Israel seeks rules of engagement before Lebanon exit

[tocqueville]

17 minutes ago

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel and an international peacekeeping force have yet to agree on rules of engagement in south Lebanon that would enable Israeli troops to complete a planned pullout, Defense Minister Amir Peretz said on Tuesday.

"I hope very much that during the coming week, at the most a few more days, we will complete the withdrawal," Peretz told reporters.

"There are arrangements, negotiations (and) deliberations which we intend to complete in order to set the rules -- what is permitted and what is forbidden -- from the moment we're sitting on the blue line (the international border)," he said.

Israeli military affairs commentators interpreted his comments as referring to rules governing when force could be used against Lebanese Hizbollah guerrillas after Israeli soldiers return to Israeli soil.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060926/wl_nm/mideast_peretz_dc;_ylt=AhLtZHyYnaIw0kFu9TQ340yBzdAF;_ylu=X3oDMTBjMHVqMTQ4BHNlYwN5bnN1YmNhdA--

[breakaleg]

1. Perhaps they start by reminding Israel that they can't just drop

soldiers into Lebanon at will and hunt down anyone they wish. Perhaps Hezbollah would interpret THAT as an act of war.

[Behind the Aegis]

2. Perhaps Hizb'allah should be aware of the SAME! n/t