The Lebanon crisis entered a dangerous new phase on Friday night as Israeli troops and tanks massed on the border in preparation for a sweeping ground operation against Hezbollah fighters.
Israeli commanders plan to clear a 1,5km-wide zone on the Lebanese side of the border, where there are a series of well-fortified Hezbollah positions, a senior Israeli official said. Thousands of Israeli reservists were being called up.
The significant change of strategy to higher-risk ground fighting is a tacit admission that the campaign of aerial bombing has been less successful than hoped. So far the military has said it is only involved in ”pinpoint incursions” across the border, but preparations appear to be under way for a much larger and potentially more costly troop operation for the first time since the conflict began 11 days ago. The military would not say exactly how many reservists were being called up, but reports put the number at up to 3 000.
Hezbollah has a formidable armoury of missiles, artillery, anti-aircraft guns and anti-tank weapons, and is capable of inflicting a high casualty rate, one that could test the strength of Israeli public support for the war.
Israeli Brigadier-General Alon Friedman said on Friday: ”It’s possible that in the coming days our ground operations will increase.” He added that troops on Israel’s northern border ”are of more than division strength and would allow a large-scale ground offensive if necessary”. A division is usually at least 10 000 troops.
As part of its plan for a ground invasion, Israeli jets dropped leaflets over southern Lebanon on Friday warning the population to move north of the Litani river, about 19km inside Lebanon. About 300 000 civilians normally live south of the Litani.
The planned ground campaign dashes US hopes that the Israeli operation would be relatively quick and makes it harder to fend off international pressure for diplomatic action. On Sunday Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, is to fly out to visit Jerusalem, Beirut and Cairo to explore peace options. She will also attend an international conference on Lebanon in Rome on Wednesday.
But on Friday she warned that America was opposed to a quick-fix ceasefire that would leave Hezbollah in place. ”I have no interest in diplomacy for the sake of returning Lebanon and Israel to the status quo ante. I think it would be a mistake.” She added that the US was open to the idea of a ”robust” international force for southern Lebanon, but said it was unlikely that the US would contribute troops.
The first Israeli ground troops have already found heavier than expected resistance, losing six soldiers in two days of fighting north of the Israeli border town of Avivim. A further 14 were injured in mortar fire and gun battles. ”These positions were much more fortified than we expected them to be,” a senior Israeli official said. ”Give them credit, they are good fighters.”
In one clash on Friday, a United Nations-run observation post near the border was hit. The Ghanaian troops manning the post were in their bomb shelter and unhurt. It was not clear who fired at the post.
Israeli bulldozers have been brought up to frontline positions ready to demolish Hezbollah posts. Once the zone is clear, the Israeli military intends to allow only agreed forces to enter, either the Lebanese army or any multinational force that might be established. Hezbollah fighters will not be allowed back, and it is unlikely civilians could return.
Commanders are warning that the fighting could be prolonged. In the meantime, Israel agreed on Friday night to open a humanitarian corridor to allow aid in to the hundreds of thousands displaced by the conflict.
There is still overwhelming public backing in Israel for the conflict, even though the last Israeli war in Lebanon ended in a deeply unpopular 18-year occupation. One newspaper poll on Friday put support at 90%.
Israel has led 3 000 operational sorties since the conflict started, aimed at 1 500 targets, said Brigadier General Ido Nehushtan, the military’s planning and policy chief. ”We believe that Hezbollah has suffered a blow, yet we are under no illusion.”
When the bombing of Lebanon started after Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers and killed eight others, Israel said it wanted to disarm and dismantle Hezbollah.
Now commanders talk about ”crippling” the militia enough to enable it to be disarmed by political negotiations. ”We are aiming to cripple Hezbollah in order to enable the Lebanese government to take authority and fulfil its responsibilities, to deploy its forces alongside the border, bring back our soldiers and eventually cause the dismantling of Hezbollah,” Brigadier General Nehushtan said.
A wave of Hezbollah rockets hit the north of Israel on Friday, injuring 19 people in Haifa alone.
The Lebanese Defence Minister, Elias al-Murr, said Lebanon’s army was ready to defend the country against any land invasion by Israel. – Guardian