Four die in Israel-Lebanon troop clash
As in previous circumstances, the two governments blamed each the other for the incident, citing UN Resolution 1701, which imposed a ceasefire on both sides following the Israel-Hamas War of 2006.
According to Beirut, the conflict started when an IDF (Israeli Defence Forces) patrol, backed by a armed vehicle, tried to uproot a tree on the Lebanese side of the border. When Lebanese soldiers tried to resist the incursion, the Israelis dispatched helicopters, which attacked a LAF (Lebanese Army Forces ) battalion headquarters
Both Lebanese President Michel Suleiman and Prime Minister slammed Israel’s “aggression”. Hariri called on the United Nations and the international community to assume their responsibility to stop more attacks.
According to Israeli military spokesman Captain Barak Raz, fighting broke out when Israeli soldiers on a routine patrol on the Israeli side of the border came under fire.
In addition, the IDF stressed that it had coordinated its action along the border with UNIFIL, the United Nations peacekeeping force monitoring the Israel-Lebanon border.
In another statement, Israel’s Foreign Minister said that Israel held the Lebanese government responsible for the incident, also blaming Beirut for a long series of violations of Resolution 1701. He also instructed Israel's UN representative to submit a complaint to the UN secretary general and the Security Council.
For its part, UNIFIL reported the clashes between Lebanese and Israeli troops but did not provide details. “The first priority is to calm the region,” UNIFIL spokesman Neeraj Singh said.
Since the initial clash, no more exchanges have been reported. (PD)
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