.Israel may re-enter Lebanon if UN force fails -army
JERUSALEM, Aug 11 (Reuters) - Israel will reserve the right to re-enter southern Lebanon in the future if a proposed U.N. force fails to stop Hizbollah fighters from returning to the border, a top military official said on Friday.
Brigadier General Yossi Kuperwasser, until recently head of the army's intelligence research department, told Reuters the army would not "sit aside and allow" Hizbollah to renew its forces and fire rockets into Israel "if it turns out that they (U.N. troops) do not deliver the goods."
Major powers are close to agreement on a U.N. resolution aimed at halting Israel's month-old war with Hizbollah guerrillas in Lebanon.
The resolution is expected to call for a phased withdrawal by Israeli troops as the Lebanese army deploys in the south, controlled by Hizbollah.
At the same time, the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, would be reinforced by French and other troops, perhaps as many as 15,000.
As part of the deal, Hizbollah would pull out from south of the Litani River, 13 miles (20 km) from the Israeli border.
"If Hizbollah is going to redeploy in the south despite the presence of the international force or in spite of the presence of the Lebanese army, we can consider other ways of making the situation change," Kuperwasser said.
Asked if Israel could tell the U.N. force to leave and send its own troops back into southern Lebanon, he said: "That's one of the things that might happen if this force is not going to be effective. This is a possibility."
Reuters
Oh Great French troops.
I think their white flags should be confiscated at the airport, where is the TSA
when you need them.
Brigadier General Yossi Kuperwasser, until recently head of the army's intelligence research department, told Reuters the army would not "sit aside and allow" Hizbollah to renew its forces and fire rockets into Israel "if it turns out that they (U.N. troops) do not deliver the goods."
Major powers are close to agreement on a U.N. resolution aimed at halting Israel's month-old war with Hizbollah guerrillas in Lebanon.
The resolution is expected to call for a phased withdrawal by Israeli troops as the Lebanese army deploys in the south, controlled by Hizbollah.
At the same time, the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, would be reinforced by French and other troops, perhaps as many as 15,000.
As part of the deal, Hizbollah would pull out from south of the Litani River, 13 miles (20 km) from the Israeli border.
"If Hizbollah is going to redeploy in the south despite the presence of the international force or in spite of the presence of the Lebanese army, we can consider other ways of making the situation change," Kuperwasser said.
Asked if Israel could tell the U.N. force to leave and send its own troops back into southern Lebanon, he said: "That's one of the things that might happen if this force is not going to be effective. This is a possibility."
Reuters
Oh Great French troops.
I think their white flags should be confiscated at the airport, where is the TSA
when you need them.
posted by madtom at 11:33 PM
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