LOC00:20
21:20 GMT
By Ali al-Nasser
BEIRUT, June 17 (KUNA) -- The firing of Katyusha rockets from south Lebanon
at north Israel on Sunday poses a major challenge to the Lebanese army and UN
Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). It is also a breach of UN Resolution 1701.
Two Katyusha rockets exploded near the northern Israeli border town of
Kiryat Shmona. There were no casualties, but roads and vehicles were damaged.
They were fired from al-Edesa which is controlled by the Lebanese army and
UNIFIL.
The rocket-firing has raised fears over the UN resolution, which ended 34
days of military operations between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah fighters on
August 14, 2006.
Israeli security sources said they believed a Palestinian group had fired
the rockets. Israel said it would not "succumb to provocation".
The Lebanese group Hezbollah has denied any involvement in the attack.
No-one has yet claimed responsibility for it.
A Hezbollah spokesman in Beirut said his group was not involved in the
attack, saying: "We had nothing to do with this."
It is the first time Israel has come under such an attack from Lebanon
since last year's conflict with Hezbollah.
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) said it had
nothing to do with the rocket attack at north Israel.
The Lebanese army said in a release, "Unknown elements fired three 107-mm
rockets at occupied Palestinian territories at 5:10 pm."
Immediately, a Lebanese military force combed an area which might be the
source of firing and where it found a rocket that was ready to fire, it said.
For its part, the UNIFIL said the firing of Katyusha rockets was a serious
breach of the UN Resolution 1701.
Joint forces of the UNIFIL and Lebanese army have been deployed at the area
in a bid to hunt the attackers and to thwart more potential rocket attacks,
the UNIFIL added.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad al-Siniora condemned the attack as aiming to
cast doubts on the ability of the Lebanese army and the UNIFIL to protect
south Lebanon, labeling it as "just attempts doomed to failure".
Siniora vowed that all state security agencies would spare no effort to
maintain security and stability in Lebanon.
The incident came while the Lebanese army was still engaged in a violent
gunfight with Fatah al-Islam militants at the Nahar al-Bared Palestinian
Refugee Camp in north Lebanon, which claimed the lives of at least 65 soldiers
and scores of militants.
The incident also came as Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert arrived in New
York for a three-day visit to the US. He had been informed of the attack.
An Israeli official travelling with Olmert said: "It seems that it was
Palestinians, not Hezbollah."
Israel believed Palestinians were trying to trigger a military response but
it would "not be drawn in", the official said. (end)
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