September Tuesday 21 -1999:
 
Introduction
Hizbullah's Secretary General H.E. Sayyed Hassan Nassrallah said that "we are determined to cling to the path of Jihad and resistance regardless of what awaits us, be it medals or gibbets; this will not change our decision or reduce our resolve".

Meanwhile, Unifil has begun re-appraising its 21-year-old plans to oversee the pullout and deploy to the international border as an "Israeli" troop withdrawal from the south in the next 12 months looking increasingly likely.

Elsewhere, three civilians, including a woman, were seized by the occupation forces and taken to Khiam prison on Monday, the Follow-Up Committee for the Support of the Lebanese Detainees in the "Israeli" Prisons reported.

Hizbullah SG: determined to maintain Jihad and Resistance regardless of what awaits us…(1)
"We are determined to cling to the path of Jihad and Resistance regardless of what awaits us, be it medals or gibbets; this will not change our decision or reduce our resolve," Hizbullah Secretary General his Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said.

Speaking at a massive rally organized by Hizbullah in the Beqaa town of Tibneen al-Tahta to commemorate the passage of one week after the martyrdom of Ashraf Khairedeen, Sayyed Nasrallah commented on Sunday's "Israeli" raids and the occupation's daily aggressions.

"All the political pressures of temptation and intimidation that are accompanied by the "Israeli" military force - to convince those who have not been convinced yet - and the "Israeli" messages (raids) sent here and there until the banks of Assi River, will not harm our resolve, and we will proceed with our Jihad battle," he said.

The talk about the future of the American peace will not be, for this Ummah (Nation) is alive and has martyrs, such as martyr Ashraf Khairedeen, he added, stressing that "the good which is within the Ummah will not surrender to defeat and humiliation".

His Eminence noted the visits made by Arab and western kings, emirs and presidents aim to deliver lessons and advice (such as) "look what happened in the desert storm, Kosovo, etc.. These visits came to remind us of the threat to bomb infrastructures."

Allow me to say the Arab - American - European efforts aim to strike this Resistance, so that we all stand before the enemy, which is armed to teeth, without arms, strength, dignity or honor, his Eminence concluded.

18 months of torture in "Israeli" prisons: testimony of Bshara Sidi…(2)
"Lebanese-American Bshara Sidi has presented a testimony on the torture practiced at the "Israeli" occupation forces' prisons against detainees and prisoners.

"Sidi spent 18 months in the Ashkelon prison where he witnessed all types of psychological and physical torture.

"At a press conference he held on Saturday in his hometown, al-Firzol, Sidi presented explanatory drawings of the "Israeli" torture, calling for organized and serious efforts to secure the release of the "Lebanese and Arab hostages in enemy's prison" and rescuing them from the threat of death.

Sidi said 20 enemy intelligence men detained him in 1997 while he was spending Christmas holidays at his Palestinian wife's parents' in Galile. He had entered occupied Palestine with his American passport.

He was held on charges of being "threat to the "Israeli" security". He was isolated in a 4-meter underground cell full of mice and insects.

I spent 4 months under torture, with my hands cuffed at my back, feet chained, and my head covered with a bag that prevented air passage. I was not allowed to sleep; they gave me a little food just enough to keep me alive. In order to get food, I had to be humiliated as if I were an animal, he said.

I was kicked and insulted every day, besides being threatened - with every question they asked me- to be killed and have my wife's fetus aborted, he added.

When I tried to tell them that I was American, they told me my passport meant nothing. And when I asked to have a copy of the Holy Book, the "Israelis" insulted me and my religious symbols.

Sidi concluded his press conference with asserting that he had met 20 Lebanese detainees in the Ashkelon prison. He conveyed from them one wish "spread our cause all over the world."

Warplanes bomb south as “Israel’s” militia seizes three civilians…(3)
""Israeli" warplanes attacked a wadi between Zibqeen and Chaitieh on Monday evening. Four bombs were dropped into the wadi in two sorties.

"Three civilians, including a woman, were seized by the occupation forces and taken to Khiam prison on Monday, a human rights group announced.

"SLA* militiamen entered the village of Aita Shaab in the western sector of the zone at dawn and seized the three, said the Follow-Up Committee for the Support of the Lebanese Detainees in the "Israeli" Prisons.

"It named them as Ali Hassan Qassem, 41; Fahd Saleh, 40, a teacher; and Fadila Mohammed Tahini, 35. Tahini’s husband, Hussein Ali Jariss, has already been held in the SLA-run jail since Sept. 9. "Qassem was accused of encouraging his son to leave the area to avoid being conscripted into the SLA, the committee said. It is not known why the other two are being held.

"The committee’s statement said the latest detentions raise to 21 the number of villagers from Aita Shaab being held in Khiam and prisons inside "Israel".

"In a case that has provoked widespread protest, a freelance journalist, Cosette Ibrahim, 25, was seized on Sept. 2 by "Israeli" security agents in Rmeish village, along with two men, and all three taken to Khiam.

"The committee said the "Israelis" had accused her of writing reports about the zone, giving the Lebanese Army information about "Israeli" troop movements and refusing to cooperate with the occupation forces, and has raised fears that she could be tortured.

"Amnesty International has repeatedly criticized cases of torture and ill treatment of the more than 140 detainees in Khiam".

"Israeli" Aggressions…(4)
The "Israeli" occupation forces launched the following aggressions:
19:30, five 155mm missiles struck the perimeters of Zibqeen-Henneih.
19:40, one 81mm flare shell was fired over Baraasheit, whereas the outskirts of Aita El-Jabal village and the road of Beit Yahoun exposed to a volley of 12.7mm heavy machine gun rounds.
20:15, the "Israeli" fighter-bombers dropped four air-to-ground rockets near the highway of Zibqeen-Henneih.
20:30, the "Israeli" warplanes staged a sortie into the area between the villages of Chaitieh and Siddiqeen.
20:58, the "Israeli" war jets raided into the area between Zibqeen and Henneih firing twelve air-to-surface incendiary rockets.
23:15, Mount Al-Rafih was shelled by three 155mm missiles.
23:30, three 105mm tank rounds hits Mount Sojod.

Hoss sees no talks with "Israelis" soon…(4)
"Prime Minister Salim Hoss ruled out any chance Monday of speeding up the resumption of Lebanese-"Israeli" negotiations as a result of his participating in the opening of the 54th United Nations General Assembly.

“The resumption of negotiations is still complicated and frozen at the point at which they stopped in 1996,” Hoss said during a radio interview from New York, where he will address the body in his first high-profile appearance in an international forum since becoming prime minister last year.

Hoss asserted that there would be no resumption of negotiations on the Syrian and Lebanese tracks if unresolved points with "Israel" were not resolved, stressing that "Israel" was continually engaged in trying to avoid fulfilling its commitments.

Hoss said that Lebanon should not miss out on participating in the General Assembly, which he said constituted “a good opportunity” to explain Beirut’s position on issues that are of concern to it, such as the situation in the south amid continuing "Israeli" aggression.

"The premier added that he would meet several leading officials during his stay, including his French counterpart, Lionel Jospin, Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, and Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa".

Military Operations…(5)
The Islamic Resistance (IR) team of martyrs Hassan Nabih Salman and Mohammad Ahmad El-Hajj Suleiman attacked, at 14:25, a Lahdi engineering force as it was beefing Rshaf position. Using the machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades, the militants were able to score direct and certain hits and prevent the attacked force from achieving its goal.

Also, the IR unit of martyrs Hussein Ali Jaber and Hassan Mohammad Abdel-Jalil targeted, at 16:30, a Lahdi engineering force as it was fortifying Hemayed position. The mujahedeen, who used the adequate arms, managed to chalk up direct hits.

Moreover, the IR squad of martyrs Ismail Abdallah Biloun and Issa Hassan Makki attacked, at 19:15, enemy movements at Blat post with the rocket-propelled grenades scoring direct and certain hits.

At the same time, the IR group of martyrs Mohammad Ibrahim Hassan and Nidal Ali El-Hoq fell upon Radar position with the proper arms. Direct goal were chalked up, the mujahedeen reported.

In the meantime, the IR team of martyrs Abdel-Karim Dakdouk and Hassan Aqil was targeting Hardoun outpost with the appropriate weapons scoring direct goals.

Meanwhile, the IR unit of martyrs Hassan Balhas and Hassan Abbas El-Bazzal was attacking Tair Harfa outpost with the suitable arms. The militants managed to chalk up accurate goals.

Furthermore, the IR team of martyrs Hassan Issa Harqous and Ismail Abou Rida attacked, at 23:00, enemy movements inside Sojod outpost with the machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades, the mujahedeen were able to score direct goals.

UNIFIL chief sees major changes coming in south…(6)
"With an "Israeli" troop withdrawal from the south in the next 12 months looking increasingly likely, UNIFIL has begun re-appraising its 21-year-old plans to oversee the pullout and deploy the peacekeepers up to the international border, the force’s commander said Monday.

"General Joije Konrote warned, however, that a unilateral withdrawal in which the "Israeli" Army is forced to conduct a fighting retreat under heavy fire from the resistance would be “chaotic” and was “the worst-case scenario.”

In a wide-ranging interview with The Daily Star, the 52-year-old Fijian general predicted a reduced role for UNIFIL following the conclusion of a regional peace, with the peacekeepers possibly becoming observers along the border.

Konrote said that developments on the ground had improved considerably during his two-year spell as UNIFIL commander, which ends on Sept. 30. “The "Israelis"’ acknowledgment of UN Resolution 425 had a tremendous impact … it caught everyone’s attention,” he said referring to the "Israeli" government’s decision in April 1998 to adopt 425 in exchange for security guarantees.

“Their attitude changed once it was clear they were serious about going,” Konrote said. “In the past, there was a big wall between the "Israelis" and UNIFIL. But now there is a more cooperative attitude with the "Israeli" liaison unit. They make sure our protests are looked into very seriously.”

Relations have not only improved with the "Israelis", however. Casting a military eye on the resistance, Konrote conceded that Hizbullah’s fighters are “very professional.”

“Their dedication and motivation has improved over the years and their attacks are very well-planned and executed.

"The "Israelis" were worried and had to change their tactics,” he said. “Should UNIFIL have to confront Hizbullah militarily, God forbid, it would be very difficult for us.”

Such prospects are happily remote, Konrote added, as the peacekeepers have achieved a “good rapport” with Hizbullah’s leadership.

UNIFIL’s task has also been made easier by the personal interest of President Emile Lahoud, who had a strong working relationship with Konrote and UNIFIL when serving as army commander.

“All in all, I’m glad to see these positive developments over the past two years which helps UNIFIL fulfill its mandate,” Konrote said.

The prospect of UNIFIL at long last being able to achieve this goal has never looked stronger, given the repeated promises of "Israeli" Premier Ehud Barak to withdraw his troops as of July next year.

This has prompted UNIFIL to dust off and re-examine contingency plans, first formulated in 1978, for a deployment along the border in conjunction with the Lebanese Army.

“We’ve seriously started looking at our contingency plans,” Konrote said. “We have to rely on the Lebanese Army to fill any vacuum because we don’t have the resources.”

Konrote explained that UNIFIL’s role would be to “supervise” any withdrawal. As such, a coordinated pullback in line with a peace agreement would be “the ideal solution.”

What concerns UNIFIL, however, is the prospect of Barak having to satisfy his promise to the "Israeli" electorate and withdraw his troops before

peace has been established with Syria and Lebanon. In such an event, the retreating "Israelis" could find themselves exposed to a major offensive by the resistance ­ as happened to the SLA militia during the retreat from Jezzine at the beginning of June.

“What happened in Jezzine is the worst-case scenario. Our job is to supervise the withdrawal, not get involved in the fighting. The "Israelis" having to conduct a fighting retreat is very worrying and could be chaotic,” he said.

"The future role of UNIFIL in the post-peace era is likely to be dictated by financial considerations rather than peacekeeping requirements. UNIFIL, the UN’s largest peacekeeping operation, costs around $297 million a year to maintain. Consequently, with the UNIFIL account $108.2 million in the red due to member states not fulfilling their financial obligations to the UN, the options are limited.

"While Konrote envisaged a continued role for UNIFIL after an "Israeli" withdrawal, he expected the manpower of the force to be eventually reduced and possibly combined with the existing Observer Group Lebanon, which has monitored the border since 1948 as part of the Jerusalem-based UN Treaty Supervision Organization. “But this isn’t going to happen overnight. It requires detailed coordination,” Konrote insisted, clearly reluctant to encourage rumors of UNIFIL’s imminent departure.

"The anguish of south Lebanon has been closely intertwined with Konrote’s military career. Considered one of the most successful and popular UNIFIL commanders, the general has served six tours of duty in the south, beginning as a company commander when the first Fijian battalion arrived in 1978. Reflecting on the past two decades, he said he was pleased that the troubles of the southerners appeared to be coming to an end.

“I feel very sorry for the people of south Lebanon. They’ve been harassed for so many years,” he said. “They just want peace so they can get on with farming or fishing … to get on with life.”

With only nine days left before Konrote departs for Fiji, he said he would take home fond memories of the south.

“The friendliness of the southerners to UNIFIL,” he said, “is something I will treasure and miss.”