J'lem to seek missile-free Lebanon; UN considering int'l force on border

When the current conflict in the north ends, Israel will demand disarmament arrangements in Lebanon that will prevent Hezbollah from renewing its military capabilities. According to political sources in Jerusalem, Israel will not agree to a return to the security situation that existed on the eve of the outbreak of the fighting. Nor would Israel agree to a cease-fire in the area as this would be tantamount to a Hezbollah victory, the sources said.

The sources in Jerusalem believe the fighting in the north will cease toward the end of the current week - on Thursday or Friday.

Israel's principal concern is that after the fighting, Hezbollah will take advantage of the cease-fire to restore its military capabilities - to purchase rockets and other arms, to retrain its forces and renew its threat to the Israeli home front.

New security arrangements put into place close to the border - like the "security zone" mentioned yesterday by Defense Minister Amir Peretz during a tour of bomb shelters in Nahariya - would not be sufficient as they would not be able to prevent Hezbollah from deploying long-range rockets and missiles further north in Lebanon.

Israeli officials are at odds, meanwhile, with regard to who will oversee the implementation of the disarmament arrangements - the Lebanese Army, United Nations observers or a strong international force. British Prime Minister Tony Blair and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan spoke yesterday of sending an international force to Lebanon to put an end to the Hezbollah rocket fire and the Israeli assaults, while the U.S. ambassador to the UN spoke of the need "to send a force to deal with Hezbollah."

In the wake of these suggestions, there was a certain softening in the Israeli position, which had insisted on relying on the Lebanese army only. "Our position has yet to be finalized," a political source in Jerusalem said yesterday.

The working assumption in Jerusalem is that the Lebanese army is strong enough to enforce the security arrangements, whereas a UN force along the lines of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) would be of little value. With regard to the deployment of a strong international force, such a move would pose a dilemma to Jerusalem, with soldiers of friendly countries risking their lives for Israel.

One option currently under review in Jerusalem concerns working toward a new UN Security Council resolution that would update previous resolutions vis-a-vis Lebanon and reinforce the disarmament and supervision arrangements. In two weeks, the UN will hold its biannual discussion on extending UNIFIL's mandate in southern Lebanon; Israel is expected to demand that the terms of the mandate be adapted in keeping with the current circumstances.

Meanwhile, a UN delegation seeking to resolve the crisis arrived in Jerusalem yesterday, and will meet today with Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's chief of staff, Yoram Turbowicz. The two Israeli officials are expected to listen and reiterate the positions expressed by Olmert in his address yesterday to the Knesset - the unconditional release of the abducted soldiers, a complete cease-fire, the deployment of the Lebanese Army throughout southern Lebanon, the removal of Hezbollah from the area and the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1559.

Amos Harel adds: Arab media networks reported yesterday afternoon that an Israel Air Force fighter jet had been downed in the skies over Beirut. The Israel Defense Forces denied the reports. Several hours later, the true nature of the large object caught on film by television crews came to light: It was an Iranian-made Zelzal-2 missile whose launcher had been hit by the IAF.

Ahead of its attack on the launch site, the IAF had information regarding the presence of a Zelzal-2 missile at the target. The IAF's chief operations officer, Brigadier General Ram Shmueli, said 10 Zelzal-2 missiles had been destroyed at the site.

According to intelligence reports, Hezbollah is in possession of several dozens of such missiles, which have an estimated range of some 200 kilometers.