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On Wednesday morning (July 12) Israeli
soldiers in the North were attacked by Hizbullah terrorists. Three
soldiers were killed and two were kidnapped. Five more were killed when
IDF units entered Lebanon to rescue the soldiers. Many more were wounded. Israel
regards this as an attack from Lebanon and an act of war.
“I want to make it clear: This morning's
events were not a terrorist attack, but the action of a sovereign state
that attacked Israel for no reason and without provocation. The
Lebanese government, of which Hizbullah is a member, is trying to
undermine regional stability. Lebanon is responsible and Lebanon will
bear the consequences of its actions.”
--Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert
Just two weeks ago (June 25) soldiers at the
Keren Shalom base outside of Gaza were attacked by Palestinian Hamas
terrorists. Two soldiers were murdered, four were wounded, and one
soldier, Gilad Shalit, was abducted alive back to Gaza.
Shalit’s fate has
been the central focus of the past two weeks.
This attack also comes against
the background of daily barrages of Kassam artillery rockets fired by
Palestinian terrorists at Israeli towns adjacent to the Gaza Strip which
have killed and wounded many.
What has Israel done since?
IDF forces on June 28 began a
combined operation in the Gaza Strip. The purpose of the operation is to
bring the kidnapped Israeli Gilad Shalit safely home, to deal a blow to
the Hamas terrorist infrastructure, and to prevent the continuation of the
terrorist attacks from Gaza.
In return for Gilad Shalit
Hamas is demanding for the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners.
Hizbullah is also demanding the release of its prisoners.
Hamas and Hizbullah are
demanding a prisoners swap, however, the “prisoners” in Israel are
convicted terrorists whereas the kidnapped Israelis are actual soldiers
who were abducted while patrolling in Israeli territory.
Rachelle Grossman
Israel Affairs VP
Pinwheel Region
2006-2007
**Update**
Hizbollah fired 120 rockets and mortars
into 20 northern Israeli cities including
Haifa
, Tzfat and Nehariyah. Two people were killed and at least 90 were
wounded. This was the heaviest barrage of northern
Israel
in decades. Guerrilla rockets traveled farther than before to hit regions,
previously out of range, inhabited by half a million Israelis. Israelis in
the north have been warned to stay indoors and to stay nearby bomb
shelters.
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