Houston Chronicle:Crisis in the Middle East: Israeli Raid Moves Truce to the Brink

Crisis in the Middle East: Israeli Raid Moves Truce to the Brink

With help for U.N. trickling in, Israel says it will continue to police embargo

By SAM F. GHATTAS | Associated Press | August 20, 2006

BEIRUT, LEBANON — Israeli commandos raided a Hezbollah stronghold deep in Lebanon on Saturday, engaging in a fierce gunbattle, and the Lebanese government threatened to halt further troop deployments to protest what U.N. officials called a violation of the six-day-old cease-fire.

Israel said the raid was launched to stop arms smuggling from Iran and Syria to the militant Shiite fighters. An Israeli officer was killed during the raid, and two soldiers were wounded, one seriously.

The office of U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan issued a statement labeling the operation a violation of the U.N. truce. "The secretary-general is deeply concerned about a violation by the Israeli side of the cessation of hostilities," it said.

There were no signs of further clashes, but the flare-up underlined worries about the fragility of the cease-fire as the U.N. pleaded for nations to send troops to an international force in southern Lebanon that is to separate Israeli and Hezbollah fighters.

A contingent of 49 French soldiers landed in the south Saturday, providing the first reinforcements for the 2,000-strong U.N. peacekeeping mission known as UNIFIL that has been stationed in the region for years. About 200 more were expected this week.

But with Europe moving slowly to provide more troops, Israel warned it would continue to act on its own to enforce an arms embargo on the Lebanese guerrilla group until the Lebanese army and an expanded U.N. peacekeeping force are in place.

"If the Syrians and Iran continue to arm Hezbollah in violation of the resolution, Israel is entitled to act to defend the principle of the arms embargo," Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said. "Once the Lebanese army and the international forces are active ... then such Israeli activity will become superfluous."

Successful mission?

Defense Minister Elias Murr met with U.N. envoy Terje Roed-Larsen and threatened to halt the movement of Lebanese troops into the former war zone in the south if the United Nations did not intervene against Israel.

That could deeply damage efforts to deploy a strong U.N. peacekeeping force.

"We have put the matter forward in a serious manner, and the U.N. delegation was understanding of the seriousness of the situation," Murr said. "We are awaiting an answer."

The raid took place overnight under the cover of sonic booms from Israeli jets flying overhead, which occurs often over Lebanon. But this time they provided cover to mask the sound of helicopters bringing in the commando unit and two Humvee vehicles.

Villagers said the soldiers were dressed in Lebanese army uniforms.

The success of the effort was a matter of dispute. An Israeli army spokesman in Jerusalem said the mission's "objectives had been attained in full."

Villagers said otherwise.

"They failed completely," said Sadiq Hamdi, 36, a scrap-iron dealer. "They were still on the road when the Hezbollah came upon them. They did not take 1 percent of what they were trying to do."

Suleiman Chamas, 38, the mayor of the village of Boudai, surrounded by tobacco fields about 10 miles west of Baalbek, gave the following account of the raid: Disguised commandos landed in the eastern foothills of the Mount Lebanon range, loaded into Humvees and drove east on a road called Ayoun Semman, where they encountered a roadblock manned by local Hezbollah fighters.

The commandos shouted in Arabic, "Peace be with you, we're one of yours" and tried to drive past the roadblock.

The guerrillas started shooting and gave chase. The commandos turned off onto a dirt road, and a gunbattle broke out, drawing more villagers.

"The whole village came down, both those who could shoot and those who cannot," Chamas said.

Commandos evacuated

About 40 minutes later, fighter jets and helicopters fired rockets and evacuated the commandos, he said. Left behind were large bloodstains, syringes and surgical masks, indicating casualties, and what the villagers thought was some kind of device to guide the helicopters in. Villagers said there were no casualties on the Lebanese side.

Yahya Ali, 30, wearing a red shirt and carrying an AK-47 assault rifle, was one of a number of villagers who said the Israeli commandos were dressed like Lebanese soldiers.

He said they were wearing the mostly green woodland camouflage uniforms that are standard issue for the Lebanese army, similar to what was used until recently by the U.S. Army, along with olive-green flak jackets and green helmets, also standard issue here. Israeli soldiers wear a brownish uniform in a single color along with brown body armor and helmets.

The boldness of the raid in the midst of the cease-fire suggested that the Israelis might have had some major objective in mind, perhaps the rescue of their two abducted comrades or the capture of a major Hezbollah figure.

Boudai is the home village of Sheik Mohammed Yazbeck, a senior Hezbollah leader in the Bekaa Valley and a member of the group's Shura Council. But the mayor and others say he was rarely home in recent days.

The village had been the scene Friday of a big funeral for a Hezbollah guerrilla, Mahmoud Ahmed Asef, who was killed fighting in Bint Jbail. Such funerals sometimes draw leaders.

Israel defends raid

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert defended the raid during a phone conversation with Annan, saying it was "intended to prevent the re-supply of new weapons and ammunition for Hezbollah," officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The Israeli military also said the raid was launched "to prevent and interfere with terror activity against Israel, especially the smuggling of arms from Iran and Syria to Hezbollah."

A statement issued by Annan's spokesman later Saturday said that the U.N. chief spoke with both Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora, who characterized the raid as a "flagrant violation" of the cease-fire, and Olmert about the fighting.

The Foreign Ministry spokesman rejected the characterization of the raid as a truce violation, saying the Lebanese army and U.N. peacekeepers must take control of Lebanon's border with Syria to ensure arms don't reach Hezbollah.

The New York Times contributed to this report.