Post by Janjoon-Lebanese on Oct 8, 2006 13:49:53 GMT -5
Lebanese Army completes return to Israeli border
03-10-06
BY: DAILY STAR
Lebanon deployed its army on the length of the border with Israel for the first time in almost 40 years on Monday
Lebanese Army completes return to Israeli border after four decades
Commander: 'stay vigilant to uphold the law'
Lebanon deployed its army on the length of the border with Israel for the first time in almost 40 years on Monday, vowing to reassert control in the area by stopping cross-border attacks and arms smuggling. At a ceremony to mark the occasion, Lebanon's army commander, Brigadier General Michel Suleiman, called on his troops to confront any violations of the August 14 UN-brokered cease-fire that ended Israel's 34-day war against Lebanon.
The deployment "to monitor the Southern borders and the maritime and territorial borders is meant to prevent aggressions as well as the smuggling of weapons and other prohibited items," he said.
I call on you to confront any Israeli aggressions and violations," Suleiman told conscripts during the ceremony in which the Lebanese flag was hoisted on a hilltop in the border village of Labbouneh for the first time since 1970.
Suleiman arrived in the Tyre region aboard a Lebanese Army helicopter along with several high-ranking officers.
The "deployment in the South will help the military to carry out its duties in terms of defense, security and development, with the help of the UN forces," the army chief said.
Stay vigilant to uphold the law and deter whoever undermines the course of security and stability," he declared.
After Israel launched its war on Lebanon, there have been major developments, mainly the Israeli conviction that it can't reach its objectives by force," Suleiman added.
The Lebanese Army did not deploy in the area for decades because of fighting between
Israel and Palestinian militants and subsequently Lebanese fighters, mainly from Hizbullah.
The deployment comes a day after Israel's near-complete withdrawal of several hundred soldiers who had remained in South Lebanon for more than six weeks after the cease-fire.
A Lebanese Army officer told AFP Monday that at least 12 Israeli soldiers were still deployed on the Lebanese side of Ghajar in the east.
Suleiman said the army currently still had "meager abilities" but was expecting to boost its capabilities.
Lebanese Army spokesman Major General Saleh Suleiman said that "by Monday afternoon, the government plan to deploy 15,000 troops in the South up to the border will be complete, except for the area of Ghajar."
Troops, he added, had already taken up positions along the border, mainly in Marwaheen, Maroun al-Ras, Adaysseh and Kfar Kila, where about 100 soldiers backed by 10 armored vehicles deployed on the sealed Fatima Gate passageway.
UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which put an end to the war, called for Israel's complete pullout from Lebanon in tandem with the deployment of Lebanese Army troops and additional UN peacekeepers, as well as the disarming of all militias.
While Hizbullah has agreed to abide by the cease-fire, it has resolutely refused to lay down its arms until it is satisfied that Israel has ended its occupation of Lebanese territory.
After the end of the war, Hizbullah's leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, said his group's arsenal had increased to more than 20,000 rockets.
Syrian President Bashar Assad, who along with regional ally Iran is a main Hizbullah backer, has dismissed efforts to stop the flow of contraband arms to the Shiite group as "a waste of time."
If a real will exists to introduce illegal weapons [into Lebanon], neither UN resolutions nor military deployment will be able to stop" their entry, he told Spain's El Pais newspaper.
What's missing [in Lebanon] is a state in which all Lebanese consider themselves represented. If that's accomplished, it will then be possible" to disarm Hizbullah, he said.
In the devastated village of Marwaheen, villagers lined the streets and threw rice and flowers at an arriving army convoy. Women ululated and men waved at the soldiers.
The army is most welcome here. It is our protector and our guarantor, we've been waiting a lifetime for it to deploy here," Mohammad Ghannam, 60, said.
Hizbullah fighters in the area did not lay down their weapons or pull back from the area. They simply melted away in the population, returning to their homes in the area.
As the army is entering our village, we feel like we are born again today," Zeinab Mohammad, 55, said.
This army is [made up of] our children," she added. "We want the wars to end."
Around 1,200 Lebanese, most of them civilians, and 157 Israelis, mostly soldiers, died in the worst fighting between the two countries since Israel's 1982 invasion.
03-10-06
BY: DAILY STAR
Lebanon deployed its army on the length of the border with Israel for the first time in almost 40 years on Monday
Lebanese Army completes return to Israeli border after four decades
Commander: 'stay vigilant to uphold the law'
Lebanon deployed its army on the length of the border with Israel for the first time in almost 40 years on Monday, vowing to reassert control in the area by stopping cross-border attacks and arms smuggling. At a ceremony to mark the occasion, Lebanon's army commander, Brigadier General Michel Suleiman, called on his troops to confront any violations of the August 14 UN-brokered cease-fire that ended Israel's 34-day war against Lebanon.
The deployment "to monitor the Southern borders and the maritime and territorial borders is meant to prevent aggressions as well as the smuggling of weapons and other prohibited items," he said.
I call on you to confront any Israeli aggressions and violations," Suleiman told conscripts during the ceremony in which the Lebanese flag was hoisted on a hilltop in the border village of Labbouneh for the first time since 1970.
Suleiman arrived in the Tyre region aboard a Lebanese Army helicopter along with several high-ranking officers.
The "deployment in the South will help the military to carry out its duties in terms of defense, security and development, with the help of the UN forces," the army chief said.
Stay vigilant to uphold the law and deter whoever undermines the course of security and stability," he declared.
After Israel launched its war on Lebanon, there have been major developments, mainly the Israeli conviction that it can't reach its objectives by force," Suleiman added.
The Lebanese Army did not deploy in the area for decades because of fighting between
Israel and Palestinian militants and subsequently Lebanese fighters, mainly from Hizbullah.
The deployment comes a day after Israel's near-complete withdrawal of several hundred soldiers who had remained in South Lebanon for more than six weeks after the cease-fire.
A Lebanese Army officer told AFP Monday that at least 12 Israeli soldiers were still deployed on the Lebanese side of Ghajar in the east.
Suleiman said the army currently still had "meager abilities" but was expecting to boost its capabilities.
Lebanese Army spokesman Major General Saleh Suleiman said that "by Monday afternoon, the government plan to deploy 15,000 troops in the South up to the border will be complete, except for the area of Ghajar."
Troops, he added, had already taken up positions along the border, mainly in Marwaheen, Maroun al-Ras, Adaysseh and Kfar Kila, where about 100 soldiers backed by 10 armored vehicles deployed on the sealed Fatima Gate passageway.
UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which put an end to the war, called for Israel's complete pullout from Lebanon in tandem with the deployment of Lebanese Army troops and additional UN peacekeepers, as well as the disarming of all militias.
While Hizbullah has agreed to abide by the cease-fire, it has resolutely refused to lay down its arms until it is satisfied that Israel has ended its occupation of Lebanese territory.
After the end of the war, Hizbullah's leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, said his group's arsenal had increased to more than 20,000 rockets.
Syrian President Bashar Assad, who along with regional ally Iran is a main Hizbullah backer, has dismissed efforts to stop the flow of contraband arms to the Shiite group as "a waste of time."
If a real will exists to introduce illegal weapons [into Lebanon], neither UN resolutions nor military deployment will be able to stop" their entry, he told Spain's El Pais newspaper.
What's missing [in Lebanon] is a state in which all Lebanese consider themselves represented. If that's accomplished, it will then be possible" to disarm Hizbullah, he said.
In the devastated village of Marwaheen, villagers lined the streets and threw rice and flowers at an arriving army convoy. Women ululated and men waved at the soldiers.
The army is most welcome here. It is our protector and our guarantor, we've been waiting a lifetime for it to deploy here," Mohammad Ghannam, 60, said.
Hizbullah fighters in the area did not lay down their weapons or pull back from the area. They simply melted away in the population, returning to their homes in the area.
As the army is entering our village, we feel like we are born again today," Zeinab Mohammad, 55, said.
This army is [made up of] our children," she added. "We want the wars to end."
Around 1,200 Lebanese, most of them civilians, and 157 Israelis, mostly soldiers, died in the worst fighting between the two countries since Israel's 1982 invasion.
