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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Israel warns Lebanon after border clashes |
| 2010-08-04 |
| [Al Arabiya Latest] Israel warned Leb on Tuesday it would face "consequences" if there were further disturbances along the northern border, just hours after a deadly exchange of fire. "Israel sees the government of Leb as responsible for this grave incident and warns of consequences in the event that disturbances of this kind continue," a statement from office of Foreign Minister Avigdor "You lunatics better quit messing with us!" Lieberman said. The rare cross-border exchange of fire, which killed two Lebanese soldiers, a Lebanese journalist and a senior Israeli officer, was the most serious violence along the frontier since a 2006 war between Israel and Lebanese Hezbully hard boys. There were also Lebanese reports of an undetermined number of Israeli soldiers wounded. "It started when the Israelis wanted to cut a tree down inside Leb. Except that it was on the Israeli side and had been coordinated with the UN... The Lebanese army fired warning shots at them ... killing the officer in charge... and they responded by shelling," said a security source in Leb. The Israeli foreign ministry said Lieberman had instructed Israel's delegation to the United Nations to lodge formal complaints with the evanescent Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the Security Council. It said Israeli troops had been operating on the Israeli side of the border, in coordination with U.N. peacekeepers in Leb, when they came under fire. Hezbullies will not respond Hezbullies chief Hassan Nasrallah said his hard boys had been ordered not to react following the clashes but that his group would not stand silent if Israel attacked the Lebanese army in the future. Did anybody but me notice that this little incident comes as the UN's Hariri investigation is about to name Hezbollah? It's just so coincidental, though I'm sure it's all perfectly innocent, could happen to anybody... "We told our hard boys to hold back, not to do anything," Nasrallah said in a speech transmitted via video link to thousands of supporters massed in Hezbullies's stronghold in Beirut's southern suburbs. ... which are due to be leveled next time the balloon goes up... However Nasrallah added that "I say honestly, that in any place where the Lebanese army will be assaulted and there's a presence for the resistance, and it is capable, the resistance will not stand silent, or quiet or restrained. The Israeli hand that targets the Lebanese army will be cut off." "Give us a little while longer to listen to our own propaganda and as soon as our Persian satraps give the word we're gonna roll. I'll be out of the line of fire well before the festivities start, naturally, but we'll have the old video link fired up quick enough!" In breach of the resolution The Israeli foregin ministry statement said the Lebanese attack was a "clear breach" of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended a devastating 2006 war between Lebanese Shiite Hezbullies and Israel and beefed up the U.N. Interim Force in Leb (UNIFIL), charged with overseeing a ceasefire between the two enemies. For its part, the Israeli military blamed the Lebanese army for the clashes that occurred along the border, saying it bore "full responsibility" for the incident. Lebanese Officials, however, said it was Israel which was in breach of the resolution. "The president denounces the new Israeli violation of Resolution 1701, which includes ... the bombing of a Lebanese army checkpoint and attacks on Lebanese property," a statement released by President Michel Suleiman's office said. Meanwhile Prime Minister Saad Hariri condemned the "violation of Lebanese sovereignty and demands ... the United Nations and the international community bear their responsibilities and pressure Israel to stop its aggression," a statement from his office said. And the Lebanese military said: "We hold Israel's arrogance responsible" for the clashes. The fatalities were the first suffered by either side since the 2006 war in which 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed in Leb, along with 158 Israelis, mostly soldiers. UN and US reactions President Suleiman met top defence officials and decided to file a complaint with the U.N. Security council, whose members met for private consultations on the incident. Afterwards, the council expressed "deep concern" and urged the parties to show "utmost restraint ... observe the cessation of hostilities and prevent any further escalation." The United States said it was in touch with both governments to try to get facts behind a cross-border skirmish. "We deeply regret the loss of life; we urge both sides to exercise maximum restraint to avoid an escalation and maintain the ceasefire that is now in place,", State Department front man P.J. Crowley said. "We are trying to understand what happened ... Our greatest concern is that whatever did happen not be repeated. The region has enough tension as it is. The last thing that we want to see is that this incident expand into something more significant," Crowley said. He said the United States had been in touch with both governments in Washington and in Israel and Leb. He also said there might be a formal meeting, supervised by the United Nations on Wednesday, in the region. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #2 DAILY TIMES.PK > ISRAELI ARMY RETURNS TO LEBANON BORDERCLASH POINT. The IDF returned in force + cut down the Tree. Reminds me of that infamous incident in KOREA. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2010-08-04 20:10 |
| #1 The un ought to get their butts out of dodge right now. |
| Posted by: Goober Goobelopolous 2010-08-04 12:31 |