UNIFIL says Israeli-Lebanon border incident was serious

Feb 8, 2007, 7:39 GMT

Beirut - The UN Interim Force in southern Lebanon (UNIFIL) said Thursday that a shooting incident between Israel and Lebanon during the night was 'serious.'

UNIFIL spokesman Milos Struger said in a statement that 'in a serious incident last night, the Lebanese army and the (IDF) Israeli Defence Force) exchanged fire across the (UN-drawn) Blue Line in the area of Maroun al Ras.' There were no casualties.

'The exchange was initiated by the Lebanese army after an IDF bulldozer crossed the technical fence in an apparent attempt to clear the area between the technical fence and the Blue Line of mines.

'UNIFIL force commander Major Claudio Graziano has been in contact with both sides urging them to cease hostilities immediately. At around 23.30 both sides ceased fire. UNIFIL troops have been deployed in the area.'

Meanwhile, Lebanese army sources told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa that their forces were still on alert in the area where the incident took place.

The source added that the Lebanese army did not receive any information from UNIFIL prior to the incident that Israel was conducting a demining operation in the area.

UN sources in southern Lebanon told dpa that there will be a meeting between the Lebanese-Israeli and UN security committee later Thursday to discuss the 'serious incident.'

The exchange of fire was the first armed incident at the Israeli- Lebanese border since Israeli troops withdrew from Lebanon in October, after fighting a devastating 33-day war against the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah.

Hassan al Khalil, the political advisor of Hezbollah chief Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, praised Thursday the Lebanese army's confrontation of the 'enemy's violation of the Lebanese territories.

A beefed-up UN peacekeeping force is patrolling the volatile border area along with some 15,000 Lebanese army soldiers in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1701 which ended the summer war on Lebanon on August 14.