April Thursday 05 -2001:

Striking at “Israel’s” support with a FIST…(1)

With bags under her eyes, Lana Khalil leans back into the sunlight and recalls how she started an anti-Zionist “divestment campaign” on campuses across the United States.
Khalil, a Lebanese who grew up in Nigeria, has only spent two years in Lebanon ­ enough time to witness firsthand what “Israeli” aggression is all about.
It was her first year here when “Israel” began its two-week bombing campaign in April of 1996, what it named operation Grapes of Wrath. The operation was responsible for the Qana massacre, when “Israel” shelled a UN base and killed more than 100 women, children and elderly seeking shelter.
“When I moved to Lebanon, the images I saw epitomized the dispossession and imperialism of a nation. Che Guevara once said that sympathy with suffering somewhere in the world is the root of revolutionary work,” says Khalil, sitting cross-legged in her sandals and loose tank top on a bench in Sanayeh park.
Witnessing the aftermath of the Qana attack prompted her
to join a student group called Fight “Israeli” State Terrorism (FIST) at the American Community School, where she was a student, that year.
It wasn’t long before she extended her sense of compassion to the Palestinian community when she began volunteering as a teacher at the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps.
“When I started developing such close ties with my students, I wasn’t fighting simply for inalienable rights but for these people whom I was so emotionally attached to,” she says.
It was only natural for her to establish FIST at Sarah Lawrence College in New York in her freshman year. The organization focused on educating students on the Middle East and “deconstructing myths systematically propagated in the media,” Khalil explains.
FIST then began action campaigns that included teach-ins, lectures and a recreation of Khiam prison on campus.
The original 15 members were mainly comprised of Jewish, “Israeli” and other international students. Khalil is the only Arab in the organization.
The group’s dialogues with Jewish student groups even succeeded in recruiting another 10 members who considered themselves to be Zionists, according to Khalil.
With the start of the intifada  FIST began working toward starting a divestment campaign, similar to that of the anti-apartheid movement in the 1980s that occurred on college campuses nation-wide.
The group plans on lobbying the university’s administration in May to issue a statement that Sarah Lawrence supports the intifada and the Palestinian right to self-determination and condemns “Israeli” brutality.
Sarah Lawrence would then actively divest (as opposed to invest) in any company that has shares in “Israel”, as with the parallel anti-apartheid movement that managed to oust South Africa’s racist regime.
If the school doesn’t agree, FIST will occupy the university president’s home and start a hunger strike, says Khalil. Because of the level of awareness her group has created, she is expecting the majority of students on campus to participate.
“This year, we’ve become the most active group on campus,” she says. “Before people came to Sarah Lawrence, they didn’t know anything about Palestine. Now it’s become part of their everyday lives.”
With the start of the intifada, Khalil has taken FIST’s activism to a new level by focusing on a “complete bombardment of the anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian system,” she adds.
Every so often the group stands on tables in the campus cafeteria and tells diners about those who have died in the fighting, where and how, just in the time-span of their meal. Long lists of the victims are distributed at the same time.
Occasionally, these lists have also been represented through chalk outlines of corpses all over campus.
Khalil says they were especially successful in what she called “guerrilla theater.” The idea is to attract people’s attention by staging a fistfight in a public space and then breaking into an argument about stealing land and other policies of the Zionist state.
Khalil even succeeded in ensuring two hours of radio time per week and two pages in the campus’s daily newspaper dedicated to the intifada. They also started an underground bi-monthly “zine” (a small, informal magazine) that includes Palestinian poetry, political analysts’ articles, and student opinion pieces and has a circulation of about 3,000.
Their group has gained so much clout that they were able to set up two projection screens on the main campus green for a full day that displayed pictures of “Israeli” brutality.
“Everything is building up to our action in May,” she said. “It’s gotten so that FIST is a very big name on campus with two implications ­ either we’re a strong activist group fighting for a just cause, or we’re a fanatic anti-”Israeli” group.”
Student groups at 15 other universities, including Princeton University, New York University, Michigan University and Columbia University, plan on participating on their campuses on the same day.
Khalil is hoping to have another 60 universities, including some in the Arab world and Europe, join the movement. But even a handful, according to Khalil, will be enough to make the news and a statement that resistance to “Israel’s” apartheid policy does exist.
“I’m working 19 hours a day on this,” she says. “I’m completely fueled by the need to do this, because it’s still happening, and by seeing everyone else in the same struggle and giving so much to this cause.”

1-      The Daily Star, 5-4-2001.

  April Thursday 05 -2001:

Mine conference set for May…(1)

Lebanon will host an international conference in May to draw up a plan to deal with the tens of thousands of land mines still planted in the South.
Western Bekaa MP Sami Khatib, the head of Parliament’s National Defense Committee, said Defense Minister Khalil Hrawi told the committee that a number of European countries had been invited to attend the conference, which is scheduled for May 21.
The announcement comes as French Ambassador Philippe Le Courtier has urged Lebanon to address the mine issue and decide whether aid was needed from Europe and France.

1-      The Daily Star, 6-4-2001.

  April Monday 09 -2001:

Occupation Army Reinforces Security Along the Border…(1)

The “Israeli” occupation army started applying a new security system along the blue-line, drawn by the United Nations to mark the “Israeli” withdrawal from South Lebanon. Video camera observation points were installed, and  warning sirens go on whenever a body approaches the border wire fence.

Meanwhile, the occupation troops have intensified its movements in recent days in the Occupied Lebanese Shibaa Farms, and in the surroundings of the Mutilli Settlement.

The “Israeli” forces opened heavy gunfire at the Bastara border area, and the Red Mountain.

Zionist Engineer units continued fortification works around the occupation positions in the area.

1-      Manar TV, 7-4-2001.

  April Tuesday 10 -2001:

Public asked not to touch mine signs…(1)

The army cautioned the public Monday against removing land-mine warning signs in the former occupation zone.
“We urge people not to approach military posts that used to be formerly manned by “Israel” or its South Lebanon Army militia,” an army statement said.
It also advised people “not to touch any unfamiliar objects and to use only paved roads” instead of taking shortcuts across the open countryside between villages.
“Anyone who spots any suspicious object, ammunition or weapon must immediately report their findings to the local police,” the army said. 

1-      The Daily Star, 10-4-2001.

  April Wednesday 11 -2001:

Failed bomb attempt causes fire in former “Israeli”-occupied south Lebanon…(1)

“ A bomb placed in a tractor failed to explode Tuesday, in the third such booby-trapped attempt in about two weeks in the former “Israeli”-occupied border zone of southern Lebanon, police said.

The explosive charge apparently failed to blow up and merely provoked fire in the tractor owned by contractor Saadallah Daher at his cement factory on the main road of the town of Marjayoun, they said.

The driver of the tractor escaped unharmed but the vehicle was damaged, they said.

A bomb's detonator can cause fire even if the bomb itself fails to explode, usually because it is either poorly set or because it has expired.

Police said the bomb carried Hebrew inscriptions.

“Israel” pulled its troops from southern Lebanon on May 24, 2000, after 22 years of occupation.

More than 6,000 Lebanese fled to “Israel” at the time of the withdrawal, fearing revenge attacks. Many of them have since returned to Lebanon where some have been tried for collaboration with the "enemy “Israel”."

1-      AFP, 10-4-2001.

  April Thursday 12 -2001:

Land-mine awareness  at schools…( 1)

The national awareness campaign on land mines in the former occupation zone was launched at the Jaber Cultural Center in Nabatieh on Wednesday.
The ceremony, held under the patronage of Army Commander Michel Suleiman ­ represented by Brigadier George Sawaya ­ focused on the need for “tight cooperation” between the army, the National Demining Office, and civil society.
Lectures will take place in villages and schools in the South and the Western Bekaa.
Participants in the ceremony then attended a lecture at the Kfar Tibnit Public School, where explanations were provided to 600 students as part of the awareness campaign.
Students watched a documentary on land mines, while posters were distributed among them.
Islamic Health Committee member Hassan Ghandour said that most students responded well to explanations, adding that many of them were already informed about the subject, due to the presence of several minefields around the village.
Wassim Tabaja, 12, said that army officers warned residents against approaching the former “Israeli”-proxy South Lebanon Army militia outposts on Ali Taher hill and at Bourj, as they are surrounded by minefields. Tabaja recounted that a friend of his lost his leg when a mine exploded under his feet near Ali Taher.
“I’ll ask my friends not to play there,” he said. ““Israel” wants to kill us.”
Sara Faqih, 14, said that “we were pleased by what army officers and paramedics told us,” adding, “And we hope this campaign helps residents keep away from land mines.”
Students Ali and Adnan Faqih stuck a poster of land-mine varieties on the classroom wall.
Faqih said he once found a mine near his home similar to one portrayed in the poster. He said he had notified an army officer, who removed the mine.
Nabatieh’s deputy mayor, Adham Jaber, proposed that all municipalities affected by land mines should erect warning signs, while Kfar Roummane Mayor Sattam Abu Zeid said he hoped the campaign would translate into effective measures.
“Southerners should not pay the price for such weapons,” said Abu Zeid.
“I hope the demining project is not neglected.”
Elsewhere, demonstration sessions on land mines were also held at two schools in Bint Jbeil and Tibnin.

Students learn to live with “Israel’s” explosive legacy…(2)

Students in Qlaya set aside their mathematics and geography books on Wednesday to receive a lesson that could end up saving their lives.
As part of a national campaign on land-mine awareness, a team from UNIFIL’s Finnish battalion demonstrated to the students how land mines work and the precautions that must be taken when encountering them.
The battalion presented two 25-minute sessions of detailed explanations on land mines to 150 students at the Qlaya Secondary School.
Rusting defused anti-personnel and anti-tank mines, as well as cluster bombs and explosive charges camouflaged by fiber-glass “rocks,” were displayed on tables. Signs warning of land mines and unexploded ordinance were also presented.
Finnish Captain Jarki Polkknuen told The Daily Star that these sessions would be held every two months.
The school principal, Father Mansour Hakim, told The Daily Star that the demonstration taught students how to react if they accidentally entered a minefield and how to recognize the deadly devices.
Hakim said that each student who attended the demonstration session should pass on their newly acquired knowledge to their families and friends.
He added that some of the mines planted in Marjayoun dated back to World War II, when the German-allied Vichy French fought Free French and Australian troops.
The Finnish officer showed students “Israeli”, Russian, Yugoslav, American, and French land mines.
“If we see these land mines, we should not get near them, nor touch them,” Polkknuen warned students.
Since “Israel” withdrew its forces from the South last May, at least 10 people have been killed and 35 wounded in explosions caused by land mines and unexploded ordinance.
The UN estimates that some 130,000 land mines exist in south Lebanon, 70,000 left behind by the “Israelis”. The bulk of the “Israeli” mines are found in the 188 separate minefields the occupiers strung along the Lebanese side of the border.
One UNIFIL officer has estimated that it could take 30 years to clear all the mines.
In addition to the land mines, “Israel” planted 288 booby-trapped devices, mainly on the edges of the former occupation zone. In most cases the booby-traps consisted of ordinance, such as artillery shells, rigged to hidden explosive charges. But the “Israelis” also used mundane everyday items, including cameras and flags.
The Finnish expert explained to his audience how they could be deceived by cluster bombs which resemble small balls.
“If you see such a device that doesn’t belong to you, don’t touch it,” he said.
He also urged students to replace damaged or stolen warning signs. The army announced last week that land-mine warning signs are being stolen throughout the South, posing a risk to visitors unacquainted with the area.
Student Dani Khoury asked the officer what to do if someone stepped on a mine, but did not lift their foot.
“This happens only in movies,” said Polkknuen. “If you step on a mine, it will blow up.”

1-      The Daily Star, 12-4-2001.

2-      Same source.

  April Friday 13 -2001:

”Israeli” troops fire in the air to ward off students…(1)

About 150 secondary school students from North Lebanon demonstrated at Fatima Gate on Thursday, throwing stones and lightly injuring one “Israeli” soldier.
“Israeli” troops fired into the air to disperse the students, who had gathered at the gate and were hurling rocks at an “Israeli” bulldozer working on the other side.
The bulldozer was being operated by Palestinian workers who were digging a channel to install cables. The workers were being guarded by four “Israeli” soldiers.
As the students pelted the men with rocks, the soldiers fired shots in the air. The workers were forced to take shelter under nearby trees after the bulldozer’s windshield was broken by rocks. An “Israeli” reinforcement unit was sent to the gate, after which the workers and the soldiers withdrew.
In Al-Quds, a spokesman for the “Israeli” Army acknowledged that one soldier was lightly wounded by a rock and that the troops had fired into the air to disperse the crowd.

Spain to train Lebanese troops in mine removal…(2)

A group of Lebanese Army officers will travel to Spain next week to attend a land-mine clearing course given by a joint Spanish and Russian military team.
The squad of 20 officers and non-commissioned officers are scheduled to depart for Madrid on Monday for a six-week course involving all aspects of humanitarian demining.
“They won’t learn just how to remove land mines but other issues such as topography, communications … it’s an integral program,” said Guillermo Ardizone, consul at the Spanish Embassy.
The scheme for a joint training program was conceived by the Russian government which approached Spain as a partner due to that country’s considerable experience in demining.
The Spanish Army has cleared mines in Peru and Ecuador in South America and Angola and Mozambique in Africa. Some 1,200 Spanish troops are presently deployed in Kosovo on land-mine clearing duties.
Russia and Spain drew up a profile of the project which was then presented to the Lebanese authorities.
“The Lebanese reacted very fast in accepting and choosing the people. It’s been a very smooth cooperation,” Ardizone said.
Since “Israel” withdrew its forces from the South last year, at least 10 people have been killed and another 35 wounded in land-mine explosions.
The United Nations estimates there are around 130,000 land mines in South Lebanon as well as 288 booby-trap devices and an unknown amount of unexploded ordinance.
“The knowledge gained by the Lebanese officers will allow them to act as trainers when they return,” Ardizone said.
The diplomat said that there were no immediate plans to repeat the course in the future.
“We will evaluate the project when it is completed and see what is possible,” he said.
A senior military source said that the demining course in Spain was one of several overseas training programs on landmines for Lebanese soldiers. Other countries that have taught demining techniques include the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy and Syria.
The source added that a Syrian Army demining unit is presently clearing minefields in Jabal Bir al-Dahr and Kawkaba al-Arab in the Western Bekaa.

1-      The Daily Star, 13-4-2001.

2-      The Daily Star, 13-4-2001.

  April Tuesday 17 -2001:

Lebanese Hizbullah vows to hit back at "“Israeli” enemy"…(1)

“Hizbullah said Monday that it was personally targeted by the “Israeli” raid on a Syrian military position in Lebanon and vowed to hit back at the "“Israeli” enemy" at the right moment.

"We are going to cut off the hand of the enemy who dared to attack our land and our brothers", the movement said in a statement, denouncing hardline “Israeli” Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

"We will turn the Sharonian dream of terrorizing our people into a nightmare for the routed army of the Zionist occupation forces", said Hizbullah, which spearheaded resistance against the 22-year “Israeli” occupation of south Lebanon, which ended last May.

"The Islamic resistance (Hizbullah's armed branch) knows where, when and how to deliver a thunderous blow to the enemy and how to hurt him", the statement added.

At least one Syrian soldier and five others were wounded during the “Israeli” air raid on the Syrian military position east of Beirut early Monday morning.

Lahoud Extends Condolences to Assad, Denounces Sharon's 'Blood-Thirst'…(2)

President Lahoud called his Syrian counterpart Bashar Assad Monday and extended Lebanon's condolences over the death of Syrian soldiers in “Israel’s” pre-dawn raid on a Syrian radio position east of Beirut.
"The Syrian martyrs have joined the long list of the martyrs of the Lebanese army and the resistance," Lahoud said, according to a statement released by the Baabda palace.
The statement said Lahoud labeled the raid as a "manifestation of the bloody policies Ariel Sharon has followed since he came to power against the Palestinians and the Lebanese."
The President said these policies could lead to an all-out confrontation in the Middle East and asserted that “Israel” would take full responsibility for the consequences of its spiraling belligerency.
Monday's raid on the Syrian radar station in Mdeirej would not stop Lebanon from pursuing by all means the full liberation of the Shabaa Farms and the release of all Lebanese prisoners in “Israeli” jails.
Informed sources said Lahoud and Assad "have reaffirmed the resolve of Lebanon and Syria to persist in confronting “Israel”, without submitting to its conditions and pressures until a comprehensive Middle East peace is accomplished and all occupied Arab territories are restored."
Lahoud later held crisis talks with Premier Hariri over the ramifications of the first direct “Israeli” air strike on a Syrian military target in Lebanon since the 1982 invasion. No statement was issued after the meeting.
Hariri, who has earlier denounced the raid as a "grave aggression," is due to leave for a visit to Qatar Monday and then to Saudi Arabia Tuesday.

Lebanon holds “Israel” responsable for consequences of raids in letter to UN…(3)

“ Lebanon said Monday in a letter to the United Nations that the “Israeli” raids on Syrian targets on its territory were "an attack on its sovereignty" and that it held “Israel” "responsible for the dangerous consequences of this aggression".

In a letter addressed to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and made public in Beirut, Lebanon said "this “Israeli” aggression is a blatant violation of Lebanon's sovereignty and an attack on the integrity of its territory".

The letter said Lebanon holds "“Israel” responsible for the dangerous consequences of this aggression" and adds that the policies of “Israeli” Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's government "do not serve the fair and comprehensive peace which the region needs".

But the letter also said "this new aggression will not stop it from claiming its rights and from pursuing legitimate measures to recover the Shibaa Farms".

"These farms are not, as “Israel” itself admits, “Israeli” territory and “Israel’s” presence there is therefore illegitimate and amounts to an occupation", the letter went on.

Syria: "“Israel” Will Pay Heavy Price at Proper Moment"…(4)

Syria has pledged to exact a heavy price from “Israel” "at the the proper time" for its air assault that levelled a Syrian army radar position east of Beirut, calling the attack a "dengerous escalation" in the Middle East.
This stance was outlined by Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk Al Sharaa when he arrived late night Monday in Moscow for talks with Russian officials about spiralling Middle Eastern tensions in the wake of the radar-devastating air raid and the worsening hostilities in the Palestinian territories.
"“Israel” will pay a heavy price at the right time for its attack on a Syrian military position in Lebanon," Sharaa told reporters as he climbed down from the plane at Moscow airport. "The attack is a violation of international laws. It has creating a dangerous excalation that widens the scope of violence in the Middle East."
"Sharon's “Israel” is killing the peace process exactly as it is killing Palestinian children in Gaza and the West Bank," Sharaa concluded.
In Damascus, a high-ranked Syrian official was quoted by the official Syrian news agency SANA as saying the attack on the Syria radar site was a "dangerous escalation bound to shake the security and stability of the region."
In the first official Syrian version about the attack, the unnamed official was quoted as saying the raid was a "manifestation of the aggressive policies of the “Israeli” government under Ariel Sharon."
He said the attack was in line with "the barbaric and racist crimes against the Palestinian people in the occupied territories."
The official gave this version of the air assault:
"Formations of “Israeli” warplanes violated Lebanon's airspace 20 minutes after midnight (early Monday) and rocketed one of our positions in the Lebanese territory. Our air defense systems intercepted the raiding jets and forced them to retreat.
One of the Syrian radar station was hit and one of our elements was martyred and four others were wounded."
Earlier, several Arab television stations quoted an anonymous senior Syrian official as saying, "Syria reserves its right to self-defense." But the SANA report made no reference to the self-defense notion.

“Israeli” violation of blue line with Lebanon "serious": UN…(5)

“ “Israel’s” raid Monday on a Syrian target in Lebanon was a "serious" violation of the UN "blue line" dividing the two countries, the UN representative in southern Lebanon said.

"What happened overnight is serious," Staffan De Mistura said after a meeting with Lebanese Foreign Minister Mahmud Hammud.

"It's once more a violation of the blue line, which we are trying to protect because it remains, despite all, a guarantee for everyone," he said.

The blue line marks the line of “Israel’s” retreat from southern Lebanon last May, ending 22 years of occupation.

"All this pushes toward an escalation and we judge that dangerous. We insist on the fact that it's the moment, in the Middle Eastern context and the Lebanese situation in general, to continue to control the situation and not proceed toward an escalation," he said.

Egypt condemns “Israeli” raid on Lebanon…(6)

“ Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Mussa on Monday condemned “Israel’s” air strike on Syrian positions in Lebanon and accused the Jewish state of creating "turmoil" in the region.

"We strongly condemn this aggression ... against a sovereign state," said Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Mussa during a visit to the United Arab Emirates.

"This aggression robs the “Israeli” withdrawal from Lebanon of its substance ... and amounts to a confirmation of the occupation of the Shibaa Farms," he said, referring to “Israel’s” withdrawal from south Lebanon last May after 22 years of occupation and the continuing dispute over the Shibaa Farms region on the border between Lebanon and “Israel”.

Mussa, in a statement to the Emirati daily Al-Ittihad to be published Tuesday, a copy of which was obtained by AFP, accused “Israel” of stirring "turmoil amongst the Arab peoples of Palestine, Lebanon and Syria".

He pledged Egypt's "total solidarity" with the Lebanese people and said “Israel” had no right to interfere in the issue of Syria's military presence in Lebanon, something which concerned only Beirut and Damascus.

Arab League says “Israel” trying to "set region ablaze"…(7)

“ “Israel” has chosen "the path of bloodshed" by launching a deadly attack on a Syrian position in Lebanon Monday, the Arab League said, calling on the international community to prevent the Jewish state from "setting the region ablaze."

"This aggression constitutes a dangerous escalation in “Israeli” policy and shows the path of bloodshed, which destroys the peace process, that has been adopted by “Israeli” Prime Minister Ariel Sharon," the 22-member Arab League said in a statement.

The League called on the international community to take action against "“Israeli” attempts to set the region ablaze and force it into a circle of violence and instability."

"Sharon is an advocate of escalation who will lead the region to the edge of the precipice," the League said, saying the situation "threatens not only the security and stability of the region, but also the interests of all countries of the world."

It said the raid will boost Lebanon's will to "defend its legitimate rights and to regain its sovereignty over its territories with the withdrawal of “Israeli” forces from the Shibaa Farms," the “Israeli”-held area where Hizbullah attacked.

"“Israel” will never succeed in materializing its illusions of separating the Syrian and Lebanese fronts," it added.

Palestinians denounce “Israeli” raid on Lebanon as "dangerous escalation"…(8)

“ The Palestinian Authority on Monday condemned “Israel’s” deadly bombardment of a Syrian military target in Lebanon as a dangerous escalation that risked provoking a regional conflict, saying it was appealing to the US, Europe and the UN to intervene quickly.

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat slammed the “Israeli” raids on a Syrian radar station east of Beirut, which left at least one soldier dead and five wounded.

"The “Israeli” aggression against the Syrian radar in Lebanon represents a serious violation which puts the region in an extremely dangerous and critical situation," Arafat told the press on his arrival in Amman for a short visit for talks with King Abdullah II.

Separately, Arafat's top advisor Nabil Abu Rudeina branded the raids a threat to regional stability and demanded international intervention.

"The Palestinian Authority ... calls on United States and the international community to act to halt the “Israeli” aggressions against the Palestinians, the Syrians and the Lebanese," he said.

Also, in a statement carried by the official WAFA news agency, the Palestinian Authority said the “Israeli” raids "dangerously threatened security in the region" and affirmed "its solidarity with the Syrian and Lebanese brother peoples faced with “Israeli” aggression."

"The Authority calls on Arab countries to unite and calls on the (UN) Security Council to condemn this dangerous attack and force “Israel” to stop its aggression against the Palestinian people and against Syria and Lebanon," the statement said.

Jordan fm, on rare visit to “Israel”, calls Lebanon raid “unjustified escalation”…(9)

Jordan’s Foreign Minister Abdel Ilah al-Khatib, in “Israel” for talks with his “Israeli” counterpart Shimon Peres, said the Jewish state’s attack in Lebanon was an unjustified escalation that could threaten regional stability and security.

Khatib, speaking at a joint press conference with Peres following three hours of talks, said “Israel’s” overnight bombardment in Lebanon against a Syrian position could affect the overall stability and security in the region. Khatib, the first high-ranking Arab official to visit “Israel” since “Israeli” Prime Minister Ariel Sharon took office in March, said the aggression made his mission more difficult, referring to efforts by Jordan to try and quell the deadly intifada or uprising raging across the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip. Jordan’s Foreign Minister said what “Israel” did overnight east of Beirut was unacceptable and unnecessary. Khatib had said in Amman he would “firmly and directly” denounce “Israel’s” raids in Lebanon overnight that left at least one Syrian soldier killed. Khatib is also the first Arab official to visit the Jewish state since the outbreak of the intifada or uprising in late September. An activist in Palestinian President Yasser Arafat’s Fatah movement was shot and injured Monday by an “Israeli” sniper in the divided West Bank city of Hebron. In a move likely to increase tensions “Israel” said it will not ease the crippling siege on Palestinian areas. A hardline Palestinian group has claimed responsibility for two pipe bombs, which exploded Sunday in “Israel”, leaving one “Israeli” injured. A little known group called the al-Aqsa Martyrs claimed responsibility for the blasts in the “Israeli” city of Kfar Saba, not far from the Green Line separating the West Bank from “Israel”. In a statement faxed to Beirut, the group said it carried out the attack to “salute” Lebanon’s Hizbollah resistance movement and it retaliation for “Israeli” attacks on Palestinian areas and southern Lebanon.

“Israel” violates Lebanese airspace…(10)

““Israeli” jets staged mock raids over Lebanon on Monday, hours after the Jewish state carried out a deadly attack on a Syrian radar position. “Israeli” jets flew low over the Bekaa Valley, southern Lebanon and Beirut, breaking the sound barrier amid high tensions in the area. In a related security development, an Egypt Air flight from Cairo to Beirut turned back early Monday after Lebanese aviation authorities advised the pilot not to land during the “Israeli” bombardment. Authorities at Beirut International Airport told the pilot of the plane, carrying 116 passengers, not to land. It headed into Cypriot airspace before returning to Cairo.

1-      AFP, 16-4-2001.

2-      Nahar Net, 16-4-2001.

3-      AFP, 16-4-2001.

4-      Nahar net, 16-4-2001.

5-      AFP, 16-4-2001.

6-      Same source.

7-      Same source.

8-      Same source.

9-      Future TV, 16-4-2001.

10-  Same source.

  April Wednesday 18 -2001:

“Israel” wants Syria to quit Lebanon, says Hizbullah and its allies…(1)

“ The main political bloc of Hizbullah and Amal, in addition to other parties, charged Tuesday that “Israel’s” recent air raid on Syrian positions in Lebanon was aimed to pressure Damascus to withdraw its estimated 35,000 troops from the country.

"The attack had the goal of changing the balance of power imposed on “Israel” by the resistance and to create pressure to push the Syrian troops to exit Lebanon," Hizbullah and its allies said in a press statement issued at the movement's weekly meeting.

The meeting also brought Hizbullah together with Amal, headed by Parliamentary Speaker Nabih Berri, the Lebanese branch of the Baath party, groups and small Nasserist and Muslim parties.

“Israel” wants "to separate Syria's destiny from Lebanon and make it surrender Lebanon and at the same time revenge its stinging failures at the hands of the heroic resistance," the statement said, alluding to “Israel’s” withdrawal from south Lebanon last May after a 22-year occupation.

Hizbullah, Lebanon and Syria have pledged to continue attacks until the "liberation" of the Shibaa Farms. But “Israel” says it will only return the territory as part of a comprehensive agreement with Damascus.

Assad issues warning after “Israeli” attack
Beirut asks Annan to ‘deter’ further ‘aggression’…(2)

Syrian President Bashar Assad warned “Israel” on Tuesday that it “alone will bear the price of its aggressive actions in the region,” as Beirut mounted a diplomatic campaign to prevent further “Israeli” strikes in Lebanon.
In a telephone conversation with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Assad called the situation “extremely complicated” and said a solution required “important efforts.”
He was speaking after “Israeli” planes destroyed a Syrian radar installation in Dahr al-Baidar early Monday, killing one Syrian soldier and wounding six.
The raid came after Hizbullah fighters on Saturday attacked a tank in the Shibaa Farms area, killing an “Israeli” soldier.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell said he was “deeply concerned,” urging all sides to exercise “maximum restraint” and end the violence “immediately.”
Beirut called for an “emergency” meeting of the Arab League ministerial council and demanded implementation of resolutions adopted by the recent Arab summit in Amman.
President Emile Lahoud received a telephone call from Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz, who affirmed that the kingdom would provide “all possible help” for Lebanon and denounced the “Israeli” attack.
Lahoud, who maintained close contact with Assad on the developments, described the raid as yet another “expression of the bloody course adopted by (“Israeli” Premier Ariel) Sharon since coming to power.”
Foreign Minister Mahmoud Hammoud conveyed Beirut’s position during talks with ambassadors from UN Security Council countries.
“We consider “Israel’s” action to be a dangerously aggressive escalation,” Hammoud said.
He vowed that the government would not drop its demand to recover all “Israeli”-occupied territory, including the Shibaa Farms, describing the “Israeli” strike as “aggression against both Lebanon and Syria.”
He also stressed that resolutions adopted at the Amman summit said any “Israeli” aggression against Lebanon or Syria would be taken as aggression against all Arab countries.
Hammoud said he sent a letter to Annan, asserting the need for the UN to “deter “Israel”.”
For its part, Hizbullah pledged to continue resistance operations, saying its fighters would continue to attack “Israeli” troops in the border zone “at the time we choose and in the appropriate manner.”
“You may hear of a (new) operation (in Shibaa) very soon,” said Sheikh Naim Qassem, Hizbullah’s deputy secretary-general. “It may be delayed for a while due to on-the-ground factors rather than political conditions.”
In a statement issued earlier, Hizbullah also suggested that it might target settlements in northern “Israel” to avenge the raid.
“We will chop off the hand of the enemy which reached into our land and our brothers,” said the statement. “We will turn Sharon’s dream of terrorizing our people into a nightmare.
“Hizbullah knows when, where and how to strike at the enemy,” the statement said.
The raid was the first direct attack on a Syrian military position here since 1996, and the most serious since “Israel’s” 1982 invasion, when “Israeli” forces destroyed Syrian anti-aircraft missile batteries in Lebanon.
“Israeli” warplanes broke the sound barrier Tuesday over eastern Lebanon. Planes also carried out reconnaissance missions over the South and the Western Bekaa.
The ambassadors of Russia, Britain and France all expressed concern about the situation after talks with Hammoud, while Qatari Ambassador Mohammed Ali Nuaimy denounced the “flagrant “Israeli” aggression.”
In Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom’s second deputy prime minister and minister of defense, Prince Sultan ibn Abdel-Aziz, said the “Israeli” attack was “totally unacceptable.”
Gulf states, including Kuwait and Oman, condemned the “Israeli” strikes as “blatant aggression” and called for international pressure to stop “Israel’s” attacks.
Jordan’s King Abdullah telephoned Assad to express solidarity with Damascus after the “provocative” raid.
Palestinian President Yasser Arafat told reporters in Amman that the strike was a “dangerous escalation,” and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak denounced “this aggression against an Arab force that hasn’t attacked anyone and hasn’t violated the law or international resolutions.”
In Tehran, First Vice-President Hassan Habibi called on all Islamic and Arab countries to support Lebanon.
The Chinese government expressed concern over the rising tensions in the Middle East and appealed to “Israel” to “immediately cease its infringement upon Lebanon’s sovereignty.”

Lebanese FM calls for "deterring" further “Israeli” attacks…(3)

“ Lebanese Foreign Minister Mahmoud Hammoud started meeting Tuesday with foreign ambassadors to ask the international community to deter “Israel” from repeating attacks into Lebanon, an official said.

“Israeli” warplanes raided a Syrian radar position in eastern Lebanon on Monday, killing at least one Syrian soldier and wounding four others.

On Tuesday, Lebanese and Syrian army troops, as well as Hizbullah guerrillas, remained on a state of high alert, although the situation in the country has remained calm since the raid.

"The foreign minister has invited the ambassadors of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council to inform them that “Israel” is attempting to escalating the situation in the region," he said.

"He wants to ask the international community to deter “Israel” from repeating such aggression because it is a dangerous escalation for the entire region," said the official, who did not wish to be identified.

Hammoud spoke with the US ambassador David Satterfield by telephone on Monday, but no details were disclosed on that meeting.

He met with Russian Ambassador Boris Bolotine at the foreign ministry on Tuesday and was also due to receive the ambassadors of France, China, Britain and Arab countries.

"Russia is extremely concerned about the latest developments," Bolotine told reporters after the meeting. "The last (“Israeli”) raid is a dangerous escalation to the situation in the region, and this is unacceptable."

"We call on all sides to observe maximum restraint to avoid increasing the escalation in the region," he said.

Southern Lebanese, not scared by renewed “Israeli” raids…(4)

“ “Israeli” air strikes Monday did not scare the people of south Lebanon who lived with the dual attrocities of both the country's civil war (1975-1990) and a 22-year “Israeli” occupation that ended last May.

Although “Israeli” fighter planes bombarded a Syrian radar station east of Beirut, killing at least one Syrian soldier and wounding four more, in the first direct “Israeli” attack on the Syrian military since 1982, many south Lebanese residents appeared surprisingly calm in the aftermath.

Lebanon's turbulent history with “Israel” of ground invasions and pulverising air raids seemed far away.

"The attacks and counter-attacks were 'messages' and the issue is over now. I don't think that “Israel” is now interested in getting into another long-term military adventure in Lebanon," said Georges Lahoud, 31.

Lahoud is well placed to know about armed conflicts in the region. He lives in the Christian town of Marjayoun, the main locality in the border zone occupied by “Israel” for 22 years until its troop pullout in May 2000.

"It is true, as “Israeli” leaders said yesterday, that these are new rules for the game. During the occupation, we were constantly awaiting the next round of “Israeli” shelling. Now they responded with a very tactical hit," said Ahmad, a resident of Shaqra located just outside the former occupied zone.

But while this usually sleepy southern region was even more quiet during the long Easter weekend, the Lebanese and Syrian army troops, as well as Hizbullah guerrillas, remained on a state of high alert.

"It is all an issue of messages being sent, and this one was for Syria, more than for Lebanon, this is why the general situation is rather normal," said housewife Samia Ayoub, referring to Syria's status as Lebanon's chief powerbroker.

"This is why people are generally not scared, although there is always a fear that “Israel” would want to escalate the situation," she added.

Jiryes Nohra, sitting behind the counter of his pharmacy in the town of Qlaiaa, said "the “Israeli” direct strike against a Syrian target was meant by “Israeli” Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to defuse internal tensions inside “Israel” over the Intifada, or Palestinian uprising."

"We, in the south, are not concerned and we are not scared, because “Israel” is very much worried about Hizbullah's presence on the border, a few yards away from villages in northern “Israel”," said Nohra, 38.

"“Israel” had already been worried about the resistance guerrillas during the occupation when they were relatively far away, so we can imagine how it is now when “Israeli” towns are just a stone's throw away from the arms of the resistance," he said.

Kamal Khreis, 40, a baker from the nearby village of Khiam, said "we are not scared from “Israel” and not from its reactions because it has recently suffered more dangerous blows and it did not respond."

"“Israel” is now scared of the resistance guerrillas and I do not think that “Israel” would dare bombard civilian regions in southern Lebanon because it knows that the resistance's response will be harsh."

But if the Lebanese have their views about Hizbullah, Syria's continuing 35,000-strong military presence in the country and the latest “Israeli” attack, all breathed a sigh of relief when they woke up to see that, this time at least, the country's power grid was spared.

"The “Israelis””, when they couldn't hit back at Hizbullah, they used to unleash their anger at our power stations," said a woman named Fatima, sitting behind the counter of her candy store.

"At least, this time our summer is saved," she said, handing over ice cream cones to a group of young girls.

Iran urges Arab, Islamic states to support Lebanon…(5)

“ Iran's first vice president, Hassan Habibi, called on all Islamic and Arab states Tuesday to support Lebanon in its resistance against “Israel”, the official IRNA news agency reported.

Habibi, in a meeting with visiting Lebanese Economy Minister Bassel Fleihan, urged support for Lebanon, "a country situated in the front line of the war against the Zionist regime," IRNA reported.

He said there were "many great possibilities in various fields to develop cooperation between the two countries," and reaffirmed Tehran's determination to "deepen and develop" ties with Lebanon.

Fleihan, whose arrival and departure dates were not announced, said his country was ready to strengthen relations with Iran in the economic, commercial and transport sectors.

Fleihan also extended to Habibi an invitation by Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri for a visit to Lebanon.

Tehran condemned “Israel’s” raids Monday on Syrian positions in Lebanon as a dangerous "adventurism," that are "destined to fail."

Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi underlined Tehran's support for Syrian and Lebanese claims, as well as those of the Palestinians, to territory occupied by the “Israelis””, affirming that “Israeli” raids would fail to "block the Lebanese and Palestinian people from securing their rights."

Arab League to meet Saturday to discuss “Israeli” strike in Lebanon…(6)

“ An emergency meeting of the Arab League ministerial council will be held Saturday, following a request by Lebanon and Syria, to discuss the recent “Israeli” strike on a Syrian military position in Lebanon, a League source said Tuesday.

Cairo-based delegates of the 22-member organisation will attend, the same source added.

Gulf states, Yemen, OIC lash out at “Israeli” attacks on Lebanon…(7)

“ Several Gulf Arab states, Yemen and the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) on Tuesday all strongly condemned “Israel’s” attack on a Syrian military post in Lebanon.

In Riyadh, the foreign ministry said the Monday air raid, which left at least one Syrian soldier dead and four wounded, "shows a profound contempt and a flagrant challenge by “Israel” of international law and rights."

The Omani foreign ministry said the attack was "a flagrant aggression against Lebanon" and warned that "“Israeli” policy will plunge the whole region into more tension".

In Sanaa, a spokesman for the foreign ministry underlined Yemen's support for Lebanon and Syria in comments condemning the "aggression" carried by the official SABA news agency.

And OIC secretary-general Abdulwahed Belkeziz said in a statement published from the body's Jeddah headquarters that "the new “Israeli” aggression is a violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Lebanon."

In Bahrain, the foreign ministry deplored what it called “Israel’s” "flagrant violation of the territorial integrity of Lebanon" and the "dangerous escalation" in regional tension.

A foreign ministry spokesman in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) warned that the raid was a "flagrant violation of international law" that could "endanger the security and stability of the whole Middle East."

UAE Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed al-Nahyan, in a meeting in Abu Dhabi with senior PLO official Mahmud Abbas, said the attack "reflects the bloodthirsty policies adopted

China urges “Israel” to end bombing of Lebanon…(8)

“ China expressed concern over rising tensions in the Middle East Tuesday and urged “Israel” to end its raids on Syrian positions in Lebanon and urged all parties to take measures aimed at regional stability.

"China appeals to “Israel” to immediately cease its infringement upon Lebanon's sovereignty," foreign minstry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said at a routine briefing.

"China hopes that all parties concerned take effective measures to maintain the hard-won safe and stable environment in the region," she said.

Slain brothers remembered in Dearborn

1996 “Israeli” attack killed boys on visit…(9)

During spring break in 1996, two of Haidar Bitar's sons visited their grandmother in Lebanon.

They never came back.

Five years ago today, an “Israeli” bomb slammed into a United Nations compound, killing them and tearing off their grandmother's arm.

On Tuesday, the Dearborn resident joined more than 150 other concerned Arab Americans to commemorate the deaths of about 100 civilians in a UN camp for refugees in Qana, Lebanon, on April 18, 1996.

"I lost a part of my body when they died," said Bitar at the Lebanese-American Heritage Manor. "My other son keeps asking me 'When are my brothers coming back?' "

“Israel” maintains it launched the artillery attacks in retaliation for attacks from Hizballah guerrillas in northern “Israel”.

But those who attended Tuesday's commemoration say it was an unjustified shelling that killed many innocent civilians seeking refuge in a UN facility.

The commemoration has become an annual event in Dearborn. After the attack, the city became an official sister city of Qana in symbolic support of its people.

State Rep. Gary Woronchak spoke at the event, as did former Dearborn Police Chief Ron Deziel, City Councilman Doug Thomas and Mayor Michael Guido.

"We're here to remember two sons of Dearborn," said Mayor Guido. "We're here to remind people."

The recent turmoil in the Middle East added to the sense of frustration for many who attended, and they questioned the United States' support of “Israel”.

Since violence erupted on Sept. 28 between “Israelis”” and Palestinians, almost 500 people, mostly Arabs, have been killed. On Monday, “Israel” launched an airstrike against Syrian targets in Lebanon -- its first raid deep into Lebanon since its troops withdrew last year.

From Dearborn cafes to local e-mail discussion groups, anger has been steadily growing.

"Qana is just one example of so many acts of “Israeli” aggression," said Imad Hamad of Dearborn, regional director of the American-Arab Anti Discrimination Committee. "It's a reminder to all of us that peace cannot be achieved on the bodies of the innocent civilians."

1-      AFP, 17-4-2001.

2-      The Daily Star, 18-4-2001.

3-      AFP, 17-4-2001.

4-      Same source.

5-      Same source.

6-      Same source.

7-      Same source.

8-      Same source.

9-  Associated Press, 18-4-2001.

  April Thursday 19 -2001:

Beirut circles the wagons to ward off ‘Israel”
Lahoud: “Israel” will suffer consequences of aggessive anti-Arab policy…(1)

President Emile Lahoud said Wednesday that ‘Israel” would suffer the “consequences of its aggressive” policies toward the Arabs, as the European Union condemned the weekend ‘Israeli” air raids on Syrian radar positions in Dahr al-Baidar.
“‘Israel”’s aggressive policy toward the Arab world in general, and Syrian and Lebanon in particular, has not changed, even if the circumstances and objectives do,” Lahoud said. “The solidarity between Lebanon and Syria will enable the two brotherly countries to foil ‘Israeli” plans sooner or later.”
Speaking after meeting with Army Commander General Michel Suleiman and the heads of various security services, Lahoud contended that “the ‘Israeli” government is responsible for the consequences of these aggressive plans.”
The president and the heads of security services were marking the fifth anniversary of the Qana massacre.
The European Union presidency said Wednesday that ‘Israel”’s attack  had been excessive and that ‘Israeli” incursions into Palestinian self-rule territories were illegal.
“The spiral of violence must be reversed,” Sweden, which holds the rotating presidency of the 15 nation bloc, said in a statement. “The ‘Israeli” attack on Syrian objectives in Lebanon, the first in many years, as a retaliation for the Hizbullah attacks on the Shibaa Farms, was an excessive and disproportionate reply.”
In New York, the UN Security Council on Wednesday urged all sides to show maximum restraint in response to the “dangerous escalation.”
It endorsed “an appeal for calm and restraint” made by Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Monday, hours after ‘Israeli” planes attacked the radar station.
“Council members condemned this renewed cycle of violence that has inflamed an already tense situation in the region,” the statement said.
It concluded by calling on “all parties to respect the Blue Line, to exercise maximum restraint, and to refrain from any action that would further exacerbate the situation.”
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Mahmoud Hammoud received a new group of foreign envoys, urging their governments to back diplomatic moves to head off further strikes by ‘Israel”.
For the third consecutive day, Hammoud briefed the envoys ­ from Canada, the Czech Republic, Armenia, Bulgaria, Poland, Ukraine, Romania, and Yugoslavia ­ on a letter sent by his country to Annan asserting the need for the UN to “deter ‘Israel”.”
Hammoud had earlier told ambassadors from UN Security Council member states that Beirut considered ‘Israel”’s action a “dangerously aggressive escalation” and an “aggression against both Lebanon and Syria.”
He reiterated that the government would not drop its demand to recover all ‘Israeli”-occupied territory, including the Shibaa Farms.
The air strike, in which one Syrian soldier was killed and six wounded, followed Saturday’s attack by Hizbullah on a tank in the Shibaa Farms area, killing an ‘Israeli” soldier.
Several Arab states, led by Egypt and Saudi Arabia, expressed support for Lebanon and Syria in confronting ‘Israel”. The attack will be discussed at an extraordinary meeting of the Arab League council in Cairo on Saturday. The meeting was convened by Lebanon and Syria to discuss the ‘Israeli” attack.
Meanwhile, diplomatic sources said urgent contacts had been undertaken by France, Russia, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia with Annan and the US to prevent ‘Israeli” Prime Minister Ariel Sharon from “going ahead with undermining regional security and stability.”
The sources said the four countries behind the contacts are arguing that the official US stand “encourages” the Jewish state to “play its new game, which gives top priority to ‘Israel”’s security.”
They also said that the ‘Israeli” air strikes at Dahr al-Baidar constituted a violation, not only of the Blue Line drawn by the UN in the southern border region, but also of Lebanese airspace.
They said the results of diplomatic contacts held so far showed that the US “adheres to its stand,” namely that the ‘Israeli” air strike was a reaction to Hizbullah’s operation Saturday in the Shibaa Farms.
The US also wants Lebanon to exercise “self-restraint” or, in other words, to stop resistance operations, something which is unacceptable both to the government and the movement until the Shibaa Farms are liberated.
The sources said Lebanon would not hesitate to take its case to the UN Security Council if ‘Israeli” attacks on Lebanese and Syrian positions in the country recurred, despite of the prospects of a US veto.
Information Minister Ghazi Aridi accused the US of giving ‘Israel” a green light to commit aggression, claiming that peace was not the new American administration’s priority.
“The US allows ‘Israel” to do what it does,” the minister said during an interview with Al-Sharq radio station on Wednesday. “The American administration does not have peace nor settlement between Arabs and ‘Israel” as a priority.”
Aridi said that by giving a free hand to ‘Israel”, the United States had “abandoned” its role as a “just and honest partner” in the peace process.
“When America does not talk about negotiations for the peace process but about negotiations for negotiations,” he said, “it means it’s turning the blind eye and giving ‘Israel” a free hand.”
“Violence, instability, terrorism, and chaos will lead to more tensions and more chaos which will threaten many interests in the region, including ‘Israeli” interests,” Aridi added.
The minister also warned against any attempt to claim there was a disagreement between officials about the role of resistance “as long as the land is occupied, there are detainees in ‘Israeli” prisons, and continuous ‘Israeli” threats.”
“Lebanon will not abandon its right to resist and use every means to defend its land and rights,” he said.

'Syria cannot stand idle' after ‘Israeli” raid: Assad…(2)

“ Syrian President Bashar-al-Assad said Wednesday his country "could not stand idle" following ‘Israel”'s raid on Syrian military targets in Lebanon, the official SANA agency reported.

In one of Damascus' most virulent reactions to the pre-dawn strike carried out Monday by ‘Israel”, Assad told leaders of the ruling Baath party that "the Syrian leadership and people could not stand idle in the face of the sustained ‘Israeli” aggression against the Arab nation."

Syrian officials have repeatedly condemned Monday's strike on a Syrian radar post east of Beirut, which Damascus says killed one Syrian soldier and injured four others.

The Syrian president also said he was planning to "meet the requests of Syrians who want to provide help and support to the nearly seven-month-old intifada," or Palestinian uprising.

He mentioned that fund-raising centres had opened across the country to "allow the intifada to face the ‘Israeli” war machine and the blockade starving the helpless Palestinians."

More than 480 people have died in the intifada, the vast majority of them Palestinians.

According to Assad, "‘Israel”'s allegations putting the blame for violence on Arab countries and claiming that its attacks are in self-defence are trickery spread around the world to justify its aggression".

Berri slams ‘Israeli” raid in China address…(3)

Speaker Nabih Berri, currently on a visit to China, said Wednesday that Lebanon would not succumb to ‘Israeli” pressure and called for solidarity and coordination among Arab states.
Speaking during a meeting with Arab ambassadors in Beijing, Berri said Lebanon would never relinquish the Shibaa Farms, still occupied by ‘Israel”, and would always stand on Syria’s side in liberating the Golan Heights.
He said the ‘Israeli” air attacks on a Syrian radar position in Lebanon late Sunday was part of ‘Israeli” Premier Ariel Sharon’s attempts to separate the Lebanese and Syrian regional peace tracks.
Berri told the envoys that if all Arab resources were utilized they would constitute a “means of pressure” that would help the Arabs recover their rights and safeguard their peoples’ interests.

‘Israel” threatens to lead Middle East to war: Beirut papers…(4)

“ ‘Israel”'s decision to change the rules of the game by hitting Syrian targets in retaliation for attacks by Hizbullah threaten to lead to a war in the region, Beirut newspapers said Wednesday in their first editions since Easter.

"It is the first time since 1982 that a Syrian military position in Lebanon is directly hit. Before then, ‘Israel” used to content itself by holding Syria responsible for Hizbullah attacks," said the French-language L'Orient-Le Jour.

Hizbullah is the group that played a central role in the guerrilla war that helped to drive ‘Israel” out of southern Lebanon last year after two decades of occupation.

"This strong (‘Israeli”) message could provoke an infernal spiral of actions and counter-actions and lead to war in the region," it said of the attack.

The paper also warned that the issue of the Shibaa Farms, a "card" used by Syria against ‘Israel” through the Lebanese, "risked to become a firebrand" for Damascus.

The Shibaa Farms, which ‘Israel” captured from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war, is claimed by Lebanon.

The leading An-Nahar newspaper said "Syria is now implicated in a military confrontation with ‘Israel”.

L'Orient-le Jour said the ‘Israeli” attack came at a "particularly odd time because it will escalate the public debate over the Syrian presence."

The pro-Syrian leftist As-Safir daily however said "‘Israel” wanted ... to increase the dispute among the Lebanese over the Syrian military presence, but the ‘Israeli” attack showed that the fates of the two countries are linked and that they are both threatened."

Saudi Arabia Says ‘Israeli” Attacks on Any Arab State Unacceptable…(5)

Saudi Defense Minister Prince  Sultan ben Abdel Aziz described ‘Israel”  as an aggressive entity, which  perpetrates daily crimes against the  powerless Palestinian people.

Speaking  during a meeting with visiting Lebanese  Premier Rafiq Hariri, Prince Sultan said  the recent ‘Israeli” air raid against the  Syrian position in Lebanon is  unacceptable and also unacceptable is  any ‘Israeli” attack against other Arab  countries.

Hariri  said he did not expect the United  States to call for a Syrian army  redeployment in eastern Lebanon  during his visit to the White House on April  24 for talks with President George W.  Bush.

He clarified Syrian forces are  present in Lebanon under a Lebanese  accord and not an American one.

Hariri held talks with Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, tackling bilateral relations and “a comprehensive revision of the situation in the Middle East, topped by the Palestinian issue and events in the occupied territories,” the Saudi agency said.

King Fahd also met with Hariri, who arrived in Saudi Arabia Tuesday as part of a Gulf tour in the aftermath of an ‘Israeli” air strike on a Syrian army radar station in eastern Lebanon that left at least one Syrian soldier dead and four wounded, SPA said.

‘Israeli” jets swoop over south Lebanon…(6)

“ ‘Israeli” warplanes flew Wednesday over the main southern Lebanese city of Sidon and at low altitude over the Shibaa Farms territory, security sources said.

The fighter-bombers swooped over this port city after having flown over the Shibaa Farms and nearby areas, further to the east at the Lebanese-Syrian borders, they said.

At dawn, ‘Israeli” army troops posted on Mount Hermon in the Shibaa area had fired heavy machineguns toward the village of Shibaa, facing the farmlands under the same name.

Four homes were directly hit, according to Lebanese security sources who did not report casualties.

On Monday, ‘Israeli” jets broke the sound barrier over Beirut and southern regions, following an overnight air strike on a Syrian army radar station in eastern Lebanon that left al least one Syrian soldier killed and four wounded.

Women stage protest at Fatima Gate on anniversary of atrocity…(7)

Some 120 women took Wednesday’s fifth commemoration of the Qana massacre protest to the border with ‘Israel” on Wednesday, demonstrating at the Fatima Gate.
Black-clad women and children who were relations of the victims carried Hizbullah, Lebanese, and Palestinian flags and a banner reading “With your backing we will continue our struggle and succeed.”
Others shouted: “Death to ‘Israel”, death to the United States” and other anti-’Israeli” slogans.
The protest came two days after ‘Israeli” planes blasted a Syrian radar post in Lebanon, killing one Syrian soldier and wounding six.
Children stomped their feet, raised their fists and shouted “We will not forget you … We will not forget you.”
The mother of slain resistance fighter Jihad Sayyed urged other mothers to give their sons in support of the intifada.
‘Israeli” soldiers poked their heads out to watch the march from behind fortifications, while a UNIFIL helicopter flew over the Blue Line, hovering over Kfar Kila village, where its crew watched the march with binoculars.
Another mother of a deceased resistance fighter threw a stone at the ‘Israeli” post.
Hassan Ahmad, 11, whose father was killed during an ‘Israeli” attack, said he came to the gate to tell ‘Israelis” he has begun training to fight them.
“Let them wait for me,” said Ahmad, “I’m coming.”
Suhaila Mohammed Zahwa, mother of a resistance fighter killed in a confrontation with ‘Israelis”, said “We are here to tell ‘Israelis” that our sons await martyrdom, my two sons are ready when Hizbullah wants them.”

Officers leave for demining course…(8)

The first batch of Lebanese military personnel has left for Spain, where they are to learn demining skills under a training program jointly sponsored by Russia and Spain.
The Novosti press agency announced Wednesday that the batch includes 20 Lebanese Army officers who will spend six weeks in Spain and will be able, after their training, to coach additional troops to help demine the South.
The agency quoted Russia’s charge d’affaires in Beirut, Andrei Poliakov, as saying that the Lebanese delegation was being trained at the Madrid Air Force Academy under a joint Russian-Spanish training program whose expenses were being met by the United Arab Emirates.
Earlier this year, a delegation representing Russia’s Foreign Ministry visited Lebanon.
Vladimir Vlassenco, who headed the delegation, said at the time that “Russia and Spain had enough know-how to rid south Lebanon of some 130,000 land mines left behind by the ‘Israelis”.”
Meanwhile, a military delegation from the UAE met Wednesday with President Emile Lahoud and Army Commander General Michel Suleiman to discuss the training program’s progress.
Lahoud praised the UAE’s initiative, which showed “how much solidarity the UAE’s ruler, Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan al-Nahyan, feels for Lebanon especially during these hard times.”

The ‘Israeli” shelling of a UN post at Qana in 1996 left 107 civilians dead. Today the nation remembers the brutal massacre
Qana left scars that cannot heal…(9)

Five years have passed since 107 civilians were slaughtered by ‘Israeli” artillery shells at the Fijian UNIFIL headquarters in Qana, but for the survivors, the massacre could have been yesterday.
“I have more of my family here than I do in my home,” said Saadallah Balhas, 61, gazing blankly at the rows of gray marble tombs where the victims lie buried.
Balhas, from the neighboring village of Siddiqine, lost his wife and nine of his children in the ‘Israeli” bombardment, from 30-year-old Ghaleb to four-month-old Hassan. In all, 32 members of his extended family perished. The same explosion that killed his family also claimed his right eye and today he wears a glass substitute. He carries a pendant around his neck with tiny photographs of the dead.
Balhas visits the cemetery everyday.
“It’s not like something you can forget, no matter how many year pass by,” he said.
The slaughter occurred on April 18, 1996, midway through ‘Israel”’s 16-day “Grapes of Wrath” air and artillery blitz. An ‘Israeli” commando unit laying booby-traps north of the occupation zone near Zibqine came under fire from a Hizbullah mortar in Qana. ‘Israeli” artillery responded by shelling the location of the mortar before switching to bombarding the Fijian battalion headquarters, where 800 civilians had sought sanctuary.
Of the 36 shells fired by the ‘Israelis” in the barrage, 13 directly hit the UNIFIL base. ‘Israel” later apologized and claimed it was an accident.
A UN report into the massacre concluded that it was “unlikely” that the shelling was the result of “gross technical and/or procedural errors.”
Five years have passed but the passage of time has failed to heal the deep emotional scars carried by the survivors of the massacre.
Balhas said that even the withdrawal of ‘Israeli” troops from the South last May had little effect on him.
“For me, personally, it made no difference whether the ‘Israelis” left or stayed,” he said. “I have no reason to fear them anymore. Most of the people I loved are dead.”
Two of Balhas’ grandchildren, Saadallah, 8, and Mahmoud, 10, wandered between the tombs clutching flowers. Saadallah’s mother was killed in the massacre and Mahmoud, who was badly injured, had to be dragged from beneath a pile of corpses.
Munira Taki, 46, from the village of Jbal Botom, lost her husband, Ibrahim, and 8-year-old daughter, Dunia.
“My husband was 41 years old and at the beginning of his life. He left me all alone to look after our 11 children,” she said.
Her daughter, Lina, 11, who was severely wounded in the shelling, continues to recover a little more each year.
She stood by the door of her home, smiling shyly as her mother spoke.
“When they found Lina, they thought she was dead. Her brain was exposed and they put her into a bag. Then she shivered and they knew she was alive.”
Lina was paralyzed in one arm and was unable to speak due to the extent of her head injuries. She spent five months being treated in a hospital in London.
“Lina will recover eventually,” Munira said. “The doctors told me that she may suffer epileptic seizures from time to time as she still has three pieces of shrapnel in her brain. But so far, thank God, nothing.”
As mourners gathered in Qana during the afternoon for the 4.30pm commemoration, a few people wandered through the empty halls of the museum devoted to the massacre beside the cemetery. The museum was built by donations from Syria and opened a year ago. But there are few exhibits, just a handful of posters and a gruesome collection of photographs of the carnage wrought by the ‘Israeli” artillery shells.
Two boys stared wide-eyed at the photographs.
“Look,” said one boy to his friend. “There’s Mohammed, and there’s Hadi. Do you remember how we used to play with them?”
In the pictures, Mohammed, his eyes expressionless and half-closed, lies in an unzipped plastic body bag; Hadi is wrapped in a woolen blanket, brain matter spilling out of his shattered skull.
Maryam Ftouni dabbed her eyes and sighed as she scanned the terrible images.
“This is my brother,” she said pointing at the outline of a corpse hidden beneath a blanket.
She indicated another picture of a woman lying face down beneath a charred blanket.
“That woman was on fire and my brother tried to save her when a shell exploded nearby and killed him,” Maryam said.
But more haunting than all the images of butchered and burnt corpses was one particular snapshot taken a few minutes before ‘Israel” unleashed its 17 minute bombardment.
Men, women and children were caught by the photographer chatting and laughing together, sitting on the floor of the Fijian officers’ mess, blithely unaware that they had just a few minutes left to live. And there, to one side of the picture, is Saadallah Balhas, hugging his baby son Hassan for what must have been the last time.

Qana Massacre: A Tragic Memory  Hard to Forget…(10)

Five years had passed, and the scenes of the Qana massacre will not be forgotten. Five years had passed and the anguish of missing the loved ones is still burning.

Tears are still Fatima Bolhos’s inherent companion, after the merciless zionist rockets took away her husband and three precious children, the elder was merely four years in age. Even though she bitterly accepted the idea of her children and husband's parting, but she has yet to understand the guilt her seventeen-day old infant committed.

Friday, April 18th 1999, 900 Lebanese southerners, elder lies, children, and women sought refuge in a United  Nation’s compound in the southern village, Qana.

Some were having lunch, not realizing its their last., some were taking a nap, not realizing it’s rather an eternal sleep.

Enemy’s reconnaissance planes were hovering over the UN compound. A moment passed, and Phosphor-bombs turned the scene into human carnage. Bodies scattered all over, and more than 100 people turned into one-flaming chunk.

Lebanon and the Arab and Islamic world condemned this barbaric crime that the so-called peace-pigeon Prime Minister Shimon Peres perpetrated, while former U.S president Bill Clinton arrogantly considered Peres’s crime as self-defense.

11 month have passed since the liberation of most of south Lebanon, the 18th of April is still deemed a rather painful memory which without doubt proves the black history and continuos atrocities comitted currently in Palestine, which will provide an everlasting land mark of the Zionists nature. And Qana will not be forgotten.

1-      The Daily Star, 19-4-2001.

2-      AFP, 18-4-2001.

3-      The Daily Star, 19-4-2001.

4-      Same source.

5-      Manar TV, 18-4-2001.

6-      AFP, 18-4-2001.

7-      Same source.

8-  Same source.

9-  Same source.

10-  Manar TV, 18-4-2001.

  April Friday 20 -2001:

Resistance: “Israel” will pay for attack
South commander warns that “Israeli” PM ‘miscalculated’ with radar strike…(1)

Hizbullah’s southern commander suggested Thursday that “Israel’s” air strike against a Syrian military radar base earlier this week had not been unexpected and warned that the organization would hit back in a “specific way.”
Sheikh Nabil Qaouk accused “Israeli” Premier Ariel Sharon of “pushing the region toward a large-scale war for which all the Arab countries should prepare.”
Qaouk said that Hizbullah had been studying Sharon closely since the former “Israeli” general took power in February.
“We knew he was a very careless man and does not calculate well.
“We were ready for all possibilities and probabilities … (The air raid) did not go beyond what we had calculated Sharon capable of,” Qaouk told The Daily Star in an interview.
“Israel’s” air raid against what was the largest Syrian Army radar installation on Lebanese soil has raised the stakes in the tit-for-tat exchanges between Hizbullah and the “Israeli” Army in the Shibaa Farms.
“Israel” appears to have set a new precedent by which Syrian military positions will be targeted in response to Hizbullah attacks in the Shibaa Farms or elsewhere along the border.
Faced with this prospect, will Syria pressure Hizbullah to curtail its military operations?
“This has never happened in any former period and will not happen in the future,” Qaouk said. “Syria fully supports our right to resist.”
The last time a Syrian position of any importance was attacked was during “Israel’s” invasion of 1982 when “Israeli” warplanes destroyed Syria’s anti-aircraft missile system in the Bekaa. The only deliberate attack against Syrian troops since then was on the second day of the Grapes of Wrath operation in April 1996, when “Israeli” helicopter gunships fired missiles at a Syrian anti-aircraft position near Beirut Airport.
Could Damascus really stand back and allow “Israel” to destroy its military positions so that Hizbullah could continue attacking “Israeli” troops?
“Sharon and his government will discover that Syria is able to resist and maintain steadfastness,” Qaouk said. “Hizbullah is determined not to allow the “Israelis” to impose any equation. Sharon committed a very stupid action. Syria has said through the comments of President Bashar Assad that it will defend itself and it will not be long before the “Israelis” discover they have created their own tragedy.”
Qaouk argued that the air raid had backfired on Sharon because it had strengthened Syria’s resolve and rallied the Arab world against “Israel”.
“The “Israeli” people will soon discover that they have put their faith in a very stupid man,” he said.
The deadly anti-tank missile attack on Saturday in the Shibaa Farms which killed an “Israeli” soldier and prompted the retaliatory air raid was indirectly criticized by Prime Minister Rafik Hariri through an editorial in his Al-Mustaqbal newspaper. The editorial ­ which questioned the timing of the operation ­ underlined the continuing rift between the premier and Hizbullah.
Qaouk conceded that Hariri “had opinions” on the wisdom of Hizbullah’s operations before the “Israeli” air strike, but after the raid “the issue is different.”
“He has trust in our operations,” he said, “and all Lebanese have the same opinion in Hizbullah’s ability.”
Should we expect another unfavorable editorial in Al-Mustaqbal if Hizbullah was to stage a further operation?
“Wait and see,” Qaouk replied.
Hizbullah appears determined to proceed with its hit-and-run operations against the “Israeli” Army in the Shibaa Farms, regardless of whether Hariri or the Lebanese in general approve.
Qaouk said that Hizbullah has “decided to make the “Israelis” very sorry for what they did (by attacking the radar base).”
“Our (military) program was not affected by the “Israeli” raid … Saturday’s operation was definitely not the last. We will deal with this raid in a very specific manner,” he warned without elaborating.
He would not be drawn into giving a time-frame for any response to the air raid, but his comments suggested Hizbullah will continue to confine its actions to military targets in the Shibaa Farms rather than expand the theater of conflict elsewhere along the border.

Lebanon rejects “Israeli” offer in return for constant Syrian presence
Lahoud: Resistance will continue…(2)

President Emile Lahoud said Thursday “Israel” should know “clearly and once and for all” that it would not achieve security by using force and disclosed “secret” offers to barter protection for “Israel” in exchange for a permanent Syrian presence in Lebanon.
Speaking at the opening of a weekly Cabinet session, Lahoud dwelt on recent developments, especially “Israel’s” air strike against a Syrian radar installation in the Bekaa on Monday.
“All this will not prevent us from adhering to our firm position based on doing away with “Israeli” occupation of territory, a return of Palestinian refugees to their homes and releasing prisoners held in “Israeli” jails,” he said.
“Without all of these rights and without resorting to the principles of a comprehensive and just peace in the region, “Israel” should know clearly and once and for all that it will not achieve security by force, regardless of its aggression and escalation.”
The president said “Israel” would be held responsible for its “aggression and escalation in occupied territory as well as for its attempts to introduce new formulas which will be rejected by us, through resistance and diplomatic and other legitimate means.”
Lahoud said that more than two months ago, both Lebanon and Syria had rejected offers through diplomatic channels proposing a quid pro quo ­ “a permanent Syrian presence in Lebanon in exchange for permanent Lebanese and Syrian protection for the security of northern “Israel”.
“We rejected these offers and said at the time that such a presence is linked to the strategy of confrontation, not with an exchange between “Israel’s” security and Syria remaining here.
“We say the same thing about an offer made openly by “Israeli” Foreign Minister Shimon Peres two days ago and affirm that the resistance is continuing and the exchange is rejected,” the president said.
““Israel’s” interior will not be safe if our own interior is subject to any aggression,” he warned.
In turn, Premier Rafik Hariri said that since Ariel Sharon came to power this year, “Israel” was following a “suicidal policy that would not lead to a solution.”
He added that the “Israeli” air strike Monday had been “denounced by everyone” and that “Israel” was trying to escalate tension and violence in the region.
Such a policy will have “negative effects” on “Israel”, he said.
Hariri reiterated the government’s support of the resistance as long as “Israel” occupied Lebanese territory and committed “aggression” against it.
The session was preceded by a separate meeting grouping Lahoud and Hariri lasting about 30 minutes.
Ministerial sources said Economy and Trade Minister Basil Fuleihan told the Cabinet that he was notified during a visit to Tehran earlier this week of Iran’s approval to place a deposit with the Lebanese Central Bank, earlier requested by Hariri.
No amount was set, but some ministers felt the figure would be “a considerable one.”
It also approved a German government grant to help remove mines from the South.

Assad vows retaliation for “Israeli” attack on Syrian station…(3)

“Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has vowed to retaliate against the strike. Assad did not indicate how Damascus might respond but said “Israel’s” actions have raised a "feeling of anger in the Arab street".

“President Bashar al-Assad, in his strongest reaction so far to the “Israeli” strike against a Syrian radar base in Lebanon, said the country would not stand idly by as “Israel” mounted attacks. Presidential Spokesman Joubran Kourieh said the President's remarks were made during a meeting of the ruling Baath Party's Regional Command, the party's highest policy making body, held on Tuesday under Assad's chairmanship. The meeting was the first since an “Israeli” air raid early on Monday killed at least one Syrian soldier and wounded six others in eastern Lebanon. “Israel” claimed it launched the raid in retaliation for the killing of one of its soldiers by the Hizbollah resistance movement on Saturday.  Official Syrian press had urged the US to quote "put the brakes on “Israel’s” aggressive drive". The director of Syria's official radio and television called on Arab countries to "put pressure on American interests," without elaborating. Official newspapers said Arabs must use the oil weapons in the struggle against “Israel”, adding Damascus has quote numerous means at its disposal to make “Israel” regret its Monday bombardment of the Syrian radar station. The US has been coming under increased Arab criticism and condemnation for what they say is Washington's support for “Israel” in its confrontation with Palestinians, Lebanon and Syria. The Syrian presidential spokesman quoted Assad as expressing an interest in meeting the demands of the Syrian people, who want to extend support and backing to the Palestinian uprising against “Israeli” occupation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. At UN headquarters in New York, UN spokesman Fred Eckhard said Assad had a long telephone conversation with Secretary General Kofi Annan to discuss his concerns about escalating violence. Eckhard said Assad was quote firm in his views that what the “Israeli” are carrying out is a form of aggression. Damascus had warned “Israel” it would pay "a heavy price for the attack at the convenient and appropriate time". More countries have been condemning the raid. The European Union presidency described it as excessive. Sweden which holds the rotating presidency of the 15 nation-bloc said the “Israeli” raid which it stressed was in retaliation for Hizbollah attacks on Shibaa Farms was a disproportionate reply. The EU urged maximum restraint to prevent any military escalation.

 UN Human Rights group denounces “Israeli” violations of Lebanese sovereignty…(4)

“The United Nations Commission on Human Rights has denounced “Israeli” violations of Lebanese sovereignty. At its annual six-week session in Geneva, the UN rights forum, also demanded “Israel” release at least 19 Lebanese detainees it has been holding, most without trial or charge. The 52-member state body condemned an “Israeli” high supreme court decision allowing “Israel” to detain Lebanese as hostages and bargaining chips for any future negotiations on the fate of missing “Israeli” servicemen. The UN commission is in session until the end of April to examine abuses worldwide. It has adopted a resolution condemning “Israeli” atrocities against Palestinians. Only the US and Guatemala voted against the resolution.

UAE delegation visits South as part of demining pledge…(5)

A delegation from the United Arab Emirates’ army inspected minefields in the South for the first time Thursday, following the UAE’s pledged support for Lebanon’s demining campaign.
“Our delegation is touring the South to get a better feel of the effects of the occupation and evaluate the mission that needs to be carried out on this level,” said General Obeid al-Kutubi, the head of the delegation.
Earlier this month, the UAE said it would finance mine-clearing efforts in the South, where an estimated 130,000 mines were planted by “Israel” “Israeli” proxy.
Accompanied by General George Sawaya, the delegation toured the Maidaneh Plain in eastern Kfar Roummane, Nabatieh, and visited Beaufort Castle, a former post manned by the “Israeli” proxy South Lebanon Army militia.
The group then visited the “Israeli” and SLA-run Khiam prison where a Hizbullah delegation showed it around the former detention camp.
A Hizbullah member and a former detainee then briefed the delegation on “Israel’s” torture methods on Lebanese and other detainees held in the camp.
“This visit has enabled us to form a realistic idea of the extent of destruction” in all previously occupied areas in the South, Kutubi said. He said the UAE team would start clearing land mines soon after coordinating with the Lebanese Army.

1-      The Daily Star, 20-4-2001.

2-      Same source.

3-      Future TV, 19-4-2001.

4-      AFP, 19-4-2001.

5-      The Daily Star, 20-4-2001.

  April Saturday 21 -2001:

Calls for restraint "useless": Assad…(1)

Syrian President Assad has told his US counterpart George W. Bush the peace process with “Israel” is now at an "intensive care" stage. Assad urged Bush to quote take a courageous stance and consider “Israel’s” attack on the  Syrian radar station an aggression. 

“ US President George W. Bush urged his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad to show restraint amid rising Middle East tension, but Damascus said Assad told the US leader such calls were "useless."  Bush's call to Assad, placed as the US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Edward Walker visited Damascus, came after “Israel’s” raid on Monday on the Syrian radar station. The White House said Bush telephoned Assad to discuss the situation in the region, particularly in Lebanon, and "both agreed on the urgent need to restore calm to the area," as well as "the need for all parties to use restraint." But Syria's official news agency said Assad told Bush the "repeated calls for restraint have become useless," and quote "it is necessary to diagnose the problem to find effective solutions." Assad reserved the right to respond to the “Israeli” strike at the appropriate time and held “Israel” responsible for the consequences of its attack on the radar post. “Israel’s” Monday attack was the first on a Syrian target in Lebanon since 1982. “Israel” held Damascus responsible for the Hizbollah operation in the Shibaa Farms, which was occupied by “Israel” in 1967 and was not included in the Jewish state's pullout from southern Lebanon last May. Beirut and Damascus have rejected UN and “Israeli” claims that the Lebanese region belongs to Syria and can only be returned as part of a peace agreement. 

Beirut ‘disappointed’ by Security Council’s treatment of air strike…(2)

A government source said Friday that Lebanon was disappointed with the weak statement from the UN Security Council regarding the “Israeli” air raid on Dahr al-Baidar.
The source explained that officials were upset at the Security Council’s statement treating “the aggressor” (“Israel”) and “the victim” (Lebanon) alike.
“While the resistance operation took place in Shibaa, a Lebanese land occupied by “Israel”, the “Israeli” air raids targeted an area deep within Lebanon proper,” the source said. “Moreover, the Security Council’s statement omitted any allusion to the fact that the “Israeli” air raid breached Lebanon’s sovereignty and the Jewish state used the resistance operation as an excuse to attack the radar positions in Dahr al-Baidar.”
The source recalled that UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan was upset at the “escalatory “Israeli” response” in targeting the Syrian radar position.

UN protests “Israeli” violations of Lebanese airspace…(3)

“ The UN representative in southern Lebanon called Friday for “Israel” to stop violating Lebanese airspace, as “Israeli” warplanes broke the sound barrier over the country for the fifth consecutive day.

Staffan de Mistura said the overflights Friday were the 342nd time the “Israelis” had violated its northern neighbor's airspace since August.

He said the flights violated the UN "Blue Line" which separates Lebanon and “Israel” and said they "are particularly unhelpful at this time of tension in the region."

"Such actions cause unfair concern among the population and should be stopped," De Mistura said in a statement.

Lebanese Foreign Minister Mahmud Hammud praised De Mistura's statement, calling it "the first time the United Nations has clearly noted the “Israeli” violations and aggressions."

Hammud told AFP he hoped the violations would figure into UN Secretary General Kofi Annan's report on the Lebanese-”Israeli” border situation due out at the end of the month.

The UN envoy reported two sonic booms over Beirut on Friday, while security sources said “Israeli” planes broke the sound barrier throughout the country, including over southern Lebanon and the main northern town of Tripoli.

“Israeli” troops fire across border…(4)

“Israeli” soldiers fired machine guns on Friday at a group of stone-throwers near the Fatima Gate in Kfar Kila without causing any casualties, witnesses said.
They said that one of four “Israeli” soldiers positioned in an observation post near the gate started firing at nine young men who were throwing stones and a handful of workers carrying out reinforcements near the border.
Members of Hizbullah who had been watching the site instructed the group of men to leave the site, which they did immediately after the shooting.
Earlier Friday, “Israeli” workers reinforced the border from Hamames Hill south of Khiam to the “Israeli” settlement of Misgav Am on a hill above Addaisseh. A Hizbullah member who refused to be identified said “Israelis” have been carrying out reinforcement works for two days.
He said “Israelis” workers always started their work at nightfall and went on until sunrise, to avoid the stone-throwers.

“Israel’s” neighbors say raids will spark greater violence…(5)

“ Thousands of Syrians turned their independence day Tuesday into a mass protest of “Israeli” airstrikes that killed three Syrian soldiers posted in the Lebanese mountains, and Hizbullah guerrillas in Lebanon promised to retaliate.

Hizbullah's deputy leader, Sheik Naim Kassem, vowed to retaliate against “Israel” at an "appropriate time and manner . . . contrary to “Israeli” expectations."

Speaking in Beirut, Kassem said Hizbullah will continue to fight “Israeli” troops in the Shibaa Farms until “Israel” vacates the area, where Lebanon and the “Israeli”-occupied Golan Heights meet.

“Israel” said the raid Monday -- its first deep inside Lebanon since its forces withdrew from southern Lebanon in May 2000 and the first on a Syrian target since 1996 -- was a signal to Syria that “Israel” would not tolerate Hizbullah attacks.

Syria and Iran back Hizbullah, “Israel’s” toughest opponent during its 18-year occupation of Lebanon.

Syria has not indicated how it might respond, though Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa vowed Monday during a visit to Moscow that “Israel” "will pay a heavy price . . . at the convenient and appropriate time."

Thousands of Syrians rallied Tuesday on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights, demanding “Israel” return the rest of the plateau it has held since the 1967 Middle East war. "The [“Israeli”] aggression will not frighten us!" they chanted.

The Syrian government had lifted its normal restrictions on travel to the Golan Heights because of a holiday celebrating the 55th anniversary of Syria's independence from France.

At a rally in Damascus, Suliman Qaddah, a regional official of the ruling Baath Party, said “Israel” alone "bears responsibility for this aggression and its adverse consequences."

In an editorial Tuesday, the official Syrian newspaper Tishrin said the strike heralded an era of "provocation, extremism, and racism led by the terrorist [“Israeli” Prime Minister Ariel] Sharon."

Iran's official Islamic Republic News Agency said Sharaa told Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi in a phone call Tuesday that “Israel” was seeking a pretext for a confrontation.

On the streets of Damascus, Syrians expressed concern about the possible consequences of such a confrontation. Salim al-Ahmad, a 45-year-old merchant, called the airstrike a "provocation . . . and an attempt to drag the region into a new war."

Meanwhile, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak told reporters in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheik that the strike on the Syrian army reminded him of the climate during “Israel’s” 1982 invasion of Lebanon, when Sharon was defense minister.

"If “Israel” thinks that it can stop violence by this policy, I am saying that it won't and, to the contrary, it will backfire and violence will increase everywhere," Mubarak said after meeting with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

"I urge Sharon to be realistic because the policy of strikes is useless and . . . all the people of the region, including the “Israeli” people, will suffer more."

1-      Future TV, 20-4-2001.

2-      The Daily Star, 21-4-2001.

3-      AFP, 20-4-2001.

4-      The Daily Star, 21-4-2001.

5-      Herald World Staff, 20-4-2001.

  April Monday 23-2001:

Hizbullah MP vows to extract steep price if Israel launches new attacks…(1)

Baalbek-Hermel MP Hussein Hajj Hassan said Sunday that Hizbullah will attack Israeli settlements in Northern Palestine if the Jewish state continues to target Lebanese infrastructure.
“The resistance is ready to turn the Israeli settlers’ lives in northern Palestine into hell,” said Hajj Hassan, who said Hizbullah, not the Israelis, would “choose the time of the attack.”
The Hizbullah MP made the comments while attending a UNESCO Palace ceremony marking the 23rd year of the detention of Samir Qantar.
Qantar, the longest-serving detainee still in Israel, was given a 542-year sentence in 1979 after being convicted of killing five Israelis in the town of Naharya.
More than 400 attended the ceremony, which was organized by the Follow-Up Committee for the Support of the Lebanese Detainees in Israeli Prisons.
“We are equipped with the right weapons,” said Hajj Hassan, vowing that the resistance would liberate the Shebaa farms.
Hajj Hassan also praised the Palestinian resistance, especially Sunday morning’s suicide (martyrdom) bombing which killed one person and wounded dozens in Tel Aviv.
He also warned US President George W. Bush to be wary of the resistance’s capabilities.
“We say to President Bush ­ you should read and analyze the resistance well. We are neither weak nor afraid.
“Sharon should also understand that resistance will struggle for the return of the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon,” he continued, pointing out that “Sharon is afraid of their return.”
To relatives of detainees, Hajj Hassan said: “I can assure you, it won’t involve too much time before you see your detainees arriving ... (home) because the rules of the game have changed.
“In the past, liberating our detainees was a tenuous dem­and,” he added, “but today it has become an attainable possibility since our enemy has detainees, as we do.”
He also admonished authorities here for poor treatment of ex-detainees, saying Israeli prisons “would be better than living with unfulfilled promises.”
Aley MP Akram Chehayeb echoed the call, arguing that the state should treat the liberated detainees as heroes.
“The state should take good care of them,” he said, “so they don’t feel they were first imprisoned by occupation and then by their own country’s negligence.”
In a letter to his brother, Qantar said the detainees issue should not be separated from peace negotiations, saying the two were linked by “necessity.” The letter also urged all Arabs to defend the Palestinian intifada.
“We have to support the Palestinians ... and defend Palestinian refugees’ human rights in Lebanon,” it said.
Social Affairs Minister Asaad Diab, who spoke on behalf of President Emile Lahoud, said Israel did not respect international agreements and violated them at will, accusing the international community of failing to “distinguish between an attacker and its victims.”
Diab also promised to continue working to free both the detainees and all remaining Lebanese territory.
Mohammed Safa, the head of the follow-up committee, said he hoped that UN Resolution 425 contained provisions for the release of all detainees, rather than leave the issue up to international “promises.”
Safa spoke of the families of three Israeli soldiers captured by Hizbullah last fall, saying they are traveling the world in an attempt to enlist support for their cause, asking Lebanon, Syria and Iran to allow International Committee of the Red Cross delegates to visit their relatives.
“I ask the government to resist this campaign,” said Safa, urging the authorities to create their own campaign to seek the release of Lebanon’s 19 detainees.

1- The Daily Star, 23-4-2001

  April Tuesday 24 -2001:

Arab ministers will appeal to stop attacks…(1)

A Foreign Ministry source said Monday that a delegation representing Arab foreign ministers would be formed this week in compliance with an Arab League recommendation.
The league convened Saturday in Cairo to discuss the “Israeli” attack on a Syrian radar position in Dahr al-Baidar.
The source said that the league’s secretary-general, Esmat Abdel-Meguid, was expected to contact Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Egypt to talk to them in his capacity as chairman of the regular Arab League session, which has been devoted to discussing last week’s “Israeli” air raid.
According to the source, the delegation’s main task would be to contact US President George W. Bush, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, and the European Union, to ask them to exert pressure on “Israel” to halt its attacks on both Lebanese and Syrian positions.

1-      The Daily Star, 24-4-2001.

  April Wednesday 25 -2001:

Nasrallah puts “Israel” on notice…(1)

Hizbullah’s secretary-general warned “Israel” on Tuesday to expect attacks from Palestinians, a declaration that won applause at a conference in Tehran.
“The fully armed Zionist military should wait for surprise attacks by Palestinian resistance groups,” Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah told an audience that included Iran’s top leaders as well as Khaled Meshaal, a leader of the Hamas movement, and Abdullah Ramadan Shalah, the head of Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
“Victory is ours. I confirm to you that the resistance in Lebanon will continue its operations,” Nasrallah added, asserting that Hizbullah would not submit to pressure.
He said his group would prove that Palestinians were not alone in their fight against “Israel”. “I say to the Zionists ­ and I mean it ­ wait for us, we’ll come to you from everywhere,” he warned.
Parliamentary leaders from over 30 Islamic countries are attending the two-day conference Iran is hosting on the intifada. Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, opened the conference Tuesday by declaring that combat, not dialogue, was the language understood by “Israel”.
Khamenei called on the rest of the Muslim world to support the Palestinians, even if that meant defying the United States and the West.
“Supporting the Palestinian people is one of our important Islamic duties,” Khamenei said.
Also in attendance was Speaker Nabih Berri, who cautioned that “Israel” was still determined to occupy parts of Lebanon, notably the South.
““Israel” is working hard to re-enter parts of the South that it left after 22 years of occupation,” he said. ““Israel” has launched a substantial provocation campaign aimed at blaming the Lebanese for any attacks  launched on their territory.”
“Israel” claims Lebanese resistance forces have received a fresh batch of long-range rockets from Tehran and other weapons aimed at undermining the security of northern “Israel”.
“The recent air raids against Dahr al-Baidar weren’t a reply to the Lebanese resistance activities,” the speaker argued, “but were aimed at intimidating both Lebanon and Syria.”
Berri added that “the resistance is a consequence of the “Israeli” occupation of our land. Hence, this resistance will remain as long as the occupation continues. The resistance forces have already launched attacks against the Shibaa Farms and will continue to do so.
““Israel” also aimed, during its latest air raid on April 16, to cut the supply route for the Lebanese resistance from Syria,” he said, “and prevent further attempts to normalize relations between Damascus and the Palestine Liberation Organization.”
He stated that “the raids were also aimed to achieve another “Israeli” objective ­ halting the Syrian peace initiative in Lebanon after it successfully stopped fratricidal bloodshed in our country. “Israel” won’t end its attacks on Lebanon until it succeeds in breaking Lebanon’s solidarity with Syria and launching an international diplomatic campaign to force the Beirut government to deploy the Lebanese Army to the southern border.”
He predicted that “Israel’s” next objective was to “disarm the resistance forces as a prelude to making south Lebanon a free-for-all once again.”
Berri and Nasrallah were chosen to be part of the conference’s presiding committee, along with five other members.
Former Prime Minister Salim Hoss told the conference that supporting the intifada was “an historic responsibility,” adding that the uprising’s failure would be a “disaster” similar to that of “Israel’s” 1948 creation.

1-      The Daily Star, 25-4-2001.

  April Friday 27 -2001:

Lebanon: 'Sharon fabricates report of Iranian missiles to wage massive onslaught'…(1)

The Beirut government has accused “Israeli” Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of "fabricating" a report about an Iranian missile base in south Lebanon to set the stage for a large-scale offensive against Lebanon.
The charge came in a statement released by a foreign ministry official in Beirut Wednesday evening, denying Sharon's claim that the projectiles and long-range Katyusha missiles in the alleged base could hit central “Israel”.
Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Hamid-Riza Assefi has also put out a denial reported by start-run Radio Tehran. "These charges are baseless. They are all wrong," Assefi said.
Sharon's claim was reported by the Al-Quds Post newspaper. "The most dangerous factor in the region is terror and the center of terror is the area between Afghanistan and Lebanon," Sharon said.
"Iran has started building a base in Lebanon from which they can rocket and long-range Katyushas that can reach the center of the country," he said.
Sharon said he had discussed "ways to combat this threat" with US President George W. Bush and his senior aides when Sharon was in Washington last month.
When he returned from the US capital, Sharon opened up a barrage of claims that Iran was airlifting massive missile supplies to Hizbullah in Lebanon via Syria to strike at Haifa, Nahariya and the Galilee.

1-      Nahar Net, 27-4-2001.

  April Monday 30 -2001:

Two killed, one wounded by “Israeli” mines…(1)

Two people were killed by abandoned “Israeli” ordnance in the South this weekend, while another person was wounded.
Sixteen-year-old Mohammed Shartouni died Saturday after a land mine detonated at 6.30pm in the town of Meiss al-Jabal where he was hunting. It took Civil Defense, Red Cross and local volunteers several hours to retrieve the body, as it lay in a known “Israeli” mine field.
The young man had come with his parents from Beirut to spend the weekend in the town. Shartouni’s father, Musa, is a former “Israeli” detainee.
In Boueida, west of Marjayoun, an 18-year-old shepherd, Yacoub Nabaa, was killed when a bomb exploded as he was tending his sheep. Some reports said Nabaa, who was from Shibaa, was holding an “Israeli” 155 mm shell when it exploded.
Also on Saturday, a 28-year-old farmer was wounded when an object believed to be a mine exploded in a field where he was working.
Mohammed Baalbaki was planting onions in Kfar Roummane when he touched a “strange object,” causing it to blow up. He was taken to the Nabatieh government hospital, where doctors amputated three fingers.
At least 12 people have been killed and 35 others injured by land mines and unexploded shells since the occupation ended.

Qanso blames “Israel”, US for slump…(2)

Labor Minister Ali Qanso says the country’s economic crisis is due to “Israeli” aggression and a political-economical blockade by the United States.
Qanso, who was addressing a conference  on the region’s economic and political future in Mseileh on Saturday, also criticized the growing number of people calling for an end to the Syrian presence.
Qanso said the recent election of “Israeli” Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, combined with a new American administration which is apparently reluctant to play a central role in the Middle East, means that Arabs must now “design a comprehensive and clear nationalist vision to face the challenges ahead.”
“Any threat to this (Syrian-Lebanese) front could lead to disaster for the entire Arab nation,” he warned.
Qanso also argued that Syria remains “committed” to Lebanon’s independence and criticized the “Hanoi-Hong Kong theory,” saying that neither option was the right choice.
Rebutting Chouf MP Walid Jumblatt’s claim that the country must choose between becoming an investment center like Hong Kong or resisting “Israel” at the expense of the economy, like Hanoi, Qanso said it was in Lebanon’s interest “to provide ground for both investment and resistance.”
Qanso, the ex-president of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party, said the resistance was “fully backed” by the president, the speaker and the prime minister, whom he described as considering it a “strategic necessity.”

1- The Daily Star, 30-4-2001.

2- Same source.