Germany still negotiating for “Israelis” held in Lebanon: Hizbullah…(1)

“ A top Hizbullah official said Friday that Germany was continuing to negotiate over three “Israeli” soldiers the militant group snatched in October.

"German mediation is continuing. There are still exchanges of messages," Sheikh Naim Qassem, Hizbullah's second in command, told the private Lebanese network LBCI, adding that the German efforts had so far borne no fruit.

The militant movement is hoping to swap the three soldiers for Arab prisoners held by “Israel” and has refused to give information even on the hostages' health.

Hizbullah, which spearheaded the armed opposition to “Israel’s” 22-year occupation of south Lebanon, captured the three soldiers October 7 in the Shibaa Farms region, which is held by “Israel” but claimed by Beirut.

“Israeli” officers disciplined after Hizbullah snatch soldiers…(2)

“ Two “Israeli” senior officers were posted elsewhere and a third was officially admonished following the seizure of three “Israeli” soldiers by the Lebanese Hizbullah movement, a military spokesman said Friday.

The commanders of the brigade and battalion to which the three belonged, Colonel Or Yoeli and Lieutenant-Colonel Yossi Raflov, were transferred on the orders of armed forces chief General Shaul Mofaz.

General Zvi Goldmann, head of the division manning the border area, was reprimanded.

The three soldiers were snatched on October 7 by Hizbullah guerrillas in the Shibaa Farms area captured by “Israel” from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war.

Since “Israel” ended its 22-year occupation of southern Lebanon in May Beirut has laid claim to the area.

On January 10 Mofaz blamed the incident on "grave operational errors, because our intelligence services knew the risks of a capture of our soldiers by Hizbullah.

"Adequate measures were not taken, despite the fact that the sector where the soldiers were captured had been designated as a 'risk sector,'" he said.

Mofaz said that, two weeks prior to the incident, a training exercise involving a hypothetical kidnapping had been carried out, but that the conclusions drawn from that had not been applied on the ground.

The three soldiers are still in the hands of Hizbullah, which spearheaded the successful guerrilla campaign that drove “Israel” out of southern Lebanon.

Hizbullah is holding the three against the release of Arab prisoners, notably Lebanese, held in “Israel”, and is refusing even to give information about their condition.

Ayatollah Fadlallah:" Annan's report aims at pressuring Lebanon"…(3)

Ayatollah Sayyed Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah considered that U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan is still acting under U.S. pressure. This was made clear in Annan's report which stressed on "“Israel’s”" security while ignoring Lebanon's own security.

Ayatollah Fadlallah, in his Friday speech, added that "Annan's report for the U.N. Security Council disregards the continuous “Israeli” occupation of Lebanese soil, and it also neglects the different forms of “Israeli” violations (of Lebanese sovereignty), which are not condemned."

"This brings one to believe that this report aims at putting pressure on Lebanon to stop Resistnace operations and guarantee the enemy's security", said Fadlallah.

“Israel” makes moves to annex Ghajar
Construction would be clear violation of Blue Line…(4)

UNIFIL confirmed on Friday that “Israeli” engineers are working north of the Blue Line in Ghajar, fuelling suspicion that the “Israelis” plan to annex the divided village.
A UNIFIL officer, who requested anonymity, said that “something is in the air” regarding the sudden spate of construction activity along an old security fence erected by the “Israelis” during the occupation of the South. The fence runs 500 meters north of the Blue Line on the Lebanese side of Ghajar.
The Blue Line splits the Alawi village of Ghajar, leaving two-thirds inside Lebanon and the rest in “Israeli”-occupied Syria. “Lebanese” Ghajar is isolated from Lebanon by the old security fence and minefields.
Construction was first observed by The Daily Star and UNIFIL peacekeepers on Thursday, prompting speculation that the “Israelis” may have resurrected a plan to incorporate the village, including the Lebanese side, within the new security fence which is under construction to the east of the village.
The new fence presently stops at the first buildings in the village, leaving the “Israelis” with a choice of either continuing along the Blue Line and cutting the village in two or running the fence around the northern end of Ghajar, a move which would violate the Blue Line.
“The pace of construction in the past two days tells me that the “Israelis” have made a firm decision on which line (Blue Line or north of Ghajar) they’re going to take,” the UNIFIL officer said. UNIFIL is “closely monitoring” developments.
A senior security source said that the “Israelis” appeared to be “beefing up” the old fence north of Ghajar.
The source added that the “Israelis” had encouraged the residents in Ghajar to undertake reinforcing the fence.
“The residents originally agreed, then changed their minds. It looks like the “Israelis” will do it instead,” the source said.
The source added that the move would be a violation of the Blue Line.
“They have major problems in the area and they don’t care about small violations,” the source said.
Ghajar lies at the foot of the Shibaa Farms district.

There has been no comment from the “Israeli” Army on the construction work in Ghajar.

Civilian wounded in Bastara shelling…(5)

“Israeli” helicopters and tanks shelled the Bastara farmstead next to the Shibaa Farms region on Friday evening, wounding one civilian, Lebanese security sources said.
Mohammed Khalifeh was wounded by a bullet to the leg according to the hospital in Sidon where he was treated.
Security services said an “Israeli” Merkava tank fired 16 shells toward Bastara and the neighboring village of Halta.
“Israeli” helicopter gunships fired heavy machine guns on the sector and nearby wadis.
The shelling, which began at 5pm, continued in spurts for nearly two hours. “Israeli” troops in the Shibaa Farms regularly fire automatic weapons and heavy caliber arms to ward off actual or suspected attacks.

16 more Lebanese sentenced for collaboration with “Israel”…(6)

“ A Beirut military court handed down sentences Friday against 16 Lebanese who collaborated with “Israel” during its 22-year occupation of the south of the country, a court source said.

Four people were sentenced to between 18 months and three years in prison for working with “Israeli” intelligence services.

Another 12 were given between six months and one year in prison for joining the “Israel’s” proxy militia in the south during the occupation.

The court also found another five Lebanese guilty of collaboration but did not sentence them, either because they also worked with Lebanese forces or because their crimes were too old to be prosecuted.

The sentences bring to 2,290 the number of people judged since June 5, just two weeks after “Israel’s” withdrawal, when Lebanon began trying more than 2,500 Lebanese accused of collaboration.

Eleven people have been sentenced to death and three others to life in prison, all in absentia.

Footnotes:

1-       AFP, 26-1-2001.

2-       Same source.

3-       Manar TV, 26-1-2001.

4-       The Daily Star, 27-1-2001.

5-       Same source.

6-       AFP, 26-1-2001.