Lebanon truce holds

[ShackO]

By Lin Noueihed 1 hour, 36 minutes ago


BEIRUT (Reuters) - Thousands of Lebanese refugees headed home to south Lebanon on Tuesday as a U.N. truce between
Israel and Hizbollah held on into a second day and planning got under way for a beefed up U.N. force to deploy in the area.


Underlining the fragility of the "cessation of hostilities," the Israeli army said Hizbollah fired four mortar bombs overnight that landed near Israeli troops in southern Lebanon, causing no casualties or damage. The army said on Monday it had killed at least one guerrilla in shootings after the truce.

Ground clashes, Israeli air strikes and Hizbollah rocket fire ceased on Monday as the truce took effect, encouraging thousands of Lebanese refugees to return to southern villages devastated by the five-week war.

Thousands of vehicles jammed a bombed out coastal highway linking Beirut to the south of the country again from the early hours of Tuesday, as a sea of mainly Shi'ite Muslim refugees streamed back home.

Cars, vans and pickup trucks packed with families and belongings strapped to the roof advanced on makeshift diverted roads at a snail's pace. Pictures of Hizbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah were plastered on many windows.

"We're very happy, it's our land, our country and our home," Zahra Gheith, a 34-year-old mother of five, told Reuters. "The war wasn't necessary but (Israel) started it and we had to free our country. I'm with the resistance (Hizbollah) to death."

The truce also allowed many Israelis to leave bomb shelters for the first time in a month.

French military officers headed to the
United Nations to discuss the boosted U.N. peacekeeping force France is expected to lead, U.N. and French officials said.

At a meeting on Monday of some 20 potential troop contributing countries, participants said that a concept of operations would be ready by Thursday at another session of interested nations, according to diplomats at the meeting.

"We have no formal, specific commitments from troop contributors, but obviously we're continuing those discussions," U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. "We have one leg up in that there is already a U.N. force in south Lebanon."

LEBANESE ARMY MOVES

Lebanon's Defense Minister Elias Murr said the Lebanese army would send 15,000 troops to the north of the Litani River around the end of the week, ready to enter the southern border area.

But he said the army would not be disarming Hizbollah guerrillas, who have controlled the area for six years.

"The army is not going to the south to strip Hizbollah of weapons and do the work Israel did not," he told LBC Television.

"The resistance is cooperating to the utmost level so that as soon as the Lebanese army arrives in the south there will be no weapons but those of the army."

Murr said the Lebanese army would deploy on the border only after the U.N. force deploys there and verifies the withdrawal of all Israeli troops from Lebanon.

Nasrallah said on Monday night his fighters had won a "strategic and historic victory" over Israel and that it was the wrong time publicly to discuss disarming them.

But
President Bush said Hizbollah, which is backed by
Iran, had been defeated and accused the Islamic Republic of meddling in Lebanon and
Iraq.

"In both these countries Iran is backing armed groups in the hope of stopping democracy from taking hold," Bush said.

The rush by the hundreds of thousands of refugees to head home to villages with no electricity, water and basic services, let alone many destroyed homes, had surprised the authorities.

Nasrallah said Hizbollah would immediately begin repairing homes damaged by Israeli strikes and would pay a year's rent and other costs to help the owners of about 15,000 destroyed houses.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who is facing domestic pressure over his handling of the Lebanon war, told parliament Israel would pursue Hizbollah leaders "everywhere and any time."

The White House said border security would need to be tightened in Lebanon to block weapons deliveries to Hizbollah from Iran and
Syria -- both of which deny arming the guerrillas.

Lebanon's Acting Interior Minister Ahmad Fatfat said the Lebanese army would take over security at border crossing points from Tuesday to tighten the government's control.

The U.N. resolution calls for a ban on arms supplies to groups in Lebanon, but does not say how it should be enforced.

An Israeli military source said an air and sea blockade of Lebanon would remain until the arms embargo was implemented.

About 1,110 people in Lebanon and 156 Israelis have been killed. Israel, which launched the war after Hizbollah captured two of its soldiers in a cross-border raid on July 12, says it killed 530 Hizbollah fighters. Hizbollah puts the toll at 80.

Thousands of Israeli troops remain in southern Lebanon. Israel has said they will not withdraw fully until an expanded U.N. peacekeeping force arrives alongside Lebanese troops.

[Nbadan]

It won't last. After weeks of superior firepower, Hizbollah has Israel in a position of almost equal military footing on the ground, and Israel has put itself into a position it said it would never do again after the 1980 invasion and occupation. More than likely this is just a chance to rearm and reload, get some of the civs and injured out of the way before the insurgent war against the occupying force begins. For it's part, Israel will continue to shoot at anything between the Litani River and th Southern Lebanon border. Truce or no truce, remember, the Hizbollah leader has vowed not to stop fighting until all Israel troops are out of Lebanon.

[Nbadan]

The situation is very volatile, if things remain the same its only a matter of time before this front-war by Hizbollah turns out to be a war between M.E. nations...

Syrian President Bashar Assad said his country is prepared for any war that may break out with Israel, adding that he is convinced that the chances for peace have decreased and that “the Golan Heights will be liberated by Syria.”

Syria and the resistance (referring to Hizbullah) read the situation correctly in that we predicted the confrontation. There have been extensive preparations for the current battle.

Referring to the international community’s intervention in the conflict, President Assad said “they intervene only when Israel is in pain; but when the Lebanese, Palestinians and others suffer – no one intervenes.”

Assad took the opportunity to praise Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah , describing him as “a unique commander in the history of the noble Lebanese resistance’; he also lauded Hizbullah TV station Al-Manar, saying it was the first time that the Arab media ‘defeated’ the enemy’s.

YNet News

Yes, Hizbollah has it's own FAUX News

[BIG IRISH]

Israel, Hezbollah Agree To "Mutual Destruction" Resolution; War Eventually Over
by Josh Righter

Most of the world at large breathed a sigh of relief today with the news that Israel and Hezbollah have finally agreed on resolving their conflict in a way that will end the war, opting to continue vigorously fighting until they are both completely obliterated from the Earth.

The resolution represents a breakthrough agreement between the two sides, who each say that they are "just sick of the fighting".

"Most of the deaths here are civilians, and for what?" said Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. "This war is just the latest in a series of senseless battles, and now we're going to end it, eventually."

"You said it, buddy," chimed in Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was standing next to Olmert. "Now let's shake on it."

"Ah!" Olmert said, spotting the poison-coated dagger in Nasrallah's hand at the last second and pulling his hand back with a grin. "Now that's what I call a war-ending effort!"

Under the historic kind-of-peace accord, Hezbollah and Israel will push both their military forces on the ground and air as well as their Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots on tabletops harder than ever before in an effort to expedite each other's total annihilation.

"If there's anything that we've learned from America, it's that you need to stick to a decision you've made no matter what happens," said Olmert. "This war is something that we've committed to, and now the best way to resolve our differences is to see it through until we have no more differences, because we're all dead."

The U.N. says that it is pleased with the agreement, although it was quick to add that it was working on a "totally bad-ass" accord of its own.

"Yeah, whatever, this agreement works, I guess," grumbled one diplomat. "But we were going to vote a version of something through this week -- or next week, even -- that would've knocked everyone's socks off, for real. It pretty much would've fixed everything."

"But you know, sure, this is good too," he added, shrugging and looking bored.

Many in the international community, including the United States, are also happy, calling the agreement a cease-fire of sorts.

"We would've liked a resolution sooner, but the important thing is someday -- hopefully soon -- the fighting's going to end and this region of the Middle East will finally be at peace," said White House spokesman Tony Snow. "And you can bet that we're confident that someday, Iraq will turn out in a very similar way."

To facilitate the cessation of fighting, both sides will be dramatically ramping up their fighting forces in the days to come. Nasrallah, in a particularly touching television appearance, showed the depth of his commitment to the peace process by threatening to turn southern Lebanon "into a graveyard" for Israelis.

"I say to the Zionists, you could come anywhere, invade, land airborne forces, enter this village or that, but I repeat, all this will cost you a high price," he said with a smile. "So please, come on over and let's do this!"

It appears that Israel will only be too happy to oblige, with peace-encouraging helicopters, missiles, and tanks meeting Lebanese forces in a show of stunning cooperation.

"Final peace is within our grasp!" one Israeli commander shouted FOR fox news