Israel At War: Day 6 of Exclusive Coverage

(Note: this post will be continuously updated with breaking news and commentary)
- New rocket barrage in north, medical facility hit in Safed, several wounded
- Olmert and Netanyahu address the Knesset
- IDF ground troops entered southern Lebanon briefly
- Rocket collapsed a large building in Haifa, serious injuries reported, some were pulled from rubble
- Two civilians injured in rocket attack on southern town, Sderot
- One IDF soldier was killed and several wounded in Nablus during counter terror operation
- There are reports that Hizbollah leadership are hiding in northeast Lebanon

6:45 PM EST: Israel envoy to Washington: Now is not the time for Rice to visit Mideast (Reuters)

5:10 PM EST: Newt Gingrich is on with Hannity. He is right on the money: "Any time you have someone talk about process in the middle of a war, you know they have the wrong idea." I personaly wish that Olmert would listen to his comments. He also took a swipe at the State Dep't: "The State Dep't should refer back to Bush's speech after 9/11 when he declared that your either with us or against us".

Also, another Hizbollah infiltration of Israel thwarted.

4:45 PM EST: Power is cut and fires rage in some northern Israeli towns as a result of the rocket attacks. More injured in Kryat Shemona.

4:00 PM EST: Israel is under attack. Rockets are hitting houses in Safed and Kiryat Shemona. A rocket just landed near a hospitol in Safed, blowing out windows. Amazingly, there are no reported casualties so far, thank G-d. 10 medical workers suffered from shock. Update: 11 wounded in Safed, and two wounded when rockets landed near what they are calling a "sensitive location."

3:15 PM EST: Sirens are ringing in the Galilee and Nahariya in expectation of more rockets. Rockets have just landed in Safed, people are being treated for hysteria. There are fires breaking out in Ma'alot as a result. Developing.... Haifa and Akko are being hit...

Also, the JPost is reporting: "IDF forces conquered Ghajar, an area inside Lebanese territory, it was released for publication on Monday. The troops remained in the area and built a barrier to fortify their position."

2:00 PM EST: A pro Israel rally is under way in front of the UN building in NY. Unbelievably, Hillary rotten Clinton is speaking. Yes, this is the same piece of human debris that kissed Arafat's wife and supported the Oslo Holocaust. I guess this completely confirms the fact that she is running for President. Update: Thousands are reported to have attended, both Christians and Jews. A caller into Rush Limbaugh claims that Hillary received boohs when she spoke. If it is true, then its great news. Also, in Berlin 1,200 Arabs gathered and chanted death to Israel. Lets see them try that here in America!

In other news, the IAF destroyed a truck carrying a long range missle in southern Lebanon that was capable of hitting Tel Aviv. Hizbollah makes another outagous claim that only 5 of their men were killed. Also, the media is reporting that Condi Rice plans to visit the region to calm tensions, but left it unclear as to when that would occur. I hope that this is another statement that the administration is not serious about.

1:40 PM EST: Israeli police just confirmed that the previous story about a kidnapped Israeli policeman was false. Just another Baghdad Bob.

1:00 PM EST: Olmert Addresses Israel: Prime Minister Ehud Olmert addressed the Knesset plenum Monday regarding the fighting in the north: Israel did not ask for these confrontations, but there were those who interpreted our will for peace as a sign of weakness. Our enemies were wrong to think our restraint was a sign of weakness." Israel has no territorial argument, neither on the southern or northern border. Olmert also said that he hoped for an "eternal covenant" with the Arabs. I am also very concerned that Olmert backed down on the demand for total destruction of Hizbollah. He is now just calling for a cease fire of rockets and the return of the two soldiers.

Unfortunately, he said the wrong things again. He is the one who is wrong because the Arabs rightfully viewed Israel's endless capitulation as a sign of weakness. It's sad how he refuses to admit that he was wrong to help Sharon expel his own citizens from Gaza. Instead, he is leaving the door open for even more retreats. He also went on to make the same endless mistake of speaking about hopes of peace before the war is won.

Opposition Leader Benjamin Netanyahu spoke after him. He said more of what needed to be said: "We will defeat Hizbullah because our cause is just"… "we are witness to the difficult blows, the destruction of homes and how the children look on in horror but our spirit is not broken. Hizbullah has set its goal to destroy the Jewish People and the State of Israel and the terror organization is not alone, mentioning Hamas and Islamic Jihad, as well as Syria. There is no room for weakness and concession, only for strength, determination and fortitude. Israel must learn the lesson this time a decisive victory without concessions but to eliminate Hizbullah once and for all to eradicate weapons caches including long-range rockets which are a constant threat to Israel's survival.

11:15 AM: More rockets launched at Haifa. No casualties yet.

10:30 AM EST: Breaking: Al Aksa Martyrs is claiming that they kidnapped an Israeli border policeman in West Bank. Israeli officials are trying to confirm but say that they don't recognize the name that the terrorists mentioned. This is probably (hopefully) another Baghdad Bob situation.

Also, a Lebanese correspondent for CBN news was saying that the Hizbollah vermin were firing rockets from Christian churches. This would explain why Israel has been bombing certain villages that are predominantly Christian. These subhuman vermin are the lowest of the low. I guess that this is why Israel has hesitated in taking out many of their launchers. Also on CBN, former Israeli UN Ambassador Dorie Gold stated that there are Iranian and Syrian special forces on the ground in Lebanon.

9:30 AM EST: Breaking: Golan Hights residents are ordered into bomb shelters after imminent threats of rocket attacks. These rockets are possibly coming from Syria. Geographically speeking, this definitely makes sense.

9:15 AM EST: More rockets falling, now on Kiryat Shemona. I don't understand why they are not completely destroying the rockets? Right Wing MK area Eldad was on Israel National Radio and he subtly criticized Olmert for not categorically declaring war on Syria and Iran. I really hope that the leftist government will put aside their liberalism for the war. I'm not very optimistic after Army Chief of Staff Halutz told a Kenneset comittee today that he has no intention of going after Syria. Hopefully, he is trying to hide their real intentions.

9:00 AM EST: Al AP is reporting that Bush was overheard expressing his frustration with Kofi Annan and liberal world leaders during the G8 summit. He was unaware that the microphone was still on when he told Tony Blair, "see the irony is that what they need to do is get Syria to get Hezbollah to stop doing this (expletive) and it's over." Bush also said that he felt like telling Annan to get on the phone with Assad instead of calling for a "cease fire". This clearly proves that it was Bush's hand that turned the tide of world opinion at the summit.

8:00 AM EST: There has been a lot of action the last hour. More rockets have struck Haifa collapsing a large building. There are several wounded and emergency officials are trying to ascertain if anyone is trapped under the rubble. One person is in critical condition. There are widespread reports of rockets falling throughout the Galilee. Update: Two of the injured were pulled out of the rubble and a total of 6 were evacuated by medical personnel.

Other Big developments: Israeli ground troops enter Lebanon to push out Hizbollah rocket launchers from firing range. It is still unclear as to how many troops have entered and if they are still there. Obviously we will not know the full story until later. Also, Al Manar terror TV was repoting that an F-16 was shot down over Beirut, but this has been denied by the IDF. They are claiming that a pamphlet container was seen dropping from the sky, not one of their aircraft. The terrorists have been known to disseminate these false claims in every war to lower morale.

6:40 AM EST: Another rocket attack is underway in Haifa and Ashkelon. No casualties reported.

Debka File is reporting that they have sources that have informed them that the top Hizbollah leadership are holed up in bunkers in the northeast panhandle of Lebanon, Hermel. This is a remote area on the Syria border. They believe that among them are “chief of staff” Ibrahim Akil, its head of intelligence and terror Imad Mughniyeh and commander of special operations Halil Harab. They are reporting that these terrorists set up the command post before the attack on Israel in preparation for a future hideout. Military sources believe that Iran has been flying Revolutionary Guard members into Syria along with weapons and supplies. From there they have smuggled these weapons into the Hermel region by local guides who were able to take advantage of the remote and rugged terrain.

"The smuggling gangs’ overlord is Mughniyeh, a triple Hizballah-Iran-al Qaeda agent and terrorist executive, who has figured high on the US wanted terrorist list for more than two decades. On his orders, the smugglers recently relocated their main operation from the Syrian-Iraqi border to the Syrian-Lebanese border in preparation for the new warfront against Israel. In the last 48 hours, Iran has used this illicit route to beat the Israeli air, sea and land blockade and pump quantities of rockets, anti-air and anti-tank missiles and other advanced weapons systems to Hizballah for a fresh escalation.
Syria's role in this smuggling operation is critical."

6:10 AM EST: A Katyusha just struck a house in Carmiel injuring two. In other news, a Palestinian suicide bomb plot in Jerusalem was foiled this morning. They probably figured that this would be a great time to open a "third front".

In Israeli news, a recent poll has shown that the population is against Olmert's expulsion plan from Judea and Samaria 57-19%. It looks like they are finally waking up and smelling the Arab armpit.

5:45 AM EST: Over the past few hours , which have been the morning hour in Israel there has been a double barrage of rockets from the north ans south. In the north, there were several rounds launched at Tzevat, Teberius, and other Galilee towns, resulting in 6 lightly wounded. This makes today a much lighter day, thank G-d, than yesterday. In the south, however, there were at least 20 kassams fired at Sderot and Ashkelon . One landed in an apartment courtyard resulting in two injuries. A total of 1,200 rockets have been fired since the beginning of the war.

The big news overnight was that an IDF soldier was killed in Nablus during a counter terror operation. An armored vehicle struck a bomb in middle of a gunfight resulting in one fatality and several serious injuries. This attack was carried out by Al Aksa Martyrs Brigade, which is the terrorist group of the "peace loving" Mahmoud Abbas.

On the Diplomatic front: Tony Blair and Kofi Anan are calling for international troops to mediate the situation. In other words, to undermine Israel and compromise their positions. Also, the French PM is planning a visit to Beirut to express his support for terror.

11:30 PM EST: Well, it's early in the morning in Israel on day six of the war. No, this will not end in six days like it did in 67'. The Arabs have become cowards by hiding behind women and children, so this will be a drawn out affair.

The western Galilee is under attack again with residents of Haifa hunkered down in shelters. No casualties so far. Rockets continue to fall in Nahal Oz with several people being treated for shock. On the southern front: Rockets continue to fall in Sderot while IAF gunships struck a terrorist cell while driving in a car. Also, Haaretz is reporting that a soldier was wounded in Gaza.