Israel To Hold Off On New Offensive For 2 Or 3 Days (good sign)

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JERUSALEM (AP)--The Israeli military will hold off on a wider ground offensive in south Lebanon for two or three days to allow the U.N. Security Council to continue its debate for a cease-fire resolution, one of the ministers at Wednesday's Security Cabinet meeting said.

The offensive, approved at the meeting, was expected to take 30 days as part of a new push to badly damage Hezbollah, said another Israeli Cabinet minister, Eli Yishai.

The decision to expand the offensive was made with nine ministers in favor and three abstaining. The Security Cabinet authorized troops to push to the Litani River some 30 kilometers from the Israel-Lebanon border. Currently, some 10,000 soldiers are fighting Hezbollah in a six-kilometer-deep stretch from the Israel-Lebanon border.

The decision gave authorization to Defense Minister Amir Peretz and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to order the wider offensive and to decide its timing. However, it didn't oblige them to act.

When Olmert returned to the meeting, he announced that a new diplomatic process would begin simultaneous to the military operation and that a new U.N. Security Council resolution to end the fighting would be drafted to try to address Lebanon's concerns, the minister said.


hope it holds . . . hope it means innocent Lebanese civilians can resume digging out their neighbors, family members, and friends from the rubble. I hope it means that Israel will open up roads to let aid go through. I hope it means the end to the airstrikes targeting populated areas of Lebanon.

I hope Hizbollah takes a similar step back.

I'll believe it when I see it. I actually don't expect Israel to completely yield, but I didn't welcome any 'new' offensive either.

[kentuck]

1. That's how long it takes to get the weaponry in place..

Why is that good news??

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4. ANY indication of a lessened attack may mean saved lives

that's my concern. The rest of my criticisms (and there are many) of Israel's offensive stand. I fully expect the civilian killings to continue, on both sides, until the UN forces are on the ground and Israel withdraws. I anticipate the worst, I hope for better. So, good sign. But, it has to be followed by specific actions to lessen and end the hostilities.

[malaise]

2. Good news indeed

Bet Chirac made a direct phone call or Welsh - maybe that Lamont victory has men a wee bit nervous this morning.

I don't know where Bolton or CNN got this view that the Security Council may vote for the US backed resolution because Russia came out this morning and said unless the Arab League's amendments aren't included, Russia will not support it. Gosh I hate BOlton.
add.

[Tom Joad]

3. Fuel will run out in Lebanon if 6 days. They are still killing dozens a

day. Why does the US support this?

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6. They are completely compromised by their own militarism abroad

There is no more 'honest broker' to restrain Israel, neutralize Hizbollah, and mollify the hapless Lebanese. The world community must assert themselves to force the US (and Israel) to take their boots off of the Lebanese civilian's throats.

[leesa]

5. How sweet of them Who will DEFEND them in the interim?

Oh, that's right, they don't mean it anyway.

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7. It's not a halt in operations, just their word they'll not expand them

Their planned expansion farther north would be further provocation to Syria and a dubious defense as no Hizbollah rocket can reach Israel past a certain point. Those actions would certainly fall outside of the immediate defense of Israel that they might use to justify all of their collateral damage and killings.

We should hold them to their words and not allow OURSELVES to become cynical about efforts to restrain them, or any effort they may announce. We should hold them to their words.