----- Original Message ----- From: Rick Rozoff <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, May 04, 2000 11:14 AM Subject: [STOPNATO] Israel/US to Set Up Laser Shield Along Lebanese Border STOP NATO: NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.COM http://www.access2arabia.com/jordantimes/Thu/news/news5.htm Jordan Times (Jordan) May 5, 2000 Israel to deploy sophisticated laser system to defend northern border TEL AVIV (AP) Israel will deploy an advanced laser shield along its northern border this year to block rocket attacks by Lebanese resistance fighters after an Israeli troop withdrawal from south Lebanon, the defence ministry said on Wednesday. The $250 million THEL system, developed with U.S. help, is in the last phase of testing in the United States and Israel, said ministry spokesman Dan Weinreich. Residents in northern Israel have expressed concern they will be the targets of attacks by resistance fighters when Israel withdraws from the area it has occupied since 1982 to prevent cross-border attacks. Groups fighting Israeli occupation of south Lebanon have frequently used Katyusha rockets to attack Israeli communities during times of tensions. On Wednesday, Israeli warplanes apparently pursuing a resistance group commander fired missiles on southern Lebanon, slightly wounding his wife and five other civilians, Lebanese security officials said. One rocket struck the car of Abbas Hallal, a local commander of the Amal group, that was parked next to his house on the outskirts of Habboush village in Iqlim Al Tuffah, a stronghold of resistance groups facing the Israeli-occupied zone in south Lebanon. Rocket shrapnel and debris injured Hallal's wife, who was in the house, officials said from southern Lebanon. Five others were wounded in the attack, but the injuries did not require hospitalisation. It was not clear where Hallal was at the time. Syria and Lebanon have said they will not prevent Lebanese resistance fighters from attacking Israel after the withdrawal unless it is part of an overall peace agreement. Chances for security arrangements between the sides have dwindled since peace talks between Israel and Syria, the main power broker in Lebanon, broke off in January. Officials of the joint programme at the U.S. Army's Space and Missile Defence Command in Huntsville, Alabama, said last month that the next test of the system would take place within eight weeks in the state of New Mexico. The laser shield would help Israel defend the border without re-entering Lebanon. Barak has told the army that after the withdrawal, troops must not violate Lebanese sovereignty on land, sea or in the air, military officials said on Wednesday. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Send instant messages & get email alerts with Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com/ ______________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED] ______________________________________________________________________ Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com
