Israel Blames Lebanese Govt Following Exchange of Fire

No Apparent Damage or Injuries on Either Side of the Tense Border

Early today, a pair of Katyusha rockets were fired from southern Lebanon, landing in an empty field near an Israeli town but doing no damage and causing no injuries. The Israeli military responded by firing 12 to 15 artillery shells at the site they suspect was the source of the rockets, but again it does not appear to have done any damage or harmed anyone.

And while officials from the Israeli military were privately blaming a small militant group affiliated with “Global Jihad” for the attack, officially the Israeli military has said it holds the Lebanese government responsible for the attack, and has filed a request for UN Security Council action against them for violations of the 2006 ceasefire agreement.

The United States reiterated the Israeli comments as well, saying the missile fire underscored the need for the United Nations to put all arms in Lebanon under control and to commit fully to the UN forces in the south of the nation.

Israel invaded Lebanon in July of 2006 following a flurry of missile attacks and a cross-border raid by Hezbollah. The month long war left well over 1,000 Lebanese killed, mostly civilians, and led to the ceasefire agreement Israel is now accusing the Lebanese government of violating. Despite the fact that the resolution was between the Israeli and Lebanese governments, Lebanese governmental forces were not materially involved in the conflict.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.