Daily Report  

Introduction
"Israel's" Army intensified its aggressions against the populated areas on the edge of the occupied zone injuring civilians and damaging houses. Also, the "Israeli" artillery batteries shelled a Polish Unifil base in Tyre whereas the Irish Unifil posts in Baraasheit and Haddatha were both targeted by shrapnels and rounds fired by heavy machine guns.

In this connection, the Daily Star revealed that the "Israelis" are still testing guided missiles designed and manufactured by "Israel's" state-owned armaments company Rafael in South Lebanon.

In another development, the long-running speculation that "Israel" had been stealing ground water supplies from the south reached new heights Monday with Hizbullah's MP Nazih Mansour accusing the Jewish state of pumping water from Marjeyoun into northern Galilee.

In the occupied Al-Quds, the news reported that two hours after settlers of the northern Galilee came out of their shelters, several residents of Kiryat Shmona protested and burned tires at the entrance of the settlement holding signs that read, "The city is besieged" and "We're tired of this".

Five wounded in South by "Israeli" occupation…(1)
"The "Israeli" occupation forces Monday morning bombarded the Baraasheit square with six 155 mm rounds that damaged the houses of Ali and Mohammed Taleb Farhat in a new escalation in the south after yesterday's shelling of Qabrikha where civilians were wounded.

"However, Ali and Mohammed Farhat nearly escaped death as Amani Mohammed Mustafa, 15, suffered a nervous breakdown when a bomb exploded nearby.

"The bombardment was accompanied by heavy machine gun fire against the houses in Baraasheit.

"Moreover, the "Israeli" tanks fired 105 mm rounds, hitting the UNIFIL'S Finnish battalion's post.

"The "Israeli" occupation broadened its aggressions, targeting the town of Tibneen and hitting the high school before studies began, where students escaped a definite massacre.

"For its part, "Israeli" warplanes, yesterday between 20:00 and 21:00 raided against the outskirts of Yater and Kafra, launching several air-to-ground missiles".

"Earlier the "Israeli" artillery intensively bombarded the towns of Yater and Kafra, in addition to Wadi al-Qaissieh, Wadi al-Hojeir, the vicinities of al-Jmaijmeh, Khorbet Selem, Majdal Selem, al-Sawaneh, Touline, Qabrikha, Qalaweih, Aita al-Jabal, Haddatha, Srobbeen, Haris and al-Qlayleh with 155 mm rounds from the "Israeli" emplacements at the outposts of al-Abbad, Mohaibib and Blat.

"Mohammed Hassan Kourani, 45, and Haidar Shebli were wounded in Yater and al-Qlayleh consequently".

"An "Israeli" army spokesman said they fired at Lebanese civilians taking them for Resistance men, but eye witnesses contradicted the spokesman's words and they affirmed that Kourani and Shebli were working in their fields with their sons".

"All this escalation began when the "Israelis" wounded four civilians in Qabrikha yesterday night-in sudden bombardment that targeted the mid town during the weekend."

"The injured were hit by a guided "Israeli" missile in their house and they are: Mariam Fahdi, 5, her mother Zeinab Qamas and Lamia Mohammed Qamas".

For its part, the IR issued a statement in which it mentioned the following aggressions which launched by the "Israeli" occupation forces on the Lebanese liberated areas:

4:45, several 61mm rounds hit the surroundings of Haddatha compound whereas Haddatha town exposed a barrage of 12.7mm heavy machine gun bullets.
4:55, Mount Zaatar was shelled by four 155mm missile.
6:05, four 155mm missiles landed Qaissieh Valley.
6:25, three 155mm missiles struck the perimeters of Touline village.
7:00, Mount Sojod was targeted by four 120mm shells.
7:30, the surroundings of Haddatha, Baraasheit and the new Beit Yahoun positions came under thirty 155mm missiles and 12.7mm heavy machine gun fire, whereas the towns of Baraasheit, Haddatha and Tibnine were targeted by various kinds of heavy machine gun rounds.
7:40, fifteen 155mm missiles fell on Mount Zaatar, five 120mm shells on the surroundings of Baraasheit compound, three 81mm rounds on Baraasheit town and several 155mm missiles on the outskirts of Haris, whereas Baraasheit and its peripheries subjected to a volley of 12.7mm heavy machine gun bullets.
7:55, four 81mm rounds were fired at the outskirts of Haddatha, while at the same time, the perimeters of Baraasheit and Aita El-Jabal exposed to 12.7mm heavy machine gun fire causing heavy damage to the house of Ali Taleb.
8:00, fifteen 81mm rounds slammed into Baraasheit damaging the houses of Ali Farhat and Mohammad Taleb in addition to the town's electric current network. Meanwhile, three 105mm tank rounds landed near Tibnine's High School building.
8:05, the area between Haris and Haddatha was shelled by two 81mm rounds.
8:15, nine 81mm rounds slammed into the outskirts of Haddatha.
8:20, a volley of 12.7mm heavy machine gun bullets struck Baraasheit.
8:50, the surroundings of Qantara compound subjected to heavy machine gun fire.
8:55, Baraasheit town was showered by a barrage of 12.7mm heavy machine gun rounds causing a nervous breakdown to the woman Amani Mustafa Chehab who was transported to Tibbnine Hospital for treatment.
9:20, a barrage of 12.7mm heavy machine gun bullets struck Baraasheit.
15:50, Hamra area subjected to three 155mm missiles.

IRELAND WANTS "ISRAELI" GUARANTEES THAT ITS FORCES IN SOUTH LEBANON WILL NOT COME UNDER ATTACK…(3)
"Three UN posts were damaged in southern Lebanon today (yesterday) by shells fired from the zone "Israel" occupies, delaying a visit by the Irish defense minister who has condemned "Israeli" attacks on Irish peacekeepers. Minister Michael Smith is seeking guarantees from "Israel" that there would be no further attacks on the Irish contingent. Smith said he lodged the severest protest with "Israeli" officials about the brutal shooting against his countrymen. He warned that in the absence of "Israeli" guarantees, Ireland would be forced to reconsider its participation in the UN force."

"Israel" accused of stealing water from Marjeyoun…(4)
"The long-running speculation that "Israel" has been stealing ground water supplies from the south reached new heights Monday with an MP accusing the Jewish state of pumping water from Marjeyoun into northern Galilee".

"The theft, which allegedly involved the digging of a 1.5-meter-deep well and installation of 7 kilometers of pipes, was reported to Prime Minister Salim Hoss by Marjeyoun-Hasbaya MP Nazih Mansour".

"Mansour said that the "Israelis" were stealing water from the Hamam springs, just south of Marjeyoun, pumping it down the length of the fertile Al-Marj plain and across the border into "Israel" at Metulla where it was being used for irrigation".

"He said the operation began a month ago and had been witnessed by many residents.

"The Hamam springs once supplied water for drinking and irrigation to the villages of Marjeyoun, Qlayaa, Borj al-Moulouk, Khiam, Ibl es-Saqi and Kfar Kila.

“I visited Premier Hoss today (yesterday) to call on him and the authorities to do something about this issue. But I was surprised to see that Mr. Hoss knew nothing about it,” Mansour said. He said that this constituted “negligence” by the government, adding that the authorities should raise the issue with the UN Security Council.

"Mansour said that if the residents of the area complained about the theft, they faced being taken to Khiam prison.

"Rumors of the "Israelis" stealing water from Lebanon have persisted almost as long as the 21-year occupation.

"The Marjeyoun MP insisted the story was true and said he had received regular reliable reports about the theft.

""Israel" has been accused in the past of harnessing the waters of the Litani River as well as diverting tributaries of the Hasbaya River into Galilee.

"Israeli" top secret anti-tank rocket fired on Qabrikha, wounding two…(5)
"The wounding of two women on Sunday by "Israel's" top secret guided anti-tank missile has added new misery to a family that has had more than its fair share of hardships induced by the "Israeli" occupation".

"Zakhia Sweidan, 65, nearly lost her daughter, Lamia Khamas, 37, and her granddaughter, Maryam Fahda, 3, when they were wounded by shrapnel from an exploding missile which hit a neighboring house in the front line village of Qabrikha".

"Both victims were recuperating Monday in the Hammoud hospital in Sidon.

It was not the first calamity to befall Zakhia’s family. Her son, Abbas, was snatched by "Israeli" troops 13 years ago from the outskirts of the village and has remained in a prison in "Israel" ever since. Qassem, her other son, was killed by an "Israeli" shell while he was walking back from school in the early 1980s.

"At the time of the missile attack on Sunday, most residents of Qabrikha were tending their tobacco crops. While some toiled in the fields, others threaded the fresh green leaves together in the shade of their homes".

"At 12.15pm, an abandoned house on the edge of the village was struck without warning by a guided missile. The missile blasted a 3-meter diameter hole in the outside wall, and punched another hole in the wall beyond before smashing into a third wall and setting a room on fire".

"By crouching beside the final point of impact amid the still-smoldering debris of the house Monday morning and lining up the two gaping holes made by the missile, it was possible to determine from where the rocket was fired. Lurking guiltily in the center of the imaginary sight, on a hilltop 5 kilometers to the east, was the "Israeli"-manned outpost at Taibeh".

"The "Israeli" Army claimed that the missile was fired at a house containing “terrorists.” Whether there were any armed men in the house at the time of the attack remains unclear. Abundantly clear, however, were the shattered windows and blood-splattered concrete floor of Zakhia’s house, just 10 meters away from where the missile exploded.

"Lamia, who had been sorting tobacco leaves at the time of the attack, was seriously wounded in the head and still has a piece of shrapnel wedged in her skull. Maryam was tottering by on her way to see Zakhia when the missile exploded. She was wounded in her right leg.

Zeinab Khamas, Maryam’s mother, lost her voice from screaming at the sight of her daughter’s blood-soaked leg.

“I picked up my daughter and kept falling over as I ran away from the explosion,” she said.

Despite the seriousness of her injuries, Lamia was conscious and in good spirits. “We’re just grateful to be alive,” she said.

"In Qabrikha, Zakhia was back to her chore of threading tobacco leaves, seemingly oblivious of her daughter’s bloodstains on the ground beside her.

“We get blows over and over from the "Israelis" and it’s wearing us down,” she sighed.

"The missile fragments collected by The Daily Star from inside the house Monday indicated that it was the same type of weapon that has been used on five previous occasions in the south.

"The missile is believed to be the NT Dandy anti-tank rocket, also known as Long Spike, a still classified weapon designed and manufactured by "Israel's" state-owned armaments company Rafael.

"The Dandy, launchable from the ground or from helicopter gunships, is the largest of three new anti-tank missiles developed by Rafael".

"The other two are the shoulder-fired Gill, with a range of 2.5 kilometers, and the medium range Spike, which can hit targets up to 4 kilometers away.

"The Daily Star revealed in August last year that the "Israelis" had been testing the Dandy in south Lebanon since at least February 1998. At the time, Rafael denied the existence of the Spike and Dandy, although the company was known to be attempting to sell ­ unsuccessfully as it turned out ­ the latter missile to the Polish government.

"The Spike, believed to be the same as the Dandy but smaller, has since been declassified and, along with the Gill, is the pride of Rafael’s arsenal.

“An innovative and revolutionary concept led Rafael to develop the ‘Spike family’ systems, based on state-of-the-art electro-optic and fiber-optic technologies,” gushes a Rafael publicity leaflet.

"The leaflet also said that the missile’s diverse capabilities “present a considerable growth potential for expanding the battlefield uses of the Spike family well beyond anti-tank roles.”

Rafael’s sales team have been busy marketing the missiles in the past week to potential European customers at the Paris Air Show".

"Not many tanks have been destroyed since the Spike “family” first emerged in south Lebanon at least 16 months ago, but the "Israelis" have succeeded in killing one civilian and wounding four others while field-testing their “innovative and revolutionary” missiles ­ a statistic that was probably omitted from Rafael’s publicity brochure in Paris".

Military Operations…(6)
The IR team of martyr Ibrahim Faqih attacked, at 7:20, the new Beit Yahoun outpost with the machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades. Direct and certain goals were chalked up, the mujahedeen reported.

In the meantime, the IR squad of martyr Hussein Hayek was targeting Haddatha compound with the machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades. The ten-minute and close-range clash caused damage to its fortifications.

At the same time, the IR group of martyr Hadi Msheimesh in the Artillery Reinforcement Unit (ARU) bombarded the same position scoring direct and definite hits.

Also, the IR unit of martyr Hussein Trabolssi targeted Baraasheit compound with the machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades. The militants were able to chalk up direct and certain goals.

Meanwhile, the IR team of martyr Jamil Nahim Skaf in the (ARU) bombarded the same compound scoring further hits.

Northerners' patience is wearing thin…(7)
"Two hours after residents of the northern Galilee came out of their shelters this morning, several residents of Kiryat Shmona protested, and burned tires at the entrance to the city, holding signs that read, "The city is besieged" and "We're tired of this."

"Following the Northern Command's 7 A.M. conclusion that the coast was clear, most other northerners went back to work, school and everyday life. The hundreds of residents who fled the area for safer ground further south also returned. Stores were reopened, and by 10 A.M. things were mostly normal in Kiryat Shmona and the rest of the Galilee.

"But the rising tension, and the first such demonstration since the eve of Operation Grapes of Wrath, indicated that for many Galilee residents, it was not just "business as usual."

"The organizer of the demonstration, Moshe Ochana, said he acted because "it is inconceivable that because of three injured civilians in Lebanon, a quarter of a million "Israelis" have to spend the night in bomb shelters. We are the third generation in Kiryat Shmona, and we will not allow the fourth to suffer these disturbances."

"In the past, said the 28-year-old, Northern Galilee residents have accepted the rocket attacks with patience and stoicism, "because we knew the IDF* was doing its work. But now the army isn't doing anything. We just had to open the gates, and now the discontent will explode outward."

The morning meeting of city officials in Kiryat Shmona, just before the announcement that conditions had returned to normal, was tenser than usual. Officials who had visited bomb shelters the previous night agreed that northern "Israelis"' patience is wearing thin.

Kiryat Shmona Deputy Mayor Sammy Malol suggested to Mayor Chaim Barbibai that he "should demand of Ehud Barak in interviews to freeze coalition talks while he attends to Kiryat Shmona's difficulties." Seeing Barbibai's expression, he quickly added, "I know it's not realistic, but it's the only way to get attention. The situation is intolerable."

While similar suggestions were flying across the room, the phone rang, and the Northern Command told the mayor that the coast was clear. The message went out to Kiryat Shmona residents two minutes later, and the meeting ended with a decision to reopen schools. Even the mayor had reservations, however. "Still, I won't send my son to school on a day like this," he said.

City officials estimated that the 17 hours spent in shelters cost residents some NIS 17 million, and the mayor complained bitterly. "This disgrace must be stopped. The citizens are sitting in shelters on the army's orders. They are losing days of work and pay," He said. Some workers have reportedly defied orders and risked their lives to avoid missing work.

"Everyone is confused. They don't know what to do," concluded one of the participants in the city meeting. "There is a sense that people are tired of this ritual; the tension, the fear, these early morning meetings. Open schools, close schools. There aren't enough mattresses in the shelters, [there are] requests for compensation for lost work by the residents ... Listen," he said, "this is the beginning of the end. We have lost our patience".