Peace deal at UN is clouded by Israeli ambiguity
Olmert appears to accept text hours after shocking security council by insisting on going ahead with Lebanon offensive
Julian Borger in Jerusalem, Oliver Burkeman in New York and Ewen MacAskill
Saturday August 12, 2006
The Guardian
Mr Olmert had ordered the launch of an all-out ground offensive only a few hours before the UN vote was taken, and massed Israeli tanks along the northern border were seen making final preparations to move into southern Lebanon, where they were intended, according to the IDF plan, to advance as much as 30km up to the Litani river.
Despite the UN agreement, Mr Olmert did not call his forces back and IDF officials were quoted in the Haaretz newspaper as saying the offensive would "continue forward with full power" and that all the units assigned to take part in the invasion force had been deployed to forward positions.
The IDF general staff, which has been criticised for failing to suppress Hizbullah rocket fire in the first month of fighting, is determined to inflict more damage on the Shia militia before a halt is called. A failure to neutralise Hizbullah would widely be seen as a military defeat inside Israel.
According to the New York Times, Israel has asked the US to supply the IDF with short range anti-personnel rockets which scatter fragmentation grenades over a wide area. The report said Israel intended to use them against Hizbullah rocket launcher sites, which have so far proved elusive to Israeli artillery.
more details here......
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,,1843127,00.html