DAILY SCOPE: Hizbullah Retaliates amid Support

Local Editor

NEWSPAPERS HEADLINES:
 
AN-NAHAR:
Hizbullah Retaliates from Shebaa ... Within "Rules of Engagement"
Hours of 2006 Specter and International Move to Contain Attack

ASSAFIR:
Shebaa Farms Attack: Why Shebaa...And How did Group Enter and Leave?
Resistance Dedicates Equation of Deterrence: "It's Up to Me"

AL-AKHBAR:
Resistance Gives Its Answers on Engagement Rules
 
DAILY STAR:
Spain Blames "Israel" For Death of Peacekeeper

The sole title that made headlines on Thursday, 29 January 2015 was about the qualitative accomplishment of the Lebanese Resistance in Shebaa farms on Wednesday, where the resistance proved "Israeli" failure on the military, logistic and intelligence levels.

On Wednesday, and despite the state of extreme alert at the "Israeli" side, Hizbullah targeted a Zionist convoy destroying a number of vehicles and causing casualties among the soldiers, injured and dead.

"Today at 11:25 a.m., 'Quneitra Honorable Martyrs' group in the Islamic Resistance attacked an "Israeli" military convoy in the Lebanese occupied Shabaa Farms, consisting of a number of vehicles and Zionist soldiers and officers, by firing appropriate rockets," Hizbullah said in Statement-1 shortly after the operation.

Lebanese, Arab and regional political parties hailed the huge operation, which came in retaliation for the Zionist aerial raid which targeted a Hizbullah convoy in Syria's Qunaitra 10 days earlier.

Starting with as-Safir, the paper read "Ten days following the Qunaitra attack, Hizbullah quicly gave a decisive answer to the ongoing discussion on how and when will the resistance retaliate, and put its precise equation: ‘bigger than a revenge, less than a war'. This was in a qualitative operation that beat the logistics, intelligence, and military of the Zionist entity in a geographical zone of a very sensitive and complicated nature."

According to the paper, most important in this operation is that Hizbullah once again fixated the rules of the game, and stressed its deterrence equation reiterating that "any offense the resistance receives will have the appropriate reply."

The newspaper further noted that the operation carried out by Hizbullah proves "Israel's" intelligence failure, not only that but also military failure. The daily further highlighted that the Resistance operation will retrieve the balance of the battle, with the title ‘it's up to me."

Meanwhile, an-Nahar newspaper quoted ministerial sources as saying that Lebanese officials feared an "Israeli" response to the Hizbullah retaliation that would take the shape of the 2006 July war or the 1996 Grapes of Wrath which led to the Qana massacre. This, according to the sources, pushed caretaker Prime Minister Tammam Salam to conduct calls with international, regional and domestic sides, which alleviated the worries, noting that there will be no war due to the security developments.

One of the reasons to cause worry, according to the paper, was Hizbullah issuance of ‘statement 1' which implied that other statements are on the way just like the case was in 2006.

On a related note, an-Nahar quoted Head of the Democratic Gathering MP Walid Jumblatt saying that "the Resistance operation reminded "Israel" that playing with fire is costly, but this does not deny the need to stay ready for confronting any aggression.

Jumblatt further pointed out that "the operation took place in the Syrian territory", describing the resistance as "smart to retaliate from outside Lebanon."
During the operation, a Spanish UNIFIL peacekeeper was killed by "Israeli" fire. On this note, the Daily Star wrote that Spain's ambassador to the United Nations blamed "Israel" for the death of the peacekeeper. "It was because of this escalation of violence, and it came from the "Israeli" side," Spanish ambassador Roman Oyarzun Marchesi said.

Al-Binaa newspaper for its part wrote that the exceptional qualitative operation conducted by the Resistance Wednesday noon in Shebaa occupied farms was very precise, with the Resistance once again proving that "Israel" is weaker than a spider web, and that it is no longer the invincible army.

The paper further said that "Israel" is lost in analysis and interpretation of the operation, also bewildered and unable to react especially in light of the support that was clear in Lebanese and regional feedback on the operation.
Well-informed sources told al-Binaa daily the Hizbullah operation was a dual-op. where an "Israeli" military convoy was attacked on two axis simultaneously.

Also, Prime Minister Tammam Salam condemned Wednesday "Israel's" military escalation in south Lebanon, as the Foreign Ministry noted that a deadly Hizbullah attack on "Israeli" troops in the occupied Shebaa Farms did not violate the Blue Line that was demarcated by the UN following the 2006 war.

In a statement, Salam stated that "the "Israeli" escalation on the border with Lebanon after the Shebaa operation might pave the way for dangerous possibilities that do not serve peace and stability in the region."
"Lebanon is committed to (U.N. Security Council) Resolution 1701, and it lauds the efforts of the UNIFIL peacekeepers who lost a member of the Spanish contingent," he added.

Salam said "Lebanon urges the international community to rein in the hostile intentions of "Israel", which is gambling with the security and stability of the region."
The prime minister also stressed that "Lebanon stands united behind the legitimate armed forces that are tasked with defending its land, security, and people."
Salam urged the Lebanese "to stay united in these hard times during which we are facing the threat of an enemy that might do anything."

Quneitra brutal attack killed 6 Hezbollah fighters, including commander Mohammad Issa, Abbas Hijazi, Jihad Moughneih - son of late commander martyr Haj Imad Moughneih, Mohammad Ali Abu al-Hassan, Ali Ibrahim and Ghazi Dawi.
An Iranian General, Mohammad Ali Allah-Dadi, also killed in the attack.

Source: al-Ahed news