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August 11, 2006
Reservist slain as fierce fighting rages on in Lebanon
YAAKOV KATZ
The IDF went on standby Thursday night when Defense Minister Amir Peretz froze a planned thrust deep into Lebanon and up to the Litani River. Israel, Peretz said, would exhaust the diplomatic front before launching the operation.
Alon Samoocha, 35, a reservist from Hod Hasharon, was killed when a Hizbullah anti-tank missile hit his Merkava tank in the Lebanese village of Kalieh. Another 16 soldiers were wounded during the day, including one who was in serious condition. In the evening, there were heavy exchanges of fire in Markabe in eastern sector and in Laboneh in the western sector, where there were heavy casualties.
A high-ranking IDF officer said Thursday that the army had killed more than 100 Hizbullah gunmen during the course of the day, the largest number of terrorists killed in a single day since the fighting began last month.
Still, Hizbullah was able to fire more than 170 Katyusha rockets into northern Israel, including one that hit Haifa. An Arab-Israeli mother and her young daughter were killed in Deir el-Asad.
IAF fighter jets blanketed downtown Beirut with leaflets threatening a "painful and strong" response to Hizbullah attacks and warned residents to evacuate three southern suburbs. Other warnings dropped from planes said any trucks on a key northern highway to Syria would be considered targets.
"We hope to achieve our goals through diplomatic efforts,‘ Peretz told reporters during a visit to Northern Command headquarters in safed, just before he was rushed into an underground bunker as sirens warned of incoming rockets. ’if that doesn’t happen, we will use all of our tools."
IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz hinted that the military was disappointed with the decision to suspend the offensive. "The State of Israel is defending its home,‘ he said. ’We don’t go backwards. Only forward."
Pensioners Minister Rafi Eitan supported the cabinet’s decision.
"There are diplomatic considerations,‘ he said Thursday. ’There is still a chance that an international force will arrive in he area. We have no interest in being in south Lebanon. We have an interest in peace on our borders."
In Memoriam
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