Daily Report  

Introduction
Two days following the barbaric "Israeli" aggression against some of Lebanon's power plants and bridges, the power will return to Beirut and its Suburbs after technicians at Electricité du Liban (EDL) succeeded to connect Zouk network with Bsalim Substation one.

Also, the Lebanese Transportation Minister Najib Miqati announced the start of the operations to rebuild and repair bridges and roads destroyed by the "Israeli" enemy's air raids on Thursday.

Meanwhile, tens of Lebanese students and youth took to the streets and gathered in front of ESCWA Headquarters in Beirut in protest to the "Israeli" sorties and the negative role of the United Nations.

Electricity starting to come back / Bridges Repairs started…(1)
"Starting tomorrow night (Sunday) the power will return to Beirut and the Suburbs after technicians at Electiricité du Liban (EDL) succeeded to connect the Zouk network with the Bsalim Substation one.

EDL sources said Electricy will be given 5 hours each 24, pointing out that EDL's losses are estimated at more than $30 millions, in addition to other side effects and direct consequences.

"Lebanese Water and Power Resources Minister Suleiman Trabulsi said he discussed with his Syrian counterpart, who arrived in Beirut this morning, the possible ways in which Syria could assist Lebanon in repairing the damage to the power network.

"Najib Miqati, Lebanese Transportation Minister announced the start of the operations to rebuild and repair roads and bridges targeted and destroyed by the "Israeli" enemy's air raids on Thursday.

Replacement bridges and roads will be set up in three days, Minister Miqati said, adding that the reconstruction of destroyed bridges will start immediately after the replacement process.

"Mr. Miqati checked on the destroyed sites accompanied by the army chief of staff who promised to set up two metal bridges near the destroyed Awali River, one for cars and another for trucks".

Students and youth staged protest against "Israeli" aggressions…(2)
"Tens of Lebanese students and youth Saturday took to the streets and gathered in front of the ESCWA Headquarters in Beirut".

"They sat in the middle of the street and lifted banners denouncing the "Israeli" air raids, the negative role of the united Nations and encouraged steadfastness against the enemy's aggressions.

"The demonstrators sent a message to the UN Secretary General Kofi Anan, in which they condemned the carelessness and silence of the UN and called on it to put pressure on ""Israel"" to implement the 425 Resolution, which calls for an immediate and unconditional withdrawal from south Lebanon.

"In their message, the youth stressed on confronting the "Israeli" terrorism and on holding on to the Resistance.

"Last night (Friday), hundreds of angry Lebanese marched to the Civil Defense Headquarters to protest the death of five firefighters who were martyred, while on duty and preserving the nation's infrastructure, by the "Israeli" air raids against the power substation in al-Jamhour.

"The protesters paid tribute to the five Civil Defense Martyrs.

Elsewhere, President Emile Lahoud, accompanied by Health Minister Karam Karam, visited the wounded of the "Israeli" aggression.

"The injured were also visited by many officials and politicians, especially a delegation of Faithfulness to the Resistance Parliamentary Bloc".

"Israeli" Aggressions…(3)
The "Israeli" occupying troops launched the following aggressions as reported in a communiqué issued by the IR:
6:55, Mount Al-Rafih subjected to a barrage of 12.7mm heavy machine gun bullets.
10:25, three 155mm missiles hit the area between Jibal El-Botom and Chaitieh villages.
10:45, Mount Sojod was targeted by eight 120mm shells.
10:55, the surroundings of Sojod outpost came under five 120mm shells and a volley of 12.7mm heavy machine gun rounds.
19:30, the surroundings of Shamaa position exposed to heavy machine gun fire.
23:25, the perimeters of Jibaa town came under five 155mm missiles and four 120mm shells.

Military Operations…(4)
The IR team of martyrs Imad Haidar Ahmad and Ahmad Ghazi Al-Borji attacked, at 10:45, Sojod outpost with the machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades.

In the meantime, the IR squad of martyrs Hussein Ahmad Trabolssi and Mohammad Fadlallah Shouman was targeting its fortifications with the mortars and rocket-propelled grenades chalking up certain goals.

Also, the IR men spotted, at 21:30, an enemy military vehicle near Ahmadieh position. Immediately afterwards, the IR unit of martyr Hussein Hakim targeted it with the suitable weapons scoring direct hits.

Furthermore, the IR group of martyrs Ali Hussein Shibli and Wissam Hassan Hijazi attacked, at 23:05, an "Israeli" force at Kassaret Al-Oroush compound with the machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades. The militants were able to chalk up direct and certain hits.

At the same time, the IR team of martyrs Yasser Nayef Waridan and Bilal Mahmoud El-Akhrass targeted an "Israeli" motorized force at Rihan hilltops. The mujahedeen, who used the machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades, managed to score direct and definite hits.

IDF's* honor prevents "Israel's" normalcy…(5)
"His fuse blew on Thursday. No longer able to keep quiet, the general poured out his bitterness at those politicians who are keeping the army on a short leash. "To my dismay, the last two times we did not respond due to the decision of the political echelon," the chief of staff told reporters. To his dismay, apparently, it is also legitimate that the political echelon gave orders to the army. This would not have happened in Turkey. In Turkey, the army tells the politicians what to do.After all, what did the army request? To destroy a power station in Beirut? To bomb two bridges? They're making a fuss about this? Look what they did in Yugoslavia and no one said a peep. Dozens of errors in the bombings that cost the lives of innocent civilians and no one convened the Monitoring Committee. And here, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu kicks the ball to Prime Minister-elect Ehud Barak, and Barak kicks it back to Netanyahu, while the chief of staff is open by the goal. Then, with brilliant timing, as residents of Kiryat Shmona demonstrate against the government's inaction, the IDF scores a goal: Ten killed near Beirut, a power station destroyed, two bridges, the cancellation of Beirut hotel reservations by tourists from the Gulf countries. And also an own goal: Two killed in Kiryat Shmona, destruction of the Kiryat Shmona city hall, and economic bankruptcy in northern settlements.

All of this, just so the flag can continue to wave above the security temple that can be called the "security zone" only with acute sarcasm. All of this, after the Katyusha rockets already did their damage.

While no one was paying attention, the security zone has taken the place of the northern settlements. Defending the security zone has become more important than defending the normal life of the residents of the north.

"The withdrawal of the SLA from the Jezzine enclave has turned the rest of the occupied territories into a symbol of prestige, so that any attack there is perceived as an attack against the IDF's honor. In military terms, this honor is called deterrence capability, and it is the usual trap that ensnares regular armies when fighting guerrilla forces. The war becomes a matter of prestige and revenge. Its original goals dissolve and it creates new goals as it develops. In a war like this, there is no significance to the number of missiles the IDF has, its advanced fighter aircraft or "Israel's" nuclear potential. All of this shrinks before this rare strip of orchards, southern Lebanon, which buries the honor of the IDF together with its dead.

"The IDF still has difficulty internalizing what two prime ministers have already told it in unequivocal language: We're leaving Lebanon within a year. In such a situation, the army's job is to work as best it can to make sure that this policy can be realized. But the IDF was taught - through no fault of its own - that it calls the shots in everything pertaining to Lebanon. The political and military decisions are in its hands. Thus, as years went by, the politicians were dragged into this worldview that sees the security zone not only as an inseparable part of "Israel", but as a weapon in itself, or at least as a bulletproof vest that the state must wear on its chest. Take the security zone away from the IDF and you've left the country vulnerable.

"It seems now that even if all "Israeli" citizens living along the northern border decide to leave their homes in order to live normal lives (just as thousands of residents of southern Lebanon have fled), the IDF will still cling to the security zone. It became impossible to abandon the security zone once it turned into a symbol.

"In this sense, the Lebanon War continues to be a war of deception: The security zone is perceived to be the state's gift to the settlements in the Galilee. The IDF is being misleading in saying that the Hizbullah can be deterred. History shows that no army has been able to strike an "appropriate response" against a people wishing to be liberated from occupation. And the residents of the north are seen as ungrateful for not demonstrating more "staying power."

"One doesn't have to see the convoys of cars leaving the northern settlements to understand that in the struggle between the army's prestige and the citizenry's desire to live, the desire to live will triumph. Someone who declares that it is possible to leave Lebanon within a year cannot prevent citizens from counting down each day until reaching the promised date".