 Lebanese soldiers found two Katyousha rockets primed for launch toward Israel after receiving a tip Friday, security sources said. An army patrol found the rockets near the southern village of Markaba, and afterward conducted a search for those who might have planned to launch the rockets. Small Palestinian groups have, in the past, fired or attempted to fire rockets into northern Israel, prompting the Lebanese Army to arrest a few Palestinian gunmen. However, Palestinian officials denied any involvement in the matter.
Khaled Aref, Palestine Liberation Organization secretary in the southern Palestinian refugee camps told The Daily Star: "none of the Palestinian factions own this brand of rockets."
| "We get all of ours from Acme by mail order..." |
Hizbullah, which has posts in South Lebanon, has rarely fired rockets at Israel since the Israelis pulled their forces from most of the South in 2000. Hizbullah had no comments on the matter. On Wednesday, Hizbullah's Marjayoun-Hasbaya MP Ali Hassan Khalil said that a large part of both the Lebanese opposition and the authorities agreed on the fact that the group remains a resistance force, a hint at keeping Hizbullah's arms. However, pressure has been mounting after a U.S.-French backed UN resolution was issued last year calling for disarming and dismantling of all militias. |