AUGUST 21, 5:30 PMWith tens of thousands of Israeli soldiers still stationed in southern Lebanon, and with senior army leaders warning that fighting with Hizbullah forces could resume at any time (possibly assisted by Lebanese army units now being deployed in south Lebanon), fierce dissent continues to mount in Israel over how government and military leaders have handled the war so far in Lebanon. At a tense meeting yesterday in the coastal town of Hadera, which was struck by Hizbullah rockets during the 34 day conflict, hundreds of officers and servicemen from the elite Alexandroni brigade hurled charges of ineptitude against IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz. One reserve solider held up a banner declaring “YOU PREVENTED US FROM WINNING.” Military analysts said it was it was the first time in Israel’s modern history that an entire reserve brigade had staged such a protest against senior IDF commanders. This came as retiring General Yossi Heiman, who commanded the paratroopers and infantry units in the Lebanon conflict, publicly stated that military leaders were “guilty of the sin of arrogance” in their conduct of the war.
On the political front, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert continues his attempts at damage control over his handling of the war. This comes as dozens of members of the Alexandroni brigade marched to Jerusalem today to stage a protest outside of his office, demanding his immediate resignation. During a tour today of areas heavily damaged in the north of Israel during the nearly five week daily rocket barrage, Olmert said that previous governments (meaning Ariel Sharon’s) knew about the dangers lurking in the north, but did nothing about it. “We knew what Iran and Syria were doing in arming Hizbullah, but we acted as if we didn’t know,” he said. Many of Olmert’s critics say he likewise did not adequately deal with the core issue that he mentioned, Syrian frontline support for Hizbullah, backed by Iran.
The besieged Premier was pressured at Sunday’s cabinet meeting to consider appointing an official State Commission of Enquiry to examine the conduct of the war, which would have legal powers to subpoena witnesses and bring formal legal charges against government and military leaders if deemed necessary. So far Olmert has only agreed to the establishment of a lesser panel headed by one of his political cronies, former army general Amnon Liptkin-Shahak, which convened for the first time on Sunday. Meanwhile a move to replace Defense Minister Amir Peretz as Labor party leader is gaining steam, led by two disgruntled Labor Knesset members.
While the Israeli political pot continues to boil, IDF commanders are warning that fresh fighting could erupt in the coming months, or even weeks, due to stepped up Syrian and Iranian attempts to rearm their Lebanese Shiite proxy force. They say that despite the fact that UN resolution 1701 called for a total arms embargo against Hizbullah, the two rogue states have increased efforts over the past few days to supply more rockets and other weapons to their puppet militia force. This reality was behind the late Friday IDF commando raid deep into the Bekaa Valley near Syrian territory, which Lebanon called a violation of the ceasefire. Israeli officials shot back that it was Beirut that was violating the ceasefire by refusing to disarm Hizbullah fighters while turning a blind eye to Syria’s re-supply activities. Israeli military leaders have asked the government for permission to bomb any trucks suspected of carrying weapons into Lebanon, even though they acknowledged this could give Hizbullah an excuse to resume rocket attacks upon northern Israel. At the same time, the IDF says that a naval blockade of Lebanon—mainly designed to keep Syrian and Iranian military supplies from arriving by sea—will continue for at least the next few weeks. All this comes as attempts to set up a viable UN buffer force continue to move ahead at an extremely slow pace, due mainly to France’s last minute decision to barely participate in the international force.
IRAN IN VIEW
While focusing on the highly volatile situation in Lebanon, Israeli officials are also keeping a wary eye on dramatic developments in Iran. Senior IDF officers told Israeli reporters that the military is keeping close tabs on a huge Iranian military exercise taking place in nearly half of the Islamic country’s 30 provinces. Alarm bells rang Sunday when the extremist regime tested 10 missiles dubbed as “Lightning” in Farsi. Although relatively short range (estimated to be between 50 to 180 miles), the missiles could hit many parts of Israel if fired from Lebanese or Syrian territory.
Officials also remain on alert over Iran’s declared intentions to give a “surprise” answer tomorrow to the UN demand that it halt its nuclear enrichment program. While internet sights have been abuzz with speculation that Iran might fire a nuclear tipped long-rang missile at Israel—due in part to President Ahmadinejad’s enigmatic statement that the sky over Jerusalem would “glow with light” on that date—most Israeli analysts strongly doubt that Iran is anywhere near that far along in its nuclear weapons program. Besides, that, Israel would undoubtedly respond by wiping out Iran with its own nuclear arsenal, known to be substantial, if undeclared. Personally I would not be surprised if Iran is preparing to test a nuclear device, as the Russian defense minister reportedly told his NATO colleagues already last December, and that this could be its August 22 “answer” to the United States and other nations. This might amount to a symbolic “glow” over Jerusalem in the minds of the Iranian Shiite extremists who rule the country, since everyone knows Iran’s ultimate aim is to annihilate the world’s only Jewish state and “liberate” Jerusalem from hated Zionist rule.
I will be giving my regular weekly report on events here in Israel and the region today on the Moody Broadcasting Network’s Prime Time America program, heard on radio stations across the country. The program begins at 5:00 PM EST, which is 21:00 GMT. It can also be accessed via their web site, www.mbn.org Thanks again to all who have expressed concern over my visa situation, which could potentially end my work in Israel after 26 years. I continue to receive valuable support from here and abroad over this issue, and will update you when there is substantial news about it. Meanwhile thanks for your prayers for a satisfactory outcome.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DAVID DOLAN is a Jerusalem-based author and journalist who has lived and worked in Israel since 1980.