Haaretz : Annan: IDF raid in eastern Lebanon is violation of cease-fire

Annan: IDF raid in eastern Lebanon is violation of cease-fire

By Amos Harel and Aluf Benn, Haaretz Correspondents and The Associated Press and Reuters | August 20, 2006

In the wake of an Israel Defense Forces commando raid near Baalbek in eastern Lebanon on Saturday, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Israel had violated the UN-backed truce and made him "deeply concerned."

"The secretary-general is deeply concerned about a violation by the Israeli side of the cessation of hostilities as laid out in Security Council resolution 1701," a spokesman for Annan said in a statement posted on the UN Web site.

The statement said that according to UN peacekeepers in Lebanon, "there have also been several air violations by Israeli military aircraft."

"All such violations of Security Council resolution 1701 endanger the fragile calm that was reached after much negotiation and undermine the authority of the government of Lebanon," the statement said.

"The secretary-general further calls on all parties to respect strictly the arms embargo, exercise maximum restraint, avoid provocative actions and display responsibility in implementing resolution 1701."

The ministry's statement said the raid "does not breach the cease-fire and was an essential operation that aimed to prevent Hezbollah's rearming."

"The defense minister congratulates the fighters who attained the goals in a brave operation that was performed perfectly," the statement said.

The office of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Saturday said Annan called the prime minister to relay a complaint from the Lebanese government about the raid.

According to Olmert's office, the prime minister replied "the raid aimed to prevent Hezbollah from rearming and from receiving new supplies."

Olmert also emphasized in the conversation the importance of monitoring the Syrian-Lebanese border in order to prevent arms smugglings.

MK Gideon Ezra said Sunday morning that until the UNIFIL peacekeeping force and the Lebanese army deploy in south Lebanon, Israel must continue taking action in order to protect itself.

"The Lebanese army, Hezbollah and the French have all violated the UN Security Council resolution, therefore it is imperative that the IDF continue its Lebanon operation, in order to prevent the transfer of weapons from Syria," he said in an interview on Israel Radio.

Meretz party leader Yossi Beilin said on Sunday that the decision to carry out the raid in Baalbek put the cease fire at risk, and that the government's judgment in this case was completely distorted.

"We can't accept the terms of the cease fire, and simultaneously violate it, and remain in southern Lebanon. If government officials believe that it is not in Israel's best interest to adhere to the UN Security Council-brokered cease fire - they should announce that the war is in fact not over, and instruct Israel's residents to return to the shelters," Beilin said.

Sources in Jerusalem said that Israel views the raid as "a defensive measure and therefore does not constitute a breach of the cease-fire." According to the sources, Hezbollah fired at the raiding force as it returned from its mission, which was completed successfully.

The IDF said Saturday that the raid could "provide Hezbollah with an incentive to attack the Israeli forces that remain in south Lebanon."

"The operation will not bring the cease-fire to and end and will not cause for the renewal of Katyusha fire on communities in the north," the army said.

Earlier on Saturday Lebanon's defense minister threatened to halt the Lebanese army's deployment in south Lebanon if the United Nations does not intervene after.

Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said the raid was a "naked violation" of the UN truce.

A few hours later, senior UN envoy Terje Roed-Larsen said that if media reports about an Israeli raid in Lebanon were true, it would constitute a clear violation of the UN-brokered truce that halted the war between Israel and Hezbollah.

"We had no independent means to verify ... what has happened. But if what has been reported is correct, it is of course a clear violation of the ceasefire," Roed-Larsen told Lebanon's LBC television.

But the U.S. declined Saturday to criticize the Israeli operation, stressing that the UN resolution imposes an arms ban on Hezbollah.

"The incident underscores the importance of quickly deploying the enhanced UNIFIL," White House spokeswoman Jeanie Mamo said, referring to the UN monitoring force.

Lebanese Defense Minister Elias Murr said that the raid in the eastern Bekaa Valley early Saturday was a violation of a UN-imposed cease-fire that ended fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

"If there are no clear answers forthcoming on this issue, I might be forced to recommend to the Cabinet early next week the halt of the army deployment in the south," he told reporters after a meeting with UN representatives.

Murr said the Israeli operation deep inside Lebanon could spark retaliation, which in turn could lead to Israeli reprisals. He suggested Israel might be trying to provoke a response, so it could have an excuse to attack the Lebanese army.

"We will not send the army to be prey in an Israeli trap," he said.

Speaking before reporters, the Lebanese prime minister said the raid "is a naked violation of the cessation of hostilities declared by the Security Council." He said he protested the incident to visiting UN envoys who would take the matter up with Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Beri, Hezbollah's main ally in government, said he also raised the incident with the envoys.

"If Lebanon had launched a similar act, wouldn't the Security Council have met to impose tough sanctions against it?" he asked, adding that he saw the raid as an attempt by Israel to provoke Hezbollah into retaliation and foil the deployment of the Lebanese army in south Lebanon.

"I'm sure that the resistance (Hezbollah) has enough awareness and realization of the conspiracy to refrain ... from retaliating ...," he said.