Israeli Aggressions

Pit of corpses ends hope for Lebanese wife after 24 years…(1)

By Robert Fisk in Beirut

Officially, the 16-year Lebanese civil war ended in 1990. For widow Ibtihaj Salameh, it lasted another decade. But Lebanon's red earth eventually gives up its terrible secrets – and now Ibtihaj's last hopes have ended, the story of every widow in every war. When Lebanese soldiers dug the remains of 24 corpses out of a mass grave in “Israel’s” former occupation zone, one of them was the handsome dark-haired man she had married in 1969. Only a few bones and decaying army boots were left.

"You can imagine what it was like for me at the time, in 1976, with four young children, to know that my husband had disappeared," said Ibtihaj, now 51. "I had just taken the children to school when the “Israelis” came in and surrounded our village of Blat. Hassan was in the military headquarters in Marjayoun, just over the hill from us. I heard shooting."

Two of the small children – tall, moustachioed men now – are sitting beside me in the family's apartment in the southern suburbs of Beirut. The firm, strong face of Sergeant Hassan Salameh – clean-shaven, crossed swords insignia on the lapels of his uniform – watches us in monochrome from a silver-framed photograph on the sideboard.

In 1976, Lebanon was a year deep into the horror of civil war and the old Lebanese army was disintegrating. Some Muslim soldiers had joined the so-called Lebanese Arab Army; a number of Christian soldiers decided to collaborate with “Israel”, whose own forces made periodic attacks into Lebanon as part of their war against Palestinian guerrillas. Others, like 29-year-old Hassan, a Shiite Muslim, soldiered on in their barracks as the world collapsed around them.

"The army had broken apart and in every village in the south there were soldiers protecting their people against the “Israelis”. But Hassan didn't come home on the night of 16 October. Altogether, nine soldiers from our village disappeared. Next morning, all the wives tried to find out what had happened. I went to the barracks at Marjayoun and to the army camp at Khiam. They all said they knew nothing."

In restrospect, Ibtihaj realises that the officers she spoke to, Adnan al-Homsi, Ghassan al-Homsi, Khaim Naame, Karamala Said and Naif Karam, must have known the truth. All were collaborating with the “Israelis”. She suspects some of them may have been involved in Hassan's disappearance. She and her family fled north.

"I never gave up hope," she says. "No one ever said Hassan was dead, so I had to believe he was alive, held in some place where I couldn't find him. I couldn't believe he had been killed. How could any of his colleagues have murdered him?"

After “Israel’s” 1982 invasion, Ibtihaj could return to her village – now deep in “Israel’s” occupation zone – but silence was the price of homecoming. "We were frightened of talking about our missing husbands because the men who collaborated with “Israel” were running everything."

Everything changed after the “Israelis” retreated from southern Lebanon in May. "Once they had gone, we had the freedom to ask about our husbands. We went to the government, the generals, we could make a fuss, you know?"

The new, reconstituted Lebanese army sent intelligence officers to Marjayoun to interview a man called Varis Karam. He admitted that on the night of 16 October 1976, he had driven a truck laden with 24 bodies to a newly-dug pit below the village of Qleia.

"He said he ... dropped the bodies in and then filled it with sand," Ibtihaj says. "Later it was used as a rubbish dump." Pathologists found several of the bodies' bones had been broken and that limbs may have been amputated under torture.

A few days later, the Lebanese army re-buried the 18 soldiers among the 24 dead, Hassan among them, with full military honours. "I'm glad Hassan had a proper burial," Ibtihaj says. "I didn't want him to be under a rubbish dump."

The collaborators have kept their secret. One is probably dead, others have fled to Saudi Arabia, “Israel” or France. Only they know who killed Hassan but few doubt the reasons. Hassan was a Muslim in a civil war, killed by Christians.

During all her story, Ibtihaj Salameh shows no anger or rage, but I am moved to ask her why, at 20, she fell in love with Hassan. She fingers a small passport photograph. "He was a kind man," she says. "My parents liked him." Then her face lights up for a moment. "He had very good manners," she says.

1-  Independent, 1-10-2000.

Occupation army sets border troops on alert…(1)

The explosive situation in occupied Palestine has had its effect on the situation in South Lebanon as “Israeli” troops were put on the alert along the Lebanese-Palestinian borders especially in the area between the axis of al-Ghajar-al-Abbasieh and the Kfarshouba-Shibaa axis where the occupation army is patrolling the areas with motorized and infantry forces.

Meanwhile, the occupation's espionage drones and helicopters hovered over the areas while enemy warplanes broke the sound barrier over the Arqoub District.

As part of the continued violations by the “Israeli” occupation forces of Lebanese sovereignty, Zionist warplanes Tuesday morning circled over the towns of Kfarkila, Edaisse, Manara and Houla Plain staging mock air raids.

Overnight, the enemy's warplanes flew over the coast line of the western sector, the Naqoura coast, Dair Qanoun, Rasel Ain, Mansouri, while two enemy warships stayed off the Naqoura coast.

1-  Manar TV, 3-10-2000.

Ukrainians need 37 years to clear South of mines…(1)

The Ukraine battalion of UN peacekeepers in Lebanon will need 37 years to complete its task of removing land mines left over by the “Israeli” occupation, the unit’s commander said on Wednesday.
“We know of about 130,000 land mines in the South but believe that the number is larger. If our battalion is left alone with the demining task, it will need 37 years to finish doing so,” Colonel Oleg Khavroniuk said.
“The Lebanese government is very concerned with the issue of demining. It should ask for another battalion or more to help out the Ukrainians in removing the mines,” he told the National News Agency.
“I urge the NNA and other media to warn civilians against the dangers of land mines and to call on them to avoid suspected mine fields.
“Wherever there are Ukrainian experts working,” he pointed out, “it means there is a mine field that should be avoided.”
Khavroniuk was speaking at the airport upon the arrival of Ukraine’s deputy defense minister, Brigadier Alexander Shabovsky, who is here to inspect his country’s peacekeepers in the South.
“Since the battalion arrived here two months ago, we’ve removed about 800 land mines and provided medical aid to Lebanese children and adults who have been wounded in land mine explosions,” Khavroniuk said.
“In addition to demining experts, our battalion includes civil engineers and paramedics, who help people rebuild their homes and provide them with medication and sometimes food,” he added.
The battalion, which is part of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, is stationed in Hamra, Qana, Hariss and Ibl al-Saqi.
“We suffer mainly from an intermittent power supply,” Khavroniuk said, “a problem that affects all UNIFIL battalions.”

1-     The Daily Star, 5-10-2000.

Hizbullah SG: conflict with occupation not over yet; Intifada is result of our victory in Lebanon…(1)

Hizbullah Secretary General his Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah underlined that the conflict with the “Israeli” occupation is not over yet.

His Eminence told the Kuwaiti daily ar-Rai el-Am that "“Israel”" would try to take revenge on the Lebanese who have defeated it.

"“Israel” will seek to hold Lebanon and the Lebanese responsible for anything that might happen," he said, adding, "It is impossible to reassure “Israel”, even if we send the army to the South and disarm the Resistance, that won't be enough."

The Lebanese must turn into spies inside Palestine to protect "“Israel”" and its interests in the world from any military action in order to avoid such an act and Lebanon's punishment for that, the secretary-general said.

Regarding supporting the Palestinian people and standing by its side, his Eminence said, "We feel ethical, human, religious, national, and patriotic responsibilities towards the Palestinian people at all criteria."

As for how the support will take place, it is best for the ways to back the intifada not to talk about them, he said, noting that the "intifada was a result of the Lebanese victory and it nourishes on its spirit."

Asked about the situation on Lebanon's southern border, Sayyed Nasrallah said, "No one can say for certain where things in the south will head in the next stage, especially if events inside occupied Palestine develop and the “Israeli” enemy goes too far in violating Lebanese sovereignty and conducting provocative measures."

It’s a dangerous job but somebody’s got to do it
Nicholas Blanford reports on the Ukranian UNIFIL battalion’s battle to destroy an explosive legacy of occupation…(2)

A short blast on a whistle and a hollow thump of an explosion briefly shatter the placid calm of an afternoon along the “Israeli” border in south Lebanon. A black cloud of smoke, dirt and dust is thrown into the air from the blast, only to be immediately whipped away on the hot breeze.
Ukraine’s defense minister, Lieutenant General Oleksandr Chapovskyi, in Lebanon to inspect his troops, grunts his approval and marches back to his vehicle.
The Ukrainian UNIFIL battalion has just successfully destroyed another handful of “Israeli” land mines. The devices ­ “Israeli”-made No. 4 anti-personnel mines ­ are part of an almost continuous string of minefields stretching along the border from Ras Naqoura on the coast to the foothills of Mount Hermon.
The Ukrainian soldiers are uncertain how many mines were destroyed in the blast. Perhaps four or five. A tiny fraction when one considers that there are an estimated 130,000 land mines in south Lebanon.
At this isolated minefield beside Boundary Pillar 13 (BP13), southwest of Aitta Shaab, it has taken a week to destroy 250 land mines.
Colonel Oleg Khavroniuk, the Ukrainian battalion’s commanding officer, has said that under the present operational circumstances, it will take 37 years to remove the weapons from along the border alone.
The Ukrainians have been tasked with clearing a path through the minefield to the border opposite an “Israeli” outpost at BP13. The mines could have been planted more than 20 years ago. Winter rains and wind have exposed several of the deadly devices. Four of them lie in a row, 1 meter apart, their raised olive-green lids waiting patiently for an unsuspecting foot to set off the charge.
“This is a very dangerous place,” mutters Lieutenant Colonel Victor Baladynsky.
The 650-strong Ukrainian battalion is used to difficult mine-clearing operations. The battalion has gained the bulk of its experience removing huge quantities of mines left over from World War II in Ukraine. This enabled them to learn the unpredictable nature of land mines that have remained buried for decades. More recently, the battalion served in Afghanistan during the Soviet occupation in the 1980s.
A recently installed anti-personnel mine may require 8 to 10 kilograms of pressure to detonate. But a mine that has been buried for years is less predictable.
“With an old mine, it could take as little as 1 kilogram to explode. On the other hand, the fuse could have rusted and you could stamp on the mine without it detonating. It’s impossible to know for each one,” explains Khavroniuk. The Ukrainian colonel has personally destroyed more than 4,500 mines in his career, the highest number in the Ukrainian Army.
The bulk of the anti-personnel land mines the battalion unearths are “Israeli” No. 4 mines and French-designed 1951 mines which the “Israelis” manufacture.
“The 1951 contains about 90 grams of explosive. It’s very small but very dangerous. It can easily blow your foot off,” Khavroniuk says.
The 1951 mine is made almost entirely of plastic. Only the detonating pin is metallic. But because the pin is about the size of a pencil tip, the mine is almost invisible to a metal detector.
“Metal detectors aren’t much use in south Lebanon because of the amount of shrapnel in the soil,” Khavroniuk says. Even the high iron content of the sedimentary rock in south Lebanon can mislead metal detectors.
The battalion has encountered other mines, including a huge Claymore-style mine which is positioned above ground and detonated by a tripwire. When the mine explodes, it blasts hundreds of ball bearings in an arc toward whatever tripped the wire. Although that mine was “Israeli”, Hizbullah guerrillas used to manufacture their own version of the Claymore mine for roadside bombs, which were used with deadly effect against the occupation forces.
The mine was found at BP18, on the border south of Yaroun. The battalion cleared a path through the minefield to link a newly constructed Irish observation post with the rest of the UNIFIL area of operations.
“The soldiers were working in 50C heat. They could only remain on the field for 20 minutes at a time,” Khavroniuk says.
Each minefield is scrutinized before de-mining starts.
“We think of each minefield as a game of chess,” Khavroniuk says. “We give a lot of time to reconnaissance. We study not only the terrain but the description of the minefield. We analyze our previous experience and if necessary ask for helicopter recon. After all that, we begin the breach of the minefield.”
The human element of mine clearing takes a back seat initially. The Ukrainians have 20 different vehicles for de-mining. They include BAT 2, a multi-purpose vehicle protected even against radioactivity, and specially converted T-54 tanks equipped with rollers and flails.
The initial breach is made with a rocket trailing explosive rope fired over the minefield. The rope explodes, clearing a narrow path through the field which the sappers and other machines then expand.
“It’s equipment, equipment, equipment, until we’re sure that the worst danger is over, then we send in the soldiers,” Baladynsky says.
More than 100 mines were destroyed in the operation at BP18, the first for the battalion in Lebanon.
Land mines are also liable to move around in the soil over lengthy periods of time, which renders minefield maps useless.
Most minefields have a narrow “security strip” between the barbed wire fence and the first row of mines. Depending on the terrain, the security strip could be as little as 3 meters or as deep as 60 meters.
Khavroniuk says that when his battalion cleared a field at BP32, beside the “Israeli” settlement of Manara, they were informed that there were no mines planted in the “security strip.”
“But we found mines in the strip, up to 45 meters from where the minefield began. There’s no way of knowing if they were put there deliberately or not,” he says.
Isn’t 45 meters rather a long way for mines to travel by themselves? Khavroniuk just smiles.
Although the main task of the Ukrainian battalion is to remove mines along the border, they also regularly stumble across unexploded ordinance and even booby-trap devices.
The battalion sited one of its four positions on a minefield beside the Hamra crossing into the former occupation zone on the coast south of Tyre. The battalion cleared the minefield and destroyed 14 unexploded shells. They also discovered a mine with a delayed timer which had been washed up on the shore beside the new camp.
“The timer no longer worked but the explosives were still there,” Khavroniuk says.
The mine was blown up in the sea. Khavroniuk ordered a full search of the shore beside the camp for further mines or unexploded ordinance before allowing his soldiers to swim in the sea.
Booby traps provide an additional danger to the Ukrainian sappers. While inspecting an area near a new Fijian UNIFIL post on a hill overlooking Naqoura, a team of sappers found two unexploded “Israeli” 120mm tank shells hidden in a bush.
“The first shell was removed and there was no problem. The sapper thought the second shell would also be easy,” Khavroniuk says.
But as the sapper bent down to pick it up, he noticed a wire sticking out of one end of the shell. He also saw that the shell was resting on a stone wedge.
“It was a booby-trapped shell. The wire led into an explosive charge hidden in the ground beneath the shell. If the sapper had picked up the shell, the explosives would have detonated,” Khavroniuk says.
The bomb was blown up in a controlled explosion.
“The sapper can take nothing for granted,” says Khavroniuk. “He can’t make one mistake and can’t trust anything.”

1-     Manar TV, 6-10-2000.

2-     The Daily Star, 7-10-2000.

“Israeli” jets break sound barrier over Beirut…(1)

“ “Israeli” warplanes broke the sound barrier Sunday over Beirut and in southern Lebanon, provoking panic among residents, witnesses said.

The fighter-bombers swooped over the capital with loud bangs that shook windows, an AFP correspondent saw.

Drivers on the roads raced for cover, but traffic was light as many residents preferred to stay home after Saturday's violence in southern Lebanon and “Israeli” threats of retaliation.

“Israeli” jets also caused supersonic booms over the city of Marjayoun and in the western Bekaa in southeastern Lebanon, AFP correspondents on site said.

UN helps evacuate 16 Lebanese civilians injured by “Israeli” raid…(2)

“ United Nations peacekeepers helped to evacuate overnight 16 Lebanese civilians wounded in an “Israeli” air strike on southeast Lebanon, a UN officer told AFP Sunday.

Indian peacekeepers of the UN Interim Forces in southern Lebanon (UNIFIL) helped residents of this mountainous region evacuate their relatives, who had been stranded for several hours on the main road leading to the village after an “Israeli” helicopter raid late Saturday, he said.

The road to Shibaa had been cut by two missiles fired by “Israeli” jets that dugged a crater of 10 meters (30 feet) of diameter and with a depth of five meters, an AFP correspondent saw.

On both sides of the crater, the road was also blocked by about 15 cars that burned out during the “Israeli” strikes.

"We spent the evening trying to evacuate the wounded, but only after the helicopters, which were firing on anything moving, left the Lebanese skies," a UNIFIL officer told AFP.

"Some of the wounded braved the “Israeli” fire and dragged themselves until Shibaa, where our peacekeepers gave them first-aid treatment because there is no hospital or dispensary in Shibaa," he said.

Shibaa residents can only access their village from the western side on foot, as they considering the southern road running along the Shibaa Farms too dangerous.

On Saturday, a total of 27 Lebanese civilians were wounded by “Israeli” air and artillery strikes.

1-    AFP, 8-10-2000.

2-    Same source.

Hizbullah: we shall not yield to “Israeli” threats and “Israel” shall bear the consequences of its acts…(1)

Hizbullah deputy secretary-general Sheikh Naem Qassem warned the “Israeli” occupation from executing its threats against Lebanon. He affirmed that Hizbullah will not stay immobile if the “Israelis” attacked ,and that the occupation will bear the consequences of its acts.

Sheikh Qassem, who was speaking during an interview with the CNN. T.V. station, also stressed that if any damage or harm was caused by the "“Israelis”", this means that the their colonies and soldiers will be in an unsafe condition.

Hizbullah deputy secretary- general clarified, "Hizbullah will not disclose any information about the “Israeli” soldiers in captivity, may they be alive or not, because by this we would be giving free information to the “Israeli” enemy."

He explained that Hizbullah prefers to discuss such cases through the known channels.

Sheikh Qassem reminded that five months have passed since the withdrawal of the occupation forces from Lebanon and until now no Lebanese detainee has been released.

"The international envoys use to come without giving us a glimpse of hope concerning their release. All what they used to say is that they're trying and that they have no answers, while "“Israel”" was applying legal measures to increase the pressure on the detainees..

“Israeli” warplanes violate Lebanese air for the third consecutive day…(2)

For the third consecutive day “Israeli” warplanes violated the Lebanese air. Between noon time and 1:00 P.m. “Israeli” espionage MK drones flew over the Lebanese villages of Kafra, Yatar, Serbine, Shiaytiyyeh, Jbeil al-Bottom, Klaila, Majdel Zoen ,Mansouri, Hinniyeh and its surroundings.

On Sunday, the “Israeli” warplanes, in an act of provocation, broke the sound barrier over the capital Beirut, the Bekaa, and various villages in the south.

Lebanon complains to UN over “Israeli” "violations"…(3)

Beirut complained Monday to the United Nations at “Israeli” "violations" against Lebanon by the shelling of villages, injury to civilians and supersonic bangs in the country's air space.

Lebanese President Emile Lahoud relayed the complaints to Rolf Knutsson, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan's representative for southern Lebanon, during a meeting at the presidential palace, the national news agency (ANI) said.

"Lebanon protests “Israel’s” shelling of Lebanese villages at the Lebanese borders, the injury of civilians, the violations to Lebanon's airspace and the aggressions against Lebanese and Palestinian civilians by firing on them without warning," said ANI.

The agency quoted Lahoud as saying that "these aggressions constitute a flagrant violation of Lebanese sovereignty and a violation of UN Security Council Resolution 425."

The resolution, voted after “Israel’s” 1978 invasion of Lebanon, stipulated “Israel’s” withdrawal from southern Lebanon and the end of hostilities. “Israel” pulled out on May 24 after 22 years of occupation.

Lahoud was referring to violent actions in the last few days at the Lebanese-”Israeli” borders.

Two Palestinians were killed and 17 others wounded Saturday when “Israeli” soldiers opened fire at protestors throwing stones and Molotov coktails at the Lebanese borders.

The same day Hizbullah kidnapped three “Israeli” soldiers in a commando operation in the Shebaa Farms, a mountainous region at the Lebanese-Syrian borders occupied by “Israel” since 1967.

“Israel” retaliated with air and ground strikes on southern Lebanon, wounding a number of civilians, while its warplanes broke the sound barrier over Beirut and other regions.

Palestinians demonstrated at Lebanese-Palestinian borders…(4)

Palestinian refugees demonstrating at the border with “Israel” hurled stones at “Israeli” soldiers behind the border’s barbed wire fence on Monday, without inflicting casualties, an AFP correspondent said.
About 20 Palestinian refugees gathered in Ramieh, east of Naqoura and facing the Zarit settlement in northern “Israel”, threw stones at the “Israelis”.
“Israeli” soldiers on the other side ducked, but did not open fire on the protesters.
Two Palestinian refugees were killed and 17 other people were wounded on Saturday at the former Ramieh crossing when “Israeli” soldiers opened fire at protesters hurling stones and Molotov cocktails over the border.
Otherwise, the tense border area was quiet, but “Israeli” troops remained on high alert.
With binoculars, “Israeli” soldiers panned the hilly northern border that on Saturday saw its worst violence since “Israel” pulled out of Lebanon in May.
Although the “Israeli” Army denies it has “reinforced” its northern border, some military hardware has been brought in or repositioned around the disputed Shebaa Farms area, where Hizbullah guerrillas attacked and kidnapped three soldiers on Saturday.
“Israel” has quietly bolstered defenses around the mountainous Shebaa area, stealthily moving in commandos, extra tanks, radio equipment and other tracked hardware.
Outside the hamlet of Sinir on the slopes of the Golan Heights behind Shebaa , a battery of at least five 155mm artillery guns is now stationed, pointing over the hill toward the villages of Kfar Shuba and Shebaa.
The fresh track marks these heavy pieces of mobile artillery dug into the paved roads is testimony to their recent deployment from areas deeper in the Golan, the strategic plateau seized from Syria by “Israel” 33 years ago.
Military roads leading into the Shebaa Farms, which is normally a closed military area, have been blocked with extra soldiers.

1-        Manar TV, 9-10-2000.

2-        Same source.

3-        AFP, 9-10-2000.

4-        The Daily Star, 10-10-2000.

Outside world turns screws to cow Beirut
US, UN, and EU demand answers about captured “Israelis”
Lahoud: Lebanon will not bow to pressures…(1)

The international community turned up the heat on Lebanon Wednesday to provide proof that three captured “Israeli” soldiers were alive and to improve security along the southern border, but Beirut strongly rejected free-of-charge concessions.
“Lebanon will not bow to pressures to find a security formula in the South that would reassure “Israel” at the expense of our national interests which are linked to completing the liberation of our territories, the release of all detainees and the return of all (Palestinian) refugees,” President Emile Lahoud retorted.
The looming dispute with Washington, the United Nations and the European Union coincided with a 24-hour delay in a planned visit by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
Annan rescheduled his trip for Thursday amid a political storm  caused by his denunciation of Hizbullah’s capture of the “Israeli” troops as a violation of Resolution 425 and his suggestion that the government was not doing an adequate job in policing its side of the so-called “Blue Line.”
Beirut categorically rejected the UN chief’s accusations, maintaining that resistance operations were legitimate as long as “Israel” occupied Shibaa Farms, a stretch of farmland still held by “Israel” and claimed by Lebanon.
As Beirut braced for Annan’s visit and the potential conflict in views, a European Union envoy, who is closely coordinating the Middle East trouble-shooting effort with the UN chief, added a new demand of Lebanon.
Javier Solana, the EU’s foreign-policy and security chief, said the international community wanted “proof” that the three “Israelis” captured in Shibaa on Saturday were still alive.
Solana conveyed the request in separate meetings with Lahoud, Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Salim Hoss.
Asked if he had information about the health of the soldiers, Solana said: “I haven’t got any answers unfortunately for the moment, but I insist that it would be quite an important sign and an important contribution to lower the temperature in the region.”
Solana also said he “agreed” with Annan’s allegation that Hizbullah’s penetration of the Blue Line to capture the “Israeli” soldiers constituted a violation of Resolution 425.
Lahoud, for his part, said he complained to Solana about “daily “Israeli” aggressions against Lebanon which are subjecting civilian Lebanese to danger.”
““Israeli” warplanes are violating Lebanese airspace, in violation of UN Security Council Resolution 425 and a blatant violation of Lebanese sovereignty, and “Israel” bears the sole responsibility for that,” he said.
UN sources said Annan was flying in from “Israel” for a noon meeting with Lahoud. They said he planned to travel later to Naqoura, the headquarters of the UNIFIL, return to Beirut, and return to “Israel” in the evening.
His trip will coincide with that of Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi, and diplomatic sources said the two might meet to discuss a possible exchange of the “Israeli” soldiers for Lebanese and, perhaps, other Arab prisoners.
In Syria on Wednesday, Kharrazi said that Hizbullah would free the “Israelis” in
exchange for “all the prisoners” in “Israel”, without specifying whether that would include Palestinian detainees.
The capture of the three “Israelis”, coupled with a clash on the border between “Israeli” troops and unarmed demonstrators in which two people were killed on Saturday, has threatened to open a new battlefront as “Israeli” clashes with the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza rage on.
As the Arab and Muslim world rallied behind the Palestinians, the Lebanese and the Syrians, the Western world mobilized its diplomacy to defuse the latest spate of Middle East violence. Where Lebanon is concerned, the United States, the UN and the EU  stepped up pressure on the government to expand the 1,000-strong force it has deployed in the South and to extend the area of operations all the way to the border.
But, Lahoud reiterated on Wednesday, “Israel” has to complete its withdrawal from Shibaa and release the 19 Lebanese detainees from prison before Lebanon will consider Resolution 425 truly implemented.
Berri and Hoss rallied behind the president, issuing separate statements to support his stand.
Annan’s remarks, the speaker warned, could provide a political “cover” for “Israeli” aggression against Lebanon.
“Such statements are unacceptable to us,” Berri declared, “irrespective of our friendship with and respect for the secretary-general.”
Enraged by the international focus on the fate of the three “Israelis”, Berri said: “They’ve turned the entire world upside down over three “Israeli” soldiers snatched in occupied Lebanese territory, even though we’ve made no secret of our intention to maintain the resistance as we will not give up one inch of our territory or single prisoner.
“The entire world has been mobilized to check on the well-being of the three soldiers and we find no one asking about the children being slaughtered in Palestine. What kind of justice are they seeking?
“They’re providing a cover for “Israel” to maintain aggression against the Palestinians and on Lebanon,” he said.
Hoss, in a separate statement, said Annan’s allegations were “out of context.” He reiterated Berri’s argument about the attack taking place on occupied Lebanese land and decried the failure to censure “Israel” for firing on unarmed demonstrators at the border on Saturday.
Information Minister Anwar Khalil defended the right of the Lebanese and the Palestinians to protest at the border, adding that ““Israel’s” disregard for Arab rights is causing the tension.”
“It’s strange that the UN secretary-general should claim that the capture of three “Israelis” on occupied Lebanese territory is a violation of Resolution 425,” he told reporters. “The question is: what are they doing on Lebanese territory?
Khalil also cautioned the Palestinians against turning peaceful protests at the border into violent acts, but insisted that the government would not ban demonstrations, “which is a constitutional right of all citizens.”

Lahoud lists complaints to Solana…(2)

”President Emile Lahoud insisted Wednesday that “Israel” alone bears responsibility for its “flagrant violations” of UN Security Council Resolution 425.
Addressing Javier Solana, the European Union’s foreign-policy and security chief who arrived in Beirut earlier in the day from Cairo,  Lahoud affirmed that his country intended to liberate the Shibaa Farms and recover Lebanese detainees and prisoners in “Israeli” jails.
Enumerating “Israeli” violations, Lahoud told Solana ­ who is on the fourth leg of a Middle East  tour designed to pacify the region ­ that “Israel” has persisted in its daily aggression against Lebanon, endangering the lives of peaceful and unarmed Lebanese citizens. The president also told Solana that “Israeli” jets had violated Lebanese airspace.
Solana was accompanied by EU Middle East policy coordinator Miguel Angel Moratinos, French Ambassador Phillipe Lecourtier, and Dimitris Kourkoulas, head of the EU Commission’s delegation in Lebanon.
The tour has already taken the EU team to “Israel”, the Palestinian territories, and Egypt. They are also due to visit Jordan and Syria.
Solana told reporters that he hoped tensions between “Israelis” and Palestinians would subside, adding that UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s visit to the region could help.

1-     The Daily Star, 12-10-2000.

2-     Same source.

Fadlallah dismisses UN claims of Hizbullah violations…(1)

Leading cleric Sayyed Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah Thursday ruled out the possibility of “Israeli” military operations against Lebanon and Syria if Hizbullah does not release three captured “Israeli” soldiers.
““Israel’s” threats against Lebanon and Syria are a way to terrorize the two countries and exert political pressures on them,” he told Syria’s satellite channel.
He brushed aside remarks by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan that Hizbullah’s capture of the three soldiers in the disputed Shibaa Farms on Saturday violated UN Security Council Resolution 425.
““Israel” violates the resolution by keeping 19 Lebanese prisoners in its jails and maintaining its troops in the Shibaa Farms,” he said. “Why hasn’t anyone called these acts as violations of human rights?”
Fadlallah said the “Israeli” troops “are prisoners of war because they were snatched from an occupied area. (Hizbullah’s) fighters did not violate international resolutions. We don’t even consider “Israel” as a legitimate state.”
Asked about “Israel’s” attacks on Palestinians over the last two weeks, the leading cleric said: “Jews know no God. People who know God must love other people who are God’s creatures. Celebrating their Forgiveness Day (Yom Kippur) by killing women, children, and old people has nothing to do with God’s teachings.”

Annan tells Lahoud to rein in stonethrowers…(2)
Lahoud: Lebanon’s Army is not a policef force for “Israel”

“The United Nations sought to pacify the Lebanese front of the Middle East conflict on Thursday, arguing for tighter security along the southern border to avoid a spillover from Palestinian-”Israeli” violence as it slipped out of control.
But President Emile Lahoud adamantly rejected international demands for concessions to an implacable foe that is never censured for systematic assaults on its Arab neighbors.
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan cut short his visit to Beirut and rushed back to “Israel” after the lynch-mob killing of three soldiers in Ramallah triggered a chain of retaliatory attacks, plunging the Palestinian territories into deeper crisis.
But before his departure, he outlined in a meeting with Lahoud and Prime Minister Salim Hoss a role for Lebanon in the international trouble-shooting effort underway in the Middle East ­ rein in stone-throwers pelting “Israeli” soldiers across the southern border and allow a neutral mediator access to the three “Israeli” soldiers captured by Hizbullah to ascertain their wellbeing.
He also modified his outright accusation that Saturday’s capture of the soldiers was a breach of Security Council Resolution 425, describing it instead as a “violation of the Blue Line,” which the UN demarcated for “Israel’s” troop withdrawal in May.
According to a terse Presidential Palace statement, Lahoud insisted during the hour-long meeting that it was “Israel” that was continuously violating Resolution 425.
He said “Israel” must relinquish the occupied Shibaa Farms, which are claimed by Lebanon, release the 19 Lebanese detainees and stop the daily overflights of its warplanes for Beirut to consider 425 fulfilled.
The statement urged Annan to help swiftly end the Palestinian-”Israeli” violence, now in its third week and threatening the entire Middle East with more bloodshed and turmoil.
According to political sources, Lahoud told Annan that “Israel” has only itself to blame for the latest wave of violence.
The UN chief proposed to Lahoud that Lebanon enforce a “security formula” to avert demonstrations on the southern border that could provoke clashes ­ an international demand which Beirut sees as an attempt to turn the Lebanese Army into a police force for “Israel”.
Lahoud argued that “Israel”, with all its military might, has been unable to control the anger of the Arabs, and the government would not push the army into a situation that could ultimately develop into war.
The president also asked why Lebanon and the Arabs were being implored to exercise restraint, when “Israel” is allowed to maintain its aggression and defiance of international resolutions without being censured.
Turning to Rolf Knutsson, Annan’s personal representative to south Lebanon who attended the meeting, Lahoud said the diplomat admitted earlier in the week that the “Israelis” had opened fire without any warning at unarmed demonstrators on Saturday, killing two of them.
The sources, insisting on strict anonymity, said Lahoud stressed that recent events proved that separate deals, such as the Palestinian-”Israeli” Oslo Accords, would not end the conflict and that “Israel”, if it truly wanted peace, should relinquish all territories it occupied in 1967, including the Golan Heights.
On the issue of the “Israeli” soldiers captured by Hizbullah, Lahoud asked why “Israel” would not take the initiative and release the 19 Lebanese detainees.
Annan, according to the sources, replied that he had approached the “Israelis” but found them uncooperative on the issue.
The secretary-general demanded that either UN officials or International Red Cross delegates be allowed access to the prisoners before he could begin a mediation for a prisoner swap. But Hizbullah has already said that information on their wellbeing has a “price.”
Annan took his argument for a sign of life from the soldiers to the Iranian Embassy, where he met Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi.
Later at Hizbullah headquarters, Kharrazi said he relayed to the party’s secretary-general, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, a message from Annan, but refused to disclose its contents.
However, a diplomatic source told The Daily Star that Kharrazi informed Nasrallah of Annan’s condition for mediating a prisoner swap. The UN chief asked that the party’s response be relayed to his representative, Knutsson, according to the source.
Earlier at a news conference in Baabda, Annan said that the mandate of the International Committee of the Red Cross provided unconditional access to prisoners of war ­ an argument unlikely to fly with Lebanon, whose detainees in “Israel” are denied such visits.
As for Lebanon’s sovereignty claim over Shibaa, which Syrian President Bashar Assad publicly supported in a statement on Wednesday, he said: “I think we have to base ourselves on the documents and the reports to the Security Council and the exchange of letters that I had with the two governments, Lebanon and “Israel”” before “Israel’s” withdrawal.
The farms, initially Syrian, were occupied piecemeal after the 1967 war. But Damascus and Beirut maintain that in the 1950s, the stretch of fertile land on the western slopes of Wadi Assel was handed over to Lebanon in a bilateral treaty.
Annan said proof of the exclusion of Shibaa from Resolution 425 lay in the fact that it has always been policed by the UN Disengagement and Observation Force, which acts as a buffer between “Israel” and Syria, and not by UNIFIL which was dispatched to south Lebanon under Resolution 425.
“This does not exclude whatever arrangements Lebanon and Syria will make in the future as to the status of that particular territory,” Annan said.
The UN chief flew to Naqoura for lunch at UNIFIL’s command. But halfway into the meal, he received a telephone contact from aides in “Israel”, reporting on the escalating violence.

Iran building Islamic front against “Israel”
Kharrazi denies Tehran has any influence in case of captured soldiers…(3)

Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi announced on Thursday that Iran was trying to form an Islamic front against “Israel” in its capacity as current leader of the Organization of Islamic Countries.
“President Mohammed Khatami has issued special instructions in his capacity as OIC president, to study the possibility of an urgent meeting on the level of foreign ministers,” Kharrazi said after meeting President Emile Lahoud in Baabda Palace. The minister delivered a message from Khatami to Lahoud that included Iran’s expression of support to Lebanon and its people.
The Iranian minister said he had no doubt that such a meeting would produce results, “just as the right and powerful decision taken to hold an Arab summit gave a positive push.”
Kharrazi said it was essential that efforts be mobilized, whether on bilateral or international levels, to pressure “Israel” to stop its threats and provocation against the Palestinians.
“We’re facing urgent and extremely dangerous times and we’ll invest in whatever possible means to solve the problems of the Palestinian people and those of other countries in the region,” he said, adding that Islamic countries supported the new Palestinian uprising.
“The region’s people are beginning to realize that, through their resistance and steadfastness, they can play a role and this is a huge investment for the people,” he said.
Kharrazi also accused the West of duplicity, saying no one reacted over the past two weeks when dozens of unarmed Palestinians were being
killed while “the whole western community reacts when three “Israeli” soldiers are captured.”
“This is a sign of duplicity in standards which we see on the western scene,” Kharrazi declared.
He also criticized the position of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan who considered Hizbullah’s capture of the “Israeli” soldiers a violation of UN Resolution 425.
The Iranian minister denied his country has a say in the issue of the three “Israeli” soldiers captured by Hizbullah on Saturday.
“We have nothing to do with the issue, it is up to Hizbullah to decide what conditions to agree upon” to release the soldiers.
However, Kharrazi said the solution to the “complicated issue of the three soldiers is in “Israeli” hands.”
Kharrazi, who also met Prime Minister Salim Hoss, held a 40-minute meeting with Annan at the Iranian Embassy in Bir Hassan.
Speaking briefly to reporters, Kharrazi said the meeting was held to find solutions to the current tension in the region.
“The secretary-general is trying to conduct shuttle diplomacy and we hope he’ll be successful,” Kharrazi said.
Annan, meanwhile, said he discussed the regional developments and admitted that the issue of the Iranian diplomats who went missing in the country in 1982 was discussed.
The missing are: Mohsen Musawi, Iran’s charge d’affaires in Beirut at the time; diplomat Ahmad Motevasselian; embassy driver Taghi
Rastegar-Moghaddam; and Kazem Akhava, a photographer for the Islamic Republic News Agency.
Former Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati asserted in 1997 that Iran had “numerous reasons to believe that the four were alive and in “Israel”.”
The Iranian minister’s last stop was at Hizbullah’s Shoura Council in Haret Hreik, where he met party leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.
After the meeting, Kharrazi said he delivered a message from Annan to Nasrallah. However, the minister denied that the message from Annan was sent by “Israeli” officials, insisting it was from Annan himself. Sources said the message related to the three “Israeli” soldiers held by Hizbullah.
However, the minister assured journalists that Nasrallah was likely to deliver a response to this message “through his own special channels.”
Kharrazi described the “Israeli” threats as the reason why violence in the region continued, saying he believed the international community should pressure “Israel” to stop its attacks.
Kharrazi, who arrived in Beirut on Wednesday evening following a visit to Syria, left for Tehran early Thursday evening.
He had held talks on Wednesday with leaders of Palestinian groups on how to ensure the continuation of anti-”Israeli” protests in the Palestinian territories.

LAU students hold protest…(4)

“A crowd of student demonstrators Thursday disrupted a planned meeting of ambassadors at the Lebanese American University.
Around 300 students, chanting anti-”Israeli” and anti-American slogans converged on LAU’s lower gate after word spread that the ambassadors were to hold a meeting on the campus.
The meeting is an annual affair in which ambassadors to Lebanon discuss the possibility of funding projects at LAU.
US Ambassador David Satterfield was scheduled to attend but failed to show up.
Abdullah Soufan, a student from the American University of Beirut, said that the protesters had gathered to demonstrate against Satterfield.
“When we found out that he wasn’t there, we wanted to show our solidarity with the Palestinians to show the other ambassadors,” he said.
Thaira Badran from the Arab University said she was protesting “Israel’s” “barbarism and terrorism in Palestine.”
“Protesting is useful, it’s the only way to make our cause more noticeable,” she said.
“No fear, no fear the stone has become a Kalashnikov,” read one banner. “No peace and no surrender we will make this a Vietnam,” read another.
The crowd burned US and “Israeli” flags, then headed toward Hamra and Bliss Street.

1-      The Daily Star, 13-10-2000.

2-      Same source.

3-      Same source.

4-      The Daily Star, 13-10-2000.

“Israeli” jets violate airspace

“Israeli” warplanes continued to fly sorties over Lebanon on Wednesday, breaking the sound barrier over Beirut and in the South.
Supersonic booms were first heard over the Western Bekaa district and the Marjayoun region before flying over Beirut and Tripoli.
On Friday, “Israeli” warplanes carried out mock air raids over the southern port city of Tyre and other nearby regions.
The overflights began after Hizbullah captured three “Israeli” soldiers along the border near Shibaa on Oct. 7. Previously, “Israel” had refrained from flying reconnaissance patrols over Lebanon following the withdrawal of its troops in May.
President Emile Lahoud complained of repeated “Israeli” “violations of Lebanese airspace” to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan during his visit here last week.
Meanwhile, “Israel” has warned that protesters in south Lebanon risk coming under fire from its soldiers if they hurl projectiles over the border…(1)

1- The Daily Star, 19-10-2000.

New battleground: resistance moves into cyberspace
“Israel’s” supporters try to knock Hizbullah’s site offline…(1)

“Israel” is waging a technological war against Hizbullah by targeting its website with millions of hits in an attempt to crash the server, Hizbullah said Thursday.
Traffic to Hizbullah’s
website (www.hizbollah.org) surged 30 times over its normal rate and crashed the server on Oct. 7, the day that Hizbullah kidnapped three “Israeli” soldiers.
Ali Ayoub, Hizbullah’s webmaster, said that the increase in hits were not due to sudden interest in Hizbullah. Instead, he said it was an attempt by “Israelis” and their sympathizers to sabotage the site.
“For 12 days, we have received up to 9 million hits, 41 percent of which were from “Israel”, rendering our website unreachable to our clients,” Ayoub explained.
Normally, the average daily hits on Hizbullah’s website range between 100,000 and 300,000, depending on circumstances in the region.
Prepared for the possibility that the site could be overloaded, Ayoub immediately launched a back-up website, (www.hizballah.org) which again was targeted but is functioning. The hizbollah.org site is still down and is being rebuilt.
Following the rise of the intifada in Palestine, Hizbullah’s website began providing detailed information of the events, pictures and even live video clips of the “Israeli” attacks against Palestinian civilians.
Although this is not the first time Hizbullah’s website has been targeted, Ayoub admitted that the recent attack has been the toughest.
“Whenever Hizbullah staged a large operation in the past, we’d get more hits. When Hizbullah captured the three “Israeli” soldiers, we received an unbelievable number of hits. It was crazy,” Ayoub said.
Late on Tuesday night, Ayoub said, he was able to launch seven back-up sites.
“In four to five days, our main site will be restored after I enable it to take the number of hits it’s receiving,” he said.
On Wednesday, Ayoub e-mailed his clients explaining the situation.
Addressed to the readers of the Islamic Resistance websites, Ayoub began his e-mail by saying: “Hizbullah’s website is coming under a fierce offensive staged by the Zionist enemy which amassed huge capabilities inside occupied Palestine and throughout the world, especially in the US, to paralyze the website and ban readers from being acquainted with the material and information concerning the struggle against it.”
He added: “We put these facts before the world so they are well informed of the barbarism of the Zionist enemy and the hatred concealed by the many effective forces in the US, especially in the field of the internet, that helps the enemy achieve its goals. These same people claim they support freedom of speech and of the exchange of information among the people.”
Ayoub in particular noted the dominance of “hostile” hits from “fake readers” in “Israel”, the US and Canada. He said there was unusually high traffic from America Online and a group of universities in the US, in addition to abnormal interest from internet users in “Israel”, Canada and South Africa.
Ayoub accused “the people responsible for the internet in the US” of allowing such an attack to continue without stopping it.
“It’s obvious that the Americans are conspiring with “Israel” to cripple our site,” he said.
However, Ayoub said that “no matter what attempts are made, they will not be able to remove us from the internet. The more they target us, the stronger we will make our website.”
He also added that such an overwhelming attack on the site could not be pursued for long because it created burdensome traffic on many other channels.
“Those attacking us are creating problems for themselves because it is crippling their work too,” he said.
People can access the Islamic Resistance websites at:

http://www.geocities.com/hizbollah2000lb/
http://noor2000.webjump.com/
http://www.hizbollah.4t.com/
http://imamah.webjump.com/
http://members.tripod.com/hizbollah2000lb
http://www.geocities.com/hizbforce
http://hizbollah.webjump.com

1-  The Daily Star, 20-10-2000.

“Israeli” helicopters violate Lebanese airspace…(1)

“Israeli” forces once more violated Lebanese sovereignty when an “Israeli” attack helicopter unleashed missiles on the Majidyyeh post, a former “Israeli” collaborators post, inside Lebanese territory close to the occupied Shibaa Farms.

A spokesman of the “Israeli” army said, "Soldiers had killed one armed man Friday night during an attempt infiltration into '“Israel”'."

The “Israeli” radio reported that three fighters opened fire on “Israeli” soldiers, who approached the border fence in the Majidiyyeh region, close to the Shibaa Farms. A fire fight between the “Israelis” and the armed group then erupted, and “Israeli” Helicopter gun ships intervened.

1-       Manar TV, 21-10-2000.

“Israelis” trespass to erect fence…(1)

About 10 “Israeli” workers entered Lebanon on Monday to put up a fence along the 1-kilometer cement border divider from Manara settlement to Hounin Hill north of Abbad.
Several “Israeli” soldiers were deployed along the divider and patroled from Hamames Hill to the Fatima Gate-Kfar Kila road on the “Israeli” side. Two Ghanaian UNIFIL soldiers watched the “Israeli” works without interfering.
When asked about the “Israeli” trespassing, one UN officer told The Daily Star that the “Israeli” workers would not stay more than a few minutes.
Four Hizbullah members observed the developments from their position facing Abbad.
A 3-meter space was left open in the fence. It is believed that an iron gate, seen on the “Israeli” side near Hounin Hill, will be added to complete the fence.
A few Lebanese exchanged insults with the “Israeli” soldiers in Abbad while a UNIFIL helicopter conducted its daily patrol in the area.

1-      The Daily Star, 24-10-2000.

Hizbullah wants information from “Israel” on "hundreds" of disappeared people…(1)

“ Hizbullah, which says it is holding three “Israeli” soldiers and a reservist colonel, has said it wants to be told about the fate of "hundreds of people" who disappeared "during the “Israeli” occupation" of Lebanon.

In an interview with the Lebanese as-Safir daily, the Hizbullah deputy handling the issue, Mohammad Berjawi, said "several hundred people, Lebanese as well as Syrians and Jordanians, disappeared during the “Israeli” occupation, particularly between 1982 and 1985."

"As “Israel” was then the occupying force, we feel that it is responsible for these disappearances," he added.

“Israel” launched a full-scale invastion of Lebanon in 1982 and, along with a Lebanese militia allied to it, occupied the southern part of the country until withdrawing in May of this year.

Hizbullah led a guerrilla campaign against “Israel” that contributed to forcing that withdrawal.

Berjawi said Hizbullah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has talked of the dossier to Rolf Knutsson, the south Lebanon representative of United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan.

"The UN has not fulfilled its mission on this brief," he said.

Berjawi would not say if getting information on these disappeared people was one of the conditions laid down for an exchange involving the “Israeli” soldiers held by Hizbullah.

"I cannot say anything on the matter of a possible swap; only Sayyed Nasrallah is in a position to talk about that," he added.

"All I can say today on the subject, is that the ball is in the court of the “Israelis” and the families of the “Israeli” soldiers that we have taken prisoner," he added.

“Israeli” website tries to shut down Hizbullah’s…(2)

““Israel” has set up a website to show both amateur and professional internet users how to “attack and destroy Hizbullah” by just logging onto it.
The site (www.wizel.com), which Hizbullah webmaster Ali Ayoub said sends files that cripple Hizbullah’s site, is one of the reasons one of his Hizbullah websites was shut down earlier this month.
“It’s a very simple yet effective idea based on having people log on and the website will automatically do the attacking for them,” Ayoub said.
The front page of the website resembles a Star Wars computer game rather than an “Israeli” site.
The site’s main logo says “ATTACK & DESTROY HiZBALLAH.” The background intensifies the flame designs that rise from the word “Hizbullah.” Just below that, two icons appear, one in English, the other in Hebrew. Both say “Enter.”
Pressing enter, the same logo appears and a description of what Hizbullah represents to “Israelis” and their supporters appears.
“Hizbullah is a terrorist organization. It uses the internet to justify terrorist acts against “Israel”. Hizbullah’s sites provide disinformation of facts in “Israel”, Lebanon and the Palestinian Authority territories,” the introduction says.
Following that are instructions on what the site can do: “The site you entered now provides a tool that will make Hizbullah’s efforts null if enough users activate it.”
Ayoub said that “every time a user chooses one of the nine sites listed on the website, a file is activated to target the site every second.”
The “Israeli” website’s internet service provider is based in the United States. Ayoub has already e-mailed the ISP, whose website is www.host4u.net, complaining about the illegal action.
“It’s been three days and still no response. This is a battle, and we’re trying not to overstep the legal limit in dealing with the situation. Our major retaliation is to continue to exist,” Ayoub said.
The “Israeli” site addresses both amateur and professional internet programmers, and provides details of how to target Hizbullah websites. In addition to six Hizbullah-related websites, the “Israeli” website lists one for Hamas (www.hamas.org), another for the Palestinian Authority (www.pna.org) and another providing information on Palestine (www.palestine-info.net.)
The last website listed, (www.moqawama.org,), is displayed in red. Below it, also in red, is an explanation that the website is currently under attack.
“We need to attack the same target for more damage,” it says, also in red.
“The moqawama website is the most difficult to attack. But even if the “Israelis” can cripple it, we have back-up plans. Our strategy is similar to any one adopted during a resistance operation. We’re aware that there’s a price to pay,” Ayoub said.
He added that Hizbullah’s technical team was in a state of “utmost technological emergency” to combat the wave of attacks. The “Israeli” website has contributed to the crippling of two Hizbullah websites over the past three weeks, with more than 9 million hits directed at the sites.
The “Israeli” website indicates that it was established on Oct. 6, or about the same time Hizbullah websites started to be targeted.
As of late Tuesday afternoon, the website indicated that it had received 21,800 visitors since it was set up.
Ayoub sends his clients an e-mail explaining the situation: “We’re sure, as you are, that such actions are illegal, but this does not mean that we’re in any way incapable of attempting the same techniques as they’re using.
“We wish only at this point to bring to your kind attention one of 1 million illegal actions ‘“Israel”’ uses to attain its goals, and we hope that through your media we can perhaps hope that something might be done to put a stop to some of ‘“Israel’s”’ illegal actions.”
Ayoub insisted that Hizbullah’s official policy was not to attack the “Israeli” website, but to use legal means, such as complaining to the ISP and holding it accountable for allowing the attacks.
“However, if our friends and sympathizers want to attack the “Israeli” website, they’re more than welcome,” he said.
This seems to be exactly what is happening. A website, hosted by a company called Tripod, provides an opportunity for Hizbullah sympathizers and supporters to counterattack the “Israeli” website.
Entitled “Defend the Resistance” the website, http://members.tripod.com/irsa2000, provides internet users with the opportunity to attack three “Israeli” websites: the “Israeli” government (www.”Israel”.org), the “Israeli” Army (www.idf.il) and the website attacking Hizbullah (www.wizel.com).
“Upon clicking ‘Defend the Resistance,’ an automatically programmed file will be ready to stage counterattacks against some of the ‘“Israeli”’ websites which try to hit the resistance’s sites. This counterattack will continue as long as you have access to internet,” reads the simply designed website in both English and Arabic.
There is no indication of the source or identity of those responsible for setting up the website.
Although Ayoub denied that Hizbullah set up the website, he said he was familiar with it. He added that it was not strange that Hizbullah sympathizers would want to set up such a counterattack.
“As long as the attack doesn’t wipe us out completely,” he said, “these things will just make us stronger.”

1-   AFP, 24-10-2000.

2-   The Daily Star, 25-10-2000.

"Israeli" planes break sound barrier over Lebanon (1)

"Israeli" planes broke the sound barrier Sunday over the port city of Tyre in southern Lebanon, some 80 kilometers (50 miles) south of Beirut, an AFP reporter said.

Four "Israeli" planes broke the barrier over Tyre in the afternoon and flew at higher altitudes over other cities in the south and the "Israeli" border region.

"Israel" has stepped up air patrols of south Lebanon since the October 7 capture of three of its soldiers along the border by Hezbollah.

"Israeli" warplanes almost completely stopped flying over Lebanon following "Israel"'s withdrawal in May from the southern part of the country, which it occupied for 22 years.

1 - AFP 30-10-2000

“Israelis” will shoot first, ask questions later
Jewish state warns UNIFIL of hair trigger on border…(1)

““Israel” has informed UNIFIL that it will open fire at any “suspicious movement” on the Lebanese side of the border, a decision certain to increase tensions.
“They excluded UNIFIL and Lebanese security forces,” a UNIFIL officer said. “Anyone else wandering along the border will have to be careful.”
Previously, “Israeli” troops were under instructions to open fire only if their lives were directly threatened. The new shoot-to-kill policy has been matched in recent days by a barrage of warnings against Syria to curb cross-border attacks. The increasingly harsh tone of the military ­ toward the Palestinians as well as Syria and Lebanon ­ is being interpreted as preparing the “Israeli” public for the possibility of a second front being opened along the Lebanese-”Israeli” border.
“Israel’s” saber-rattling comes amid indications that Hizbullah is conducting a substantial re-armament, fueling concern that events in the South may run out of control. Security sources have confirmed to The Daily Star that Hizbullah is receiving substantial numbers of mortars and Katyusha rockets which are being dispersed throughout the South. Some of the weapons are being stored in former “Israeli” Army and its militia outposts.
“This situation can get out of hand very quickly. That’s why it’s very dangerous to mess around on the border,” a senior security source said.
“Israel’s” deputy defense (war) minister, Ephraim Sneh, claimed on Monday that Syria has given Hizbullah the green light to carry out cross-border attacks, and warned of retaliation.
“I think that (Syrian President) Bashar Assad is aware of the differences in strength between “Israel” and Syria,” Sneh told “Israel’s” Army Radio. “If there is a renewal of terrorist activity, we will stop it immediately and through more severe actions.”
“Israel” has been unhappy with the security situation along the border for months. In particular, “Israel” has lodged numerous protests over stone-throwing at the Fatima Gate in Kfar Kila and elsewhere along the border.
Although stone-throwing has decreased lately, the Palestinian intifada has fueled more serious incidents: Hizbullah’s capture of three “Israeli” soldiers on Oct. 7; the failed cross-border incursion near Majidieh by Palestinian militants on Oct. 20; last week’s shooting at Marwahine; and a second cross-border shooting claimed by the “Israelis” on Sunday in the same area ­ of which UNIFIL and Lebanese security sources have no knowledge.
The decision to refrain from retaliating for these incidents has angered the “Israeli” Army, which fears its deterrent value is being undermined. Amir Oren wrote in the Haaretz newspaper that Hizbullah’s actions along the border were causing “the blood of senior … officers to boil.”
“Israel’s” chief of staff, Lieutenant General Shaul Mofaz, was quoted as telling his officers during a tour of the border on Sunday that the military “must hit” Hizbullah’s secretary-general, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, “and his cohorts.”
“The “Israelis” are creating the atmosphere first,” the security source said. “They’re preparing the country for violence.”
The source added that if “Israel” is intent on launching a punitive military action in Lebanon “any excuse will do.”
“Israeli” military intelligence has repeatedly stated that Hizbullah and Palestinian groups are preparing to launch attacks into “Israel” from the border.
But security officials consider a coordinated guerrilla campaign unlikely. Hizbullah is not expected to initiate conflict along the border.
Instead, it is the random “lone wolf” incident ­ such as the ill-conceived Palestinian cross-border raid and the hunter firing his shotgun at an “Israel” patrol ­ that is giving cause for concern.
If “Israel” seizes upon another “lone wolf” operation to justify a military strike, Hizbullah will almost certainly reply in kind. The stockpiling of weapons suggests that the resistance is anticipating such an outcome.

1-                   The Daily Star, 31-10-2000.