DIARY OF RESISTANCE OPERATIONS –AUGUST 1999

The following are the Islamic-Resistance operations that took place during the month of August in 1999

Islamic Resistance Performs 148 Operations in August 1999

This August, the resistance squadrons escalated their military operations against the occupation forces and Lahd agents. 235 operations were performed as such: 148 operations by "the Islamic Resistance", 81 by "the Amal Movement", and 6 by "the Lebanese Brigades for Resisting the "Israeli" Occupation".

The Islamic-Resistance operations killed 3 Zionist soldiers and wounded 9 others. The operations also wounded 9 Lahd militiamen, enemy sources acknowledged.
The resistance sources confirmed the same number of casualties but said that one more Lahd militiaman was killed and 4 more were wounded.

An "Amal-Movement" fighter and six Islamic-Resistance fighters were martyred this month.
Significantly, the occupation forces and Lahd agents withdrew from al-Qantara Site on August 9, 1999. This represented a new accomplishment by the fighters.
The occupation forces and agents established a new site in occupied at-Taybeh Town after al-Qantara Site had suffered a series of Islamic-Resistance operations. The operations actually killed or wounded many "Israeli" soldiers. Besides, it was easy for the fighters to reach the site, besiege it, and prevent it from receiving any provisions or military supplies. That's why many Lahd agents refused to continue "serving" at the site; they had suffered so much.

Whereas al-Qantara Site overlooked Slouki Valley, al-Hjeir Valley, and the towns of Froun and al-Ghandourieh, the new site (located 3 km from the first) overlooked the towns of Kabrikha, Majdal Selm, Froun, Slouki Valley, and al-Hjeir Valley.

The occupation forces acknowledged withdrawal from the site, claiming that was "part of a plan to reinforce the deployment of "Israeli" forces" in the occupied region. The step was also meant to protect the "Israeli" soldiers at al-Qantara Site from Hizbullah's operations, the occupation forces added.

The site was evacuated in consequence with Hizbullah's escalating operations against the "Israeli" soldiers and Lahd agents, the enemy radio reported.
On another hand, "al-Qassam Brigade" began to perform military operations against the occupation forces. In a statement, "al-Qassam Brigade" declared its fighters performed an operation against the Zionist-Lahd sites of Sojod and as-Suweidaa on August 10, 1999. The statement added that both sites suffered serious losses.

Operation as-Suweidaa, August 16, 1999

On August 16, 1999, "the Islamic-Resistance Sniping Unit" shot a Lahd militiaman positioned on the rampart of as-Suweidaa Site. The Resistance snipers saw the militiaman falling off the rampart.

Slouki Valley Confrontations, August 17, 1999

Revenging on the enemy for assassinating Islamic-Resistance leader Ali Hassan Deeb (Abu Hassan Salemeh), the Resistance fighters valiantly confronted the enemy on August 17, 1999, only hours after martyr Abu Hassan Salemeh's assassination. The fighters made the enemy suffer grave casualties:
At 7:30 a.m., the fighters confronted a Zionist squad in Slouki Valley. The fighters' machineguns and hand grenades killed or wounded each of the Zionist infantrymen.

Consequently, enemy rescue forces engaged in the battle to evacuate the casualties, and the smoke of "Israeli" war planes masked the place. But the fighters confronted them all, preventing them from accomplishing their mission.
Less than an hour later, the enemy soldiers were retreating to the Stable Valley (lying in the surroundings of Houla Meadow).

Thence, another group of fighters attacked them, causing them more casualties. The fighters as well attacked a Merkava tank trying to cover the defeated soldiers. The tank fire was seized.
As another reinforcement unit arrived in the operation zone, the fighters struck it, making it suffer grave losses. At 11:35, an engagement force of 6 "Hummer" vehicles (on which were many soldiers) arrived in the surroundings of Houla Site. So a group of fighters attacked the force with rocket shells and artillery, causing it several casualties.

Five minutes later, the Resistance again targeted the Zionist infantrymen besieged in Slouki Valley. The enemy tried to rescue the force by launching a mass of guided projectiles, but that only brought about more casualties to the force.
The fighters could hear the terrified infantrymen screaming all over the place.
Three "Israeli" soldiers were killed, and a senior officer of "the Golani Brigade" and six others were wounded, the enemy acknowledged, adding that the condition of three of them was critical.

The enemy command was outraged, especially when the "Israeli" soldiers behaved very cowardly during the confrontations despite the ground and air reinforcements they received. Besides, the confrontations resulted in a big number of casualties among the Zionist soldiers.

On the other hand, the Islamic-Resistance fighters acted very bravely in spite of their little number and ordnance.

The so-called "Northern Command" of the "Israeli" military formed an investigation committee, which was supervised by Chief of "the Northern Command" General Gabi Ashkenazi, chief of the so-called "Liaison Unit", and an officer of "the General Staff". The committee was assigned to figure out how the operation was performed and the reasons beyond the grave casualties, especially when the battle occurred in daylight amid great deployment of ground and air "Israeli" forces versus a little number of Hizbullah fighters and arms.

The confrontations were the most violent since February, observers considered. The confrontations took place along a rough, five-kilometer battlefront. Machineguns and hand grenades were used in the violent combat.
This made the "Israeli" Prime Minister Ehud Barak say, "There has been an escalation in the south of Lebanon. So "Israel" is going to do its best to get its military out of there. But first we have to reach an agreement that ensures the security of the northern borders."

The enemy's military sources said a very short distance separated Hizbullah fighters from the "Israeli" soldiers. Hizbullah fighters surprised the "Israeli" force, wounding some of them and killing one in the very beginning of the fire attack added the sources.

In further details on the battle, the sources said "Israeli" helicopters engaged in the battle to reinforce the force targeted. Another force of "the Golani Brigade", headed by a lieutenant, engaged in the battle, too. But Hizbullah artillerists fiercely counterattacked them; their mortar shells and the fire they opened on the helicopters foiled the "Israeli" forces' attempts to rescue the force ambushed.
Three fighters of a Hizbullah cell again clashed with the "Israeli" soldiers, wounding more, among who were the squadron commander (a first lieutenant) and First Lieutenant Ayal Oitag... Fierce clashes lasted over ten hours, the sources also said.

News issued in the occupied region said a senior officer was seriously wounded in Slouki Valley confrontations. The officer was then transported to a hospital in Haifa in occupied Palestine.
"The Liaison Unit" estimated 3 Hizbullah fighters confronted the "Israeli" forces. The "Israeli" force first targeted included 15, but the number later increased to 75, who were accompanied by tanks, aircraft, and developed combat means.

Operation Mlikh-Aramta, August 21, 1999

On August 21, 1999, the Islamic-Resistance fighters attacked a Lahd-Zionist patrol in the outskirts of Mlikh and Aramta. The patrollers suffered serious losses.
In the meantime, another group of fighters shelled the surroundings of the operation zone, resulting in more casualties.

As war planes intensively engaged in the battle, the "Israeli" force tried to withdraw. So another Islamic-Resistance group attacked it; the fighters' machineguns and rocket shells brought about serious casualties this time, too.
Also on August 22, 1999, some Islamic-Resistance fighters lay in ambush while a Zionist squad was moving in the surroundings of the operation zone aforementioned.

As the infantrymen became quite close to the fighters, the fighters opened the fire of their machineguns and launched their hand grenades. Suffering serious losses, the enemy soldiers began to scream.
Meanwhile, another Resistance group shelled the operation zone. And as enemy war planes and helicopters engaged in the battle to rescue the squad targeted, The Resistance's ground anti-aircraft artillery confronted them, preventing them from accomplishing their mission.
Now another Zionist force tried to reinforce the squad under fire, so the Resistance artillerists counterattacked it.

As clashes went on, the "Israeli" aircraft again engaged in the battle. So the Resistance's ground anti-aircraft artillery confronted them.
While a Zionist squad was on its way from ar-Rihan Hills to back the squad under fire, the artillerists of "the Islamic Resistance Fire Backup Unit" bombarded it and made it suffer grave losses.
Also on the same day, some Islamic-Resistance artillerists attacked "Israeli" troops marshaled at Shkief Site. The artillerist' machineguns and rocket shells resulted in grave casualties.
"Two" soldiers were wounded, the enemy acknowledged.

Operation Braachit, August 23, 1999

On August 23, 1999, the Islamic-Resistance fighters attacked a Lahd enginery force fortifying Braachit Site. The fighters' machineguns and rocket shells resulted in serious losses.
The Lahd Militia acknowledged 5 militiamen were wounded: Muhammad Moneer Khalil, Yusuf Ta'an Alawiyeh, Haidar Srour, Muhammad Bazzi, and Yasser el-Masri (of Egyptian nationality).

Six Islamic-Resistance Fighters Martyred in August 1999

-Ali Hassan Deeb (Abu Hassan Salemeh): martyred on August 16, 1999 as an explosive was bombed on Abra-al-Hilaliyah Route
-Hussein Mahmoud Qabalan, Ahmad Abdul Hassan Fouani, and Ridwan Muhieddine Dougha: martyred on August 17, 1999 while heroically confronting enemy forces in Slouki Valley
-Yusuf Abbas Rihan: martyred on August 22, 1999 while confronting enemy forces in the outskirts of Aramta Town.
-Abdul Karim Mustafa Dakdouk: martyred on August 29, 1999 while on a jihad mission.

Source: moqawama.org