July 31

Team Agonist - This is the Middle East Crisis VI open-thread. Please post all developments, news stories, comments, links, theories, ideas, etc. here in this thread. The earlier threads can be found here and here and here. and here. and here. and here and here.. If you post comments in this thread, please do not post identical news articles in the newsqueue.

Ha'aretz: Three IDF soldiers killed by anti-tank fire in village of Ayta a-Shab

Three IDF soldiers were killed in battles with Hezbollah fighters in Ayta a-Shab on Tuesday. Twenty-five soldiers were also lightly wounded.

IDF paratroopers have been operating in Ayta a-Shab since Monday. The IDF said Tuesday that at least 10 Hezbollah guerillas were killed in the clashes.

IDF commandos conducting raid deep in Lebanon

Witnesses in Baalbek said they saw dozens of IAF helicopters hovering over the city. They said a private hospital in Baalbek, filled with patients and wounded people, was bombed by IAF helicopters late Tuesday. Plumes of burning smoke billowed from the hospital after it was directly hit, they said.

More as it develops. Updated map below.

Lebanon: Fighting West Of Baalbek

Hezbollah forces are fighting Israeli troops on the ground west of Baalbek, Lebanon, Hezbollah's al-Manar television reported Aug. 1.

Lebanon: Israeli Helo Crew Surrounded - Hezbollah

Hezbollah claimed that its forces have surrounded Israel's helicopter crew in the eastern Lebanese city of Baalbek, Naharnet reported Aug. 1.

Lebanon: Israeli Copters Land Soldiers Near Baalbek

Israeli helicopters landed soldiers near the Hezbollah stronghold of Baalbek, Lebanon, on Aug. 1, Lebanese security forces said. Israel Defense Forces has yet to confirm.

Hezbollah's Tactics and Capabilities in Southern Lebanon

With its attack on Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, Israel is fighting on terrain that has been prepared by the Shiite movement for six years since the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000. Israeli Defense Force (IDF) soldiers have described finding a network of concrete bunkers with modern communications equipment as deep as 40 meters along the border (Ynet News, July 23). The terrain is already well-suited for ambushes and hidden troop movements, consisting of mountains and woods in the east and scrub-covered hills to the west, all intersected by deep wadis (dry river beds). Broken rocks and numerous caves provide ample cover. Motorized infantry and armor can only cross the region with difficulty. Use of the few winding and unpaved roads invites mines and ambushes by Hezbollah's adaptable force of several thousand guerrillas.

August 1, Israeli Tactical Guidance:

Israeli troops are engaged in four separate locations across southern Lebanon, and have reportedly pushed as deep as several miles past the Lebanese border. IDF units remain in Maroun al-Ras, although the town of Bent Jbail has reportedly been devastated and abandoned. Paratroopers are in Aita el-Shaab to the west, where Hezbollah has said there is house-to-house fighting; four Hezbollah fighters were reportedly killed. The Golani and Nahal brigades continue to battle Hezbollah in the villages of Al Adisa, Kfar Kila and Taibe, with reports of fighting as far north as Marjayoun. Approximately 60 IDF D9 armored Caterpillar bulldozers are flattening abandoned Hezbollah positions across southern Lebanon. An Israeli airstrike targeted a westbound road out of Hermel with five air-to-surface missiles in the northern Bekaa Valley. The main border crossing from Beirut to Damascus at Masnaa was also struck.

Tactical Update:

Israeli troops are engaged in four separate locations across southern Lebanon, and have reportedly pushed as deep as several miles past the Lebanese border. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) units remain in Maroun al-Ras, although the town of Bent Jbail has reportedly been devastated and abandoned. [snip]

Approximately 60 IDF D9 armored Caterpillar bulldozers are flattening abandoned Hezbollah positions across southern Lebanon. The Israeli government intends to clear a one-mile-wide "security zone" by Aug. 2.

Israel: Military Asks For Four Weeks

Israel Defense Forces has asked for a minimum of four weeks to destroy Hezbollah, Israeli Justice Minister Haim Ramon said on Israeli television Aug. 1.

Israel: 300 Hezbollah Killed

About 300 of an estimated 2,000 Hezbollah fighters have been killed during the past three weeks of fighting in Lebanon, Israeli Justice Minister Haim Ramon announced on Israeli TV on Aug. 1.

Lebanon: IAF Strikes In Bekaa Valley

Israeli warplanes struck Hermel in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley on Aug. 1. Five air-to-surface missiles were reportedly fired at a road connecting to western Lebanon. Bekaa Valley is a Hezbollah stronghold. No casualties or damage have yet been reported.

Israel: 3 More Reserve Divisions Called Up

Three Israeli reserve divisions, totaling at least 15,000 reservists, will be called up to support the Israeli security Cabinet's decision to expand ground operations into Lebanon, Israel Radio reported Aug. 1.

Israel and Lebanon Ready for More

The latest lunacy from conservative blogs: Qana was staged. Ho-boy.

Hezbollywood? Frankly, I simply don't know what to say about this, this or this. The conservative blogs have taken to calling it "death porn." They're also pointing to this article, which states the bombing happened hours before the building actually fell. So why the delay in the building collapsing? Read the rest at the link.

Israel: Cabinet Expands Ground War

The security cabinet voted in the early hours of Tuesday morning to expand Israel's ground operation in south Lebanon.

Under the plan, and similar to last week's operation carried out in Bint Jbail, IDF forces will mount raids on villages that have served as Hezbollah bases. The plan was presented to Olmert during meetings held Saturday with Defense Minister Amir Peretz and defense establishment heads.

Tactical Update:

This weekend saw a dramatic shift in Israeli military activity in southern Lebanon. Israel has pulled back from Bent Jbail and begun to deploy into Lebanon the forces massed in the northeast. While Israel Defense Forces (IDF) air strikes were officially halted following the deaths of 54 civilians in Qana, the scale and tempo of ground operations have actually increased. Close air support has also continued. The IDF has begun pushing into the areas west of Bent Jbail and near the Israeli border town of Metulla.

AIPAC's Hold

[I]t's impossible to talk about Congress's relationship to Israel without highlighting AIPAC, the American Jewish community's most important voice on the Hill. The Congressional reaction to Hezbollah's attack on Israel and Israel's retaliatory bombing of Lebanon provide the latest example of why.

Israel: Olmert -- Hezbollah Has Been Hit Hard

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said July 31 that Hezbollah has been dealt a heavy blow during ongoing Israel attacks against its bases and personnel in southern Lebanon, and may never recover.

Israeli Strikes Resume After Brief Lull

Israeli warplanes carried out airstrikes in southern Lebanon on Monday, hours after agreeing to temporarily halt raids while investigating a bombing that killed nearly 60 Lebanese civilians, mostly women and children seeking shelter.

Israel: Hezbollah Leader Killed

Jihad Adiya, Hezbollah's head of logistics in southern Lebanon, was among those killed in clashes with Israeli troops, according to an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) list of Hezbollah members killed as of July 31. Adiya allegedly was involved in the kidnapping of three IDF soldiers in 2000.

Lebanon: Israeli Troops Push Into New Area

Israeli troops made a new incursion into southern Lebanon on July 31, entering the Aita al-Shaab area, a spokesman said. Hezbollah said its guerrillas are engaging the advancing force.

Lebanon: Missiles Fired At Car

The Israeli air force fired missiles at a car near Tyre, Lebanon, it believed was carrying a senior Hezbollah official July 31. The car, however, contained a Lebanese army officer and two Lebanese soldiers. Israel said that the 48-hour halt in airstrikes did not apply to imminent threats.