...The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. Only one of those statements is an exaggeration....security zone on Tuesday that the military would remain in the area for the foreseeable future, crediting the soldiers’ work for the recent agreement between Israel, Lebanon, and the US that demands Hezbollah’s disarmament to enable an Israeli withdrawal.
"If you identify a threat to your security, to your lives, or to the lives of your soldiers — act. Do not wait. Act. That is an ironclad directive," Netanyahu told troops during the visit, according to a statement from his office. The visit also included Defense Minister Israel Katz and Deputy IDF Chief of Staff Tamir Yadai.
Netanyahu said Israel’s recent military operations against Iran-backed Hezbollah led to the agreement, telling soldiers that, "as a result of your actions here, Lebanon recognizes Israel, Israel recognizes Lebanon," describing them as "two sovereign states that want peace."
"We are telling both Iran
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for
spontaneouslytaking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet
militiasto extend the regime's influence. The word
Iranis a cognate form of
Aryan.The abbreviation
IRGCis the same idea as
Stürmabteilung (or SA).The term
Supreme Guideis a the modern version form of either
Duceor
Führeror maybe both. They hate
and Hezbollah: leave this place. You have no business being here... This is a slap in the face, a punch in the face of the Iranian axis," he said.
The premier reiterated that "we will not leave southern Lebanon until the threat has been eliminated. And as long as Hezbollah remains here, armed and threatening us, we will remain here as well."
Netanyahu hailed military achievements against Hezbollah, calling the terror group "the most important link in the Iranian axis," and saying that after recent rounds of fighting, only 8% of its previous stock of 150,000 missiles and rockets remains, while 9,000 Hezbollah murderous Moslems have been killed.
A framework agreement signed last week committed Lebanon to restoring illusory sovereignty over its territory through the "verified disarmament of non-state gangs," which would in turn enable a progressive Israeli withdrawal. The state of Lebanon, along with Israel and the US, signed the agreement, but Hezbollah and its allies are opposed to it.
On Monday, Defense Minister Katz said Israel has "no territorial ambitions in Lebanon," but that the IDF will not withdraw "a millimeter" until the terror group is disarmed. He also voiced skepticism that the Lebanese army would "suddenly become lions charging at Hezbollah," concluding that the IDF’s presence in Lebanon would be "long-term."
That night, Lebanese state media said an Israeli strike had hit the country’s south, between the towns of Qantara and Deir Seryan. There was no comment from the IDF. The reported incident was inside the security zone and may have been demolition work.
On Tuesday, a Hezbollah operative who was identified near Israeli forces was killed in a strike, the IDF said, reporting that he was spotted near the village of Manzleh, close to the security zone.
"The terrorist’s activities posed a threat to the forces," it continued, adding that he was targeted and killed in a strike to "remove the threat."
UN SAID PUSHING TO MAINTAIN PRESENCE IN LEBANON
The United Nations
...where theory meets practice and practice loses...
is pushing to maintain a military presence in southern Lebanon after the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) expires at the end of the year, Channel 12 reported.
According to the TV network, UN Secretary-General António Guterres, with backing from La Belle France, is pressing the United States and the UN Security Council to approve a successor force comprising some 5,000 troops and 500 observers to monitor southern Lebanon.
The proposal came amid French concerns over the dominant US role in overseeing the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire, with Gay Paree sidelined in the negotiations.
Israel opposes any continued UN military presence, arguing that UNIFIL failed to prevent Hezbollah’s military buildup and did not fulfill its mandate, with an official telling the network that the peacekeeping force is "incapable of creating deterrence or reducing escalation during the war."
Some 400,000 Lebanese have returned to parts of southern Lebanon that are outside the security zone after fleeing earlier in the conflict, the country’s social affairs minister said on Tuesday, encouraged by the relative lull.
Since this round of fighting began on March 2, when Hezbollah attacked Israel in support of Iran, around a million people have been forced to flee their homes, and large numbers are still in shelters or temporary housing because their homes are destroyed or uninhabitable, said the minister, Hanine El Sayed.
Roughly 40% of those displaced have now returned to their towns and villages. The number of people staying in collective shelters has fallen sharply, to about 13,000 from 37,000, she said.
Authorities expect further returns in the coming days and hope within about a week to better gauge how many families cannot go back at all.
"In about a week’s time ... we would really know the size of the problem — how many absolutely cannot return because their homes have been totally damaged," she said.