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| By israelinsider staff and partners July 31, 2006 |
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Israel's security cabinet voted in the early hours of Tuesday morning to expand the IDF's ground operation in south Lebanon.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced Monday evening that there would be no cease-fire in the coming days. "Israel is continuing to fight," Olmert said in an address to the nation.
He said the IDF offensive in southern Lebanon would end only after Hezbollah ceases firing rockets into Israel and the two soldiers abducted on July 12 are returned.
"We will stop the war when the [rocket] threat is removed..., our captive soldiers return home in peace, and you are able to live in safety and security," Olmert said, addressing the mayors of northern towns.
Israel had no choice but to hit Hezbollah after its cross-border attack, in which two soldiers were kidnapped and eight others killed, he said. "We could not let the terror organization on our border get stronger, let them get more missiles," he said. "If we had held off, the day would have arrived soon when they would have caused unprecedented damage."
Olmert said that Israeli forces continued fighting in the air, from the sea and on the ground in Lebanon. "We are determined to succeed in this struggle," he said. "We will not give up on our goal to live a life free of terror."
Olmert claimed that Israel has destroyed many Hezbollah command centers, its rocket launchers, and many of its long-range missiles. "Hezbollah has suffered a heavy blow, and will take a long time to recover, if at all," he said.
Olmert also expressed regret for the attack in the southern Lebanon village of Qana on Sunday, which killed 56 people, among them 37 children.
"We are sorry for the pain" caused by the IDF offensive, Olmert said, addressing the Lebanese population. "I am sorry from bottom of heart for all deaths of children or women in Qana," he added. "We did not search them out... they were not our enemies and we did not look for them."
He warned the nation that difficult days lay ahead. "We should be ready for pain, tears and blood," he said. "Missiles and rockets will still land in Israel in the coming days."
Israel had had no choice, Olmert said. "We could not let the terror organization on our border get stronger, let them get more missiles," he said. "If we had held off, the day would have arrived soon when they would have caused unprecedented damage."
"We are determined to succeed in this struggle," Olmert said. "We will not give up on our goal to live a life free of terror." He held out hope for a new order in Israel's northern neighbor. "This is a unique opportunity to change the rules in Lebanon," he said.
The prime minister brushed off international criticism, saying that no other country would accept similar attacks against it. Hezbollah has launched more than 1,600 rockets into northern Israel since the conflict erupted.
More than a third of the one million residents of the north have been driven from their homes by the attack. Many more have been stuck in bomb shelters.
But he held out hope for better relations in the future. "We are not fighting against the Lebanese people. We are not fighting against its government. We are fighting terrorism and we will not stop the fight against them until we push them away from our borders," he said.
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