Soldier killed, 5 wounded in Hizballah assault
By Jerusalem Newswire Editorial Staff
May 7, 2004

Jerusalem (jnewswire.com) - Israel's northern border continued to heat up
for the third straight day when Hizballah terrorists killed an Israeli
soldier and wounded five others in an early morning artillery assault on the
Har Dov region of the Golan Heights Friday.

Reports indicated the cross-border fighting was so heavy the army was unable
to evacuate some of the wounded.

The attack lasted for more than two hours, and Israel responded with air
strikes and artillery barrages on Hizballah positions in southern Lebanon.

Israeli forces along the border remain on high alert.

On Thursday, IDF troops stationed on Har Dov repulsed an attack by at least
two groups of Hizballah gunmen.

Military analysts have long cautioned that increased Hizballah belligerence
remains the most likely trigger for another full-scale Israeli-Arab war.

Cross-border assault

At approximately 4:30 AM IST Hizballah forces stationed in southern Lebanon
unleashed a massive artillery assault on IDF positions in the Har Dov region
of the Golan Heights.

The attack lasted until just after 7 AM, and resulted in the death of one
Israeli soldier. Five others were wounded, three seriously.

Hizballah's Al-Manar TV said the group started shelling Israeli positions
after a group of IDF commandos crossed the international border.

'Hit Syria and Lebanon'

Israel responded to the early morning barrage by launching air strikes and
artillery attacks on Hizballah positions in southern Lebanon.

But at least two Knesset members called on the government to retaliate
against the Lebanese and Syrian governments, who are responsible for
allowing Hizballah to continue operating against Israel.

"I would aim the sights at the Lebanese government, who need finally to take
responsibility [for southern Lebanon]," Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense
Committee chairman Yuval Steinitz told Israel Radio.

MK Ephraim Sneh of the opposition Labor Party said that "Syria, and not
Lebanon, is the one who gives Hizballah permission to carry out these
actions."

Sneh told the radio that Syria "needs to be reminded of the results of these
actions.similar to how we've reminded them in the past."

Military analysts have long warned that continued Hizballah activity against
Israel remains the most likely trigger for another full-scale Israeli-Arab
war.

The international community has demanded Lebanon and Syria curb Hizballah
activity and dismantle the group's military capabilities. Both nations have
openly refused to comply.

Unrecognized justification

Hizballah insists the Har Dov region is Lebanese territory, and uses this
claim as justification for continued attacks on northern Israel.

But the United Nations in 2000 confirmed that Israel had made a complete
withdrawal from Lebanon, and stated that Har Dov was part of the Golan
Heights, seized by Israel from Syria in the 1967 Six Day War.

Despite this, the world body has taken no action against Hizballah or its
patrons in Beirut, Damascus and Tehran for the ongoing cross-border
belligerence.

Israel, however, is regularly condemned for responding to Hizballah
aggression.

Maranatha,
David
www.soundanalarm.net