Ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah holds for hours
Both parties launched violent military actions yesterday. Beirut has put off a decision on the disarmament of Hezbollah. There are fears for the fragile ceasefire.
Beirut (AsiaNews) Since 5am this morning (GMT), silence has reigned on the Israeli-Lebanese front. The truce engineered by the UN with Resolution 1701 and accepted by the governments of Beirut and Tel Aviv ended a month-long war that claimed the lives of more than 1,000 Lebanese and 155 Israelis.
A few hours before the truce, both sides pressed ahead with violent military actions. Israeli planes shelled some Hezbollah bases in Bekaa and a Palestinian camp in southern Lebanon, while crossfire on the Israeli-Lebanese border raged throughout the night.
Throughout the day yesterday, at least 250 Hezbollah rockets hit cities in northern Israel, leaving victims in their wake.
Currently there are no clashes on either side of the border.
A spokesman for the Tsahal (Israeli army) said Israeli will maintain its air and sea blockade of Lebanon to prevent arms from reaching Hezbollah guerrillas.
Meanwhile in Beirut, a government meeting, that was set to decide about the dispatch of Lebanese troops to the south and the disarmament of Hezbollah, has been postponed. The delay could compromise the implementation of the ceasefire, which calls for 15,000 Lebanese troops to replace a disarmed Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. The leader of the Shiite militia, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, said Hezbollah would respect the ceasefire but would resist any continued Israeli presence in Lebanon after the enactment of the resolution.
Global diplomats are now preparing to launch an international force that should go to boost UN troops (UNIFIL) with a mandate to implement the ceasefire. France and Italy, and also Turkey and Malaysia, have said they are willing to send troops. But it will be weeks before they can be deployed, fuelling fears that the fragile ceasefire will not be maintained.
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17/08/2006
