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Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Salloukh: Israeli threats aim at hurting Lebanon's image
2008-08-23
Lebanon's Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh said on Thursday that Israel's threats aim at hurting Lebanon's image.
More convoluted logic...
'Who said that the cabinet has given the okay to Hezbollah to carry out any action against Israel?' Salloukh asked.
"Wait until they do before complaining, okay?"
He said the situation south of the Litani River is stable where the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is exerting 'major efforts and there have been no complaints against Hezbollah.'

Lebanon adheres to UN Security Council Resolution 1701, Salloukh noted. Lebanon, according to Salloukh, has honored its commitments in line with the resolution while Israel persists in violating the resolution by its daily over-flights over Lebanese territories.

Resolution 1701 brought an end to the July 2006 war between Israel and Lebanon's militant movement Hezbollah. The UN resolution demanded a full cessation of hostilities, Israel to withdraw all of its forces from Lebanon in parallel with Lebanese and UNIFIL soldiers deploying throughout the south, and the full control of Lebanon by the Lebanese government.

Israel has warned the Lebanese government against giving greater legitimacy to the Shiite militant group, saying it would make the entire country a target in any future war. 'The moment the Lebanese government confers legitimacy on Hezbollah, it must understand that the entire Lebanese state will be a target in the same way that all of Israel is a target for Hezbollah,' Environment Minister Gideon Ezra told Israeli public radio on Wednesday. 'During the Second Lebanese War we considered the possibility of attacking Lebanon's infrastructure but we never resorted to this option, because we thought at the time that not all the Lebanese were responsible for the Hezbollah attacks,' added Ezra, who is close to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

Israeli bombing during the 2006 conflict with Hezbollah was largely confined to Beirut and the south but the military did hit civilian infrastructure, including the main international airport, roads, bridges and power stations. Israel has always said that such instances were exceptions to an attack that was solely focused on Hezbollah and was initially aimed only at recovering two Israeli soldiers seized in a deadly cross- border raid.

The two soldiers were captured by Hezbollah on July 12, 2006. Their capture led to a 33-day war by Israel on Lebanon, during which the Jewish state failed to free its soldiers. The two dead soldiers were returned to Israel in a swap with Hezbollah on July 16. In return, Israel freed five Lebanese prisoners who were held in Israeli jails and handed over the bodies of around 199 dead Hezbollah and Arab militants.
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Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Tehran rejects arming Lebanon's Hezbollah
2008-08-08
(ISNA) -- Tehran's ambassador to Beirut Mohammad Reza Sheibani has rejected allegation that Iran is supplying military aid including anti-aircraft missiles to Lebanon's resistant group Hezbollah, Xinhua reported.
"Really. We have nothing to do with it. They make those armaments in their basements. They're really very good at it."
Sheibani made the remarks after a meeting with Lebanese Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh. Sheibani said in his meeting with Salloukh that he had suggested that Tehran can provide technical, engineering and technological services to Lebanon.
"Once we've installed our satrap he'll take care of all the details."
He also said Iran hopes Lebanese President Michel Suleiman would answer to Iran's official invitation to pay a visit to Tehran in the near future.
"You should come and meet your new overlords. You'll find us quite reasonable most of the time."
On Iran's stance regarding Suleiman's planned trip to Syria, he said Tehran welcomes strong ties between Middle Eastern counties.
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Syria-Lebanon-Iran
March 14 points finger at Tehran, Damascus
2006-11-13
BEIRUT: The March 14 Forces accused Damascus and Tehran on Sunday of planning to topple the legitimate authorities in Lebanon and re-establish Syrian hegemony over the country.

In response to the resignations of the five Shiite ministers from Premier Fouad Siniora's government, the coalition met late Sunday at the Qoreitem home of the parliamentary majority leader, MP Saad Hariri, to form a unified stance. Afterward, Hariri read out a statement in which he accused Syria and Iran of being behind the resignations and plotting to foil the international tribunal to try those accused of killing his father, former Premier Rafik Hariri.

Hizbullah and Amal ministers resigned Saturday after accusing the March 14 Forces of "controlling the decision-making in the Cabinet" - and on the eve of a planned session to pass the final draft of the court.

The ministers who resigned are Labor Minister Trad Hamadeh, Agriculture Minister Talal Sahili, Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh, Health Minister Mohammed Jawad Khalifeh, and Energy and Water Minister Mohammed Fneish.

"This resignation ... was not a coincidence. The March 14 Forces lament this step and see in it an attempt to foil the formation of the international tribunal," Hariri said. "We agreed twice to Speaker Nabih Berri's call for dialogue and consultations to maintain stability ... but it turned out that some parties didn't want this and their hidden intentions became clear to us ... It is a Syrian-Iranian plot to topple legitimate rule in Lebanon, destroy the Paris III donor conference, annul the tribunal and place this country back under the former [Syrian] mandate."

He added that "this plan was done by the Syrian regime and the [pro-Syrian] president [Emile Lahoud] ... who wants to assassinate Rafik Hariri a second time."

"Foiling this tribunal and protecting the criminals [bears the fingerprints] of a well-known murderous regime," he added, "which we will not allow to succeed."

Hizbullah and Amal rejected linking the resignation of their ministers with the idea of an attempt to halt the tribunal. "Our stance on the tribunal is clear," Amal MP Ali Hassan Khalil told The Daily Star on Sunday. "We have nothing to hide and we have said so in the dialogue and consultations. In principle we agree on the tribunal and we have made it clear in our statements."

However, when the tribunal was first discussed after anti-Syrian MP Gebran Tueni was assassinated in late 2005, the same Shiite ministers suspended their participation in the Cabinet. "We are in direct contact with our allies to assess the situation," Khalil added. "All options are being considered, and our resignation was for political reasons as there is domination over power and decision-making. When these reasons are taken into consideration by the majority and we reach an agreement on that, then maybe we will return to the Cabinet."

As to whether the Amal and Hizbullah blocs would resign from Parliament, a prominent Hizbullah official told The Daily Star on condition of anonymity: "There are many means of pressure that we can use, but resigning from the Parliament isn't one of them."

Street protests are one option that hizbullah has stressed. Hizbullah's number two, Sheikh Naim Qassem, told Reuters on Sunday that the Cabinet resignation "was a first step. There will be other steps that we will discuss in detail with our allies and which we will announce gradually."

"Going ... to the streets is one of the important steps that Hizbullah and its allies will take," he added.

Also Sunday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Abou al-Gheit argued that "efforts must be exerted to avoid, by all means, resorting to the street."

The resignation came as a surprise to many, despite the "electrified" nature of Saturday's consultation session. A governmental source told The Daily Star that the session was tense and "electrified so it had to be postponed until Wednesday until Berri returns from his trip to Tehran."

Speaking from Iran after meeting Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki on the sidelines of a convention of Asian legislative leaders, Berri said the "situation ... has reached a divorce status, but this doesn't mean we have hit a dead end. Divorce can be revocable but this is in the hands of the majority." He added that "I tried to find a remedy to the problem, but alas, we reached a point where divorce was inevitable."
Deutsche Welle reported today on two further developments: 1) A sixth Lebanese cabinet member has resigned. 2) The Siniora cabinet met and approved the UN framework for the Hariri international tribunal.
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Syria-Lebanon-Iran
UN seeks end to 'very dangerous' overflights
2006-11-11
Envoy holds talks with Berri ahead of report on implementation of 1701
A senior United Nations envoy said Friday that Israel's continued violations of Lebanese airspace "are very dangerous," stressing the world body's keenness to "halt or at least reduce" Israeli overflights in the coming weeks. This came as France said Friday it hoped the US would put pressure on Israel to end military flights over Lebanon, after French peacekeepers nearly launched missiles at Israeli jets flying carrying out mock raids.

"This message must be sent by France and other countries, and also the UN ... We hope the Americans can send the same type of message to the Israelis," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Jean-Baptiste Mattei. "The ambassador took note yesterday of what the minister said, and I think he has made a commitment to provide us with a certain number of clarifications," he added.

On Wednesday Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said French troops participating in the UNIFIL peacekeeping force in the South almost launched missiles at Israeli warplanes which had flown over their position in a threatening manner on October 31.

In Beirut, the visiting UN political affairs officer, Michael Williams said: "The Israelis promised the UN they would look into the issue ... We hope to achieve progress in this regard."

Williams, assigned by UN chief Kofi Annan to monitor the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701, spoke to reporters after a meeting with Speaker Nabih Berri.

Israel's occupation of a Lebanese village along the Southern border was also nearing an end, he predicted. "I am sure that the Israelis will fully withdraw from Ghajar," he said, without providing any timeframe. "We had a very good meeting," Williams added.

Resolution 1701, which secured a cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hizbullah in this past summer's month-long war, took effect on August 14.

Williams also expressed support for ongoing national talks in Lebanon sponsored by Berri, saying: "The Lebanese will reach a successful result."

The UN envoy arrived in Beirut Thursday night after meeting earlier in the week with Israeli officials concerning the Jewish state's repeated violations of Lebanon's airspace. He is charged with gathering information from Lebanon and Israel before submitting a report to Annan, who, in turn, will submit his own report on 1701 to the Security Council at the end of the month.

Earlier in the day, Williams met with Defense Minister Elias Murr for further discussion on the Israeli violations. "The orders made by the Lebanese Army Command are clear in terms of defying the Israeli overflights," Murr said.

Accompanied by Geir Pedersen, Annan's personal representative in Lebanon, Williams later met with Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh, who underscored Beirut's commitment to implementing 1701. "Weapons are not being smuggled from Syria," Salloukh said in reference to a report by another UN envoy, Terje Roed-Larsen, on October 19 which said weapons were being smuggled from Syria to Hizbullah.

Meanwhile, the National News Agency (NNA) said Friday that two Israeli bulldozers and an excavator were seen near Roueisset al-Alam, in the Shebaa Farms. The NNA also reported the entry of an Israeli infantry unit into the Shebaa Farms Thursday night, moving toward the Seddanah base from which the Israelis withdrew last May.

And in the latest violations, a statement issued by the Lebanese Army Command said four Israeli jets violated Lebanese airspace on Friday. The fighter-bombers flew over several parts of the country, including Rmeish, Bint Jbeil, Marjayoun, Nabatiyeh, Tyre, Beirut, Zahle, Baalbek, and Tripoli.
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Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Berri warns war on horizon unless Israel ends violations
2006-10-13
The United Nations representative in Lebanon said on Wednesday that a solution was near on the matter of Israeli troops who continue to occupy the Lebanese border village of Ghajar, even as Lebanon's speaker threatened to resume war if the Jewish state did not halt its violations of Lebanese sovereignty. "We discussed the issue of Ghajar and we are confident that we will find a good solution to the question of Ghajar very soon, so that this will not remain a problem," said Geir Pedersen, representative of UN chief Kofi Annan. "I will not give you any time, but we are working very, very hard. We hope to find a quick solution," Pedersen told reporters after a meeting with Lebanese Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh.

The village of Ghajar, which straddles the Israeli-Lebanese border, is the last position occupied by the Israeli Army since its soldiers left South Lebanon on October 1. The Israeli withdrawal came almost seven weeks after a UN-brokered cessation of hostilities took effect on August 14, ending 34 days of war. Pedersen said the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) "is discussing this with the Lebanese side and the Israeli side."

Ghajar, at the foot of Mount Hermon straddling the Lebanese-Syrian border, is perched on a cliff overlooking the precious Wazzani Spring, which has been a source of continuous disputes between Israel and Lebanon. The area is inhabited by Alawites, most of whom have obtained Israeli citizenship, even though most consider themselves to be Syrian. The village is an extension of the Syrian Golan Heights plateau, which Israel occupied during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and then annexed in 1981.

According to a UN-drawn "Blue Line" marking the border between Israel and Lebanon following the May 2000 Israeli troop pullout, two-thirds of the village is on Lebanese soil, while the other third is part of occupied Syrian territory.
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Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Leb slams Merkel over comments on UN mission
2006-09-17
Lebanon's Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh on Saturday criticized German Chancellor Angela Merkel's comments about German participation in the peacekeeping efforts and urged Berlin to be an "unbiased" contributor to the UN mission in Lebanon. "We expect a friendly country such as Germany to be balanced and unbiased in dealing with its (peacekeeping) mission," told reporters in Beirut.

He was commenting on remarks Merkel made Wednesday after Germany's Cabinet approved the deployment of warships to Lebanon as part of the expanded United Nations peacekeeping force known as UNIFIL. "This decision was made in view both of our particular responsibility for Israel's right to exist, and for a solid solution for peace in the region," Merkel said. In comments reported by Lebanon's official National News Agency, Salloukh said, "UNIFIL's mission is to secure peace and stability and help Lebanese authorities protect civilians where they are deployed. Anyone who feels obliged to protect Israel should deploy his troops on the other side of the border to carry out this mission."
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Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Lebanese FM rejects Olmert's call for peace
2006-09-04
Lebanese Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh rejected Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's offer for negotiating peace between the two countries on Sunday. "Israel must first fulfill UNSC resolution 1701 and end its embargo on Lebanon before we can talk about peace," Salloukh said.
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Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Arab FMs Meet in Egypt to Discuss Rebuilding Lebanon
2006-08-20
Seems they are a little concerned about that Iranian money.
And, from english.aljazeera.net "Many Arab governments have expressed resentment over last week's speech by Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president, in which he criticised fellow Arab leaders for not supporting Hezbollah. He said the war had revealed them to be "half men"."


CAIRO, Egypt Aug 20, 2006 (AP)— Arab League foreign ministers convened for an emergency meeting on Sunday to discuss how to fund reconstruction in war-ravaged Lebanon and defuse Mideast tensions amid rising discord between moderate Arabs and Syria, a main backer of Hezbollah.

The Kuwaiti government plans to donate $800 million to Lebanon, Foreign Minister Sheik Mohammed Al Sabbah announced upon arrival in Cairo. Saudi Arabia said it already had donated $500 million, and other oil-rich nations have made pledges to chip in.

Lebanese foreign minister Fawzi Salloukh urged his Arab counterparts to make further commitments. "Lebanon is looking for more help for its reconstruction," he said ahead of the meeting.

Worried that the 34-day war between Hezbollah and Israel has given a boost to radical militants and their Syrian and Iranian backers, Arab ministers were expected to review a plan to channel funds to Lebanon and to revive the stalled Middle East peace process with Israel.

Diplomats said Arabs want to counter a flood of money that is believed to be coming from Iran to Hezbollah to finance reconstruction projects. An estimated 15,000 apartments were destroyed and 140 bridges hit by Israeli bombardment in Lebanon, along with power and desalination plants and other key infrastructure.

Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah has pledged to help rebuild Lebanon, and social workers with the group have begun distributing money to pay rent and buy furniture for civilians who lost their homes paying out $12,000 in cash per person.

Nasrallah did not say where the money would come from, but Iran, which helped create Hezbollah and is its strongest supporter, was widely believed to have opened its treasury for the rebuilding program.

However, Iran which is not an Arab nation and is not part of the league denied on Sunday that it was sending money to Hezbollah. "Hezbollah is a legitimate body in Lebanon; they have their own economic resources and popular support there," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi.

Eighteen of the Arab League's 22 foreign ministers gathered in Cairo but in a sign of growing regional tensions, Syrian minister Walid Moallem skipped the meeting.
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Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Cabinet members spar over proposed weapons compromise
2006-08-16
Short version: The Leb pols have returned to business as usual, Hezbollah's not going to give up its fascination with guns and explosives and the government's impotent to do anything about it. So they're twisting and turning and contorting themselves to manage to let the Hezbers have their way while seeming to adhere to 1701. We return to conditions as they were before the war, with the addition of rubble in Beirut and Tyre and the presence of UNIFIL troops who will have to get out of the way when the next flareup occurs.
BEIRUT: A compromise agreement currently being hammered out between Hizbullah and the Lebanese government is expected to allow the party to keep hidden weapons in South Lebanon, the London-based Al-Hayat newspaper reported Tuesday.
“While Hizbullah would need to keep the weapons it possesses south of the Litani River hidden, an agreement for areas north of the river would be 'left to a long-term solution'... ”
While Hizbullah would need to keep the weapons it possesses south of the Litani River hidden, an agreement for areas north of the river would be "left to a long-term solution," the paper said. If the proposed compromise is accepted by Premier Fouad Siniora's Cabinet, it would violate the terms of UN Security Council Resolution 1701. And it is also a violation of the "one weapon" principle of Siniora's seven-point plan.

Resolution 1701 calls for Israel and Lebanon to support a solution based on previous UN resolutions requiring "the disarmament of all armed groups in Lebanon" apart from state security forces. While the mandate of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) within the new resolution does not require foreign troops to disarm Hizbullah themselves, the force is authorized "to ensure that its area of operations is not utilized for hostile activities of any kind" and to support the Lebanese Army in asserting control over all of Lebanon.

“... the session scheduled for Sunday was indefinitely postponed amid reports that Hizbullah ministers would try to pass the hidden-weapons compromise despite strong opposition from some ministers of the March 14 Forces...”
Siniora's Cabinet unanimously approved the resolution last Saturday but scheduled another session to discuss Hizbullah ministers' reservations about it and the operative means to implement. However, the session scheduled for Sunday was indefinitely postponed amid reports that Hizbullah ministers would try to pass the hidden-weapons compromise despite strong opposition from some ministers of the March 14 Forces. "I will oppose this compromise deal to the end," said Tourism Minister Joe Sarkis, who is also a member of the Lebanese Forces. "We are committed to implementing the UN resolution, which clearly states the area south of the Litani River should be disarmed. The Lebanese can fool each other by hiding weapons but we won't be able to fool the international community."

The minister said Resolution 1701, which provides a mandate for an expanded UNIFIL of 15,000 international troops, contained "obligations" that had to be met. "What do you want, Minister Fneish? Not to implement the decision? OK let's not implement it and the hell with the country then," said Sarkis. Energy Minister Mohammad Fneish is Hizbullah minister in Siniora's Cabinet.

Sarkis said commitment to implement the resolution and to unite behind Siniora's Cabinet is to spare the country "a political division and problems." Government sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said private discussions are being held to convene a Cabinet session, but with no success yet. They said the talks focus on a pre-set agreement of what the session will decide regarding Hizbullah's weapons south of the Litani River and the deployment of the Lebanese Army there.

“He said a 'sustainable peace cannot be fulfilled but through a comprehensive solution to the Israeli-Palestinian crisis.'”
Meanwhile Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh met Tuesday with his Brazilian counterpart, Celso Amorim. In a joint news conference, Amorim said talks focused on the need "to establish sustainable peace in the region and deploy the governments' sovereignty over all the Lebanese territories." He said a "sustainable peace cannot be fulfilled but through a comprehensive solution to the Israeli-Palestinian crisis." Amorim also delivered food and medical aid from Brazil to the Lebanese government. The Brazilian official later met with Speaker Nabih Berri and Siniora.

Separately, Berri met Tuesday with Egyptian Ambassador Hussein Darrar and Saudi Ambassador Abdel-Aziz Khoja. Berri also received a phone call from the speaker of the Iranian Parliament, Haddad Adel, who expressed his country's support for Lebanon. In another development, Information Minister Ghazi Aridi visited the headquarters of Hizbullah's Al-Manar television station in Haret Hreik, which was completely destroyed by Israeli raids, and hailed the "steadfastness of Al-Manar reporters and employees."
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Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Iranian, French FMs meet
2006-08-01
IRANIAN Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, whose country is a main backer of Hezbollah, met his French counterpart in Beirut today for talks on resolving the crisis in Lebanon. French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said earlier today in Beirut that contacts with Tehran were needed to help restore stability to the Middle East.

France and Iran have called for an immediate ceasefire to halt the war between Hezbollah and Israel. The United States has refused to back calls for an immediate halt, instead calling for a sustainable end to the conflict which erupted on July 12 when Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers in a raid into Israel. Mr Douste-Blazy had said Iran was a significant, respected player in the Middle East which is playing a stabilising role, putting him at odds with Washington which accuses Iran and Syria of destabilising the region.

“Mr Douste-Blazy said Iran was a significant, respected player in the Middle East which is playing a stabilising role”
Mr Mottaki met Mr Douste-Blazy at the Iranian embassy in Beirut. Journalists were invited to the Iranian Embassy to cover the meeting but Mr Douste-Blazy had not been expecting press and did not want to speak to reporters, Iranian embassy sources said. Iranian embassy officials escorted cameramen and photographers to see Mr Douste-Blazy sitting on a couch with Mr Mottaki. "The Islamic Republic of Iran underlines the necessity for an immediate halt to the attacks of the Zionist entity on Lebanon," Mr Mottaki told reporters after an earlier meeting with Lebanese Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh.
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Iraq
"Big Bang" theory: By liberating Iraq, the U.S. set the stage for the destruction of Hezbollah.
2006-07-26
by Josh Manchester, Wall Street Journal

The U.S. invasion of Iraq has so shaken and stirred the Middle East that some exceptionally strange things are happening. More importantly, these things unequivocally favor the U.S. in influencing the outcome of the Israeli-Hezbollah War now taking place in Lebanon.

What sorts of strange things? Well, consider an Arab League meeting in Cairo over the weekend, where a fight of sorts broke out. Jed Babbin described it best:

This meeting began with the Lebanese foreign minister Fawzi Salloukh proposing a resolution condemning Israel's military action, supporting Lebanon's "right to resist occupation by all legitimate means" . . . The Lebanese draft also called on Israel to release all Lebanese prisoners and supported Lebanon's right to "liberate them by all legitimate means." . . . The Syrian foreign minister, Walid Moallem, strongly supported Lebanon and Hizballah. But an historic obstacle was raised that blocked the Lebanese endorsement of terrorism.

The Saudi foreign minister, al-Faisal, led a triumvirate including Egypt and Jordan that, according to the AP report, was " . . . criticizing the guerilla group's actions, calling them "unexpected, inappropriate and irresponsible acts." Faisal said, "These acts will pull the whole region back to years ago, and we simply cannot accept them." . . . The Arab leaders are frightened that the acts of the terrorists they have coddled for decades might have consequences for them. And they are very frightened of what Iran may do next."

These regimes would most certainly not be afraid of what Iran may do next if Saddam Hussein still ran Iraq, providing for the Arab world a deterrent against Iran. . . .

The "big bang," as invading Iraq has sometimes been called, was meant to reorder the nature of politics in the region. This has been accomplished in a fundamental way. The idea of dividing an enemy force into its constituent parts and then dealing with it piecemeal is at least as old as Caesar's actions in Gaul. It applies no less to U.S. strategy in the Middle East. Every faction there has been made to reconsider its relationship with every other. Rather than there being a monolithic clash of civilizations, thus far the U.S. is dealing with the area in pieces--in whatever way it sees fit to do so--whether making it tacitly clear to Syria that what happened in Iraq could more easily happen to it, or threatening Iran on behalf of the region and world, or seeking cooperation with the Saudis in hunting down al Qaeda.

Far from being a bit of belated triumphalism about the invasion, all of this has immediate and direct consequences. While the success of Iraq's democracy hangs in the balance from an operational perspective, the strategic advantages created by the invasion of Iraq are working very favorably for the U.S. in the current Israeli-Lebanon crisis in very tangible ways. . . .
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Syria-Lebanon-Iran
12th day of fighting
2006-07-23
As Israeli and Hezbollah forces battled for a 12th day on Sunday, negotiators worked to end the conflict.

More than 60 Hezbollah rockets hit northern Israel on Sunday, killing two civilians and wounding more than 20 others, military officials and police said. CNN witnessed some of these rockets in and around the port city of Haifa. One rocket hit a house in Haifa Sunday evening, wounding several people inside.

At least six Israeli bombs fell on the Lebanese coastal city of Tyre in a 20-minute span Sunday morning, killing one civilian and wounding at least 20 others, officials said. Israeli airstrikes also hit southern Beirut, and Israel Defense Forces said it struck a building that "serves Hezbollah" in the town of Sidon.

At least 271 Lebanese people have been killed in the fighting, and 711 wounded, according to Lebanese security officials. Hezbollah attacks have killed seven Israeli civilians and 20 soldiers and wounded more than 300 civilians and more than 60 soldiers, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

Israeli officials say Israel does not intend to carry out a full-scale ground invasion in Lebanon, but instead will continue pinpoint attacks on specific targets. The IDF said it was trying to create a security buffer between the Israeli border and Hezbollah militants.

Diplomatic sources told CNN's Christiane Amanpour that the operation could last a few more weeks.

Hezbollah officials on Sunday conceded that Israel had taken control of the southern Lebanon village of Maroun al-Ras after days of ground fighting.

Diplomatic efforts

Israel said Sunday that a multinational peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon is acceptable as a solution to the current Mideast crisis. The idea was broached by Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz during a meeting with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Sunday, a ministry spokesman said.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice prepared to leave for the Middle East later on Sunday. Rice has said she won't be pursuing a cease-fire at the moment. Speaking at the State Department last week, she said Hezbollah is the source of the problem in Lebanon and a cease-fire "will be a false promise if it returns us to the status quo."

A bipartisan U.S. Congressional delegation also expressed support for Israel during a visit to the Middle East. Rep. Jane Harmon, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, compared Hezbollah to a cancer and said the group's weapons "have to be destroyed, if possible."

Israel to distribute relief supplies

The Israeli military announced Sunday it will distribute relief supplies to Lebanese citizens under the supervision of the Red Cross. The statement from the Israel Defense Forces said the mission was "in accordance with IDF policy to maintain the daily life of Lebanese civilian population not involved in terror activity." The humanitarian aid, to arrive on ships into Beirut's port, will be transferred to aid centers across Lebanon, the IDF said.

Israel has barred the United Nations from sending relief supplies into southern Lebanon, where most of the country's estimated 500,000 internally displaced people are located, according to U.N. emergency relief coordinator Jan Egeland. The United Nations is able to take its convoys of humanitarian relief to Beirut, where some 150,000 people are displaced, Egeland told CNN's Nic Robertson.

Egeland toured the rubble-littered streets of southern Beirut on Sunday and complained about the lack of safe routes for humanitarian relief supplies. "We do not have free access at the moment," he said. "We do not have security for our trucks. We do not have security for our relief people."

The United Nations has bought 50 trucks and a ship that can travel from Cyprus to Beirut, then to the port city of Tyre, he said.

On Monday, the United Nations will launch a $100 million fundraising campaign to help the Lebanese people, he said. Egeland will also negotiate the establishment of humanitarian corridors on Monday in hopes that trucks can head south quickly to bring people supplies. "There are people dying in hospitals because they do not have enough supplies, and it's our obligation to help now," he said.

Other developments:

The two Israeli soldiers kidnapped by Hezbollah militants nearly two weeks ago are "in good health and safe," Lebanon's Minister of Foreign Affairs Fawzi Salloukh said Sunday. It was unclear whether Salloukh has seen Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, whose abduction, combined with Hezbollah rocket attacks into Israel, sparked Israel's military action.

The U.S. Embassy in Beirut urged Americans who have not left Lebanon to do so. Early Sunday there was no wait for U.S. government-assisted boat transport out of Lebanon, embassy officials said. Those wishing to be evacuated by helicopter may have to wait "a number of days" because slots are scarce, the embassy said. As of Sunday afternoon,11,260 of the estimated 25,000 Americans in Lebanon had been evacuated, the embassy said. Another 2,800 were scheduled to depart Monday.

A U.N. observer was wounded as a result of gunfire exchange between Hezbollah militants and the Israel Defense Forces, according to an official with the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon.

Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday renewed his appeal for an immediate cease-fire in the fighting and encouraged all sides to start negotiations, The Associated Press reported.
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