Israel still occupies 9 positions

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sraeli troops still occupy nine positions in southern Lebanon two weeks after a ceasefire between Israel and the Shia militia Hizbollah ended more than a month of heavy fighting, a Lebanese military official said yesterday.

Israeli troops also continue carrying out nightly incursions in border villages, “taking advantage of respect for the ceasefire from the Lebanese side,” said the official, who did not want to be named.

Under a UN-brokered ceasefire that put an end to the fighting August 14, Lebanese troops have continued pushing into the country’s south for the first time in decades, but have so far not deployed directly along the border with Israel.

The spokesman said the Lebanese military was awaiting the arrival of UN peacekeepers at many points along the contested frontier. Some 15,000 foreign troops are expected in southern Lebanon under an expanded UN peacekeeping mission.

Bahrain Tribune

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

1. "Israeli troops also continue carrying...

...out nightly incursions in border villages, “taking advantage of respect for the ceasefire from the Lebanese side,” said the official, who did not want to be named."

This shouldn't surprise. These are people who use cluster bombs on civilians. No honor, no decency, no shame. None.

[bemildred]

2. It is posturing more than anything.

It seems to be one of the great weaknesses of the current Israeli leadership that they are much fonder of belligerent posturing and bullying than taking care of business. I can't imagine that there is anything of military value in the border villages, any useful goal to be achieved, it is just for show, like all the blather about blowing up the bunker with "shooting positions of molded concrete". It bespeaks a deep seated insecurity and a lack of clue about what to do about it.

[FlavaKreemSnak]

3. Once they get the Europe troops to help them they can do more

Right now I think they are probably mostly doing some reconaissance to see where they want to bomb etc once they get the European troops there to help protect them and enforce the occupation.

Then they will be able to get more positions and do more military operations to send a message to the people who are against the occupation, because they will have the Europe troops they can send to kill them on the ground and the Israeli troops can do air support and bomb.

But I think it will also be a problem because some of the people in Europe will be upset when there are casualties and some of them already don't agree with them having the mission to help with the occupation. But you know no matter what they write down, like now they have it worded so that Israel gets to keep doing its operations, they can just say they are pre-emptive and defensive, but there is no way that anybody is going to say that the Europeans can shoot Israelis. That would be like treason or something because they are there to protect the Israeli troops and enforce the occupation. But you can bet that once Israel gets started bombing etc again to capture more positions and there are European casualties that there will be big arguments in Europe and the leaders there will need more foreign aid from us.

[bemildred]

4. They are hanging out over the border to cover political butts.

"Once they get the Europe troops" they will be allowed to go home.

[FlavaKreemSnak]

5. You think they will trust the Europeans to enforce the occupation?

I don't think they will. Because for a long time they didn't want them there because of just that not trusting them to do what Israel wants done. And also if they say OK we are going home here are some tanks now go get the rest of Lebanon occupied that Europe will get really mad and say you could at least give them some air support.

But the reason I think all that is because I don't think they are done with Lebanon yet. I know lots of people think it was just to soften it up to help to have mission creep or some other technique to help us invade Iran without making a lot of big announcements about it first so that CNN and all of the press were there just waiting to see when they would start bombing. And that might be what they are planning that is the problem, we don't know what the secret plans are.

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6. You think Israel intends to keep troops in Lebanon?

What occupation are we discussing here? I don't think the IDF trusts the Europeans to do much of anything, but they have said loudly that they will not withdraw until the new UN force deploys, hence they have to keep some troops there until the UN force deploys.

[FlavaKreemSnak]

9. Yes, I think that is why they started occupying it

They will have to keep troops there to keep it occupied because there are so many Lebanese people who are not in favor of the occupation. But we don't know what the whole secret plan is. I think that it is part Israel deciding that it wanted Lebanon for either water, or maybe settlements or maybe it is somebody's religious belief but whatever it is, it also has to do with some secret plans we have about Iran. But we don't know what those are yet, so everybody is still guessing and saying what their guess is.

[bemildred]

10. OK, just checking.

Sounds complicated all right.

[lumpy]

7. Israel is looking for creation of permanent

'dead zones'on Lebanon's land and sea borders, effectively sealing off Lebanon, as has happened in Gaza. Whether they will be successful remains to be seen considering the attacks in Lebanon are big in the news at this point. But this sort of 'news' has a habit of losing interest and falling off the page. Israel's paranoia, much of it of their own making, is well established. They won't ever 'come to the table' and surrender any advantage they have gained.

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8. Well for one thing, if I planned to stay, I'd keep Hizbullah's bunkers.

Might be useful. Instead they are blowing them up. Of course that might just be stupidity.