Lebanonwire.com | Israel fires on Hezbollah fighters in tense border area

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June 30, 2005

Israel fires on Hezbollah fighters in tense border area

KIRYAT SHMONA, Israel, June 30 (AFP) - Israeli troops opened fire on fighters from Lebanon's Hezbollah movement in a disputed border zone Thursday, raising tensions further after an Israeli soldier was killed by the Shiite Muslim militia.

The violence came as Lebanon was set to name a new prime minister to head the first government elected since Syria ended its three-decade military presence in April.

Military sources said at least one Hezbollah fighter was possibly killed or injured when the militants approached an Israeli army post in the flashpoint Shebaa farms area.

But Hezbollah denied there had been a gunfight with Israeli troops or any victims among its fighters.

"There was no exchange of fire, only an Israeli army sweep," a Hezbollah spokesman said. "There was no one killed or wounded in our ranks."

The incident occurred the day after Hezbollah fighters bombarded an Israeli army post in Shebaa Farms, killing an Israeli soldier and prompting retaliatory artillery fire and air raids.

Israel, which is facing the threat of a new front opening up as it prepares for the Gaza Strip pullout, urged the Lebanese government to take action to bring their common border under control.

"The Lebanese government must take responsibility for the Israeli-Lebanese border and prevent terrorist organisations ... from inflaming the situation," an Israeli army statement said after Wednesday's attack.

"The Lebanese government is responsible for this deterioration as it has allowed Hezbollah to act at will."

Sources in the defence ministry said Israel was determined to respond to any "provocations" by Hezbollah but did not want to see an escalation in tensions along the border.

Overnight, Israeli aircraft dropped thousands of leaflets over areas of southern Lebanon calling on the government and people to prevent Hezbollah from continuing its "aggression against Israeli territory."

"Hezbollah, whose foreign links are known, has resumed its terrorist activitities with a view to provoking an Israeli response... and plunge Lebanon back into fear just as it is hoping to renew itself in stability and prosperity," the leaflet said.

Hezbollah, backed by Syria and Iran, has a large bloc of seats in Lebanon's new parliament in alliance with a smaller Shiite group, Amal. It is under pressure from a UN Security Council resolution to disarm, and this issue will be one of the first tests of a new government about to be formed in Lebanon.

The leaflets said Israel "considers that the Lebanese government is responsible for any aggression carried out from its territory and has the obligation to extend its sovereignty throughout southern Lebanon."

The militia has retained control over the area since May 2000, when Israeli forces withdrew under a Hezbollah-spearheaded guerrilla campaign after a 22-year occupation.

The border remains tense and there have been a number of deadly clashes since then.

The small mountainous Shebaa Farms area lies at the convergence of the Israeli, Lebanese and Syrian borders. It was captured by Israel from Syria in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and is now claimed by Lebanon, with Damascus's approval.

In Washington, the State Department defended Israel's actions after the Wednesday attack.

"I think that based on the information we have now, I would just make clear that in our view Israel has a right to defend itself," spokesman Sean McCormack said.