Israel's tight window for action

Moving to destroy Hizbullah outposts across its northern border, Israeli troops engaged in fierce battles with the Shiite militia inside Lebanon for the first time in the week-old war.

Armored troop carriers and bulldozers Wednesday were ambushed by Hizbullah fighters, giving way to a clash that left at least two Israeli soldiers dead.

Hizbullah's abduction of two soldiers last week spurred Israel to launch a massive strike to destroy Hizbullah's military capabilities and isolate it by hitting Lebanese infrastructure.

With tacit support from the US, Israel has operated with a relatively free hand, leaving hundreds of Lebanese civilians dead. But that window of opportunity will close as the US ramps up cease-fire efforts and as images of ruin in Lebanon begin to dominate the international agenda.

"The clock is ticking, and the objective is to weaken Hizbullah to the greatest extent possible," says Yossi Alpher, the editor of the online Middle East affairs journal Bitterlemons.org.

"When the images on television of the bombing of Beirut, of Lebanese victims of destruction, and of infrastructure reaches a point where it pressures the US, [British Prime Minister] Tony Blair, and European leaders, then the process of winding down will begin. The pressure is starting now," he says.

As Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni held talks with European envoy Javier Solana, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is poised to visit the region in the next week. Israeli observers speculate that gives the military only a matter of several more days to operate.

The Bush administration has refused to yield to international calls to press Israel for a prompt end to its campaign against Hizbullah.

Instead, Ms. Rice is trying to drum up support for what she called a cease-fire of "lasting value" – one that would have the Lebanese Army take over the south, where Hizbullah guerrillas have conducted a cross-border war against Israel for years.

With the limited time frame for Israel's offensive, analysts say that Israel is hoping to ultimately turn to diplomacy to broker a cease-fire that would include a return of the captured soldiers as well as the deployment of either the Lebanese military or a multinational force in the border region.

But it's unclear what type of international mechanism will be used to restrain Hizbullah after Israel's withdrawal.

"The most important thing is for Israel to explain to America, Europe, and the Arab world, why it is in their interest to have long-range missiles outside of Lebanon," says Gidi Grinstein, president of the Reut Institute, a think tank in Tel Aviv. Mr. Grinstein was part of the Israeli delegation to the 2000 Israeli-Palestinian peace talks in Camp David.

"This weapon is a tool by Hizbullah to undermine any political progress by Israel and the Palestinians. It's strategic nature isn't only its military impact on Israel, it's a tool in the hands of the Iranians and Hizbullah to have a finger on the button," he says.

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