Israeli commandos strike at Hezbollah First major clash since cease-fire leaves 4 dead PrintE-mailDisable live quotesRSSDigg itDel.icio.usBy Rex Nutting, MarketWatch Last Update: 12:39 PM ET Aug 19, 2006
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Israeli commandos attacked deep inside Lebanon on Saturday, leaving three Hezbollah fighters and one Israeli soldier dead, the first major clash since the cease-fire five days ago, media reports said. "The operation was aimed at preventing the delivery of weapons to Hezbollah from Iran and Syria," an Israeli spokesman said, adding that "all goals were achieved," according to AFP. Two Israeli soldiers were injured, one seriously. Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora condemned the Israeli raid as "a flagrant violation of the agreement for a cessation of hostilities stipulated by the U.N. Security Council." Lebanon Defense Minister Elias Murr said he might recommend that the deployment of Lebanese Army into the south be stopped if the U.N. didn't intervene to stop the violation of the cease-fire, the Associated Press reported. Fifty French army engineers arrived in Lebanon early Saturday, the first international reinforcements for the United Nations force that is supposed to help monitor the cease-fire and maintain a buffer zone between Israel and the Hezbollah guerrillas, who fought a 34-day war that began on July 12 with the capture of two Israeli troops by Hezbollah. The U.N. hopes to add 3,500 troops to its 2,000-man force within 10 days, but the details are still being worked out about which countries would send troops and what rules the force would operate under. So far, France, Italy and Finland have offered to send troops. Meanwhile, Lebanese Army units took up positions at Fatima Gate on the Israeli border, the first deployment on the border in decades, AFP reported.. Lebanese troops also took up positions in nearby Khaim, a hilltop town that was a major Hezbollah stronghold. Meanwhile, Israel arrested the deputy prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, Naser al-Shaer, in his home in the West Bank town of Ramallah under charges that he is a member of Hamas, considered to be a terrorist group. Hamas was elected to lead the government, Reuters reported. Israel now holds more than two dozen lawmakers and several Cabinet members, Reuters said.
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