8.13.2006

U.N. Lebanon Forces May Be In Place In 7-10 Days

Again, there is no mention of Israel withdrawing their troops and, from what I can tell, there will be a war of some type so long as Israeli forces remain in Lebanon.

Also from The Times:

The United Nations expects Israel's ground offensive to wind down within 48 hours and an expanded international force to begin deploying in southern Lebanon in a week to 10 days, the U.N.'s envoy said on Saturday.

``We are not starting from zero,'' Alvaro de Soto, the U.N. special envoy for the Middle East peace process, said of preparations for an international force.

``We have building blocks in place as part of stand-by arrangements with a number of countries with earmarked contingents,'' he told Reuters.

The resolution approved by the U.N. Security Council on Friday calls for a ``full cessation of hostilities'' and authorizes up to 15,000 U.N. troops to move in to enforce a ceasefire.

The resolution says Hizbollah must halt all attacks and Israel must stop ``all offensive military operations.''

De Soto said Israel's offensive was in its ``last throes'' and should wrap up in one to two days. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who has backed the U.N. resolution, plans to put it to a vote of his cabinet on Sunday, officials said.