February 11, 2009 6:08 PM
- Text
South Lebanon Power Transfer Begins
(CBS/AP)
Lebanese troops headed to south Lebanon early Thursday to deploy below the Litani River in line with a U.N. cease-fire plan to end fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, witnesses said.
An Associated Press reporter saw about 40 military trucks and jeeps, carrying soldiers, equipment, luggage and plastic water tanks, heading to south Lebanon at around 4 a.m. local time Thursday.
The trucks and jeeps hoisted Lebanese flags as they drove into central Beirut on their way to south Lebanon.
The army, which had been assembling north of the Litani, was to cross the river Thursday morning. In conjunction with U.N. peacekeepers already in the south, the army will gradually take over territory from which Israeli forces are withdrawing.
The move came a few hours after the Israeli military began handing over positions to the United Nations early Thursday, stepping up its withdrawal from southern Lebanon after the Lebanese government agreed to deploy troops near Israel's border for the first time in 40 years.
"The process of transferring authority has begun," an Israeli army statement said, adding that an agreement had been reached after a three-way meeting between, Israeli and Lebanese officers and a representative of the U.N. force, UNIFIL.
Earlier Wednesday, the Lebanese Cabinet approved a plan to deploy the Lebanese army south of the Litani River, 18 miles from the Israeli border, to extend government control in the region for the first time in nearly four decades.
The government ordered the army to "insure respect" for the Blue Line, the U.N.-demarcated border between Lebanon and Israel, and "apply the existing laws with regard to any weapons outside the authority of the Lebanese state."
That provision does not require Hezbollah to give up its arms, but rather directs them to keep them off the streets.
The Lebanese army has been preparing troops for the past few days. The U.N. cease-fire plan calls for the force to reach 15,000 and to be joined eventually by an equal number of international peacekeepers to patrol the region between the Israeli border and the Litani River.
More than 50 percent of the areas Israel holds has been transferred to the U.N. peacekeeping force known as UNIFIL, the Israeli army said, adding the process would occur in stages and would depend on a stronger U.N. force as well as "the ability of the Lebanese army to take effective control of the area."
The army said it was the first time it handed over territory to the United Nations, although it had redeployed some of its forces previously.
The Lebanese army has been assembling north of the Litani River, 18 miles from the Israeli border, and was to cross Thursday morning.
The cease-fire plan calls for the 2,000-member U.N. force to increase to 15,000 and to be joined eventually by an equal number of Lebanese to assume control as Israeli forces withdraw.
Although President Bush declared that Hezbollah suffered a defeat in its war with Israel, CBS News national security correspondent David Martin reports that a U.S. military assessment of the month-long war in Lebanon concludes that Hezbollah and Iran came out clearly ahead of Israel in achieving their goals.
The assessment agrees Hezbollah may no longer have a secure position in southern Lebanon, but it also lists a number of successes, Martin reports: Hezbollah bolstered its image in the Arab world by taking the fight to Israel; maintained its ability to launch rocket attacks against northern Israel; and came through the fighting with its leadership and ability to command operations intact.
Iran, which armed Hezbollah and trained its fighters, also came out of war with increased credibility, reports Martin. As for Israel, which was reputed to have the best army in the Middle East, the report says it failed to knock out Hezbollah, and further damaged its image in the Arab world with an offensive that drove up to one-quarter of Lebanon's population from their homes.
In other developments:
Seventy percent of Israelis disagree with the government's decision to accept a cease-fire without the return of the two soldiers kidnapped by Hezbollah, reports CBS News correspondent Robert Berger. According to a poll, only 40 percent are pleased with the performance of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, down from 80 percent in the early days of the war. And 57 percent believe Peretz should resign. The poll reflects the perception among the public that Israel did not win the war.
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in a message to Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, described the group's resistance against Israel's military onslaught a "victory" for Islam. Hezbollah is heavily financed and backed by Iran's Shiite Muslim theocracy.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the ruling Hamas Party have agreed Wednesday to start talks on forming a broader government, based on a joint program that would include implicit recognition of Israel, officials said. However, it is doubtful quick agreement could be reached on a coalition between the Islamic militant Hamas and Abbas' more pragmatic Fatah movement.
A delegation from the World Council of Churches accused Israel Wednesday of planning its assault on Lebanon even before Hezbollah attacked, and was aimed at driving a wedge between the different faiths that have been living in harmony in the country. The delegation was on their return from a visit to Beirut and Jerusalem.
Israel's deputy prime minister, Shimon Peres, said Wednesday that planes from Arab countries were permitted to fly over Israel during the war on their way to Lebanon to deliver food and medicine. Peres also said Israel made a vigorous effort to avoid hurting Lebanese civilians. He said Hezbollah, in violation of international law, "used human shelters to hide their arms." Peres added that he has information that the two Israeli soldiers abducted by Hezbollah are alive and healthy and that Hezbollah gets $100 million a year from Iran as well as training from Iranians on Lebanese territory.
Brig. Adnan Daoud, a Lebanese general was ordered arrested Wednesday for appearing in a videotape drinking tea with Israeli soldiers who had occupied his south Lebanon barracks during their incursion of the country. Lebanon is in a state of war with Israel, although it signed an armistice in 1949. It does not recognize Israel, forbids any dealings with the state, and refuses entry to any foreigner whose passport has an Israeli stamp. In 2000, after Israel withdrew its army, those who worked for the Israelis or fled to Israel and returned, were imprisoned.
An Israeli air strike blew up a house in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis early Wednesday, killing two people and wounding at least four, officials said. Israel said the house was used as a weapons storehouse by militants and that the residents were warned to leave before the strike.
Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said completion of the Israeli pullout depended on the presence of both the Lebanese army and an international force. She also said she wanted the international force to help monitor the border to prevent Iran and Syria from replenishing Hezbollah's weapons.
"If there is a place that Israel can withdraw from and the Lebanese army can come, plus international forces, we'll do it," Livni said after meeting with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan in New York. "But if it takes time until the international forces are organized, it takes time until Israel withdraws. This is the equation."
An Associated Press reporter saw about 40 military trucks and jeeps, carrying soldiers, equipment, luggage and plastic water tanks, heading to south Lebanon at around 4 a.m. local time Thursday.
The trucks and jeeps hoisted Lebanese flags as they drove into central Beirut on their way to south Lebanon.
The army, which had been assembling north of the Litani, was to cross the river Thursday morning. In conjunction with U.N. peacekeepers already in the south, the army will gradually take over territory from which Israeli forces are withdrawing.
The move came a few hours after the Israeli military began handing over positions to the United Nations early Thursday, stepping up its withdrawal from southern Lebanon after the Lebanese government agreed to deploy troops near Israel's border for the first time in 40 years.
"The process of transferring authority has begun," an Israeli army statement said, adding that an agreement had been reached after a three-way meeting between, Israeli and Lebanese officers and a representative of the U.N. force, UNIFIL.
Earlier Wednesday, the Lebanese Cabinet approved a plan to deploy the Lebanese army south of the Litani River, 18 miles from the Israeli border, to extend government control in the region for the first time in nearly four decades.
The government ordered the army to "insure respect" for the Blue Line, the U.N.-demarcated border between Lebanon and Israel, and "apply the existing laws with regard to any weapons outside the authority of the Lebanese state."
That provision does not require Hezbollah to give up its arms, but rather directs them to keep them off the streets.
The Lebanese army has been preparing troops for the past few days. The U.N. cease-fire plan calls for the force to reach 15,000 and to be joined eventually by an equal number of international peacekeepers to patrol the region between the Israeli border and the Litani River.
More than 50 percent of the areas Israel holds has been transferred to the U.N. peacekeeping force known as UNIFIL, the Israeli army said, adding the process would occur in stages and would depend on a stronger U.N. force as well as "the ability of the Lebanese army to take effective control of the area."
The army said it was the first time it handed over territory to the United Nations, although it had redeployed some of its forces previously.
The Lebanese army has been assembling north of the Litani River, 18 miles from the Israeli border, and was to cross Thursday morning.
The cease-fire plan calls for the 2,000-member U.N. force to increase to 15,000 and to be joined eventually by an equal number of Lebanese to assume control as Israeli forces withdraw.
Although President Bush declared that Hezbollah suffered a defeat in its war with Israel, CBS News national security correspondent David Martin reports that a U.S. military assessment of the month-long war in Lebanon concludes that Hezbollah and Iran came out clearly ahead of Israel in achieving their goals.
The assessment agrees Hezbollah may no longer have a secure position in southern Lebanon, but it also lists a number of successes, Martin reports: Hezbollah bolstered its image in the Arab world by taking the fight to Israel; maintained its ability to launch rocket attacks against northern Israel; and came through the fighting with its leadership and ability to command operations intact.
Iran, which armed Hezbollah and trained its fighters, also came out of war with increased credibility, reports Martin. As for Israel, which was reputed to have the best army in the Middle East, the report says it failed to knock out Hezbollah, and further damaged its image in the Arab world with an offensive that drove up to one-quarter of Lebanon's population from their homes.
In other developments:
Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said completion of the Israeli pullout depended on the presence of both the Lebanese army and an international force. She also said she wanted the international force to help monitor the border to prevent Iran and Syria from replenishing Hezbollah's weapons.
"If there is a place that Israel can withdraw from and the Lebanese army can come, plus international forces, we'll do it," Livni said after meeting with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan in New York. "But if it takes time until the international forces are organized, it takes time until Israel withdraws. This is the equation."
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