Will There Be An Invasion This Weekend?
Israel is massing several divisions on the border of Lebanon, and it sure looks that way:
The IDF was gearing up for a large-scale ground incursion into Lebanon on Friday. Thousands of reservists were being mobilized to the North throughout Friday to beef up forces stationed in the area in preparation for a possible operation.
In total, three to four ground divisions will be operating along the Lebanese front.
Defense Minister Amir Peretz said on Friday that the defense establishment was evaluating the size of the force needed to conduct a large-scale operation in Lebanon.
“We have no intention of being dragged into something that Hizbullah wants to drag us into,” Peretz said. “Nevertheless, we will operate in every place that we find it necessary.”
On Friday afternoon, the IAF dropped leaflets over southern Lebanon all the way up to the Litani River calling on residents to move northward to avoid being caught in clashes between IDF forces and Hizbullah cells. The move could signify a step in preparation for the ground incursion.
The IDF said on Friday it was not interested in clashing with the Lebanese people, and that the call to move northward was made for their own personal safety.
“The IDF does not see the Lebanese people as its enemy and is not interested in hurting it,” the army said in a statement. “The military will, however, continue to operate decisively against any source of terror that will continue to threaten the citizens of Israel.”
The move is risky, if taken; will the Lebanese government be able to NOT take action and still maintain any credibility in such an eventuality? I dunno…could be a very interesting weekend…
Just adding ot the drama, of Condi’s arrival in the ME.
She can walk in and say: If we don’t come to an agreement quickly, it may be too late. The Israelis are providng the dogs of war and making sure that everyone hears them barking, for emphasis.
I’ll be heart broken if they actually make a solid invasion into Lebanon. No way they go without US support, which is the way the Lebanese people will see it.
[...] Mark Coffey wonders Will There Be An Invasion This Weekend? The move is risky, if taken; will the Lebanese government be able to NOT take action and still maintain any credibility in such an eventuality? I dunno…could be a very interesting weekend… [...]
Diplomacy and the Hounds of Hell, Part IV
Despite Israel continuing to take out Hizbullah rocket cells in Lebanon, Hizbullah continues to fire rockets into Israel, including some that hit in Haifa.
You are reading it the wrong way. Calling so many reservists costs us (Israel) money, lots of money.
Israel will needs them for a short period to make sure that the enemy is not tempted to break the cease fire. See also my post
Another opinion is that Israel are using the Turkish method. A few years ago, Syria did not restrain the Kurdish gurrila attacks coming from Syria into Turkey. Turkey called up 50,000 reserves and deployed them accross the Syrian broder. The problem was solved in a week. No shot was even fired.