Senior Lebanese army commanders planned and authorised the cross-border shooting on Tuesday that killed an Israel Defence Forces colonel who was supervising the removal of a tree within Israeli territory, the Lebanese press has reported.Actually, the responsibility is that of the Lebanese--who not only ordered the shooting, but participated in the drawing of the borders separating Israel and Lebanon, and know full well that Israel was on its own side of the Blue Line.
The acknowledgement came at a United Nations-brokered meeting between Major-General Abdul Rahman Chehaitly of the Lebanese army and a senior Israeli officer on Wednesday.
The Lebanese newspaper As-Safir reported that General Chehaitly told the meeting the shooting was the result of a command decision and could be repeated.
"The soldiers received clear orders to open fire. The responsibility is that of the Israeli army which crossed the border," General Chehaitly said. [emphasis added]
Also disturbing is that there are reasons to believe that Hezbollah had a role in the ambush:
A senior diplomatic source, who spoke to the Herald on condition of anonymity, said preliminary investigations by UN personnel monitoring the border also indicated the Lebanese army planned the attack.There was nothing 'heroic' about what the Lebanese army did, contrary to what Nasrallah--known for constantly being in hiding for fear of being killed--has said.
The source said the UN Interim Force in Lebanon advised Lebanese army commanders early on Tuesday morning that the Israelis would be removing a tree on their side of the border early in the afternoon.
Several hours before the Israelis moved in to begin that work, a senior Lebanese army unit arrived at the Lebanese village of al-Adeisa, which overlooks the site where the tree was to be removed, and took control of the area.
They were accompanied by several journalists linked to media outlets controlled by the radical Shiite movement Hezbollah, which controls southern Lebanon, the source said.
Shortly after 12.15pm, when the Israelis moved a crane close to the border fence to begin removing the tree, a Lebanese army sniper took aim at the commanders who were supervising the operation from a hill on the Israeli side of the border.
"The sniper was aiming for the most senior IDF officers present, not the person operating the crane where the alleged border infringement took place," the source told the Herald.
"These were not warning shots fired towards the area of the crane. Someone took careful aim at the Israeli commanders who were standing several hundred metres away."
One shot hit Colonel Dov Harari in the head, killing him instantly. Another shot caused shrapnel wounds to the chest of a captain, who is in hospital in a serious condition.
The source said questions were being asked about why a senior Lebanese army unit had arrived in the area in the hours before the attack, and why they were accompanied by journalists close to Hezbollah.
Whether this is Hezbollah's way of distracting attention from its being accused of assassination Rafik Hariri, or for some other reason--it is clear that Hezbollah can easily and willfully destabilize the region.
Technorati Tag: Lebanon and Hezbollah and Nasrallah.
This was premeditated murder, and I hope Israel will make the person responsible pay.
ReplyDeleteGood luck in getting Israel's dhimmi Jewish leadership to avenge his murder.
ReplyDeleteThen again, the death of a Jew has always counted for next to nothing in this world and the only ones who remember what happened on Tuesday are the wife and children of David Hariri's family.
It's Israel's turn to demand an investigation--but from whom?
ReplyDeleteWho is going to investigate the part UNIFIL played in this--the UN?
Remember how the investigation into the Oil for Food scandal basically exonerated Kofi Annan--and that one of those on the investigating committee led by the US was Richard Goldstone?