Israel Won't Go To The Litani Contributed by Bill Faith
Ed Morrissey:
Israel has not to hold territory in southern Lebanon all the way to the Litani. Instead, the IDF will try to clear a tighter security zone unless diplomatic developments allow for new strategies:
After completing the creation of a security zone in southern Lebanon and with diplomatic pressure mounting, the IDF, senior defense officials revealed Sunday, did not plan to move ground troops northwards towards the Litani River - a line initially named as the IDF's final destination in this current ground incursion. ...
While the IDF initially had planned to send troops north to the Litani River - a line from which officials said it would be easier to prevent rocket attacks - high-ranking military sources told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday that due to the mounting diplomatic pressure the plan had been deferred for the time being.
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Israel does not want to overextend its own resources, especially with the unrest in Gaza and the West Bank. An entire division would represent a serious drain on the IDF's flexibility. At any rate, that operation would take weeks to accomplish, and the Israelis still need to consolidate their current position in Lebanon, and that will also take some time. ...
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Contributed by Bill Faith on August 7, 2006 at 07:09 AM in , , , |