IDF: Bad Maps Led to 25 Jul 06 Strike on UN Post in LBN

[The Bread Guy]

Israeli report: Bombing of UN peacekeepers in Lebanon due to inaccurate maps
Canadian Press, 14 Sept 06
http://www.recorder.ca/cp/World/060914/w091447A.html

Israel on Thursday released details of its report on the killing of four UN peacekeepers in an Israeli air strike in Lebanon, saying their position, close to a Hezbollah rocket launch-site, was erroneously targeted because of flawed Israeli military maps. Maj. Paeta Hess-von Kruedener of Kingston, Ont., a 20-year veteran, was one of the peacekeepers killed in the attack.  Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said the findings were handed to diplomats from Canada, China, Finland and Austria, which each had a peacekeeper killed in the July 25 strike on the UN post at Khiam, southern Lebanon, about 180 metres from a position manned by Hezbollah, which at the time was firing salvos of rockets into Israel, where they killed 39 civilians . . . . .


Israel provides info on UNTSO deaths
Herb Keinon, Jerusalem Post, 14 Sept 06
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1157913631667&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Israel on Thursday presented diplomatic officials from Canada, China, Finland and Austria with the findings of the investigation into the killing of four UNTSO (United Nations Truce Supervision Organization) observers in Lebanon on July 25. One soldier from each of the four countries was killed in the incident which, for a brief period, strained Israel's relations with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. Immediately after the attack on the observer post in Khiyam near the eastern end of the border with Israel, Annan expressed "shock and deep distress" over what he called the "apparently deliberate targeting" of the UN position . . . . The report did not, however, include the e-mail message sent by one of those killed, Canadian Maj. Paeta Hess-von Kruedener, to a Canadian colleague, Major General Lewis Mackenzie, saying there was extensive Hizbullah very close to the post.


Israel says U.N. deaths caused by military map error
Reuters (UK), 14 Sept 06
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/14092006/325/israel-says-u-n-deaths-caused-military-map-error.html

An Israeli air strike which killed four United Nations military observers at their base in Lebanon was due to an error with military maps of the area, an investigation by Israel said on Thursday.  The air strike in July destroyed a U.N. post in southern Lebanon, killing four U.N. peacekeepers from Austria, Canada, China and Finland.  Israel presented the findings of its investigation into the incident on Thursday to officials from the four countries, Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Mark Regev said.  He said maps of the area had been duplicated due to the deployment of more troops in the area . . . .

 

[geo]

Interesting explanation.

Wonder how many "defective" maps were printed up?

 

[The Bread Guy]

...not to mention all the problems they must have had with their GPS's and other gadgets, right?

 

[GAP]

Their maps had the UN position labelled as a Hezbolla position. Was there not an extensive tunnel system just meters from the outpost? I also wonder where the 17 Hezbolla bodies came from....maybe Scotty beamed them down.

 

[TCBF]

There is no crime in trying to hit an enemy target and missing.  The crime here was the UN leaving the team in place hoping to create some Blue Beret "martyrs."

 

[Kat Stevens]

Ding, ding, ding!  We have a winner!  Hold your cards, ladies gents, we have a bingo!

 

[geo]

and there you have it.........

 

[Remius]

There is no crime in trying to hit an enemy target and missing.  The crime here was the UN leaving the team in place hoping to create some Blue Beret "martyrs."

Please tell me you're not being serious with that comment.

 

[geo]

Crantor....
once the shooting started, what did you expect the UN observers to do?
leaving em in harms way once both sides were actively shooting at each other is somewhat irresponsible - no?

 

[Remius]

Crantor....
once the shooting started, what did you expect the UN observers to do?
leaving em in harms way once both sides were actively shooting at each other is somewhat irresponsible - no?

Agreed, but insinuating that "the hope was to create Blue Beret martyrs" is as ridiculous as any other conspiracy theory.

 

[paracowboy]

Agreed, but insinuating that "the hope was to create Blue Beret martyrs" is as ridiculous as any other conspiracy theory.

or, it's deliberate exaggeration for humour and effect.  :

 

[Remius]

Hard to tell when it's just typed.  Thus why I asked if he was being serious.

 

[Petard]

This "excuse" from Israel is B.S.
Wrong map, yeah right. Sounds to me like a pilot screwed up trying to "thread a needle" at altitude more likely
But we can't have the "most professional" airforce in the world accept something like that, no-no-no.
But that's probably going to be all we'll ever hear about this.
This kind of indifference to UN presence whenever these kind of conflicts flare up like this, aught to be mentioned to those who lament we should return to our "traditional" peacekeeping role. Where did that ever work in the last 2 decades?

 

[big bad john]

http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=1448212006

U.N. says Israel used precision bomb to hit U.N. officers
By Evelyn Leopold

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Israel used a precision-guided bomb to launch a direct hit on four U.N. peacekeepers killed in southern Lebanon last July, the United Nations said on Friday of its probe into the incident.

But a report by a special U.N.-appointed board of inquiry could not affix blame because Israel did not allow the access to operational or tactical level commanders involved in the July 25 disaster at Khiam. Four military observers died, officers from Austria, Canada, China and Finland.

Therefore, the board was "unable to determine why the attacks on the U.N. position were not halted, despite repeated demarches (communications) to the Israeli authorities from U.N. personnel, both in the field and in U.N. headquarters," Secretary-General Kofi Annan said in a statement.

Annan said the U.N. bunker at Khiam "was struck by a 500- kilogram precision-guided aerial bomb."

Despite not drawing any conclusions, a senior U.N. official briefing reporters on condition of anonymity, said precision-guided munitions were "precision-guided and meant to hit the targets they hit, which was the United Nations."

"War is hell, peacekeeping is not supposed to be," the official said.

Israel has accepted full responsibility for the incident and apologised to the United Nations for the army's "tragic operational mistake." But Annan and other officials made clear they were not able to verify if and how the error occurred.

The report was released only to Austria, Canada, China and Finland because such investigations are not publicised to preserve the confidentiality of informants in future probes.

"In this particular case, since the Israeli government also conducted its own investigation which they released, we also felt it's necessary to speak about the conclusion of ours," U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

Israel presented its findings on September 15 to the four countries that lost peacekeepers and then briefed reporters.

'HOSTILE ACTIVITY'

Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said maps of the area had been incorrect. "There was a mishap on the Israeli side where in duplication of maps, the U.N. position on the maps was not marked as it should have been and that created the tragedy," he said.

Israel launched an offensive into Lebanon after Hizbollah guerrillas captured two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid on July 12.

Regev said the investigation found that about 100 metres (yards) from the U.N. position there was a Hizbollah position where there was "hostile activity".

U.N. officials agreed Hizbollah guerrillas were at a base in the area as well as in a nearby prison. But they said there was no activity from the militia on July 25 and the U.N. bunker was clearly marked.

Jane Holl Lute, a deputy head of U.N. peacekeeping operations, told the U.N. Security Council on July 26 there were 21 strikes within 300 metres (yards) of the observer post during the six hours before it was completely destroyed.

Twelve of the 21 struck within 100 metres, including four that scored direct hits, Holl Lute said.

While there was speculation Israel may have been targeting Hizbollah positions near the Khiam post, Holl Lute said there was no Hizbollah firing coming from near the outpost.

An Irish army officer in south Lebanon warned Israeli forces six times that its strikes threatened the lives of the four observers, Ireland's Foreign Ministry said.


Photo 1) The United Nations observer post of the U.N Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in south Lebanon that was destroyed by Israeli forces is seen in this photo released July 27, 2006. Israel used a precision-guided bomb to launch a direct hit on four U.N. peacekeepers killed in southern Lebanon last July, the United Nations said on Friday of its probe into the incident. /U.N Press Office/Handout

 

[scm77]

Interesting video that shows how close some of the Hezbollah bunkers were to the UN positions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0VeMV-BAaY&NR
(about two minutes into it)

 

[career_radio-checker]

Well the last time I commented on this topic I got sent to the 'time out box' so I'll cut the profanities and just say this: with the sophistication in the IDF arsenal and the repeated phone calls by the UN observers to the IDF, "Map error" sounds about as plausible as Janet Jackson explaining her "wordrobe malfunction"  :

 

[The Bread Guy]

A bit more, from the UN's side....

SECRETARY-GENERAL RECEIVES REPORT ON ATTACK THAT KILLED OBSERVERS AT KHIAM, LEBANON
UN news release #SG/SM/10666, 29 Sept 06
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2006/sgsm10666.doc.htm

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan:

The Board of Inquiry appointed to investigate the incident at Khiam, Lebanon, in which four UN Military Observers were killed, has now submitted its report to the Secretary-General.

UN Patrol Base at Khiam was struck by a 500 kilogram precision-guided aerial bomb and destroyed at 1925 hours on 25 July 2006.  The Board of Inquiry notes that the Israeli authorities have accepted full responsibility for the incident and apologized to the United Nations for what they say was an “operational level” mistake.  The Board did not have access to operational or tactical level IDF commanders involved in the incident, and was, therefore, unable to determine why the attacks on the UN position were not halted, despite repeated demarches to the Israeli authorities from UN personnel, both in the field and at Headquarters.

The report concludes that all standard operating procedures were followed and no additional actions could have been taken by UN personnel that would have changed the outcome.

The Secretary-General once again pays tribute to the four who gave their lives in the cause of peace, and reiterates his heartfelt condolences to their families.
---

Probe into Israeli killing of UN monitors unable to determine why appeals were ignored
UN News Centre, 29 Sept 06
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=20079&Cr=leban&Cr1=

A board of inquiry into an Israeli attack in Lebanon that killed four United Nations military observers in July had no access to the commanders involved and was therefore unable to determine why the attacks were not halted despite repeated appeals from UN personnel, Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s spokesman said today.

The Board, appointed by the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) as standard procedure in such circumstances, noted that the Israeli authorities accepted full responsibility for the attack on the UN post at Khiyam and apologized for what they say was an “operational level” mistake, the spokesman added in a statement.

But he added: “The Board did not have access to operational or tactical level IDF (Israeli Defence Forces) commanders involved in the incident, and was therefore unable to determine why the attacks on the UN position were not halted despite repeated demarches to the Israeli authorities from UN personnel, both in the field and at Headquarters.”

Immediately after the attack with a 500-kilogram, precision-guided aerial bomb on 25 July, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert expressed “deep sorrow.”

On the day that the four observers – from Austria, Canada, China and Finland – were killed, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said 21 strikes were made within 300 metres of the patrol base, with the UN protesting each one to the IDF. UN Deputy Secretary-General Mark Malloch Brown also made several calls to Israel’s UN mission.

After UNIFIL headquarters lost contact with the base, it coordinated safe passage for two armoured personnel carriers which pushed through and discovered the shelter collapsed and the four observers dead. Despite repeated requests to the IDF to desist, firing was maintained during the rescue operation and continued to strike near UNIFIL positions, UN officials said at the time.

The Security Council called on Israel to conduct a comprehensive inquiry and Mr. Annan suggested a joint UN-Israeli investigation.

Today’s statement said the Board’s report concluded that all standard UN operating procedures had been followed and there was no additional action UN personnel could have taken that would have avoided the outcome.

Mr. Annan once again paid tribute to the four who gave their lives in the cause of peace and reiterated his heartfelt condolences to their families.

 

[Kat Stevens]

Well the last time I commented on this topic I got sent to the 'time out box' so I'll cut the profanities and just say this: with the sophistication in the IDF arsenal and the repeated phone calls by the UN observers to the IDF, "Map error" sounds about as plausible as Janet Jackson explaining her "wordrobe malfunction"  :

Okay, given. It still doesn't explain why those blueberries were still there.  Manure contacting a rotary oscillator is an area weapon with a 360 degree blast radius.  When there is no peace to keep, the blue hats should deedee on down the road.

 

[Bartok5]

Well the last time I commented on this topic I got sent to the 'time out box' so I'll cut the profanities and just say this: with the sophistication in the IDF arsenal and the repeated phone calls by the UN observers to the IDF, "Map error" sounds about as plausible as Janet Jackson explaining her "wordrobe malfunction"  :

X2

I went through 13 weeks of BOTC, 9 months of French Language Training, then 7 months of Phase 2 through 4 Infantry Officer training with "Wolf".  I went on to serve with him as a fellow "subbie" in 2 VP for 3 years.  Then we served together again in 3 PPCLI. 

I attended his memorial service in Kingston a few months ago, and then I had the honour of carrying my friend's remains to his final resting place the next day.

I am not bitter, but nor am I a fool.  The IDF are responsible for the direct and deliberate PGM targeting of that UN installation, and "maps" are not the issue.   All concerned had been there long enough to know who was who, and who was where.   

Just say'in.....

 

[Gunner]

The IDF are responsible for the direct and deliberate PGM targeting of that UN installation, and "maps" are not the issue. 

Mark, I agree but do not let the UN off either, they have a responsibility to remove unarmed MILOBS once the situation begins to deteriorate.