Israel Shells Lebanese Village After Mysterious Rocket Firing

Israel Blames Lebanese Govt for Incident as Spy Device Tensions Rise

by Jason Ditz, October 27, 2009

A mysterious Katyusha rocket landed in an empty field in northern Israel this evening, causing no damage or injuries. The Israeli military responded by firing several artillery shells at the Houla Village in southern Lebanon.

So far no group has claimed responsibility for the initial rocket firing, but the Israeli military said the strike on the field was of “the utmost severity” and that they held the Lebanese government responsible for the attack. Previous rocket fire in the region has been attributed to a small Sunni militant group operating in the region.

The exchange of fire increased tensions even further, following a string of explosions in southern Lebanon earlier this month which the United Nations attributed to Israel illegally planting spying devices during the 2006 war.

Israel has refused to confirm or deny responsibility for the blasts, but informed the UN yesterday that it will continue to conduct spying operations in southern Lebanon, regardless of its affect on the ceasefire.

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