UN tells of “Israeli” border violation

Source: Aljazeera.net, 29-9-2006
"Israel" has violated the UN-drawn border it shares with Lebanon, the spokesman for the UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon says.
The spokesman would not provide details about the violation, but an Associated Press photographer who witnessed Thursday`s incident said an "Israeli" armoured vehicle and two jeeps drove through the border fence and tried to penetrate further into Lebanese territory when UN French peacekeepers blocked their path.
The incident came six weeks after a ceasefire between "Israel" and Hizbullah fighters went into effect in the region, and happened near the Lebanese border village of Marwaheen.
It ended peacefully after a standoff that lasted about half an hour, the photographer said.
The "Israeli" army confirmed that its troops came close to the French peacekeepers on Thursday but said there was no conflict between the two sides.
"Israeli" forces have been operating inside Lebanon in the Marwaheen area since the ceasefire took effect and would continue to operate there until it is transferred over to international peacekeepers, the army said.
No details
Alexander Ivanko, a spokesman for the UN peacekeeping force known as Unifil, would not provide details about the violation but also said there was no standoff.
"The French peacekeepers observed an "Israeli" violation of the Blue Line and reported it to the Unifil command," Ivanko said, referring to the UN-demarcated line between Lebanon and "Israel".
The UN peacekeeping force began deploying in southern Lebanon last month to cement the UN-brokered ceasefire between "Israel" and Hizbullah fighters.
Ivanko said the UN expects the "Israeli" withdrawal from southern Lebanon to be completed by the end of the month. But "Israeli" officials said on Thursday that they were reluctant to complete the pullout.
The AP photographer said he saw French peacekeepers talk with "Israeli" soldiers after UN tanks blocked the "Israeli" vehicle and jeeps from driving further into Lebanon. After a peaceful standoff that lasted about a half hour, the "Israeli" armoured vehicle and the two jeeps moved back into "Israel", and UN peacekeepers remained at the site, the photographer said.
Despite repeated "Israeli" assurances of a quick troop withdrawal from Lebanon, "Israeli" officials say they are reluctant to complete the pullout.
Unresolved issues
Several issues - large and small - remain unresolved, involving the future roles of Hizbullah fighters, UN forces and the Lebanese army in the border area, and the overall prospect of keeping the guns and rockets silent.
"Israelis" also warn that daily protests on the border, in which a few dozen people waving large Hizbullah flags throw rocks at "Israeli" army vehicles patrolling a road in "Israel" across the chain-link fence, could escalate into cross-border fighting.
Cabinet Minister Gideon Ezra told a cabinet meeting on Wednesday that "Israel" had to stop the protests before they spiral out of control. The "Israeli" army chief, Lieutenant-General Dan Halutz, told the meeting he instructed soldiers to fire on stone-throwers in self defence and informed the UN forces of his decision.
"We clarified that we will use means to disperse protests against Hizbullah along the border," Halutz told the cabinet, according to a participant. Soldiers who feel threatened will fire in the air and then at the legs of demonstrators, Halutz said.
Remaining soldiers
"Israeli" security officials say a few thousand "Israeli" troops are still just across the border in Lebanon, left over from a large-scale "Israeli" offensive that followed a July 12 border raid by Hizbullah fighters, who killed three soldiers and captured two others.
The "Israeli" withdrawal from Lebanon is a key component of the UN ceasefire that took effect August 14 and ended the 34 days of fighting between "Israel" and Hizbullah. More than 850 Lebanese were killed, mostly civilians, and almost 160 "Israelis" died in the war.
The truce is outlined in a UN Security Council resolution, which calls for an international force of 15,000 UN peacekeeping troops to join 15,000 Lebanese soldiers in patrolling a buffer zone in southern Lebanon to prevent renewed hostilities between "Israel" and Hizbullah.