Israel at War Watch: Israel Calls Up Reserves as Condoleezza Rice Announces Diplomatic Trip
Israeli tanks gather near the town of Avivivm, at the Israeli-Lebanese border, July 21, 2006.
Reuters: Israel calls up reservists as Rice announces trip
Israel called up army reservists on Friday for a possible major ground assault against Hizbollah in Lebanon, as Washington announced a diplomatic drive and said the conflict’s root causes had be tackled before any ceasefire.
Fearing a large Israeli ground attack, thousands of Lebanese civilians fled north after the Jewish state warned them to leave border villages and kept up a 10-day-old air bombardment.
Amid mounting world alarm at the crisis, U.S. Secretary of StateCondoleezza Rice said she would visit the Middle East next week and attend an Italian-hosted international conference in Rome on Wednesday in a bid to secure lasting peace.
And a ground invasion is NOT surprising. Hezbollah has been planning for an Israeli air campaign for years burrowing tunnels and setting up bunkers. Israel will need some time to mount a land-based campaign to assure that Hezbollah has been disarmed and defanged as an armed threat.
Now, watch Condi and the President “slow-play” the international community and the United Nations.
The United States, Israel’s main ally, has rebuffed Lebanon’s appeals for an immediate U.N.-backed ceasefire, saying this would not last unless Hizbollah guerrillas, backed by Syria and Iran, were prevented from attacking the Jewish state.
Rice told a news conference in Washington an immediate truce would be a “false promise” if the root causes of the fighting were not addressed. “An immediate ceasefire without political conditions does not make sense,” she said. “What I won’t do is … try to get a ceasefire that I know isn’t going to last.”
A cease-fire will last when Hezboolah is disarmed and no longer a threat to Israel – end of story. So, the terrorists can capitualte or Israel will disarm them forcefully.
Stay tuned……
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