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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran | |
| Two Lebanese soldiers killed in clash with IDF on northern border | |
| 2010-08-03 | |
Israel's northern border erupted on Tuesday as the Israel Defense Forces exchanged fire with the Lebanese army, killing two Lebanese soldiers, in what appeared to be the most serious military confrontation since Israel's month-long war with Hezbollah in 2006.
In Lebanon, security sources said that Israeli shells fired at the southern Lebanese border village of Aadassi hit a house, wounding two - a soldier and a civilian. Lebanese troops responded with artillery fire, Lebanese press reports said, while eyewitnesses said fire had broken out in two buildings in the village. "It started when the Israelis wanted to cut a tree down inside Lebanon," one security source in Lebanon said. "The Lebanese army fired warning shots at them and they responded by shelling." Since the end of the Second Lebanon War, the IDF has conducted patrols up to the international border, which in some places is on the Lebanese side of the border fence. It is possible that Tuesday's incident was caused by one of the sides misidentifying the correct location of the border. In Lebanon, there was a report that Lebanese soldiers demanded that Israeli troops leave the area before the exchange of fire took place. Responding to the incident, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman authorized Israel's UN ambassador Gabriella Shalev to lodge an official complaint against Lebanon with the UN Security Council. In a statement, the Israeli government blamed Lebanon for provoking the clash, saying it took a particularly grave view of the action as IDF soldiers had been working in complete coordination with UN peacekeepers. "Israel sees this incident as a violation of UN Security Council resolution 1701, one of a long line of violations, first of which is the massive arming of Hezbollah in southern Lebanon," the statement read. "Israel views the government of Lebanon as responsible for this grave event and warns of possible consequences if these violations continue." Also on Tuesday there were reports that a Katyusha rocket fired from Lebanon struck the northern Galilee - but police dispatched to the area could find no trace of an impact. Residents living close to border reported hearing several loud explosions. Aharon Valensi, head of the Upper Galilee Regional Council, told television news that residents of the area had been told to take cover in bomb shelters. "We're ready," he said. "The IDF prepared us for situations like this and we just hope that it is only a localized incident." Israeli military engineering units maintain a security fence along the border with southern Lebanon. The region has traditionally been a stronghold for Hezbollah but regular Lebanese troops returned to the area in 2006 following Israel's summer war with the Shi'a militant group. A 12,000-strong United Nations peacekeeping force, UNIFIL, is also deployed in the area. Following news of the incident, UNIFIL issued a statement calling on both armies to show "maximum restraint" and prevent an escalation of hostilities. Tuesday's clash follows rocket attacks on Monday on the southern city of Eilat and neighboring Aqaba in Jordan, in which a Jordanian citizen was killed and five others were injured. | |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #8 Casualties repor now up to FIVE - started out being repor as 2 Lebanese Soldats + 1 Journalist, now is 4 Leb Soldats + 1 Israeli Officer. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2010-08-03 23:05 |
| #7 So what did the UNIFIL see, Sergeant Schultz? |
| Posted by: Mr. Bill 2010-08-03 21:42 |
| #6 Actually, one or two Israeli soldiers were hurt or killed, I heard, and then Israel fired back. Maybe the Israeli response wasn't so disproportionate after all. |
| Posted by: gorb 2010-08-03 20:54 |
| #5 The BBC's Wyre Davies: "United Nations peacekeepers in southern Lebanon say they are trying to restore calm" lol.... just go home , your work is done here .... |
| Posted by: Black Charlie 2010-08-03 14:49 |
| #4 A 12,000-strong United Nations peacekeeping force, UNIFIL, is also deployed in the area. If by force, you mean vacationing at the beach and watching all the bikini clad-girls. |
| Posted by: Charles 2010-08-03 14:48 |
| #3 "Lebs say Israeli shelling killed three Lebanese troops and a journalist with the Al-Akhbar newspaper." So Pappy, what you are saying is four combatants were killed by the IDF. |
| Posted by: GORT 2010-08-03 12:26 |
| #2 VoA sez: Lebs say Israeli shelling killed three Lebanese troops and a journalist with the Al-Akhbar newspaper. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2010-08-03 10:58 |
| #1 "The Lebanese army fired warning shots at them and they responded by shelling." Yar! Good display of disproportionate force! It's the only thing those clowns understand. |
| Posted by: gorb 2010-08-03 10:13 |