Lebanon: Shots fired at UNIFIL from Israel

 

UN blue helmets investigate shots fired into Lebanon from Israeli side of dividing line

3 March 2009 –Shots were fired today into Lebanese territory from the Israeli side of the Line of Withdrawal in contravention of the United Nations resolution that helped end fighting between the countries two years ago, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) reports.A team of UNIFIL blue helmets investigating the circumstances of the incident said that at least two of the 15 shots hit a wall 50 metres over the line separating Israeli and Lebanese forces in the area of El Adeisse.

The UNIFIL Force Commander, Major General Claudio Graziano, has been in contact with the Senior Commanders of the Lebanese Armed Forces and the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) on the matter, the Mission said.

There were no reported injuries, but a UN spokesperson told correspondents in New York that “This is a serious incident and a violation of Security Council resolution 1701,” adding that UNIFIL has protested to the IDF.

 ———————————-
Al-Masakin News Agency
http://almasakinnewsagency.wordpress.com/
http://feeds.feedburner.com/Al-masakinNewsAgency
http://almasakinnewsagency.wordpress.com/feed/
http://twitter.com/AlMasakin

Three rockets slam Western Galilee

Hezbollah cleared, Palestinian Hamas denies responsibility, Lebanese PM Siniora calls attack a violation of UN resolution 1701 and a conspiracy to provoke Israel.

three_rockets_slam_western_galilee_8_jan._09.pdf
download PDF (76.0 KB)

The Agencies

No New Rockets on North, Israel Reports False Alarms

BEIRUT, LEBANON, Jan. 8 (Al-Manar)—The Israeli occupation army said Thursday at noon that no new rockets have hit northern occupied territories, adding that there had been a false alarm in two northern settlements.

Earlier, three Katyusha rockets fired from southern Lebanon landed in Western Galilee region Thursday morning, near the settlement of Nahariya. Israeli Police reported that four people were wounded and several settlers were treated for shock. The Israeli army fired at least five shells at the launching site, according to Lebanese security sources.

Israeli authorities closed schools for a brief time but reopened them later.

The rocket attack was not attributed to any organization and there were no claim of responsibility by any side yet. Officials

from the Palestinian resistance group Hamas in Lebanon denied that it carried out the attack.

The Israeli media quoted Israeli sources in the Israeli army northern command as saying that the “short salvo on Thursday morning was likely to have been fired by Palestinian terror groups and not by Hezbollah.”

The southern region of Litani River in south Lebanon is under the jurisdiction of 15,000 UNIFIL soldiers and an equal number of Lebanese Army troops.

Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah warned Israel Wednesday that if Israel decides to attack Lebanon, “their soldiers will soon discover that their aggression in 2006 on Lebanon will be a picnic compared to what we have prepared for them.”

Lebanon reiterates commitment to UN resolution 1701

BEIRUT, Jan 8 (NNN-KUNA)—Lebanon has reiterated its commitment to resolution 1701, saying that the firing of rockets from South Lebanon was executed by parties that wanted to push the country into a state that served the interests of Israel.

Prime Minister Fuad Siniora, in a press statement Thursday, said that he immediately contacted President Michel Suleiman, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, Defence Minister Elias Murr, and Army Commander General Jean Kahwagi.

He said he also talked to UNIFIL Commander Major General Claudio Grazion to discuss details of the incident. “What took place in the South is a violation of resolution 1701, and this is unacceptable to Lebanon,” he said.

He said that the Lebanese authorities had requested the assistance of the UNIFIL to investigate the matter and to find means to prevent its recurrence.

He also reiterated his country’s commitment to the UN resolution, saying that the perpetrators of the attack “want to serve the interests of Israel and not those of Lebanon or the Palestinians and Arabs.”

He also condemned the “Israeli response by targeting Lebanese territories,” adding that the UNIFIL was asked to control the situation side-by-side with the Lebanese army. Meanwhile, the UNIFIL has declared a state of high alert in the South.

UN resolution 1701 was adopted by the UNSC Aug. 11 2006 to establish a permanent cease fire between Lebanon and Israel calling for “the immediate cessation by Hezbollah of all attacks and the immediate cessation by Israel of all offensive military operations.” In so doing it established a buffer zone wherein no armed personnel are allowed between the UN established ‘Blue Line’ and the River Litani 12 miles to the north. UNIFIL is the United Nation Interm Force in Lebanon. It was established by two UN resolutions, 425 (1978) and 426 (1978), after a March 11, 1978 attack on Israel for which the PLO claimed responsibility.

Al-Masakin News Agency
http://almasakinnewsagency.wordpress.com