A Katyusha rocket fired from Lebanon struck northern Israel on Saturday, lightly wounding two people, the Israel Defense Forces said. Another three people were treated for shock, and a house was damaged.
In Beirut, a Lebanese security source said Israel had responded by firing at least six artillery shells into southern Lebanon. The IDF Spokesperson Office said Israel held the Lebanese government and the Lebanese army accountable.
The rocket exploded a few meters from a house, where a 20-year-old was lightly injured in her sleep. "Shattered glass was scattered all over the house," her father said. "Not a single window pane remained intact."
The leader of the local council said that the incident came "out of the blue." Because of the stormy weather, he said, some people thought that the explosion was a thunder.
The Lebanese source, asking not to be identified, said: "Two rockets were fired from the area of Mansouri, south of Tyre, towards the direction of Israel." "One of these rockets landed (within Lebanese territory). The other rocket's location has not been determined," said the source.
A statement from Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's office said Lebanon was committed to implementing UN Security Council resolution 1701 which ended a month-long war between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas in 2006. He said the attack threatened the area's stability and condemned Israel's artillery fire.
"Prime Minister Siniora (said) the rockets launched from the south threaten security and stability in this region and are a violation of resolution 1701, and these issues are rejected, condemned and denounced... Israeli artillery (fire is an) inexcusable violation of Lebanese sovereignty," the statement said. |