Israel leaves meeting after one of its soldiers is killed

February 11, 2000
Web posted at: 9:26 p.m. EST (0226 GMT)

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From staff and wire reports

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israeli representatives on Friday pulled out of a meeting on the conflict in southern Lebanon, and Israel launched a fresh round of airstrikes after one of its soldiers was killed by Hezbollah guerrillas.

Israel confirmed the soldier was killed on Friday in a rocket attack on an Israeli army base at Beaufort Castle, a Crusader-era castle overlooking southern Lebanon and northern Israel. Lebanese security officials said at least one other soldier was injured.

VIDEO CNN's Brent Sadler reports on the resumption of fighting between Hezbollah guerrillas and Israeli forces. (February 11) QuickTime Play Real 28K 80K Windows Media 28K 80K  TRANSCRIPT Text of Albright interview on CNN's World View     MESSAGE BOARD Airstrikes in Lebanon

Shortly after reports of the soldier's death, Israeli warplanes struck back, firing on suspected guerrilla targets in three valleys, officials said. There was no immediate word on casualties from the air raid.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak responded by ordering his delegates to leave the meeting of international monitors gathered at a southern Lebanese border town. The meeting was aimed at diffusing growing tensions in the region. Israeli representatives decided not to enter the main meeting room and later left, officials close to the meeting said.

France and the United States had called the meeting of the monitoring group, set up to oversee a U.S.-sponsored cease-fire understanding in 1996. The cease-fire ended similar attacks in Lebanon that killed more than 200 civilians.

Israel's deputy defense minister, Ephraim Sneh, said Israel felt there was no point in discussing violations of the rules of engagement in southern Lebanon at a time when Hezbollah guerrillas were breaking those rules.

"Maybe it's a waste of time to discuss this while the hostilities by Hezbollah continue," Sneh said in a telephone interview. He said no decision has been made on when Israeli representatives would rejoin the committee, but emphasized that Israel had not pulled out for good.

Israel launched a fresh round of airstrikes after an Israeli soldier was killed by Hezbollah

A spokesman for the Israeli Defense Force said the delegation would return to the meetings only if the talks focused "on the way to prevent violations of the understandings" about attacking civilians.

The soldier, identified as Sgt. Zachi Yitah, was the seventh killed in the past three weeks.

A statement by the pro-Iranian Hezbollah, the region's most active guerrilla group, said the main fortification where the soldier was posted took a direct hit, scoring "definite casualties."

Israeli soldiers have patrolled a strip inside southern Lebanon since 1985 in an effort to curb cross-border guerrilla raids on its towns. Hebollah is the lead guerrilla group trying to oust the troops from Lebanese soil.

In swift retaliation to Friday's attack, Israeli jets crossed the border and rocketed suspected guerrilla targets, witnesses said.

As of Friday, Israeli jets had launched air raids for 13 consecutive days. In previous attacks, guerrillas responded with attacks on Israeli troops and allied militiamen in the south.

Lebanon said 15 civilians have been wounded in the recent violence.

On Thursday, after several days of fighting, Hezbollah guerrillas issued a statement saying they would refrain from launching attacks against civilian targets in the north but would continue to attack the Israeli military in southern Lebanon.

That announcement prompted the Israeli army to tell residents in northern Israel that it was safe to emerge from their bomb shelters.

Both sides have accused each other of attacking civilian targets.

The U.S. State Department on Friday said Syria was not using its influence with Hezbollah to deter attacks on Israelis in southern Lebanon.

At the White House, U.S. President Bill Clinton appealed for renewed peace efforts and said both Israel and Syria are showing restraint.

Israeli representatives leave talks on the crisis in southern Lebanon

"So far I think both sides have tried to keep it in control," Clinton said during a brief session with reporters.

"It seems to me a sober reminder why we ought resume the peace process with great determination," Clinton said.

State Department spokesman James Rubin said Hezbollah was trying to disrupt the peace process by launching an attack as the monitors convened.

"Unfortunately," he said, "the meeting was deliberately disrupted by the causalities Israel suffered while the meeting was under way.

"We can only interpret this as a deliberate attempt by Hezbollah to wreck the prospects for peace in the region," he said.

Beirut Bureau Chief Brent Sadler, Correspondent Jerrold Kessel and The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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CIA World Factbook: Lebanon

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