Israeli tank enters Lebanon, Lebanese army says

Apr 14, 2011, 11:33 GMT

Beirut - An Israel tank briefly entered Lebanese territory Thursday to investigate what Israeli troops thought was suspicious activity by villagers in the area, a Lebanese army source said.

'The Lebanese villagers were picking some thyme in the area, which caused suspicions on the Israeli side and prompted an Israeli tank to enter four metres into Lebanese territory to check on what the villagers were doing,' said the army source who requested anonymity.

The incident took place near the village of Adaysseh, near the Israeli border.

Adaysseh witnessed deadly clashes between the Lebanese army and Israeli troops last August, when Israeli soldiers tried to clear several trees near the border.

The clashes left two Lebanese soldiers, a journalist and an Israeli officer dead.

A UN-drawn 'blue line' - established at the end of Israel's 25-year occupation of southern Lebanon in 2000 - forms the border between the two countries. The accuracy of the line has been contested in several areas, especially in the Adaysseh area, by both Israel and Lebanon.

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