– Israel Goes on the Offensive

Israel strikes back –troops enter Lebanon
WorldNetDaily

Following the abduction of two Israeli soldiers by the Lebanese-based terrorist group Hezbollah, as well as threats of a "rocket war," the Jewish state returned to Lebanon with a vengeance today – conducting bombing runs on terrorist bases just 10 miles south of Beirut and moving ground troops over the border into southern Lebanon.

Warplanes flew over the Naameh base in the hills overlooking the Mediterranean. The base is run by the Syrian-backed Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine general command and was a frequent target of Israeli attacks in the past.

That attack followed the targeting of 30 sites in southern Lebanon. But the fighting is not limited to attacks from the air.

Israeli troops entered southern Lebanon to search for two soldiers captured earlier yesterday by Hezbollah. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert called their capture "an act of war," and his cabinet prepared to approve more military action in Lebanon.

Hezbollah claimed it destroyed two Israeli tanks that attempted to cross into Lebanon on two different occasions yesterday.

Six years ago, Israel withdraw its remaining troops from Lebanese territory just north of its border. The withdrawal was seen as a major military victory for Hezbollah, whose presence was strengthened through support from Syria and Iran following Israel's withdrawal.

Now Israel is fighting for turf it has previously won in combat and given back in hopes for peace.

Seven Israeli soldiers have been killed in the military action so far – three in a Hezbollah raid and four when their tank was hit by a landmine as it entered southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah said Israel's military assault in Lebanon will not win the two soldiers’ freedom, saying they will only be released as part of a prisoner swap.

In the meantime, Israel is fighting on another front, too. Its attacks on Gaza – another territory it conquered and evacuated in the name of peace – continues. Today Israel dropped a quarter-ton bomb on a home before dawn in an attempt to assassinate top Hamas fugitives. The blast killed nine, while the head of the military wing of Hamas, Mohammed Deif, was wounded but escaped, Israel said.

The events threatened to complicate efforts to win the release of Israeli Cpl Gilad Shalit, who was seized by fighters linked to Hamas in Gaza on June 25.