemade rockets over the border. Palestinians in Nablus have been holding rallies in the past few days to protest against Israel's attacks on Lebanon and on their countrymen in the Gaza Strip. [end] more.. Israel flattens Palestinian foreign ministry in Gaza and the war is still going on with total silence from the world!! Rafah Today 7/17/2006 With photos: A child wounded inside Kamal Adwan Hospital / Destruction by the Israeli army / More destruction / A 21 year old relative of Ali Abdullah being carried to the hospital / Realtive of Abdel Latif Obeida collapses during his relative's funteral in Jabalya Camp / Taking shelter in an UNRWA school / More Palestinians seeking shelter -- ONCE AGAIN IN GAZA: The Israeli F1-6s jets today attacked the Palestinian Foreign Ministry in Gaza for the second time in a week, leaving the building in ruins as it stepped up an offensive three weeks after the capture of a soldier. Three residents were wounded when a missile was dropped in the early hours by an F-16 jet that destroyed what was left of the foreign ministry building, security sources said. It had already been badly damaged in the raid last Thursday. more.. Israeli forces invade Hebron, attack four Palestinians and arrest two others Palestine News Network 7/17/2006 During an incursion into the southern West Bank town of Hebron Sunday, Israeli forces attacked and beat four Palestinian citizens. Two of those injured in the incident are minors. Those injured in the attack include 20 year old Ghassan Badr, 17 year old Walid Abu Hussein, 16 year old Mohammed Younis Abu Hussein, and 30 year old Abdel Daoud. Hospital sources tell PNN that the citizens suffered bruises, contusions, and severe abrasions on various parts of the body. In addition to beating the town's citizens, Israeli forces also stormed the houses of and arrested 26 year old Mohammed Sharif and 29 year old Iyad Al Amri. The young men were taken to an unknown location. [end] more.. Army arrests thee residents from Beit Amreen International Middle East Media Center 7/17/2006 Israeli troops invaded the village of Beit Amreen and arrested three residents there Monday morning. The arrested were identified as Samih Al Faqeh, 23, Medhat Hasson, 23, and Mohamed Hasson, 22. All were taken to unknown locations after the army searched and ransacked their family houses, local sources reported. [end] more.. Under cover army unit kidnap a young man from Bethlehem International Middle East Media Center 7/17/2006 An undercover Israeli army unit has kidnapped one Palestinian man from the West Bank city of Bethlehem, during the afternoon of Monday 17 July. Yousif Abu Al Ize, 33, was kidnapped when undercover soldiers surprised him at his work place in the city centre. According to eyewitnesses, he was forced into their car, then rushed out of the city. [end] more.. IDF troops pull out of Beit Hanun, ending 2-day incursion Ha'aretz 7/18/2006 Israel Defense Forces troops pulled out of the town of Beit Hanun in the northern Gaza Strip late Monday, ending a two-day incursion that left behind a wide area of destruction, residents said. About 15 tanks moved out of populated areas of Beit Hanun and headed toward the nearby Israeli border. Five helicopters hovered overhead, firing flares and machine guns to provide cover for the ground forces. Earlier Monday, IDF troops clashed with Palestinian militants in the town, killing two and wounding four others, hospital officials said. Residents said the troops caused heavy damage to houses, farmland and water pipes before they withdrew. Late Monday, the army confirmed its forces were out of Beit Hanun. It had no immediate comment on the reports of damage. more.. Troops invade Nablus, occupy a building that belong to its municipality, a school International Middle East Media Center 7/18/2006 Israeli soldiers operating in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus broke into a building that belongs to Nablus municipality and used it as military post. Soldiers also occupied a school and fired against several houses in Nablus and its Old City. The Palestinian News Agency, WAFA, reported that soldiers broke into Thafer Al Masry school and used it as a military post. Troops fired rounds of live ammunition at houses and street lights and damaged the windows of several cars parked in the area. Also, soldiers supported by dozens of armored vehicles and accompanied by military bulldozers invaded the center of Nablus while military helicopters fired rounds of live ammunition at civilian houses in the city. more.. Faction fires two projectiles at Ashkelon Ma'an News 7/17/2006 Khan Younis--The Al Quds Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Jihad, declared that they launched two homemade projectiles into the Israeli southern city of Ashkelon on Monday afternoon. The media spokesman for the Brigades in the southern Gaza Strip, Abu Hamza, said that the launching operation was "in response to the ongoing Israeli aggressions in Palestine and Lebanon. [end] more.. Brigades launch home-made projectile into Sderot Ma'an News 7/17/2006 Gaza -- The Abu Ar-Rish Brigades claimed responsibility for the launch of one home-made projectile into Sderot on Monday afternoon. In a statement, the Brigades said that the launch was in response to the Israeli aggressions against the Palestinian and Lebanese people. They promised to continue their resistance against the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land. [end] more.. Faction fires grenade at Israeli soldiers in northern Gaza, 6 injured Ma'an News 7/17/2006 Gaza --The An Nasser Salah Addin Brigades, the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committee (PRC), said that they launched a rocket-propelled grenade (an "RPG") into an Israeli Special Force stationed near the Al-Ahli charitable society in Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip on Monday afternoon. In a statement, the Brigades said that one of their groups clashed with the Israeli Special Force and they hit the soldiers with the grenade. Israel recognized the injury of six Israeli soldiers. The Brigades said that the operation was in "response to the ongoing Israeli aggressions on the Gaza Strip. [end] more.. Izzedine Al Qassam launch projectiles into Ashkelon, explode tank in Gaza Ma'an News 7/17/2006 Gaza -- The Izzedine Al Qassam Brigades have claimed responsibility for the launch of two home-made Qassam projectiles into the Israeli city of Ashkelon. The projectiles hit a power station. The brigades also claimed responsiblity for the explosion of an explosive device at an Israeli tank in the An Nasser region in Beit Hanoun town on Monday morning. The brigades said in two separate statements that the launches and the explosion were in response to the Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip. [end] more.. Israeli forces arrest 6 Fatah activists in the West Bank Ma'an News 7/17/2006 Nablus -- Israeli forces arrested 6 Palestinian members of the Fatah movement on Monday morning. Three of these are from Nablus and the other three are from the village of Beit Amrien, northwest of Nablus. Palestinian security sources reported that ten Israeli military vehicles raided Nablus and arrested Raed Hanna, 23, from Rafedya in the west of Nablus, Tamir Al Lifidawi, 22, and Ayman As Sayed, 40. Israeli military vehicles raided the Beit Amrein village and arrested three activists Samih Fiqyah, 22, Midhat Hassoun, 22, and Muhammad Hassoun,21. [end] more.. Palestinian ministry bombed AlJazeera 7/17/2006 Israel had bombed the same building on Thursday -- Israeli aircraft have bombed the Palestinian foreign ministry building in Gaza City, the second attack on the building in a week, witnesses have said. An Associated Press reporter on the scene early on Monday saw clouds of smoke rising from the already damaged building after the strike. At least five people were injured, rescue workers said. The Israeli military refused to comment. The blast collapsed an eight-storey wing of the building and damaged houses in a wide area around it. The wounded were taken to nearby houses. The ministry was thought to be empty at the time of the strike. Israel had bombed the same building on Thursday, saying it was used to plan terror attacks. The Palestinian foreign minister is Mahmoud Zahar, a Hamas leader. more.. Israeli forces kill three Palestinians in pre-dawn incursion into Beit Hanoun Palestine News Network 7/16/2006 Palestinian security and medical sources have reported that three Palestinians were killed in a pre-dawn Israeli air raid on the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun Sunday. A dozen other citizens were wounded in the attack. Eyewitnesses told PNN that members of Palestinian armed resistance stood in front of Israeli tanks approaching the town, in an attempt to impede the progress of the incursion. The eyewitnesses further noted that the Israeli forces began firing at the town's residents and then proceeded to bulldoze land surrounding a secondary school for girls. Security sources said that the arrival of the tanks was followed by attacks by Israeli warplanes and Apache helicopters, which bombed several areas of the town. Three were killed in the bombing, and four others were critically wounded. more.. Israeli naval warship hits civilian car in the Gaza Strip Ma'an News 7/16/2006 Gaza -- Palestinian medical sources have announced the injury of one Palestinian in a bombardment from an Israeli naval warship stationed in the Mediterranean Sea west of the Gaza Strip. The sources confirmed that the bombardment hit a civilian car in the As Sodaniyah region in the northern Gaza Strip. An unknown number of Palestinian civilians were injured in the attack. [end] more.. Israeli forces kill Palestinian man and infant in latest raid on Gaza City Palestine News Network 7/15/2006 Medical sources at Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City have reported that two Palestinians, including one infant, were killed this afternoon in an Israeli raid on the city. Eight others were injured in the attack. Eyewitnesses said that Israeli warplanes fired two missiles at a two-story house. The bombardment resulted in considerable damage to the house belonging to the Elyazji family. Dr. Jumaa Al Sakka, Director of Public Relations at Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, told PNN that those killed in the attack included 30 year old Omar Mahmoud Younis and 7 month old Talal Nerad. Of the eight Palestinians injured, three were children, and one, 11 year old Ahmed Jadba, was described as being in critical condition. [end] more.. Israel 'is using chemical ammunition' Gulf News 7/11/2006 Dubai: A doctor at a Palestinian hospital has accused Israel of using a type of chemical ammunition which causes burns and injuries in soft tissue and cannot be traced by X-ray. Chemical or depleted uranium could have been used in producing the new type of ammunition according to Dr Jomaa Al Saqqa, head of the Emergency Unit at Gaza's main medical facility, the Al Shifa Hospital. In a telephone interview, Al Saqqa told Gulf News that operation Summer Rain was not just the code name of a military operation launched by Israel against Gaza since June 26. "It is a live exercise on a new ammunition that, so far, has resulted in killing 50 Palestinians and injuring 200," he said. He said he was not yet sure about the kind of chemical being used because the Israeli Army had bombed the only criminal laboratory in Gaza on the first day of the assault. more.. Israel may deploy Barak anti-missile system in Haifa Bay Ha'aretz 7/18/2006 The Israel Navy began evaluating the possibility Monday that guided missile vessels could be deployed in the Haifa Bay to provide a defensive shield against rockets fired by Hezbollah in Lebanon against targets in Haifa and its environs. The vessels would be equiped with the Barak anti-missile system normally carried by advanced navy ships, such as the Saar-5 and Saar-4. 5 class destroyers. The Navy's department for armaments and the Defense Ministry's Weapons Development Authority are responsible for the evaluation, which is considered urgent. If the Barak system is used to target advanced forms of Katyusha rockets and Fajr missiles, it will be guided by land-based radar, including Green Pine, the radar for the Arrow anti-missile batteries. more.. Israel Answers Attack With Lethal Blows The Guardian 7/17/2006 BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) - Hezbollah and Israel traded fierce barrages for a sixth day Monday, as the latest eruption of warfare in the Middle East showed no sign of easing. Rockets struck deep inside Israel a day earlier, killing eight people in Haifa, and Israeli planes bombed Lebanon from north to south. Israeli missiles hammered the Lebanese capital on Monday morning, killing two people in Beirut's port, bombing a gas tank in a northern neighborhood and shelling the southern suburbs,The port was in flames, and the Israeli army said it had launched at least 60 strikes overnight, both with aircraft and artillery. The strikes Monday killed 15 people and wounded more than 53 by mid-morning. The death toll on both sides rose to more than 200 - at least 180 in Lebanon and 24 in Israel. more.. IDF: ‘Plane downed in Lebanon’ – long-range missile YNet News 7/17/2006 Army estimates ‘IAF jet seen crashing in Lebanon’ was actually long-range Zelzal missile fired accidentally after warplanes struck launching device -- IDF sources estimate Monday that the “downed Israel Air Force jet seen falling from Beirut’s skies" was actually a Zelzal-type long-range missile, which is capable of reaching central Israel. According to army sources, the Air Force struck a missile launching device, and as a result one rocket was accidentally fired but landed nearby. Earlier Hizbullah's television station and other media in the Arab world reported that an Israel Air Force aircraft crashed in eastern Beirut, in an area called al-Warwar. more.. IDF concerned missiles could hit central Israel Ha'aretz 7/17/2006 Hezbollah secretary general Hassan Nasrallah may decide to use the longer range missiles in his movement's arsenal against Israel, according to Israel Defense Forces assessments. IDF sources say that use of such weapons will depend on authorization from Iran, which has equipped Hezbollah with long-range missiles and has played a formative role in shaping the character of the current fighting. If the confrontation continues to escalate, as it appeared to have done yesterday, the chances that Nasrallah's organization will launch such missiles increases. Eight Israelis were killed and 40 others injured yesterday after a rocket struck Haifa, hitting a train depot where technicians were busy repairing a train car. more.. Minister: No ground offensive even if Tel Aviv attacked YNet News 7/17/2006 Ophir Pines-Paz says ‘situation on the ground won’t be altered by force alone; diplomatic efforts must accompany the military operations’; Minister Ezra: It makes no difference whether they attack Tel Aviv, Haifa or any other city – Israeli must defend itself -- Science, Technology, and Culture Minister Ophir Pines-Paz said following Monday’s rocket barrages on Haifa and Galilee communities that “a ground operation in Lebanon should not even be a possibility, even if Hizbullah steps up its attacks against Israel’s home front. “I do not want to even think of the possibility that Hizbullah will attack Gush Dan (central Israel), but either way, no one is suggesting a ground operation at present time,” Paz-Pines said. more.. Al-Aqsa: We kidnapped Border Guard officer in W. Bank YNet News 7/17/2006 Fatah armed wing publishes announcement naming officer allegedly kidnapped; IDF: Name not recognized, but claims being investigated -- The Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, Fatah’s armed wing, claimed Monday afternoon they had kidnapped a Border Guard officer in the West Bank. An announcement published by the group claimed the abduction was carried out in the Judea and Samaria area and to prove the claim, the announcement included the name of the officer allegedly kidnapped. The IDF responded that the name was not recognized, but added they were investigating the claims. more.. Palestinian youth planning to explode himself stopped in Jerusalem Ma'an News 7/17/2006 Jerusalem on high alert (Ma'an)Jerusalem --Well-informed Israeli sources said that a 25-year old Palestinian youth carrying an explosive device in his bag reached a main street in West Jerusalem. According to unofficial sources in Israel, a young man, who works in a Palestinian security body, was discovered when he was asked in a routine fashion by Israeli soldiers about the contents of his bag and he then failed to blow himself up as he had planned to. The young man hesitated slightly and then told them that he had an explosive device in his bag. When they checked the contents of his bag, the soldiers were shocked to discover he was speaking the truth. According to a preliminary report, the young man could have exploded the device if he wanted to. more.. Children die in convoy attack as Israel widens Lebanon assault The Observer 7/16/2006 Israel steeply escalated its military campaign against Hizbollah in Lebanon yesterday with a series of air strikes that left more than 35 civilians dead, including a single strike on a convoy of families fleeing the fighting in a village near Tyre in the south of the country that killed more than 20 people, most of them children. The intensification of the conflict, in which Hizbollah fired missiles deep intoIsrael, came as international leaders appeared to be deeply split over how to respond to a crisis that threatens to spill over into a full-scale war involving Syria and Iran as well as Israel, Palestine and Lebanon. Last night the Lebanese Prime Minister, Fouad Siniora, declared the country in a 'state of catastrophe.... Pictures showed charred bodies of children strewn across the road. more.. Israeli tanks are back in Gaza Strip AlJazeera 7/16/2006 The Israeli offensive in Gaza has killed some 85 people. -- Israeli forces clashed with militants in Gaza on Sunday as tanks moved back into the north of the Strip on an offensive that has continued even as fighting with Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas opened a second front. The Gaza offensive, aimed at recovering a captured soldier and stopping armed groups from firing makeshift rockets, has piled pressure on the Palestinian government led by Hamas, which demands a prisoner swap for the Israeli corporal. Israeli tanks and armoured personnel carriers, backed by helicopters with machine guns sending down bursts of fire, moved into farmland near Beit Hanoun, an area often used by militants for launching rockets. Small groups of militants opened fire at the Israeli forces, but there was no report of casualties. more.. IDF to step up bombing in Lebanon Ha'aretz 7/16/2006 Defense Minister Amir Peretz ordered the Israel Defense Forces last night to step up the rate of attacks against Lebanon. His orders were issued close to the time when Lebanon's Prime Minister Fuad Siniora made a national address and called for an immediate cease-fire. Also last night, close to midnight, Peretz signed an order declaring a state of emergency in the home front in the northern part of the country. The order requires cabinet approval as well as the authorization of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. During the weekend the exchange of fire intensified. So far, 106 Lebanese, mostly civilians, are reported dead. For Israel, in addition to the two soldiers abducted on Wednesday, there have been 16 dead, six during the weekend. more.. Israeli forces kill Palestinian man and infant in latest raid on Gaza City Palestine News Network 7/15/2006 Medical sources at Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City have reported that two Palestinians, including one infant, were killed this afternoon in an Israeli raid on the city. Eight others were injured in the attack. Eyewitnesses said that Israeli warplanes fired two missiles at a two-story house. The bombardment resulted in considerable damage to the house belonging to the Elyazji family. Dr. Jumaa Al Sakka, Director of Public Relations at Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, told PNN that those killed in the attack included 30 year old Omar Mahmoud Younis and 7 month old Talal Nerad. Of the eight Palestinians injured, three were children, and one, 11 year old Ahmed Jadba, was described as being in critical condition. [end] more.. IDF reenters northern Gaza Strip killing three militants Ha'aretz 7/16/2006 Israel Defense Forces troops, tanks and attack helicopters wereback inside the Gaza Strip again Sunday, killing three militants and signaling that the large-scale operation that began after a soldier was captured last month is still in full swing. Three Hamas gunmen were killed, Hamas said, and at least 11 people were wounded in Israeli air strikes in Beit Hanoun, including a child, hospital officials said. Also, ambulances were unable to reach the scene of one missile strike aimed at militants. IDF tanks and armored personnel carriers approached the town of BeitHanun in northern Gaza early Sunday, residents and Palestinian securityofficials said, as attack helicopters fired machine gun rounds to clear the area of militants. more.. Troops invade northern Gaza, army shells houses in Beit Hanoun International Middle East Media Center 7/16/2006 Palestinian sources in the Gaza Strip reported on Saturday night after midnight that Israeli soldiers shelled several houses in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. Tanks and personnel carriers invaded the area. The Palestinian News Agency, WAFA, reported that soldiers shelled on Saturday night after midnight several houses in Beit Hanoun, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. Eyewitnesses reported that Israeli military apaches fired rounds of live ammunition at dozens of houses in Beit Hanoun causing considerable damage, at least two civilians were injured. On Saturday at night, Israeli tanks and armored personnel carriers invaded areas in BeitHanoun, and were positioned in Palestinian farmlands near Beit Hanoun. The tanks and carriers were seen moving towards populated areas, Israeli online daily Haaretz reported. more.. Hezbollah missile strikes Navy warship; four killed Ha'aretz 7/16/2006 The Israel Navy warship damaged on Friday night 16 kilometers off the Lebanese coast was hit by a missile fired by the Hezbollah. Four members of the crew were missing immediately after the attack, but later the body of First Sergeant Tal Amgar, 21, from Ashdod, was recovered in the rear of the ship. There was a complement of 80 officers and men on the ship, some from non-Navy units. Navy sources said yesterday that it is likely that the bodies of the three missing men are also in the rear of the ship. The three missing men are Sergeant Yaniv Hershkowitz, 21, of Haifa; Corporal Shai Attias, 19, of Rishon Letzion; and First Staff Sergeant Dov Steinschuss, 37, of Carmiel. more.. Bomb-laden drone believed to have hit ship Ha'aretz 7/15/2006 Four Israel Navy sailors were reported missing after an explosives-laden drone, apparently launched by Hezbollah, hit a naval vessel off the coast of Beirut Friday night. The blast caused a fire on board the ship, which had been stationed 16 kilometers off of the coast of Lebanon. After the fire was extinguished, it became clear that four soldiers were missing. Their families were notified soon thereafter. Israel Defense Forces teams, with the help of planes, helicopters and additional vessels, were searching for the missing troops at the site of the blast. The ship was towed back to Israel. The incident occurred at around 8:30 P. M. , causing a fire close to the helicopter landing pad onboard.... Several hours after the vessel was hit, an Israel Defense Forces spokeswoman said the damage was worse than originally thought. more.. Hezbollah declares war on Israel AlJazeera 7/15/2006 Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the chief of Hezbollah group, has pledged open war on Israel after it bombed his Beirut home on Friday in a dramatic expansion of the latest Israeli assault. "You wanted an open war. You will get an open war," Nasrallah said in a telephone message broadcast live on Hezbollah television after the attack. He said an Israeli navy ship was ablaze off the coast of Beirut. The Israeli military confirmed that the vessel had been badly damaged and that four Israeli troops were missing at sea. Israeli media reported that the ship was hit by an unmanned airborne drone packed with explosives.... Israeli air strikes destroyed Nasrallah's apartment building and a main Hezbollah office in southern Beirut. Hezbollah said Nasrallah and his family and bodyguards were safe. more.. Israel hits another Gaza ministry AlJazeera 7/15/2006 Several ministries of the Hamas government have been targeted -- The Palestinian economy ministry and a bridge in the Gaza Strip have been targeted by Israeli air strikes, according to Palestinian officials. The ministry building caught fire as a result of the air strike, causing severe damage. The raid followed a similar strike on the Gaza building of the foreign ministry on Thursday. The offices of the prime minister and interior minister have also been destroyed. The second attack destroyed a bridge near the Bureij refugee camp. Palestinian officials said there were no casualties in either raid. The north and south of the Palestinian territory was hit by artillery fire throughout Friday as Israel tried to secure the release of Corporal Gilad Shalit and stop rocket attacks. more.. Tiberias attacked by Hizbullah rockets YNet News 7/15/2006 Second rocket barrage hits northern city, lightly injuring one person; 31 people suffer from shock. Third barrage hits open areas north of city. Tiberias bombed for first time Saturday afternoon, all its beaches evacuated. Residents: 'City not prepared, we feel unprotected here' -- Resort town under attack: Hizbullah fired several rocket barrages at the northern city of Tiberias on Saturday evening. At around 6 p. m. , five rockets began landing in the city one after the other. Some 31 people were hurt, including a man who was lightly injured after his house was directly hit by a rocket. About thirty people suffered from shock.... About 54 people were injured by Katyusha rockets in Tiberias throughout Saturday, including seven who were wounded by Shrapnel. The rest suffered from shock. more.. Eyewitnesses: Syria-Lebanon border attacked YNet News 7/15/2006 Lebanese sources report strike that hit Syrian posts on Lebanon-Syria border. Israel denies attacking Syrian targets, says IDF struck bridges, roads on Lebanese side -- Lebanese sources reported that the Israel Air Force on Saturday afternoon struck for the first time Syrian posts on the Syria-Lebanon borders. According to the reports, the IAF launched four strikes on targets on the Syrian side. Israeli denied the reports. The al-Mustaqbal Lebanese news network reported that the IAF hit targets belonging to the Syrian army, and shortly afterwards the AirForce reportedly struck the al-Masnaah border between Syria and Lebanon. IDF officials said that the Air Force struck bridges and roads on the Lebanese side, and not Syrian posts. more.. IDF official: Hizbullah hid rockets in houses YNet News 7/15/2006 Officer says Israeli planes struck houses in Southern Lebanon villages used by Hizbullah for concealing long-range rockets. ‘We have no intention of hitting civilians, but those who live by the sword are bound to get hurt,’ he states -- A senior IDF official revealed Saturday that Hizbullah has been hiding a large quantity of long-range rockets in specially-designed rooms built in houses in Southern Lebanon villages, operating under the assumption that the Israeli army will have difficulty in locating them and that it would prefer not to harm villages. ..... “We took the gloves off in this confrontation, we targeted these places and will hit every convoy transporting arms, even if there are Iranian elements within it,” he stated. more.. 3 Patriot batteries stationed in Haifa YNet News 7/15/2006 IDF deploys anti-ballistic missiles in town for fear Hizbullah may step up strikes against Israel -- The IDF has stationed three Patriot anti-ballistic missile batteries in Haifa Saturday, aimed at intercepting missiles launched at the area. Two of the batteries were deployed Saturday morning, and the third one was placed in the area in the afternoon. Patriot missiles were stationed across the country for the last time in 2003 during the Iraq War. The American-made Patriot batteries are part of Israel’s antiaircraft defense system. The Patriot system, which was initially designed to serve as an air defense platform, later assumed the role of an anti-ballistic system. The Patriot is still in use in Israel, and the country simultaneously continues to develop the Arrow missile aimed at intercepting ground-to-ground missiles fired at the country. more.. Another Katyusha barrage hits north YNet News 7/15/2006 Hizbullah continues to target northern communities; most residents remain in bomb shelters -- Rockets continue to land on Israeli communities: Katyusha rockets fell Saturday on several northern communities, including Nahariya, Safed and Carmiel. No casualties or damage were reported in the incidents. A number of rockets landed west of Moshav Dalton in the western Galilee. A fire broke out at the scene, but it was quickly extinguished by firefighters. A short while later another barrage of Katyushas was fired toward Nahariya; the rockets landed in open areas. Katyushas were also fired at the Ramim mountain range area, north of Kiryat Shmona between Kibbutz Manara and Kibbutz Yiftah. Police reported that a Katyusha rocket struck a roof of a house in Carmiel. more.. Israel rains bombs on Lebanon AlJazeera 7/16/2006 Israel continued to pound Beirut's southern suburb on Sunday, the fifth successive day of an offensive on Lebanon, and there is no sign that its attacks on the Hizbollah guerrilla group and civilian installations are likely to end soon. The air strikes, which killed 35 civilians on Saturday, including 15 children, were meant to punish the Lebanese government for failing to disarm Hizbollah and letting it menace Israel's northern border, where measures just short of a state of emergency have been ordered. Israel has said it aims not just to force Hizbollah to free the soldiers, whom the Shi'ite group wants to trade for prisoners in Israel, but to destroy its ability to fire rockets into Israel. The bombing of Lebanese roads, bridges, ports and airports, as well as Hizbollah targets, is Israel's most destructive onslaught since a 1982 invasion to expel Palestinian forces. more.. IDF: Residents south of Haifa will have one-minute rocket warning Ha'aretz 7/16/2006 A senior Israel Defense Forces official said on Saturday evening that should Hezbollah guerillas fire rockets that reach areas south of Haifa, a warning siren will be heard one minute before they land. The head of the IDF Home Front Command, Yitzhak Gershon, also said that residents of hard-hit areas of the north that have been instructed to remain in protected rooms and bomb shelters should continue to do so and not go to work on Sunday. The order is relevant to anyone living north of Route 85 between Acre and Amiad, as well as the residents of Carmiel, Tiberias, Migdal, Arbel, Kfar Zeitim, and Kfar Hitim. Gershon also urged residents of Haifa, its northern suburbs, Nesher and Tirat Hacarmel to remain in their homes. more.. 500 Israelis injured since fighting began YNet News 7/16/2006 About 700 Katyusha rockets fired at Israel, 500 citizens injured, four killed since fighting in northern border began. Home Front Command prepares for worst scenario – rockets reaching center of Israel; Lebanese report of more than 100 killed, hundreds wounded in IDF strikes -- More than 700 rockets and Katyushas have been fired since the fighting on the northern border began, and Israel Defense Forces officials did not reject the possibility that the rockets will also land south of Haifa. "The areas south of Haifa will be warned in advance by a siren," Home Front Command Chief Major-General Yitzhak Gershon explained Saturday evening, referring to a situation in which rockets will also reach the center of Israel.... On the Lebanese side, more than 100 people were reportedly killed and hundreds were injured across the country. more.. Parents of kidnapped soldiers demand answers Ha'aretz 7/16/2006 The families of the soldiers captured on the Lebanese border are demanding to know what diplomatic moves are afoot to free the soldiers - and whether a prisoner exchange is in the cards. Addressing the media for the first time on Friday evening, the families urged the government "not to forget the abducted soldiers" and asked whether it was doing everything possible to release the soldiers. Eldad Regev of Kiryat Motzkin and Ehud Goldwasser of Nahariya were captured last Wednesday by Hezbollah guerrillas who crossed into Israel. "The Israel Defense Forces representatives visited us and we talked to Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni but we have not received any answers. We have no information beyond what is already known. We don't know if Eldad is alive.. " more.. Twenty-three Lebanese killed, including 11 children, in Israeli missile strike on bus of evacuees International Middle East Media Center 7/16/2006 The Israeli air force shelled several buildings in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, and the city of Trablus, north of Lebanon, soldiers also shelled a seaport north of Beirut, and the coastal area of Amsheet. Medical sources in Lebanon reported that 23 residents were killed when Israeli war planes bombed a bus of evacuees from southern Lebanon who had fled their homes to seek safety further north, on Saturday afternoon. The Israeli army carried four air strikes that targeted Al Dahia Al Janoubiyya area in Beirut, and targeted two vehicles transporting civilians leaving their areas fearing additional Israeli attacks. Fifteen civilians including children were killed in the attack. The air force attacked several offices for Hezbollah party in the area in addition to shelling houses of Hezbollah leaders there. more.. Israel Steps Up Attacks on Lebanon Washington Post 7/16/2006 BEIRUT, July 16 -- Columns of white smoke billowed over Beirut on Saturday as Israel escalated its four-day-old assault on the Lebanese capital, striking Hezbollah's offices, residences of its leadership, the city's port and a lighthouse along a scenic boulevard. Hezbollah fired barrages of rockets the farthest it had yet into Israel. The United Nations said at least 16 Lebanese civilians, many of them children, were killed when an Israeli strike destroyed two cars fleeing a village that Israel had ordered evacuated. In a war that has witnessed an escalation each day, the asymmetrical nature of the conflict was laid bare Saturday: For each attack by Hezbollah since it captured two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid, Israel has inflicted a far greater price. more.. Lebanon's tourism trade in ruins AlJazeera 7/15/2006 Israel's offensive in Lebanon is having a devastating effect on the latter's tourism industry. After years of civil war, Lebanon has re-invented itself as one of the hippest and most popular holiday destinations in the Middle East, with Beirut having the region's liveliest nightlife. But 48 hours of attack by air and sea have threatened the livelihoods of the many residents reliant on tourism. Strikes on Beirut's Rafiq Hariri International Airport forced its closure on Thursday and several flights were diverted to Larnaca in Cyprus. Lebanon's only international airport was often the scene of conflict in the past, including the hijacking in 1985 of a TWA passenger jet and the subsequent murder of a US navy diver by fighters loyal to Hezbollah. more.. Inquiry: Navy was unaware of missile threat YNet News 7/15/2006 Initial probe into attack on missile boat Friday reveals Navy had no intelligence of possible missile threat in area where boat was operating; missile, aircraft interception system was turned off due to presence of IDF planes in sector -- The actions taken by crewmembers of the IDF missile boat that sustained a direct Hizbullah missile hit Friday, prevented a great disaster that could have resulted in numerous casualties, an initial inquiry into the incident reveals. Brigadier-General Noam Page of the Navy said in a press conference Saturday that the Navy was unaware that a missile threat existed in the sector, and that the boat's crew had acted accordingly. more.. No respite in Middle East showdown AlJazeera 7/15/2006 Israeli gunships have attacked central Beirut for the first time in Israel's four-day-old assault on Lebanon as the civilian death toll neared 100. The renewed fighting prompted Fouad Siniora, the Lebanese prime minister, to repeat calls for a ceasefire on Saturday saying that Israeli attacks had turned Lebanon into a disaster area in need of international aid. "We call for an immediate ceasefire backed by the United Nations," Siniora told a news conference in Beirut. "I declare today that Lebanon is a disaster zone in need of a comprehensive and speedy Arab plan... and [it] pleads to its friends in the world to rush to its aid. " The latest Israeli strikes hit the lighthouse, radar installation and grain silos at the port in Beirut, in the first attack so close to the centre of the Lebanese capital. One Lebanese soldier was wounded. more.. Four brigades start a campaign to support Lebanon Ma'an News 7/15/2006 Gaza --Al-Quds brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad, An Nasser Salah Addin Brigades, the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, and the Al-Aqsa Brigades and Mujahidin Brigades, both affiliated with the Fatah movement, announced "the launching of a campaign to support and show solidarity with the Lebanese resistance," on Saturday. The first measure of the solidarity campaign was launching two advanced home-made projectiles on the Israeli city of Sderot. [end] more.. Report: IDF moves back into northern Gaza YNet News 7/16/2006 Palestinian security officials, residents report Israeli tanks, armored personnel carriers approached town in northern Strip early Sunday, as helicopters fired machine-guns to clear area of gunmen; hospital official say two people wounded by Israeli shells -- Israeli tanks and armored personnel carriers approached a town in the northern Gaza Strip early Sunday, residents and Palestinian security officials said, as attack helicopters fired machine-guns to clear the area of gunmen. The Palestinians said the Israeli forces crossed the border in the area of the town Beit Hanoun, in the northeastern corner of Gaza, opposite the Israeli town Sderot, a frequent target of Palestinian rockets. The Israeli vehicles were positioned in Palestinian farmland outside the town, the residents said, and were approaching populated areas. more.. Israeli shelling kills Palestinian in Gaza AlJazeera 7/15/2006 More than 80 Palestinians have died in the Israeli offensive -- A Palestinian has been killed by Israeli troops firing a tank shell at his truck in Gaza. Palestinians said the truck took a wrong turn and ended up near Israeli forces in central Gaza early on Friday. A tank then fired a shell which hit the vehicle. The driver escaped but a passenger was wounded and later died. The Israeli military said the truck had been driven within 30 metres of an Israeli position and the driver had ignored orders to stop before the shell was fired. Israeli planes later destroyed a bridge in the central Gaza Strip, wounding a civilian, Palestinian security sources said. It was the fourth bridge destroyed by Israel since the offensive in Gaza began two weeks ago. more.. Israeli airstikes in Gaza continue, killing two Saturday Ma'an News 7/15/2006 Gaza --The victims of the latest Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip Saturday raised casualties to two killed and ten injured. Israeli fighter jets struck the home of the Al Yaziji family in the Sheikh Radwan area of Gaza city. Omar Younis, 25, was immediately killed and ten others were injured. Medical sources said that Younis was dead on arrival at the hospital and that a four month old child was among the injured. Sources said the four month old was hit in the chest and head. Another child, 11, Ahmad Jadbah received serious injuries. There is also an old man in critical condition. Eyewitnesses said that ambulances arrived and began transporting people to the hospitals. The civil defense is still searching the ruins of the home for more casualties. The witnesses said that the house was newly built. more.. Israeli missiles hit house in Gaza AlJazeera 7/15/2006 Many of the injured are women and children -- Israeli air strikes have hit a house in Gaza City, killing one person and injuring eight. The dead man was 33-year-old Omar Yunis and that the injured were mostly women and children, the youngest an eight-month-old baby, Aljazeera's correspondent said. Two missiles struck the house in al-Nafaq Street. The Israeli army said Palestinian factions were storing and manufacturing weapons in the house, Aljazeera's correspondent said. The attack follows the death of an 18-year-old Palestinian in an Israeli helicopter strike in a village near Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip. Israel withdrew tanks and bulldozers from most areas of central Gaza on Friday but is continuing an air campaign to secure the release of a captured soldier. more.. Isreali forces arrest four in West Bank, early Saturday Ma'an News 7/15/2006 Bethlehem --Israeli forces arrested four Palestinian citizens in Bethlehem, Tulkarem, Nablus and Salift early Saturday. Security sources said that an Israeli force broke into Nablus and arrested Yaqoub As Sayeh, 27. The man was at home when Israeli soldiers broke in and took himIn Tulkarem the Israelis arrested Jihad Qaddoumi, 27, from the eastern area of the city. In Deir Istiya, west of Salfit, Israeli forces arrested Atta Abdul Raziq. In Bethlehem the Israeli forces arrested Muhhamad Safi, 19. [end] more.. Man, a 7-month old baby, and one youth killed in Israeli air strikes in Gaza, Dir Al Balah International Middle East Media Center 7/15/2006 Palestinian medical source at Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza, reported that two Palestinians, including a 7-month old baby were killed on Saturday after the Israeli air force fired missiles at a house in Al Daraj neighborhood in Gaza City, eight residents were injured. One youth was killed in Dir Al Balah, his head was severed from his body. Local source reported that an Israeli apache fired two missiles at a two-story house that belongs to Al Yaziji family destroying it completely. Dr. Jom'a Al Saqqa, head of the Public Relations office at the Al Shifa hospital, identified the casualties as Omar Mahmoud Younis, 30, and Talal Narad, seven months. Ten residents, including three children, were injured in the attack. One of the injured children, identified as Ahmad Al Jadba, 11, is in a critical condition. Earlier on Saturday, one youth identified as Khalil Abu Mgheisib, 18, was killed by Israeli shells in Dir Al Balah, in the central Gaza Strip. more.. Al Qassam Brigades targets Israeli kibbutz Ma'an News 7/15/2006 Gaza --Izzeddin Al Qassam Brigades, a military wing affiliated with the Hamas movement, announced responsibility for launching a homemade projectile at an Israeli kibbutz Saturday morning. In a statement issued Saturday the brigades said that this launching was in retaliation for Israeli attacks on the Palestinian people. [end] more.. Fatah faction launches new projectile at Sderot Ma'an News 7/15/2006 Khan Younis --The Fursan Al Asifah Brigades, or "Knights of the Storm", an armed wing of Fatah, have claimed responsibility for launching a home-made projectile called "Asif 3" at the southern Israeli town of Sderot. They said that the operation comes in retaliation for the "Israeli crimes and ugly killing of whole Palestinian families" that culminated with the killing of Abu Salmiya family in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood of Gaza City on Wednesday. [end] more.. Gaza brigades target Israeli Military post, Kissufim Ma'an News 7/15/2006 Gaza --Al Aqsa Brigades, a military wing affiliated with the Fatah movement, and National Resistance Brigades, a military wing affiliated with the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, announced responsibility for launching four homemade projectiles at the Israeli military post of Kissufim early Saturday. In a joint statement the brigades said that they successfully launched the projectiles at the post, and hit the targeted position. Israeli ambulances were seen in the area evacuating casualties. [end] more.. Legislative Council members in the Hamas party change offices in the Gaza Strip in light of Israeli assassination attempts Palestine News Network 7/14/2006 Eyewitnesses said Israeli warplanes fired several rockets at dawn today, destroying buildings in near Jabaliya Refugee Camp north of Gaza City. The targets were elected government officials who ran and won on the Hamas “Change and Reform” ticket in the Palestinian Legislative Council elections. Security sources and eyewitnesses reported that Israeli warplanes launched a series of successive air attacks on various locations in both the south and the north of Gaza City early Friday. Palestinian Legislative Council members in the Hamas party changed their offices in the Gaza Strip in light of the increased Israeli assassination attempts. The sources added that Israeli warplanes fired a rocket, destroying a small bridge that connected Nuseirat Refugee Camp in the mid-Gaza Strip to Gaza City in the north. more.. Arrests in Hebron, including man hunted for six years Palestine News Network 7/14/2006 Israeli forces arrested one of the most prominent leaders of Al Aqsa Brigades, the armed resistance wing of Fateh, in the southern West Bank Hebron area. Not only did the Israelis take him after six years of being on the "wanted" list and hunted, they also arrested four other Palestinians, including activists from Islamic Jihad and a member of the Palestinian police. Local sources from Dura Village, southwest of Hebron, confirmed to PNN that special Israeli military unit arrested 24 year old Firas Al Anmurh after Israeli forces chased him for more than six years. West of Hebron, Israeli forces arrested citizens Numan Al Najjar, a member of the Palestinian police, and Atta Allah Qaacor, taken after crossing the junction between the Hebron District and the Gaza Strip. more.. Army artillery shells north and east areas in the Gaza strip International Middle East Media Center 7/14/2006 The Israeli army artillery shelled northern and eastern areas of the Gaza strip on Friday morning. The shelling targeted residents' houses in Beit Lahia, Jabalia and Beit Hanon, as well as the southern and Al Shija'ia neighborhoods of Gaza city. Damages were reported to residents homes and medical sources reported treating several people for shock and associated injuries. [end] more.. Beirut under siege as Israel attacks from air and sea The Guardian 7/14/2006 At least 50 killed in Lebanon assault · Hizbullah rockets hit Haifa -- Israel laid siege to Lebanon yesterday bombing Beirut airport, blockading sea ports and declaring its northern neighbour's airspace closed to everything but its jets launching waves of attacks. Hizbullah, the Lebanese militia group, responded by bombarding Israel with scores of rockets, some of which for the first time hit a major city - the port of Haifa about 20 miles from the border. Israeli air force planes ranged freely across Lebanon, bombing villages, army bases, bridges and a television station as the Jewish state intensified its campaign to win the release of two soldiers captured by Hizbullah on the border on Wednesday. The air raids also severed the main road between Beirut and the Syrian capital, Damascus. more.. Israel continues deadly Gaza offensive AlJazeera 7/14/2006 More than 80 Palestinians have died in the Israeli offensive -- A Palestinian has been killed by Israeli troops firing a tank shell at his truck in Gaza. Palestinians said the truck took a wrong turn and ended up near Israeli forces in central Gaza early on Friday. A tank then fired a shell which hit the vehicle. The driver escaped but a passenger was wounded and later died. The Israeli military said the truck had been driven within 30 metres of an Israeli position and the driver had ignored orders to stop before the shell was fired. Israeli planes later destroyed a bridge in the central Gaza Strip, wounding a civilian, Palestinian security sources said. It was the fourth bridge destroyed by Israel since the offensive in Gaza began two weeks ago. Offices belonging to Hamas politicians and alleged militant training camps in northern Gaza were also hit. more.. Israeli jets hit Palestinian Foreign Ministry The Daily Star 7/14/2006 Israeli warplanes bombed the Palestinian Foreign Ministry in Gaza Thursday, causing heavy damage and wounding 10 children, ratcheting up the pressure on the government over an abducted soldier. Warplanes fired two missiles into the building, targeting Foreign Minister Mahmoud al-Zahhar's offices and causing serious damage to the recently renovated five-story building, the neighboring Finance Ministry and 15 nearby houses. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had met an Israeli intelligence chief earlier this week in Amman to try to resolve the crisis over the soldier and the Jewish state's military response in the Gaza Strip, a security source said. more.. Ministry of Health report on toxic Israeli weapons confirmed by Gaza City medical sources Palestine News Network 7/13/2006 Director of Public Relations at Gaza City’s Al Shifa Hospital, Dr. Juma Al Sakka, confirmed the Palestinian Ministry of Health’s report from earlier this week which stated that Israeli forces are using toxic weapons in the Gaza Strip..... Dr. Al Sakka told Voice of Palestine Radio that the Israeli army is using new types of non-conventional weapons against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip during the recent attacks. He said, “They are targeting the Palestinian body with unconventional weapons.... These tissues die, they do not survive, which obliges us to perform arm or leg amputations, and there are fragments which penetrate the body and do not show up on X-rays. When entering the body they spark like a combustion firearm, but not chemically. They seem radioactive. ” more.. One rocket fired from Lebanon hits central Haifa; Katyusha rockets hit Nahariya, Safed and Carmiel Ha'aretz 7/14/2006 Two killed, dozens hurt as Katyushas rain down on northern Israel -- A rocket slammed into the northern port city of Haifa on Thursday evening. There were no reported casualties when the rockets hit the Stella Maris area near French Carmel. Hezbollah denied on Thursday evening firing the rocket at Haifa, after a day in which two people were killed and another 120 were wounded when scores of Katyusha rockets fired by Hezbollah guerillas rained down across northern Israel. Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Daniel Ayalon told reporters in Washington the strike on Haifa was a "major, major escalation" by Hezbollah. Following the attack on Haifa, the IDF Home Front Command ordered residents of Haifa, Haifa's northern Krayot suburbs, Acre, Tirat Hacarmel and Nesher to stay near their homes and listen to radios. more.. Husband, his wife and their seven children killed by Israeli shells in Gaza International Middle East Media Center 7/12/2006 Dr. Jom’a Al Saqqa, head of the public relations office at al Shifa Hospital in Gaza, reported on Wednesday that the Israeli army shelled a Palestinian house in Gaza city killing a husband, his wife and their seven children. Dr. Al Saqqa identified the killed family members as Nabil Abu Salmiya, his wife Salwa, both 39, and their seven children were identified as Nasrallah, Basima, 16, Sumayya, 12, Huda, 8, Eman, 11, Aya, 7, and Yahia, 13. At least 37 residents were injured in the attack, three seriously. Most of the injured residents are children. The building was targeted by two missiles fired from an F-16 fighter-jet. It was completely demolished while damage was reported to several surrounding houses.... None of the killed and injured residents is affiliated with any resistance group. more.. Israeli forces kill a family in their home, including two parents and seven children Palestine News Network 7/12/2006 All local sources refute Israeli claims that they are targeting Hamas-linked resistance members from Al Qassam Brigades when Israeli forces kill Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. This morning Israeli forces used such a claim to explain whey they fired missiles into Abu Salami’s home, killing him and his family of nine. No Al Qassam leaders were in his home, which was entirely destroyed, as the Israeli claimed. Director of Public Relations at Gaza City’s Al Shifa Hospital, Dr. Jumaa Al Sakka, made the official announcement of death of two parents and seven children Wednesday morning. Dr. Al Sakka said aid that the hospital was delayed in identifying the killed as their bodies arrived sliced and burned. However after taking count of all the members of Dr. Nabil Abu Salami’s family, it turned out to be all of them. more.. Dozens of armed men try to forcibly open Gaza-Egypt border crossing Ha'aretz 7/13/2006 A confrontation developed Thursday at the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt when a few dozen armed men tried to open the crossing and allow thousands of Palestinians waiting on the Egyptian side through. The Palestinian Authority's Presidential Guard stopped them. In the past several days, eight Palestinians have died at the Rafah crossing, waiting for days with no shelter and an inadequate water supply. Israel offered to open the Kerem Shalom crossing to allow those waiting to cross the border, but the PA refused, fearing that Israel would force the travelers to undergo security checks - which they do not at thePA-controlled Rafah crossing. [end] more.. Palestinian fighters attempt to force border re-opening International Middle East Media Center 7/14/2006 After nearly three weeks of border closure between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, in which at least eight Palestinians waiting there have died from heat exposure, a group of Palestinian resistance fighters attempted to re-open the border crossing by force Thursday afternoon. They were stopped by the Palestinian Authority's Presidential Guard. Thousands of Palestinians have been waiting for weeks at the border crossing with no shelter and an inadequate water supply, many of them lying on the asphalt in the desert sun. Several of those who died were returning to Gaza from Egypt after surgery or other medical treatment in Egyptian hospitals. An elderly man and a baby have also died. The border was closed by Israeli authorities on June 25th... more.. IDF retrieves bodies of four tank soldiers killed in south Lebanon Ha'aretz 7/14/2006 Israel Defense Forces soldiers managed Thursday to retrieve the bodies of four comrades killed a day earlier when their tank was destroyed by a mine in south Lebanon. Efforts to retrieve the victims, which were ongoing since Wednesday, were carried out under heavy Hezbollah gunfire. The IDF placed a tight security ring around the tank in order to prevent Hezbollah fighters from reaching it. The Merkava-2 tank was destroyed by a mine packed with between 200 and 300 kilometers of explosives. The incident took place when IDF infantry and armored forces entered Lebanon after a Hezbollah cross-border attack and the kidnapping of two soldiers. Israel has concrete evidence that Hezbollah plans to transfer the two Israel Defense Forces soldiers abducted Wednesday to Iran, Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said Thursday. more.. Israel targets Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut suburb Ha'aretz 7/14/2006 Israel imposes sea and air blockade on Lebanon -- Israel Air Force planes struck a bridge in the southern suburb of Beirut, a Hizbollah stronghold, and the fuel stores of the Jiyyeh power plant south of the city early on Friday, witnesses and security sources said. The Lebanese Army responded with anti-aircraft fire. Residents heard at least three strikes but there was no immediate word on casualties. The impact of at least four missiles were heard. Anti-aircraft fire from the ground echoed in other suburbs of Beirut as the planes roared over the Lebanese capital. There was no immediate word on casualties. Israeli officials have said that south Beirut, a densely populated neighborhood of Shiite Muslims where Hezbollah has its political headquarters, could be targeted. more.. Israeli-Lebanese attacks intensify AlJazeera 7/14/2006 Israel hit Beirut's airport as part of a blockade of Lebanon -- At least 55 people have been killed in Israeli air raids in Lebanon, including several strikes in the southern suburbs of Beirut where Hezbollah has its political headquarters. Residents of southern Beirut heard the impact of at least four Israeli missiles early on Friday and the Lebanese army responded with anti-aircraft fire. Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV and other local stations said a bridge in the area was hit. Security sources said the main highway to the airport and the south was also hit. Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, the Hezbollah leader, has his office and residence in the district of Haret Hreik in south Beirut. Hezbollah's Shura Council, its decision-making body, and their TV station are also located nearby. more.. Fear and traffic jams - Beirut wakes to a familiar nightmare The Guardian 7/14/2006 Airport, roads and bridges hit as blockade tightens · Jubilation over Hizbullah capture of Israeli soldiers -- Much of Beirut had slept for only a few hours when several blasts rang out from the city's international airport in the early hours of yesterday morning. Khalil, a Shia driver, sat at dawn with his wife and two daughters drinking coffee and watching the black puffs of smoke rise over the runway. He was dismissive of the attack: "The shelling will stay for two days but our dignity will last much longer. Khalil lives in Ouzai, a ramshackle slum next to the airport that is filled with Shia displaced from the south during the war. He echoed many Lebanese Shia, defiant and almost jubilant after Hizbullah's successful ambush of an Israeli border patrol and capture of two soldiers. more.. Analysis: Can conflict be contained or will it spread throughout region? The Guardian 7/14/2006 Why did Hizbullah spark this latest conflict? Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrullah has said his intent in capturing two Israeli soldiers was to bargain for the release of Arab prisoners held in Israeli jails. He has promised to attempt such a release for years. Still, many analysts in Lebanon were stunned by the scale of the attack, by far the most serious operation that the fundamentalist militia has launched in years..... Would Tehran or Damascus have had a hand in the decision? Hizbullah is based in Lebanon but has always been closely linked to Syria and especially Iran, which was instrumental in the founding of the militia in the early 1980s. Syria has said it did not order the mission... What can the Lebanese government do? It is in an extremely difficult position... more.. Israelis take cover as rockets rain down on north The Guardian 7/14/2006 Barrage reminiscent of height of war in 1980s · One dead, dozens hurt as residents flock to bunkers -- First came the whistling whooshing noise, then two earth-shuddering bangs. The rockets had landed and people started running everywhere in panic. Naharia hospital was in emergency. The loud-hailers around the hospital erupted. "Go to the bunkers, go to the bunkers", they barked in Hebrew. A handful of workers, taking a break after helping the wounded from an earlier Katyusha rocket barrage, rushed back inside. Dark smoke was swirling through the hospital grounds. "Don't go out there," a man in white warned ominously. Hizbullah fighters in Lebanon fired at least 70 rockets into northern Israel yesterday, killing at least one woman in Naharia and injuring 42 people across the region. more.. Anxiety weighs down Beirut AlJazeera 7/14/2006 Israeli attacks and blockades have caused panic in Beirut as many stayed away from work and joined the long queues at petrol stations and supermarkets. Following the heaviest bombardments in a decade the general mood in the Lebanese capital is one of anxiety and anticipation. One Beirut resident, Elie Fawaz, told Aljazeera. net: "The streets of central Beirut are empty when you compare it to a normal day, people are worried about what will happen next. We are under seige quite literally. All ports are blocked and people are depressed about what is happening. We don't know what will happen. Everyone is waiting now. " The governemt has ordered the evacuation of the southern suburbs of Beirut, where Hezbollah is considered to be most active among the largely poor Shia. more.. In Nahariya, some choose to leave, while others remain defiant Ha'aretz 7/14/2006 Facing the propsect of further rocket fire from Hezbollah guerillas in nearby Lebanon, some Nahariya residents began to leave the border town Thursday while others vowed to stay put. A 40-year-old woman from the town was killed Thursday morning, when a rocket hit her fifth story apartment. Another 29 people were wounded, including some children. Dozens of families were seen packing their belongings in the city's Green Naharyia neighborhood and making their way south to escape the reach of Hezbollah's rockets. Local resident Rivka Vekart described the incident in which her neighbor was killed, saying she was thrown off her balcony from the rocket's impact. more.. Israel hits petrol tanks near Beirut airport YNet News 7/13/2006 Having targeted runways at Beirut International Airport, Israeli air force fires missiles at petrol tanks near facility; IAF disperses leaflets warning residents to stay away from Hizbullah offices -- Israeli aircraft on Thursday fired missiles at petrol tanks near the Beirut International Airport. The army said the airport is used by Hizbullah to transfer arms. The air force on Wednesday night targeted runways at the airport which was closed. Earlier the Navy hit a Katyusha cell. Lebanese officials said Israeli aircraft dispersed thousands of leaflets above the Shiite-dominated areas of southern Beirut warning citizens to stay clear of Hizbullah offices and operatives.... Eyewitnesses said hundreds of residents were seen leaving the capital. more.. Safed resident killed in Katyusha attack YNet News 7/13/2006 Man critically wounded in rocket attack on city dies of his wounds; one rocket strikes absorption center, injuring new Ethiopian immigrant -- One man was killed and 18 others were injured Thursday evening during a Katyusha barrage on Safed. Three people sustained moderate to serious wounds, and the rest suffered light injuries. The man was critically injured in the attack and later died of his wounds. One of the rockets directly struck a Maccabi health services building, and according to reports, a house on Keren Hayesod Street was also directly hit; a boy may be trapped in the rubble, the report said. Eyewitnesses also reported of casualties in the city’s Arazim neighborhood. more.. Two brigades launch projectiles from Gaza Wednesday Ma'an News 7/13/2006 Gaza --Al Quds Brigades, The military wing of the Islamic Jihad movement, launched a homemade projectile at the Israeli city of Ashkelon Wednesday evening. In a statement issued Wednesday the brigades said that this was in retaliation for the Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip. Izzeddin Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas movement's armed wing, said that they launched a projectile at the Israeli town of Sderot Wednesday and another one at Nativ Hasarah. In a statement issued by the brigades it also said that this was retaliation for the Israeli attacks. Israeli sources said that a projectile landed south Nativ Hasarah but caused no losses or casualties. [end] more..