Lebanon condemns Israeli airstrikes along border
SMA NEWS – BEIRUT
Authorities in Lebanon on Thursday condemned airstrikes carried out by the Israeli Air Force, the first in seven years to target Lebanese villages along the border.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which has been deployed in the country since 1978 and has patrolled the border since the 2006 conflict between Lebanon and Israel, said both countries should “act with urgency” to de-escalate tensions.
Following a complaint lodged by Lebanon, UNIFIL has launched an investigation into violations of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 in southern Lebanon in the past 48 hours. Resolution 1701 was adopted as part of the efforts to end the 2006 war.
Candice Ardell, the deputy director of UNIFIL’s media office, said that at dawn on Thursday “UNIFIL peacekeepers heard powerful explosions near Tyre and Marjeyoun and Mahmoudiya in the south of Lebanon.”
She added that Maj. Gen. Stefano Del Col, commander of the UNIFIL peacekeeping forces, led a tripartite meeting with senior officers from the Lebanese Armed Forces and the Israel Defense Forces at a UN facility in Ras Al-Naqoura. Del Col urged both sides to “use this trilateral forum to explore ways to reinforce security and stability along the Blue Line.”
The Israeli attacks came after three rockets were launched from Lebanese territory on Wednesday by unknown forces. Two of them fell on the Israeli city of Kiryat Shmona. The Israeli response set fire to crops.
Lebanese President Michel Aoun described the Israeli strikes as “a flagrant and dangerous violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, and a direct threat to the security and stability in the south.”
He said that they indicate “escalatory and hostile intentions that coincide with the continuing threats against Lebanon and its sovereignty” and added: “Filing a complaint to the UN is a necessary step to deter Israel from continuing its attacks on Lebanon.”
