Lebanese army moves below Litani River (says no confronting Brothers in Hezbollah)
By SAM F. GHATTAS, Associated Press Writer
22 minutes ago
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060817/...lebanon_israel
By SAM F. GHATTAS, Associated Press Writer
22 minutes ago
Lebanese troops, tanks and armored vehicles began deploying south of the strategic Litani River early Thursday after the Israeli army stepped up its withdrawal from the region and handed over some of its positions to U.N. peacekeepers.
.....Ten armored carriers mounted on flatbed trucks drove across a newly installed bridge over the Litani ....Trucks and jeeps mounted with Lebanese flags also carried soldiers south toward the port city of Tyre....
Further south, flatbed trucks carrying 20 tanks arrived in Marjayoun...They were accompanied by a dozen trucks loaded with troops and hoisting Lebanese flags.
The army deployment will continue for a few days "to spread Lebanese government authority over all Lebanese territory, including south of the Litani River," a senior military official.....
.....But the Lebanese government said soldiers would not "chase" or "take revenge" on Hezbollah guerrillas in a bid to disarm the fighters who fiercely resisted the Israeli invasion.
"The will be no confrontation between the army and brothers in Hezbollah," said Information Minister Ghazi Aridi after the two-hour Cabinet meeting Wednesday. "That is not the army's mission. ... They are not going to chase or, God forbid, exact revenge (on Hezbollah)."
Meanwhile, the Israeli military began handing over positions to the United Nations early Thursday. The army said more than half the area Israel held in Lebanon had been transferred over to U.N. peacekeeping forces, adding the process would occur in stages and depend on a stronger U.N. force as well as "the ability of the Lebanese army to take effective control of the area."
.....By Thursday morning, all Israeli reservists had left Lebanon and only regular troops were still patrolling there...
Before dawn, several hundred Israeli soldiers crossed back over the border into Israel. Some smiled, sang and rejoiced, while others just looked relieved to be out. One soldier sat down and cried, his head buried in his arms, after reaching Israel again.
Many said they had little faith that UNIFIL and the Lebanese army would be able to rein in Hezbollah. "I ... hope so, but if we have to come back we'll come back and we'll do it again," said John Braun, a military doctor.
Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said..... she wanted the international force to help monitor the border to prevent Iran and Syria from replenishing Hezbollah's weapons.
"If there is a place that Israel can withdraw from and the Lebanese army can come, plus international forces, we'll do it," Livni said after meeting with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan in New York. "But if it takes time until the international forces are organized, it takes time until Israel withdraws. This is the equation."
.....Despite continued division over disarming Hezbollah, the Cabinet decision to deploy Lebanese troops was a major step toward meeting demands that the guerrillas be removed from Israel's northern frontier.
.....The Lebanese government, which includes two Hezbollah ministers, met for the first time since the cease-fire took hold Monday, after two postponements because of divisions over Hezbollah's arms. The guerrillas, who insist they have the right to defend Lebanon, have resisted pressure to give them up or even withdraw them from the border area.
Aridi stressed that there will be no authority or weapons in south Lebanon other than those of the state. "If any weapon is found, even the brothers in Hezbollah have said 'Let it be in the hands of the army. No problem,'" he said.
Hezbollah's top official in south Lebanon hinted that the guerrillas would not disarm or withdraw but would keep its weapons out of sight. Hezbollah will have "no visible military presence," Sheik Nabil Kaouk told reporters in the southern port city of Tyre.
.....Ten armored carriers mounted on flatbed trucks drove across a newly installed bridge over the Litani ....Trucks and jeeps mounted with Lebanese flags also carried soldiers south toward the port city of Tyre....
Further south, flatbed trucks carrying 20 tanks arrived in Marjayoun...They were accompanied by a dozen trucks loaded with troops and hoisting Lebanese flags.
The army deployment will continue for a few days "to spread Lebanese government authority over all Lebanese territory, including south of the Litani River," a senior military official.....
.....But the Lebanese government said soldiers would not "chase" or "take revenge" on Hezbollah guerrillas in a bid to disarm the fighters who fiercely resisted the Israeli invasion.
"The will be no confrontation between the army and brothers in Hezbollah," said Information Minister Ghazi Aridi after the two-hour Cabinet meeting Wednesday. "That is not the army's mission. ... They are not going to chase or, God forbid, exact revenge (on Hezbollah)."
Meanwhile, the Israeli military began handing over positions to the United Nations early Thursday. The army said more than half the area Israel held in Lebanon had been transferred over to U.N. peacekeeping forces, adding the process would occur in stages and depend on a stronger U.N. force as well as "the ability of the Lebanese army to take effective control of the area."
.....By Thursday morning, all Israeli reservists had left Lebanon and only regular troops were still patrolling there...
Before dawn, several hundred Israeli soldiers crossed back over the border into Israel. Some smiled, sang and rejoiced, while others just looked relieved to be out. One soldier sat down and cried, his head buried in his arms, after reaching Israel again.
Many said they had little faith that UNIFIL and the Lebanese army would be able to rein in Hezbollah. "I ... hope so, but if we have to come back we'll come back and we'll do it again," said John Braun, a military doctor.
Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said..... she wanted the international force to help monitor the border to prevent Iran and Syria from replenishing Hezbollah's weapons.
"If there is a place that Israel can withdraw from and the Lebanese army can come, plus international forces, we'll do it," Livni said after meeting with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan in New York. "But if it takes time until the international forces are organized, it takes time until Israel withdraws. This is the equation."
.....Despite continued division over disarming Hezbollah, the Cabinet decision to deploy Lebanese troops was a major step toward meeting demands that the guerrillas be removed from Israel's northern frontier.
.....The Lebanese government, which includes two Hezbollah ministers, met for the first time since the cease-fire took hold Monday, after two postponements because of divisions over Hezbollah's arms. The guerrillas, who insist they have the right to defend Lebanon, have resisted pressure to give them up or even withdraw them from the border area.
Aridi stressed that there will be no authority or weapons in south Lebanon other than those of the state. "If any weapon is found, even the brothers in Hezbollah have said 'Let it be in the hands of the army. No problem,'" he said.
Hezbollah's top official in south Lebanon hinted that the guerrillas would not disarm or withdraw but would keep its weapons out of sight. Hezbollah will have "no visible military presence," Sheik Nabil Kaouk told reporters in the southern port city of Tyre.
Comment