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Israeli war planes strike at Hezbollah targets in Lebanon

Israeli warplanes struck two Hezbollah bases in Lebanon in retaliation for a border attack by the Lebanese guerrilla group that killed an Israeli soldier.

But Israeli military affairs commentators, who are briefed regularly by the army, said Israel was just going through the motions in raiding apparently empty camps on Tuesday and that it hoped Hezbollah would get the message and not strike back.

Hours before the warplanes went into action, Israel pointedly confirmed Hezbollah's contention that the army bulldozer it hit with an anti-tank missile on Monday, killing the soldier and wounding another, had crossed the border into Lebanon.

"We deviated [from standard procedure] by going into Lebanon," Brigadier-General Yair Golan told reporters. He said the bulldozer, clearing explosives placed by Hezbollah, was only a few meters inside Lebanon.

"From [Hezbollah's] standpoint, [the attack on the bulldozer] is legitimate, although not from ours," he said.

A Lebanese army source said no casualties were reported in the two air strikes. Witnesses said the planes appeared to have targeted Hezbollah positions near Alman in south Lebanon and near Zibkin, east of the port city of Tyre.

Israel held Syria, the main powerbroker in Lebanon, responsible for Monday's incident, but an Israeli security source said the military response was limited to Hezbollah targets to avoid stoking tensions with Damascus.

"The Israeli air force targeted two Hezbollah posts used to target northern Israel," said Major Sharon Feingold, an Israeli military spokeswoman. "The Hezbollah terrorist organization uses these posts ... for its terrorist training and as weapons caches."

US Secretary of State Colin Powell criticized Monday's Hezbollah attack and pointed a finger at Syria, which both Washington and Israel accuse of supporting the guerrillas.

"I think it's unfortunate that Hezbollah once again has caused this need for a response," Powell told reporters.

"I would hope the Syrians should once again understand that any support -- whether it is vocal support or allowing their leadership to stay in Damascus or whether it is serving as a transshipment point for weapons to Hezbollah -- is destabilizing in the region and is not in the interests of peace," he said.

Syria denies it controls Hezbollah, which has mounted occasional attacks against Israeli positions along the border since Israel ended a 22-year occupation of southern Lebanon, once a stronghold of Palestinian guerrillas.

Hezbollah does not accept the UN's determination that Israel's troop withdrawal in May 2000 was complete.
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