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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran | ||
| Peretz: IAF did NOT fire on German warship | ||
| 2006-10-25 | ||
The IDF Spokesperson's Office released a statement stating unequivocally that "contrary to reports, the IDF did not fire at a German warship." "The defense minister clarified to his German counterpart that Israel did not fire any shots on German planes or ships," said a Defense Ministry statement. "The defense minister said that Israel had no intention whatsoever to carry out attacks against German forces," continued the statement, adding that Peretz had stressed to Jung the need to "increase cooperation both directly and in the framework of the UNIFIL peacekeeping force." Earlier, the German Defense Ministry reported that it was investigating an incident in which two IAF fighter jets allegedly fired shots and dropped flares near a German warship patrolling the Lebanese coast. A ministry spokesman, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Wednesday that the planes - two F-16s - fired two shots and released the flares, which can be used as a defense measure against heat-seeking missiles.
The spokesman did not identify the vessel. A German naval task force led by the frigate Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is off the coast of Lebanon seeking to prevent weapons smuggling as part of the UNIFIL peacekeeping force set up to secure a UN-brokered cease-fire that ended 34 days of fighting between Israel and Lebanon-based Hizbullah guerrillas in southern Lebanon on August 14. | ||
| Posted by:lotp |