Bassem Mroue

The Last Three Days of the War

I wrote last week about the deadly battles between Israeli troops and Hezbollah guerrillas in southern Lebanon in the last three days before the cease fire went into force.
The Israeli army was trying to reach the Litani River before the cease fire was in force and they were not able to achieve this goal by Monday. Hezbollah then said that they had destroyed about a two dozen Israeli Merkavas, a claim that Israel denied.
Nehemia Shtrasler wrote an article about what happened in the 72 hours before the cease fire in an article published today in Haaretz, "Three terrible days."
Also today, Israeli commandos landed deep in eastern Lebanon and clashed with Hezbollah guerrillas. One Israeli officer was killed and two were wounded while Lebanese security officials said three Hezbollah members were killed. The group denied any of its members died.
Television footage showed blood in a fields around the village of Buddai as well as equipment left behind by Israeli troops.
The Israeli military said the operation, the first military act since Monday's cease fire, aimed to prevent armed deliveries from Syria while Lebanese officials said it was after a senior Hezbollah official.
As I was doing some shopping this morning, the grocer did not seem optimistic about the future. A woman came carrying a jar of mustard and asked him when does it expire. He looked at it and said December 2006.
"It is long enough and we will be lucky if we survive until then," the man said with a smile.
The woman bought it.
Bassem Mroue
Beirut August 19, 2006
5:30 p.m

posted by Bassemmroue @ 5:46 PM