the first casualty
Hezb'Allah's taking of two Israeli soldiers
would seem a flimsy enough pretext for all-out war.
What if they weren't even kidnapped in Israeli territory,
but captured on the Lebanese side of the border?
There seems to be some variation in the reporting of this crucial detail.
From early on 12 July, reports from news services like AFP & the Hindustani Times
included the statement of the Lebanese police,
that during an early morning incursion by th IDF into Lebanon,
there was an engagement with Hezb'Allah forces near the village of Aïta Al-Chaab.
An Israeli tank was struck,
resulting in the death of six and the capture of two Israeli soldiers.
Israeli sources offered no comment until later in the day,
when the officially accepted version of the story was announced,
the destroyed tank in Lebanon explained as part of later battles which occurred
as Israeli forces pursued the kidnappers into enemy territory.
The dispatches of AP's Beirut correspondent, one Joseph Panossian,
evolved throughout the day.
His 5:41am report begins:
The militant group Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers
during clashes Wednesday across the border in southern Lebanon,
prompting a swift reaction from Israel,
which sent ground forces into its neighbour to look for them.
The language is vague,
but would lead most people to assume the capture was on Lebanese soil.
The 7:42am report is even more ambiguous about the border:
The Hezbollah militant group captured two Israeli soldiers
during clashes along the Lebanese border on Wednesday,
triggering an Israeli assault with warplanes, tanks and gunboats
as Israeli troops crossed the frontier to hunt for the captives.
By 4:13pm, after statements by the Israeli military,
AP seems more certain on the issue, beginning:
Hezbollah militants crossed into Israel on Wednesday
and captured two Israeli soldiers.
Israel responded in southern Lebanon with warplanes, tanks and gunboats,
and said eight of its soldiers had been killed in the violence.
In later stories, the word "captured" is replaced with "abducted" or "kidnapped".
Perhaps the by-line should read "Winston Smith"?
.
would seem a flimsy enough pretext for all-out war.
What if they weren't even kidnapped in Israeli territory,
but captured on the Lebanese side of the border?
There seems to be some variation in the reporting of this crucial detail.
From early on 12 July, reports from news services like AFP & the Hindustani Times
included the statement of the Lebanese police,
that during an early morning incursion by th IDF into Lebanon,
there was an engagement with Hezb'Allah forces near the village of Aïta Al-Chaab.
An Israeli tank was struck,
resulting in the death of six and the capture of two Israeli soldiers.
Israeli sources offered no comment until later in the day,
when the officially accepted version of the story was announced,
the destroyed tank in Lebanon explained as part of later battles which occurred
as Israeli forces pursued the kidnappers into enemy territory.
The dispatches of AP's Beirut correspondent, one Joseph Panossian,
evolved throughout the day.
His 5:41am report begins:
The militant group Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers
during clashes Wednesday across the border in southern Lebanon,
prompting a swift reaction from Israel,
which sent ground forces into its neighbour to look for them.
The language is vague,
but would lead most people to assume the capture was on Lebanese soil.
The 7:42am report is even more ambiguous about the border:
The Hezbollah militant group captured two Israeli soldiers
during clashes along the Lebanese border on Wednesday,
triggering an Israeli assault with warplanes, tanks and gunboats
as Israeli troops crossed the frontier to hunt for the captives.
By 4:13pm, after statements by the Israeli military,
AP seems more certain on the issue, beginning:
Hezbollah militants crossed into Israel on Wednesday
and captured two Israeli soldiers.
Israel responded in southern Lebanon with warplanes, tanks and gunboats,
and said eight of its soldiers had been killed in the violence.
In later stories, the word "captured" is replaced with "abducted" or "kidnapped".
Perhaps the by-line should read "Winston Smith"?
.