Invaders Test Ground Defenses In South
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Courtesy of: DailyStar.com.lb
By Leila Hatoun and Mohammed Zaatari
Friday, July 21, 2006

Beirut: Israel has opened a 60-kilometer front along the Southern Lebanon border, from Naqoura to Majidiyeh, a Lebanese security source said on Thursday.

"The front is to estimate Hizbullah's retaliation strength on th ground," the source said.

"The fighting zone is inside Lebanese territory, which the UN itself has marked and which Israel agrees is Lebanese."

...Although up to now Israel has only hinted that it might undertake a full-scale invasion of Lebanon, on Thursday its tanks in fact attempted to cross the UN-Demarcation Blue Line.

According to a Hizbullah statement, Israeli troops met "Fierce resistance from Hizbullah fighters as the Israeli's crossed into Lebanon."

...The Hizbullah statement said Israeli tanks and soldiers were "Relentlessly trying to advance into Lebanese territory to achieve any military victory, but they were defeated by Hizbullah fighters. The latest Israeli attempt to advance toward the Southern Lebanese town of Maroun Al-Rass failed as the Israelis lost two Merkava Tanks and a helicopter."

...A separate Hizbullah statement said nine Israeli soldiers died in a Hizbullah ambush Thursday afternoon.

The resistance groups Al-Manar TV aired footage of Israeli Army equipment seized by Hizbullah fighters in the clashes.

Hizbullah guerrillas continued on Thursday their missile bombardment of Haifa, the Party said, and fighters advanced as far inside Israel as the Northern Settlement Avirvim.


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