2006年VOA标准英语-Israeli Missiles Kill at Least 15 Lebanese in S

By Jim Teeple
Jerusalem
07 August 2006

 

Israeli warplanes carried out heavy strikes against Beirut's southern suburbs Monday - killing¹ at least 15 people. The air strikes came one day after 15 Israelis were killed in Hezbollah rocket attacks - the worst day for Israeli casualties so far in nearly a month of fighting. Hezbollah rockets again landed in northern Israel Monday, wounding at least one person. Israel's top leadership meets Monday to discuss whether to significantly expand bombing and ground operations in Lebanon.

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Israel's security cabinet meets on the status of Lebanon operations Monday. Newspapers report that military planners have asked Prime Minister Ehud Olmert for permission to expand targets to include Lebanon's vital infrastructure².

Also under discussion is a proposal to have Israeli troops attempt to push north to the Litani River - about 20 kilometers inside Lebanon - a proposal that Agriculture Minister Shalom Simhon says he supports.

Simhon says the Israeli Army needs to move further north to destroy Hezbollah's capacity to launch rockets - which he says have paralyzed life in northern Israel. 

Man reacts as he walks past destroyed building attacked by Israeli warplane missiles, in southern suburbs of Beirut, Monday

Israel has about 10,000 ground troops inside Lebanon but they have so far not been able to significantly deter³ Hezbollah rocket launches - which have increased in recent days.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has urged the U.N. Security Council to "vote quickly" on a draft resolution for a "cessation of hostilities⁴." The draft allows Israel to respond if attacked by Hezbollah militants⁵ and to keep its forces inside Lebanon until a possible deployment⁷ of international peacekeepers.

Israeli Foreign Ministry⁸ Spokesman Yigal Palmor says Israel believes only international peacekeepers can end the crisis.

"Lebanon cannot control Hezbollah, the central government is too weak," he said. "This is why they need to be assisted by the international community, not only in words, and in Security Council resolutions, but in facts with deeds on the ground. That means an international military force that will deploy⁶ wherever it is needed in the South, or along the Lebanon-Syria, border to assist the Lebanese Army and the Lebanese police in enforcing law and order." 

artillery9 piece fires towards Lebanon " width="195" border="0" src="/upimg/allimg/070414/1615492.jpg" /> Israeli gunner prepares next shell after artillery piece fires towards Lebanon

Lebanese leaders have so far said the U.N. plan is unacceptable because it allows Israel to keep its forces inside their country until the peacekeepers arrive. Lebanese leaders have asked the U.N. demand that Israeli forces leave Lebanon immediately once a cease-fire takes effect.

Arab foreign ministers meeting in Beirut on Monday are expected to give a strong endorsement¹⁰ to the Lebanese proposal.

1 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

2 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

3 deter   

vt.阻止，使不敢，吓住

参考例句：

• Failure did not deter us from trying it again.失败并没有能阻挡我们再次进行试验。
• Dogs can deter unwelcome intruders.狗能够阻拦不受欢迎的闯入者。

4 hostilities   

n.战争；敌意(hostility的复数)；敌对状态；战事

参考例句：

• Mexico called for an immediate cessation of hostilities. 墨西哥要求立即停止敌对行动。
• All the old hostilities resurfaced when they met again. 他们再次碰面时，过去的种种敌意又都冒了出来。

5 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

6 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。

7 deployment   

n. 部署,展开

参考例句：

• He has inquired out the deployment of the enemy troops. 他已查出敌军的兵力部署情况。
• Quality function deployment (QFD) is a widely used customer-driven quality, design and manufacturing management tool. 质量功能展开(quality function deployment,QFD)是一个广泛应用的顾客需求驱动的设计、制造和质量管理工具。

8 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

9 artillery   

n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队)

参考例句：

• This is a heavy artillery piece.这是一门重炮。
• The artillery has more firepower than the infantry.炮兵火力比步兵大。

10 endorsement   

n.背书；赞成，认可，担保；签(注)，批注

参考例句：

• We are happy to give the product our full endorsement.我们很高兴给予该产品完全的认可。
• His presidential campaign won endorsement from several celebrities.他参加总统竞选得到一些社会名流的支持。