Global Policy Forum

By Hussein Dakroub

Beirut - Israeli warplanes bombed suspected guerrilla bases in southern Lebanon again Tuesday. Arab media said the strikes were warnings to the Arab world over its show of solidarity with Lebanon. Two Israeli jets fired two missiles at a valley between Shoukin and Jibsheet villages near the southern market town of Nabatiyeh, Lebanese security officials said on condition of anonymity. There was no word on casualties from the strike, which came shortly after guerrillas attacked four Israeli and allied militia outposts in the Israeli-occupied border zone in south Lebanon. The Lebanese Resistance Brigades, a guerrilla group supported by the Iranian-backed Hezbollah organization, claimed responsibility for the attack. There was no immediate comment from Israel.

On Monday, Israeli-allied militiamen shelled a southern coastal village, killing a Lebanese soldier and a civilian man. The same day, Israeli jets fired a dozen missiles at a radical Palestinian guerrilla base near the Syrian border and suspected Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon. No casualties were reported. The leftist newspaper As-Safir said Tuesday that Israel was sending "a fiery message" to Lebanon, Syria and the Palestinians following a show of Arab solidarity with Lebanon's right to resist the Israeli occupation. On Friday, an Arab ministers' meeting in Beirut condemned Israeli attacks and offered political and financial backing for Lebanon in its confrontation with Israel.

An-Nahar newspaper, a leading Lebanese daily, described Monday's bombing as a warning to Syria and a message to Lebanese President Emile Lahoud. Strikes on Palestinian bases, it noted, followed Lahoud's warnings that the issue of Palestinian refugees must be resolved before Lebanon gives Israel any security guarantees.

Israel has said it will withdraw by July from a border strip in south Lebanon it has occupied since 1985 as a buffer against cross-border guerrilla attacks on its northern towns. A troop rollback, especially if Israel does not withdraw completely or reach a peace deal with Syria, has raised fears of worse fighting in the area. Israel has said it will pull out with or without an agreement with Syria, the main power-broker in Lebanon. The Lebanese government also says it cannot guarantee calm along the border if Israel pulls out unilaterally.