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Who'd a thunk it?

From LATimes:

snip.
"Israeli infantry crossed the Litani River in several spots and reached the northern edge of what Israel held as a buffer zone for 18 years until withdrawing in 2000, said Brig. Gen. Shuki Shihrur, deputy commander of the northern command. Shihrur said his forces were in control of positions along the waterway, which runs roughly parallel to the border, through air and artillery power. In some areas, he said, ground forces had sped past settled areas to reach the river and beyond in a bid to prevent Hezbollah from bringing in new fighters and arms.

The goal of the ground offensive was not to conquer towns but to work southward from the river, and north from the border, to clear out Hezbollah and weaken the group before any international peacekeeping force could be deployed in southern Lebanon, Shihrur said.

He estimated troop strength at the equivalent of six brigades, which, according to estimates, could amount to 10,000 or more soldiers. The force, believed to be at least twice as large as any previously used in this conflict, includes armored and engineering units, the battle-seasoned Golani Brigade and paratroopers.

"I estimate the time required to complete the job will take around 10 days to two weeks," Cabinet minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer told Israel's Army Radio.

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Submitted without comment.

Posted @ August 02, 2006 12:40 AM | Current Affairs