| Submit your comments on this article |
| Israel-Palestine |
| Hezbollah Shells Israeli Troops on Lebanese Border |
| 2004-03-22 |
| The largely dormant Lebanese-Israeli front erupted in fighting Monday, with Hezbollah (search) guerrillas shelling Israeli positions in a disputed area and Israel retaliating with airstrikes. The escalation, the first since January, came amid outrage in the Arab world after Israeli missiles killed Sheik Ahmed Yassin, founder of the Islamic militant group Hamas, earlier Monday. Lebanese officials said Hezbollah guerrillas fired rockets and mortar shells at Israeli military outposts inside the disputed Chebaa Farms area near the borders of Lebanon, Syria and Israel. In a statement to The Associated Press, Hezbollah linked the attack to Yassin’s assassination, saying it attacked "all Zionist enemy positions in the Chebaa Farms, using direct weapons and rockets and scoring direct hits." It said the targeted positions were Roueissat el-Alam, al-Samaka, Zibeddin, Roueissat al-Karn, al-Radar and Ramtha. The Israeli army said its fighter jets were responding and troops also used artillery fire against suspected guerrilla hideouts near the Chebaa Farms. The army said Hezbollah fired anti-tank missiles. Lebanese officials said Israeli warplanes fired three missiles into valleys and mountainous areas near the villages of Kfar Chouba and Hilta, they said. There was no immediate word on casualties. Later Monday, Hezbollah guerrillas attacked another Israeli position on the edge of the Chebaa Farms, Hezbollah’s Al Manar TV reported. Witnesses said Hezbollah fired a total of 11 rockets at the Zaaroura military outpost. |
| Posted by:mojo |