Israeli paratroops learn to respect Hezbollah fighters

AVIVIM, Israel (AFP) - Matan, a 21-year-old Israeli soldier, arrived back from Lebanon at this Israeli frontier village after a week of bitter fighting.

Along with hundreds of other paratroopers, those seven days had taught him not to underestimate the Shiite militia Hezbollah, whom they now refer to respectfully as "fighters."

One of his comrades echoed his sentiment: "They know what they are doing -- and it is tough (for us)."

The hundreds of Israeli troops crossed back over the

border at around 7 am (0400 GMT) on Saturday, followed by armoured vehicles.

Hours later, Israel announced it had pulled out of Bint Jbeil where the fighting had claimed heavy casualties on both sides.

Matan, his face still smeared with black and green camouflage cream, had moved the previous Saturday into the Marun al-Ras and Bint Jbeil sector, Hezbollah strongholds in central south Lebanon.

One of his companions, Jonathan, who said that during the first two days he had only slept for seven hours and not eaten at all, spoke of constant harassment by Hezbollah guerrillas.

"They are shooting and you have no idea where it comes from," he said.

"We don't see them. They hide in the houses," Matan said, adding that those soldiers who did see their enemy generally ended up dead.

Others, however, said they had seen some of their opponents dressed in zebra-stripe combat uniforms like US troops, khaki like the Israelis, or, they alleged, "disguised in civilian clothes."

Jonathan said the Israeli troops moved mostly at night to take advantage of their superior equipment. "We have night vision (goggles and sights on guns), and they don't.

"So in daytime it was harder. They were shooting mortar (shells) or whatever... and we would move every night."

All the troops spoke of "ferocious resistance" during the day, including late on Friday, with fighting "house to house" under a rain of Israeli bombs, mortar shells, rocket-propelled grenades and Hezbollah Katyusha rockets.

"Yesterday evening, we had 12 hours of clashes. A group of militia attacked us. They tried to kidnap some soldiers," said Avinoam, a 26-year-old captain, proud not to have had a single casualty among the 100 men serving under him.

Jonathan also said Hezbollah tried in every way it could to capture more troops to add to the two soldiers whose seizure on July 12 sparked the massive Israeli offensive.

"Yesterday afternoon after lunchtime they started attacking. It's suicidal -- they run towards the entrance of the house (containing Israeli troops) and other people shoot at the house. They try to run in and drag them (Israelis) out," said Jonathan.

One sweating soldier spoke of the problems of just pulling out of the battle zone. "We left at 3 am and we have only arrived now," he said at 7 am, pointing out that the Lebanese town is only five kilometres (three miles) away.

An officer quickly told the soldier to shut up, reminding him it was forbidden for troops to talk to the press.

As other soldiers made their assault rifles safe on a hillside leading from Marun al-Ras a little later, Jonathan continued his story.

"The kasbah (market)? There's not much left of that," he said, adding that every house in the area sported a picture of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah.

There were also 'Hezbollah boxes' to collect money for the movement "and sometimes you find a lot of money", he said.

According to the Israeli military, its troops in the past 24 hours had killed 26 Hezbollah fighters, while seven of its men had been wounded, including one evacuated by his comrades on a stretcher.

Avinoam said the army did not want to occupy Lebanon, but that his men would have to return there regularly.

"We still have a lot of work to do," he said.

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