Deadly Hezbollah Rocketing Triggers Fresh Debate About IDF Push To Litani River Guerrillas Launch Deluge of Katyusha Rockets Into Kiryat Shemonah Area
Israelis were startled back into reality today from the hope ending the war with Hezbollah. In one of their fiercest bombardments of the war, the guerrillas launched over 150 Katyushas into Israel. The Kiryat Shemonah area was their main target.
The U.N. may be considering a U.S.-French proposal for a cease-fire but Hezbollah has launched its deadliest Katyusha attack of the war. Twelve IDF reserve soldiers were killed on the spot when a Katyusha rocket exploded near Kibbutz Kfar Giladi inside Israel . Another twenty were wounded four are in serious condition. At noon , Hezbollah launched an estimated forty rockets at the area of Kiryat Shemonah in upper Galilee . The Israeli radar had detected the missile launch and sounded air raid sirens in the region. All civilians made it to bomb shelters and there were no casualties. However, many buildings were severely damaged and burning vehicles lined the streets. At nearby Kfar Giladi, a member of the emergency team said they had even received a fifteen-minute advance warning of a missile launch. But a unit of reserve soldiers, reportedly preparing to enter Lebanon , was caught out in the open. The Katyushas are packed with 5,000 steel pellets to increase their lethal effect. It was the worst day of IDF casualties in the war that has entered its fourth week.
The news came while the Israeli cabinet was meeting in Jerusalem to decide whether or not to expand its seven-kilometer security zone in south Lebanon up to the Litani River. It would mean advancing another fifteen kilometers or so to the north. The developments come against the backdrop of a U.S.- French proposal at the U.N. for a cease-fire. Lebanon and Hezbollah rejected it immediately – Prime Minister Olmert will appoint a special team to study it. Meanwhile, Olmert says Jerusalem will respond when the draft is finalized. But that will now take a back seat in light of todays rocketing attack that has shaken the country. By launching so many rockets simultaneously at the same place, Hezbollah achieved a devastating shotgun affect. By late afternoon, the guerrillas had launched over 150 rockets into Israel .
How To React? Todays deadly rocketing has sparked a new debate on whether the Israeli forces, now in a seven kilometer security zone, should now advance north to the Litani River. It is from this area that most of the Katyushas are launched. No decision was taken at todays cabinet meeting- such a step would have to be approved now by the seven-member security cabinet.
Cabinet Minister Benyamin Ben Eliezer contends the only way to eliminate the Katyusha threat is for the IDF moves to the Litani. The former defense minister believes Hezbollah still has thousands of the rockets south of that line. In his view, the Israeli air strikes cannot wipe up the Katyushas that can be whipped out of hiding and launched within a few minutes. And Ben Eliezer adds: Its still not too late to move to the Litani, anyone who thinks the war will be over in a day or two is mistaken.
Like most retired generals, Yitzhak Ben Israel also argues that the IDF must advance to the Litani as soon as possible. Ben Israel says: The forces are now available all thats missing is a decision.
He goes on to contend that no multi- national force will try to eliminate the Katyusha threat in the future, if Israel fails to do it now.
But retired general Orri Orr, who once commanded the Lebanese-Syrian front, opts for hitting the Lebanese infrastructure. He warns that advancing to the Litani will extend the IDFs supply lines and make the troops open to guerrilla raids. It could turn into a repetition of the 1982 invasion when the IDF got bogged in Lebanon after clearing out the PLO.
The debate continues. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert argues that one of the wars goals is to restore Israel s deterrent power. Will he want the fighting to draw to a close with the biggest Hezbollah victory of the campaign