Israel watches from sidelines, for time being: Israel is monitoring the latest crisis in Lebanon with concern, but for the time being will not respond in any way, Ehud Olmert decided, instead allowing the international community to respond.
At this time, the latest developments seem to suggest another Hizbullah victory in the domestic Lebanese theater, after the Shiite group managed to force the army to accept its demands.
Nearly 40 people were reportedly killed in clashes between opposition forces led by Hizbullah and forces loyal to the government since violence erupted Wednesday. Saturday night, Hizbullah announced that it will pull its gunmen out of Beirut after the army accepted its demands.
'Israel may be affected'
Over the weekend, officials held a series of security and diplomatic consultations following reports about the clashes in Beirut and other areas of Lebanon. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni received intelligence updates and security assessments regarding the latest events.
A senior political source in Jerusalem told Ynet that "the prime minister was updated by the relevant bodies throughout the weekend."
"We are getting ongoing reports regarding developments there," the source said. "Israel is bothered because it may be affected by the grave events – but it must not lead the international effort. Therefore, we are still refraining from issuing an official response."