Beirut, Updated 11 Oct 04, 10:34
Warning Hizballah, cool it with the rockets into Northern Israel or we will 'Gaza' you next!
Israeli fighter-bombers staged massive mock assaults on south Lebanon Monday as the army moved troops and tanks onto the Fatima border checkpoint in a surprise move that panicked many residents of the volatile region, Beirut media accounts reported. Jets repeatedly sent thunderous booms sweeping through Marjayoun, Hasbaya and the Shabaa farms zone as they mounted low altitude supersonic runs at mid-morning, while ground troops were conducting the Fatima buildup, the reports said. No reason was given to the sudden flare of tension, which followed reports in the Beirut press that a rocket was fired from south Lebanon in the direction of Jewish settlements. It landed harmlessly somewhere in northern Israel, the reports said. An Nahar said Lebanese security forces which rushed to the suspected rocket-firing scene between the tiny border hamlets of Jibbine and Yarin discovered two other rockets at the western sector of the U.N.-carved Blue Line. |