Lebanon Says It Will Disarm Hezbollah
Sort of. If the terrorists show their weapons, Lebanon says they will be seized. But Lebanese forces will not hunt for the weapons, either. Hezbollah, meanwhile, is bragging that it has fighters in towns and villages throughout the South. There appears to be some friction between Hezbollah and the Lebanese government right now.
BEIRUT, Lebanon - Lebanon's prime minister vowed Thursday that his army will confiscate any weapons it encounters in southern Lebanon, while the Islamic militant group Hezbollah accused Israel of "flagrant violations" of the month-old cease-fire. Israel denied it was violating the truce.
The comments reflected the tensions underneath a truce that has survived longer than many expected. The United Nations said the cease-fire was holding up well.
Hezbollah boasts its fighters remain in towns and villages near the border with Israel, highlighting the challenge faced by the Lebanese army and U.N. peacekeepers who are to patrol a buffer zone between the militants and Israel.
"I intend for the Lebanese army to prove its presence in the area south of the Litani River," Prime Minister Fuad Saniora said after talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo.
"We want this area to be under the army's and the Lebanese state's control. The army has all the authority to ban any armed appearances and confiscate those weapons," Saniora said.
Some 15,000 Lebanese soldiers, backed by an equal number of U.N. peacekeepers, are deploying in a zone between the Israeli border and the Litani River, about 18 miles to the north, to enforce a ban on Hezbollah weapons.
Saniora said the troops would not actively hunt for hidden Hezbollah arsenals, but he made clear his Western-backed government would no longer allow the Iranian- and Syrian-backed Hezbollah to dominate the south.
I wonder how Nasrallah like living in constant fear? It may be that his prestige is suffering a bit from not being able to get out and about. That would be a good thing. Hezbollah rejects the Amnesty International report that says Hezbollah committed war crimes. No surprise there.
War, World news | Gaius Thursday, 14 September , 2006
By Guy, Thursday, 14 September , 2006 @ 12:28 pm
To quote the infamous Sgt. Shultz: “I zee nusink……I know nusink”
By K T Cat, Thursday, 14 September , 2006 @ 5:25 pm
Is this a don’t ask, don’t tell policy?
By Gaius, Thursday, 14 September , 2006 @ 5:30 pm
More like a see no evil, see no evil, see no evil policy.