Jun. 26, 2009
Yaakov Katz , THE JERUSALEM POST
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In an effort to prevent a flare-up along the northern border, UNIFIL has
increased its operations in southern Lebanon and has begun entering villages
in search of Hizbullah weapons caches, according to information obtained
recently by Israel.

In one recent successful operation in the eastern sector of southern
Lebanon, UNIFIL peacekeepers uncovered close to 20 Katyusha rockets that
were ready for launch.

UNIFIL operates under Security Council Resolution 1701, passed following the
Second Lebanon War in 2006. Operations in villages have been a point of
contention between UNIFIL and Israel, which said over the past three years
that the peacekeeping force was failing to prevent Hizbullah's military
buildup in southern Lebanon since it refrained from entering villages.

Hizbullah, the IDF believes, has deployed most of its forces and weaponry -
including Katyusha rockets - inside homes in the villages. Until now, UNIFIL
and the Lebanese army have mostly operated in open areas.

According to information obtained by Israel, UNIFIL has also succeeded
recently in thwarting attacks that were planned against its own personnel.

UNIFIL's increased activity comes amid concerns in Israel that Hizbullah
will launch an attack along the northern border to avenge the assassination
of the group's military commander Imad Mughniyeh in Damascus last year.

Hizbullah was behind a thwarted attempt earlier this year to attack the
Israeli Embassy in Baku, Azerbaijan, according to foreign sources. The group
has also tried using Palestinian proxies for attacks within Israel, without
success. These frustrations, Israel fears, might lead the group to try a
retaliatory attack against the northern border, which would be easier
operationally.

While Hizbullah has amassed tens of thousands of Katyusha rockets since the
2006 war, it is having trouble recruiting new fighters and is short several
hundred men. Before the Second Lebanon War, the assessment in Israel was
that Hizbullah had some 6,000 fighters.

The group's current recruitment difficulties are believed to stem from its
failure to keep its promises to rebuild homes in Lebanese villages damaged
during the war in 2006. This disappointment with Hizbullah is also
understood in the IDF as being responsible for the group's defeat in
parliamentary elections in Lebanon earlier this month.

Meanwhile, late Thursday night, Lebanese news agencies reported that the IDF
was moving tanks and armored vehicles to the border area along the Mount Dov
and Mount Hermon region. There was no Israeli comment on the reports.

Lebanese newspaper A-Safir reported that Israel had proposed direct
political negotiations with the new Lebanese government, making the overture
via an Israeli army delegation in contacts with its Lebanese counterpart
under UNIFIL's auspices.

Earlier Thursday, Lebanese lawmakers overwhelmingly reelected a
pro-Hizbullah parliament speaker, signaling that the political factions are
moving toward a unity government.

Reelecting Hizbullah ally Nabih Berri for a fifth consecutive term is
expected to smooth the way for the formation of a new government in the
coming weeks, which majority leader Saad Hariri is tipped to head.

Hariri said picking Berri for the job "consolidates national unity and
preserves civil peace."

The choice of Berri, a Shi'ite, is in accord with Lebanon's sectarian
power-sharing structure, which calls for the speaker to be a Shi'ite, the
prime minister a Sunni and the president a Maronite Catholic. Both
parliament and cabinet are divided evenly between Muslims and Christians.

Berri heads the Shi'ite Amal movement that together with Hizbullah controls
most of the Shi'ites' 27 seats in the 128-member legislature. He was the
sole candidate for the post, which he has held since 1992.

Berri addressed lawmakers after his appointment, urging rivals to assist in
the formation of a national unity government.

The Lebanese should "benefit from favorable regional and international
developments... to consolidate peace and stability," he said. "This requires
that we contribute toward the creation of a national government."

The June 7 vote brought victory for the Western-backed coalition, which
fought off a strong challenge from Hizbullah and its allies. But it also
underscored the deep divisions among the Lebanese.

AP contributed to this report.