23/07/06 - Liban - Acteurs et intérêts

Intelligence Brief: Israel's Strategic Security
PINR 21/07/06

"On July 20, Israeli Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz, who is a member of Israel's Security Cabinet, told the press that after more than one week of military operations against Lebanon, Hezbollah's offensive capabilities had been cut in half. Mofaz added that Israel is determined to finish the task and to annihilate the rest of Hezbollah's capabilities...''


The Role of Iran and Syria in the Israel-Lebanon Crisis
PINR 20/07/06

"...Hezbollah is one of Iran's and Syria's main regional allies, and both Tehran and Damascus play an important role in Hezbollah's current operations. Since the 1979 Iranian Islamic revolution, Syria and Iran have shared a strategic alliance and have had overlapping interests in the Middle East. This alliance now faces new challenges..."


23/07/06 - Liban - Le piège du hezbollah

Hezbollah's Apocalypse Now
WaPo 23/07/06

"Power failures are creating problems across much of the city, cellphones are unpredictable, and the regular bombing makes my neighbors cautious about going out, leaving most people here alone with the question that has plagued them for almost two weeks: What on earth was Hezbollah up to when it abducted two Israeli soldiers and provoked a punishing response that is creating orphans and bringing down buildings all around us?..."

Invasion of Lebanon Plays Into Hezbollah's Hands
Antiwar 22/07/06

"After pounding Lebanon from the skies for nine days, the Israeli army has begun, without any official announcement, the ground phase of its military operation, with thousands of elite troops having crossed the border into south Lebanon to hunt down Hezbollah fighters and their stockpiles of rockets..."

ANALYSIS: Hezbollah is still showing no signs of breaking
Haaretz 20/07/06

"...European diplomats believe Israel has maneuvered itself into a trap. It cannot stop the operation without having real political achievements to show its public, but prolonged fighting will seriously try its citizens' fortitude and will not guarantee the expected achievements..."

Military Analysts Question Israeli Bombing
AP 20/07/06

"...Analysts say Israel's targeting of civilian and government infrastructure overshadows its strikes on the offices and rocket launchers of Hezbollah guerrillas, whose capture of two Israeli soldiers triggered the attacks.

"This is a classic strategic bombing campaign," said Stephen Biddle, a former head of military studies at the U.S. Army War College now at the Council on Foreign Relations. "What the Israelis are trying to do is pressure others into solving their problem for them, hence the targeting of civilian infrastructure."

But the growing list of civilian casualties - despite Israel's use of U.S.-designed precision-guided bombs - could turn Arabs and others against the Jewish state and its key ally, the U.S., and still not fatally wound Hezbollah, said military analysts..."

Leviathan run amok
ATimes 19/07/06

"Hezbollah may be writing the book - at least for now - of fourth-generation war. Hezbollah had a reputation as an extremely disciplined, mobile guerrilla force. Now Hezbollah has fully revealed itself as a more than competent asymmetrical actor..."


23/07/06 - Liban - Quelle solution diplomatique ?

U.S. wants Israel to end war in Lebanon within a week; IDF expands operation
Haaretz 23/07/06

Envoy: Israel will not hold talks with Hezbollah via third party
Haaretz 23/07/06

"Israel told a visiting UN mission that it will not negotiate with Hezbollah through third parties, as in the past, for the release of its captured soldiers, a UN envoy told the Security Council on Friday..."

"On the eve of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's visit to Jerusalem, senior officials believe Israel has an American nod to continue operations against Hezbollah at least until next Sunday..."

U.S. Plan Seeks to Wedge Syria From Iran
NYT 23/07/06

"As Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice heads to Israel on Sunday, Bush administration officials say they recognize Syria is central to any plans to resolve the crisis in the Middle East, and they are seeking ways to peel Syria away from its alliance of convenience with Iran..."

Syria 'ready for dialogue' with US on Middle East
AFP 23/07/06

"Syria is ready to open a dialogue with the United States to resolve the crisis in Lebanon, deputy foreign minister Faisal Mukdad told a British all-news television channel Saturday..."

Rice seeks long-term peace on Mideast trip
AP 23/07/06

"Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, embarking on a diplomatic mission to the troubled Middle East, said she would work for "stability and lasting peace" instead of the immediate cease-fire demanded by much of the rest of the world..."

Israel Will Accept a Disarmed Hezbollah
WaPo 23/07/06

"The United States, Israel, the United Nations and the European Union have reluctantly concluded that despite punishing military attacks, Hezbollah is likely to survive as a political player in Lebanon, and Israel now says it is willing to accept the organization if it sheds its military wing and abandons extremism, according to several key officials..."

Bush: Rice trip will focus on Hezbollah
AP 22/07/06

"President Bush said Saturday that his administration's diplomatic efforts in the Mideast will focus on strategy for confronting Hezbollah and its supporters in Syria and Iran.."

Rome meeting to focus on Israel-Lebanon truce
AP 22/07/06

"The top U.N. envoy on Lebanon-Syria issues says U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has called a high-level international conference next week to try to reach agreement on the political underpinnings of a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah militia..."

Proposed Force in Lebanon Not to Include U.S. Troops
WaPo 22/07/06

"In a departure from past peacekeeping missions to Lebanon, the force currently being discussed would not include U.S. troops, U.S. officials said yesterday..."

Rice Seeks `Robust' Lebanon Force to Oust Hezbollah
Bloomberg 21/07/06

"Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she wants a ``robust'' international military force to try to oust Hezbollah forces from southern Lebanon, as she prepares to leave on a diplomatic mission to the region next week..."

Rice: Hezbollah acts ‘outrageous provocation’
AP 21/07/06

"Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, heading for a weekend trip to the troubled Middle East, called Hezbollah acts an “outrageous provocation” and said she would work with allies in the region to help create conditions for "stability and lasting peace."..."

Israeli support for Lebanon war overwhelming-poll
Reuters 21/07/06

"Israelis overwhelmingly back the army's war against Hizbollah in Lebanon and believe it is justified despite growing international pressure for a cease-fire, a poll showed on Friday..."

West divided over Israel-Lebanon crisis
ISN 21/07/06

"As the Israeli air campaign against Lebanon entered its eighth day on Thursday, the US and the EU continued to grapple for an adequate response with increased concern about civilian suffering in the region..."

U.S. at Odds With Allies on Mideast Conflict
WaPo 20/07/06

"The United States faces growing tensions with allies over its support of Israel's military campaign to cripple Hezbollah, amid calls for a cease-fire to help with the mounting humanitarian crisis..."

"...France proposed that the Security Council adopt a resolution that could call on Israel and Hezbollah to show "utmost restraint" and begin consideration of a reinforced U.N. peacekeeping presence in the region. The resolution would condemn unnamed "extremist forces" who are threatening Israeli and Lebanese democracies, and call for the release of Israeli troops by Hezbollah and the negotiation of "comprehensive and lasting cease-fire." It also proposes the disarmament of Hezbollah and support for Lebanon to exercise authority throughout the southern part of the country.

U.N. Ambassador John R. Bolton challenged France's proposal. "I am not sure that conventional thinking about a cease-fire makes any sense when you are dealing with a terrorist group that fires rockets at civilian populations and kidnaps innocent Israelis," he said."


23/07/06 - Liban - Jubilations néoconnes

Energized Neocons Say Israel's Fight Is Washington's
Antiwar 18/07/06

"Seeing a major opportunity to regain influence lost as a result of setbacks in Iraq, prominent neoconservatives are calling for unconditional U.S. support for Israel's military offensives in Gaza and Lebanon and "regime change" in Syria and Iran, as well as possible U.S. attacks on Tehran's nuclear facilities in retaliation for its support of Hezbollah..."

It's Our War
Weekly Standard 17/07/06

"...For while Syria and Iran are enemies of Israel, they are also enemies of the United States. We have done a poor job of standing up to them and weakening them. They are now testing us more boldly than one would have thought possible a few years ago. Weakness is provocative. We have been too weak, and have allowed ourselves to be perceived as weak.

The right response is renewed strength--in supporting the governments of Iraq and Afghanistan, in standing with Israel, and in pursuing regime change in Syria and Iran. For that matter, we might consider countering this act of Iranian aggression with a military strike against Iranian nuclear facilities. Why wait? Does anyone think a nuclear Iran can be contained? That the current regime will negotiate in good faith? It would be easier to act sooner rather than later. Yes, there would be repercussions--and they would be healthy ones, showing a strong America that has rejected further appeasement.

But such a military strike would take a while to organize. In the meantime, perhaps President Bush can fly from the silly G8 summit in St. Petersburg--a summit that will most likely convey a message of moral confusion and political indecision--to Jerusalem, the capital of a nation that stands with us, and is willing to fight with us, against our common enemies. This is our war, too."


23/07/06 - Liban - Opérations militaires

Troops Ready, but Israel Bets on Air Power
NYT 23/07/06

"...He predicted that Israel would stick largely to air power for now, on the presumption that its war against Hezbollah would not be curtailed too quickly by the international community, in particular the Bush administration..."

Israel faces the dangers of an 'asymmetric war'
Times 23/07/06

"The crisis began as two uncoordinated kidnappings of Israeli soldiers. Now foreigners flee Beirut, Israeli troops move into southern Lebanon and it has become a small war. It is a typical asymmetric war — of the guerrilla army against a state, the politically cunning against an exasperated government — with a natural tendency to spin out of anyone’s control..."

Israel Fights To Secure Key Region In Lebanon
WaPo 23/07/06

"Backed by intensive artillery fire and airstrikes, Israeli forces fought Saturday for a Lebanese hilltop town in a widening campaign to secure a roughly 15-square-mile region of southern Lebanon against seasoned Hezbollah guerrillas, who continued firing scores of rockets into northern Israeli cities now largely empty of residents..."

For Hezbollah, survival may mean victory
AP 22/07/06

"Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah acknowledges that Israeli troops can sweep across south Lebanon. But if he and his militants can survive and keep fighting, he will cement his image as the unlikely new hero of Arab nationalism..."

U.S. Speeds Up Bomb Delivery for the Israelis
NYT 22/07/06

"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 race to destroy Hezbollah before the world calls for peace
Times 22/07/06

"The Lebanese bodies are piling up and Israeli civilians are cowering in their bunkers, but the two enemies will stop at nothing..."

The arms that keep Hezbollah fighting
ATimes 22/07/06

"Nearly a quarter-century after Israeli forces pummeled Beirut to the hellish crescendo of an explosion every three seconds, a rebuilt capital crumbles one artillery strike at a time as Israel seeks to wipe out the enemy it spawned..."

Israel set war plan more than a year ago
Strategy was put in motion as Hezbollah began increasing its military strength
SFGate 21/07/06

"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..."

Analysis: Can force fell Hezbollah?
USA Today 21/07/06

"As Israel continues to strike inside Lebanon in a bid to rout Hezbollah, the radical Islamist group is using two weapons to wage war: rockets and, more effective, TV images of civilian destruction inflicted by Israeli bombs..."

Hizbullah ready for Israel invasion
The News 21/07/06

"Hizbullah ambushes that have killed Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon suggest the army, which appears poised for a massive ground invasion, will face a bloody fight driving the militia back from the frontier. The guerrillas have spent much of the time since Israel withdrew from Lebanon in 2000 following 22 years of occupation preparing for battle. Its fighters and arsenal are well dispersed in the region’s mountainous terrain, experts said..."

Hezbollah trained for 6 years, dug deep bunkers
Washtimes 21/07/06

"Hezbollah has dug dozens of bunkers in the difficult hill country in Lebanon close to the Israeli border, some as much as 130 feet deep, from which fighters can emerge at night for forays against Israeli positions, according to Israeli military officers..."


23/07/06 - Liban - Crise humanitaire

Lebanon humanitarian corridor open
Herald Sun 23/07/06

"ISRAEL has opened a safe maritime and air corridor to allow humanitarian aid shipments to reach Lebanon, the head of the Israeli army coordination office said..."

International Medical Corps responding in Lebanon and Syria; desperate need for medical assistance and essential supplies
Reuters 22/07/06

"With the number of displaced people in Lebanon topping 500,000, International Medical Corps doctors are part of a growing humanitarian effort to provide emergency medical assistance..."

Israel Warns 300,000 Lebanese To Flee Homes as Ground Invasion Nears
Democracy Now 21/07/06

"Israel is warning hundreds of thousands of residents to flee from southern Lebanon as it edges toward a full ground invasion. The number of Lebanese killed from the assaults now tops 330 - nearly all of them civilians. About half a million people have been displaced..."

French plan south Lebanon rescue
BBC 21/07/06

"About 400 French nationals are trapped in southern Lebanon as clashes in the region continue, French Defence Minister Michelle Alliot-Marie says.

She told France's RMC Info radio that Paris would mount an operation to get them out, but gave no details..."