Tuesday morning war briefs

Hezbullah hasn’t stopped their fire, they just changed it to mortars:

Several mortar shells were fired Tuesday morning at Israeli communities in the Upper Galilee, near the border. No injuries were reported in the shooting and no damage was caused. Mortars were also fired at Israel on Monday and landed in Kiryat Shmona.

The IDF says most of the medium- and long-range rockets were destroyed.

The relative quiet in the Haifa and Krayot area is not coincidental, as the IDF revealed new figures Monday showing that Hizbullah’s 220 millimeter rocket system has taken a heavy blow. The number of rockets of that type fired at Haifa have gone down from 400 to 200.

In addition, a senior government source told Reuters that the IDF destroyed two thirds of Hizbullah’s Zelzal missiles.

Figures for the short-term rockets are less encouraging, however. Hizbullah still holds 10,000 such rockets.

You know, 10,000 rockets is still 10,000 too many.

The U.K. is breaking from the EU over their cease-fire document. Huh. Didn’t see that coming. Tony Blair is dealing with a full-scale revolt over his position on Israel right now.

A British official said on Tuesday that the UK cannot accept a draft European Union statement calling for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Lebanese Hizbullah guerrillas.

Speaking as EU foreign ministers held emergency talks on the three-week-old crisis, the official said London wanted several changes to the document circulated by Finland, which holds the 25-nation bloc’s rotating presidency.

“As it stands, there is no way we can accept this conclusion,” he said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Diplomats said Britain, Germany, the Czech Republic and Poland wanted alternative wording urging a cessation of hostilities.

Ha’aretz is reporting that a deal is near for Cpl. Gilad Shalit’s release.

Senior Palestinian lawmaker Nabil Sha’ath of Fatah said Tuesday that negotiations over the release of abducted IDF Corporal Gilat Shalit had entered an advanced stage, and that a prospective deal could involve the release of 700 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the captive soldier.

Yeah, that’ll show them. Give ’em what they want, after three weeks of war. Please let this not be true.

The ground war ramps up:

Israel Defense Forces troops engaged in heavy exchanges of fire with Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanese village of Ayta a-Shab, near Zarit, on Tuesday.

A unit of paratroop soldiers have been operating in the village since Monday. The IDF said Tuesday that four Hezbollah guerillas were hit in the clashes, and that all had apparently been killed.

An IDF soldier was lightly hurt in Maroun A-Ras, also in southern Lebanon. He was evacuated to hospital in Safed.

[…] A total of five units – thousands of soldiers – are currently deployed in Lebanon. The forces are active from the Metula region to the area of Zarit, reaching some three to six kilometers inside Lebanese territory. As yet, no reserve soldiers have entered Lebanon, although their deployment is being considered.

The object of the operations was to complete the destruction of Hezbollah border strongpoints by Thursday. The IDF troops are also seeking Hezbollah weaponry dumps.

Soldiers will also extend into villages used as Hezbollah bases, in operations similar to the one last week in Bint Jbail.

Last, but not least, Hezbullah got what it wanted:

The deaths of dozens of civilians in an Israel Air Force attack on the southern Lebanese village of Qana marked a significant diplomatic turning point against Israel, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said Tuesday.

The foreign minister said that following the events in Qana, Israel’s scope for political maneuvering had been reduced, as was the amount of European support Israel is receiving for its operation in Lebanese soil.

Livni said this change was exemplified in the “problematic” Russian and French stance towards Israel.

“Problematic”—that must be diplo-speak for “anti-Israel.”