Israeli Cabinet Approves Expansion Of Attack
The Israeli war cabinet has approved an expansion to the ground offensive and an advance all the way to the Litani River. This is a major expansion in the scope of the war but may also be part of a political strategy to force Lebanon to act a bit more responsibly than it has up until now.
The move came as fierce fighting was reported overnight with Hezbollah militants, and Arab broadcaster Al-Jazeera reported that 11 Israeli soldiers had been killed in what would be the deadliest day for Israeli troops in Lebanon in four weeks of fighting.
In Beirut, at least four missiles fired from Israeli ships slammed into the southern suburbs as Israel continued its sporadic pounding of Shiite neighborhoods and Hezbollah strongholds, police said. TV pictures showed a cloud of smoke and dust rising over a several square blocks.
The Israeli Security Cabinet's decision — approved 9-0, with three abstentions — was risky. Israel could set itself up for new criticism that it is sabotaging diplomatic efforts, particularly after Lebanon offered to deploy its own troops in the border area.
A wider ground offensive also might do little to stop Hezbollah rocket fire on Israel, while sharply increasing the already-high number of casualties among Israeli troops.
In the six-hour meeting, Cabinet officials were told a new offensive could mean 100 to 200 more military deaths, a participant said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief reporters. So far, at least 65 Israeli soldiers have been confirmed killed.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert spoke by telephone for a half-hour during the meeting, Israeli officials said. Olmert told the ministers the offensive will be accompanied by a diplomatic initiative, based on a U.S.-French truce proposal that would take Lebanon's concerns into account, a participant in the meeting said.
Under the army's plan, troops would push to Lebanon's Litani River, about 18 miles from the border. Olmert and Defense Minister Amir Peretz will decide on the timing of the new push, said Trade Minister Eli Yishai, a member of the Security Cabinet.
"The assessment is it will last 30 days," Yishai said afterward. "I think it is wrong to make this assessment. I think it will take a lot longer," added Yishai, who had abstained in the vote.
The offensive won't require a new call-up of reserves, Cabinet officials said. The government approved a call-up of some 30,000 reserve soldiers earlier this month.
Currently, more than 10,000 troops are in Lebanon, many of them regular soldiers. They are fighting in a four-mile stretch, and have encountered fierce resistance from Hezbollah.
The 12-member Security Cabinet's approval of a wider offensive came a day after the commander of Israeli forces in Lebanon was sidelined in an unusual midwar shake-up — another sign of the growing dissatisfaction with the military, which has been unable to stop Hezbollah's daily rocket barrages.
The army denied it was dissatisfied with Maj. Gen. Udi Adam, but military commentators said the commander was seen as too slow and cautious. The deputy chief of staff, Maj. Gen. Moshe Kaplinsky, was appointed to oversee the Lebanon fighting.
Earlier this week, the Israeli military declared a no-drive zone south of the Litani and threatened to blast any moving vehicles as guerrilla targets. Country roads and highways were deserted throughout the area. In the Lebanese coastal city of Tyre, only pedestrians ventured into the streets.
This move could be designed to put pressure on the Lebanese government as well as Hezbollah.
