July 12. The level of confusion and threat of war in the Middle East tonight continues to grow with no clear picture emerging of exactly why the militant Shiite Muslim group Hezbollah launched an attack on Israel from Lebanon this morning or what other countries may be involved in this sudden strike. What is clear is that Israel now faces a two-front war against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
What makes the situation so complex and difficult for Israel and the West are the linkages among Hezbollah, Hamas in Gaza and the West Bank, Syria’s support of the terrorist organizations, and Iran’s support of Shiite militarism.
Sources inside Israel say that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will issue a declaration of war this evening as the Israeli Cabinet met this evening (Israeli time) “to approve military actions in the North, amid growing sentiment that the region was sliding toward war and that Hezbollah's morning attack necessitated a dramatic, widespread and painful response.” The police and Prisons Service in Israel have raised the alert level to the second highest, “scrambling to prevent a third front from being opened - by Palestinian terrorists within Israel's cities.”
What is known is that Hezbollah, in a carefully planned attack, infiltrated into Israel’s western borner near Zarit early Wednesday morning and attacked an Israeli Defense Force (IDF) with anti-tank rockets, killing three soldiers and kidnapping two. Four other soldiers were killed when a tank, sent to search for the Israelis, ran over an explosive.
At the same time, Hezbollah forces launched a massive rocket and mortar attack at IDF positions and cities along the northern border.
Israeli planes, troops, and naval forces immediately launched a counter attack to drive the Shiites back over the border, entering Lebanon for the first time in six years. Residents of northern Israeli towns were told to take cover in bomb shelters as Hezbollah launched rockets into the area throughout the day.
Just hours after the initial attack, Olmert held a news conference with visiting Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, calling the incursion “an act of war.” He said that Israel would respond in “an unequivocal fashion that will cause those who started this act of war to bear a very painful and far-reaching responsibility for their actions.”
Article comments
1 - Al Barger
Mark, I'm sure it's not from bad intention, but you're a little off-track just with your title saying that "Israel threatens war." Israel ain't threatening war, the Arabs are absolutely making war, and Israel is forced to respond.
2 - mschannon
Al,
Of course the Arab's have, in effect, declared war. But in the article, I noted that "Sources inside Israel say that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will issue a declaration of war this evening..." meaning moving from this nebulous situation to a full-fledged state of war. There's a big difference.
It's interesting that, so far, Olmert hasn't issued the declaration--at least I haven't seen it yet.
In Decaf Veritas
3 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
Gentlemen,
Olmert is not a particularly smart fellow, but even he knows that Israel is already in a state of war with Lebanon. So declaring war would be just one more empty threat from a government filled with empty threats.
He did state that Lebanon had perpertrated an act of war and has shut down our northern neighbor as a result. The streets in town are kind of empty. All those guys in khaki with the M16's are on duty. Only the border guard is yet in town. So, in effect, Israel has gone to war.
4 - mschannon
Ruvy, do you realize if we traded goverments, neither of us would be any better. I've got a new update in pending. You probably already know, but the rhetoric is getting more intense and those asshole Europeans have backed away from their support last night.
Keep your head down and your powder dry. We'd hate to lose you.
Mark
5 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
Mark,
Thanks for the kind wishes; there are other Israelis commenting here who deserve your prayers as well, and some of them may well live in harm's way. J-lem is well out of range of HizbAllah's Katyshas. Will wait for your update. I'm going to keep updating this second article unless developments take a different course entirely.