The Israeli Soldiers - Were they kidnapped in Israel, Or Captured In Lebanon?

[Leigh Meyers <leighcmeyers@xxxxxxxxx>]

This from the comments @ Juan Cole:
http://www.juancole.com/2006/07/haifa-rocket-attack-wounds-5-israeli.html

Professor Cole:

I respect your opinions a great deal, but I wonder if you are not wrong
in your initial assessment that Hezbollah crossed into Israeli territory
to capture these soldiers. If Hezbollah captured them inside Lebanon,
then Israel has no casus belli in this case, whatsoever.

I have checked a number of papers from that day when Hezbollah captured
the Israeli soldiers (July 12), and there is complete ambiguity in the
news stories of that day about whether the abduction happened in Israel
or over the border in Lebanon.

In fact, quite a few news reports, including the Hindustan Times, the
Asian Times, and the Associated Press carry articles that claim with no
equivocation that the abduction occurred in Lebanon, not Israel.

Here is the link to the one from Associated Press:

http://www.forbes.com/technology/feeds/ap/2006/07/12/ap2873051.html

Did you find information later on that confirmed without any doubt that
it actually happened in Israel?

Best wishes,

Brian Lockey
Assistant Professor of English
St. John's University

The Forbes Article:
Associated Press
Hezbollah Captures 2 Israeli Soldiers
By JOSEPH PANOSSIAN , 07.12.2006, 05:41 AM

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 neighbor
to look for them.

The forces were trying to keep the soldiers' captors from moving them
deeper into Lebanon, Israeli government officials said on condition of
anonymity.

The Israeli military would not confirm the report.

Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert called an emergency Cabinet
meeting and said Lebanese guerrillas would pay a "heavy price" for
Wednesday's attacks.

"These are difficult days for the state of Israel and its citizens,"
Olmert said. "There are people ... who are trying to test our resolve.
They will fail and they will pay a heavy price for their actions."

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