Lebanon: Bekaa, Attacks, Maps

Here is a bit on recent air attacks by Israel from the Jerusalem Post.Originally quoted here

Israeli jet fighters struck deep inside Lebanese territory, hitting Hermel, some 120 kilometers north of the Israeli border in the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon. Warplanes fired at least five air-to-surface missiles on the edge of the town, targeting a road linking eastern Lebanon to western regions and the coastline.

About six hours later, warplanes returned to attack Hermel again, hitting a pickup truck loaded with cooking gas tanks, security officials said. The canisters exploded, sending flames shooting up from the vehicle for nearly an hour. The driver had pulled over and exited the vehicle before the attack, and was not hurt, they said. [Somehow, I doubt those tanks had cooking gas in them. CiJ]

========

Get out your maps, overlays, and pins:

Nice simple topo map of Lebanon with major cities. Ballbeck is shown.

Bekaa Road net

Political map of Lebanon

Air strikes in Lebanon [pdf]

Air strikes in Lebanon [jpg]

A good resource from the Lebanese side of Israeli operations in Lebanon.

This may be indicative of a move towards the Bekaa Valley. Or as so many have pointed out, it may just be my fevered imagination.

If you haven't read my previous piece on the strategy of the war please do so. It will make this more intelligible.

Update: 02 Aug '06 0422z

It looks like my imagination is not so fevered after all.

Lebanese army and security officials said a major Israel Defense Forces operation was underway against suspected Hezbollah positions near Baalbek in eastern Lebanon's Bekaa Valley late Tuesday. IDF troops thrust deep into the area, landing troops by helicopter in the Hezbollah heartland.

Lebanese security sources said IDF soldiers had landed by helicopter near Baalbek as aircraft launched several strikes in the region.

One Lebanese officer saying the Israel Air Force presence in the air above the ancient city was "unprecedented." ... "The extreme, unprecedented number of aircraft indicates the possibility that the Israelis are planning to land troops, but we cannot yet confirm that," said one security official on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information.

Quoted at Captains's Quarters

From Haaretz

Update: 02 Aug '06 0539z

Israel has landed troops 10km north of Baalbek says CNN. From Varifrank who has other interesting things to say.

The Jerusalem Post has a report on the raid and pictures of commandos with machine guns.

Haaretz reports on the raid in detail.

Well, well, well, one of Iran's top guys, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, promised that Iran would stand with Lebanon in the fight against Israel. I hope so.

Technorati:
Israel, Middle East, Middle East Rules, Lebanese Rules, Lebanon, Hezbollah, Hizbollah, Hizbullah, Nasrallah