Israel needs more time to finish Lebanon operation: report
19/7/2006 17:22
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) estimated that the army needed 10 to 14
more days to achieve goals of the ongoing operation in Lebanon, the Ha'aretz
daily reported today.
IDF top brass was mulling great intensification of the
military actions against Hezbollah rocket attacks, especially long-range
missiles, and against senior militants of the group's operational unit as well,
the report said.
However, some IDF officials believed that the fighting would
conclude within a week, the report added.
The Lebanese Shiite militant group
has rained hundreds of rockets on northern Israel since Israel launched an
offensive against Lebanon on July 12 in response to an attack by the militia on
Israeli border troops.
Head of Operations at the General Staff, Major General
Gadi Eisenkot, said on Tuesday that "Until now, over 1,000 targets (of
Hezbollah) have been attacked, including 180 Katyusha rockets and long-range
rocket launch sites."
Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz said on Tuesday
that attacks against Hezbollah would continue "without letup and time
limit."
Military sources said on Tuesday that in the coming days, action
would also be taken to further damage infrastructure of Hezbollah.
Israel has
intensified its military campaign in Lebanon, launching a series of airstrikes
on Lebanese targets and killing over 250 Lebanese, most of them
civilians.
Twenty-five Israelis have also been killed in the Hezbollah
attacks.
xinhua
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