Hezbollah fighters kill 9 Israeli soldiers

[tocqueville]

By SAM F. GHATTAS, Associated Press Writer
25 minutes ago


BEIRUT, Lebanon - Hezbollah dealt Israel its heaviest losses in the Lebanon campaign Wednesday, killing nine soldiers in fierce firefights. With key Mideast players failing to agree on a formula for a cease-fire, an Israeli general said the operation could last weeks.

............................

The eight deaths in Bint Jbail, which Israel has been trying to take for four days, were the heaviest Israeli casualties in a single battle during the Lebanon campaign.

Israeli troops had thought they secured the area around the town, but the guerrillas ambushed a patrol before dawn, said Capt. Jacob Dallal, an Israeli army spokesman. A rescue force went in, and fighting escalated. Hezbollah said its guerrillas ambushed an Israeli unit from three sides as it tried to advance from a ridge on the outskirts of the town.

Eight soldiers were killed and 22 wounded in the fighting, the army said. It later reported a ninth soldier killed and several other casualties in the nearby village of Maroun al-Ras.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&u=/ap/20060726/ap_on_re_mi_ea/lebanon_israel_472

[Kagemusha]

1. What Ha'aretz was adding to this was...

The military's arguing that insufficient force was used. After the civvies were told to leave, the IAF should've just leveled every single building in the entire town indiscriminately (it's 'a battlefield' after all) and the army didn't go in with nearly enough force (Powell Doctrine anyone?).

Just mentioning this without political slant because, I think what happened is important, but what may happen as a result in the next few weeks is even more so.

[BillZBubb]

3. Well, Cassino showed that strategy doesn't work.

Not that I expect the Israeli thugs to have learned anything from military history.

[breakingranks]

2. Hezbollah: Link TV Doing Another Special Mosaic

Tonight at 7 PST and 10 EST, Link TV will be doing another special edition of http://www.linktv.org/programming/programDescription.php4?code=mosaic_insight">Mosaic. Mosaic is a really cool show that brings together news segments from all over the Middle East.

I went to a live filming of Mosaic in San Francisco on Friday. What they do with the special http://www.linktv.org/programming/programDescription.php4?code=mosaic_insight">"Insight" show is bring together people from various sides of the issue to comment on the show. Audience members can call in or email questions. At the show I went to they took questions from all over the country and across the political spectrum.
http://www.linktv.org">Link TV is a satellite channel:

DIRECTV Ch 375
DISH Ch 9410

If you don't have satellite TV, you can view the streaming version http://www.linktv.org/mosaic/streamsArchive/].

Link TV has also been doing a lot of documentaries related to the Israel/Palestine conflict this week - check out their http://www.linktv.org">web site for more details.[br />
Link TV doesn't receive Federal funding, and they operate on a shoestring budget. They have virtually no advertising. It would really help them if people passed this info along.

[DYouth]

5. MOSAIC is great and so is LINK TV

They give a worldly view on things.

[newyawker99]

11. Hi breakingranks!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[spanone]

4. How did Israeli intel underestimate Hezbollah so badly?

They must have had our help.

[CuteNFuzzy]

6. how is Hizb so good at taking out soldiers

while Israel is so good at taking out civilians?

[Disturbed]

7. If Israel didn't have the airpower and tanks

their forces would sustain much higher casualties. I am starting to believe that the Israeli
Govt. is trying to overthrow the Lebanese Govt., not merely trying to destroy Hezbullah.

[laura888]

9. I thought the same thing. n/t

[Kagemusha]

10. You don't want to know what US casualties would be sans tanks etc.

No army does.

[MGD]

12. I think they just don't want to fight Hezbollah on the ground

until they're confident that Hezbollah has been weakened sufficiently with the airpower and artillery.

[Swede]

8. A two front war,and suburban at that,they will suffer a lot more pain.

Israel’s two-front conflict saw its heaviest day of fighting on Wednesday, claiming 9 Israeli soldiers, dozens of Hezbollah fighters and at least 23 Palestinians in Gaza.


http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/26/world/middleeast/26cnd-lebanon.html?ex=1154059200&en=5a44fe9a06294a20&ei=5087%0A