Army says Thursday strikes on south Lebanon hindering disarmament plan
The Lebanese army, tasked to draw up a plan to disarm Hezbollah, said Thursday that the Israeli strikes on south Lebanon risk slowing down Hezbollah's disarmament.
"These assaults and violations obstruct the army's deployment in the south, and their continuation will hinder the implementation of its plan starting from the area south of the Litani River," the army said in a statement, adding that the attacks brought Israel's ceasefire "violations" to 4,500.
Israel had carried out Thursday air strikes on five towns in southern Lebanon shortly after telling people to flee.
Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported a strike on Mais al-Jabal, a border town ravaged by the war last year between Israel and Hezbollah, where the health ministry said one person was injured.
Strikes also hit the towns of Debbin, Burj Qalawiya, Al-Shahabiya and Kfar Tibnit, the roads out of which were full of people fleeing ahead of the attacks.
President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri condemned the attacks and called for pressure on Israel to stop its aggressions.
Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah said for his part that "the renewed Israeli aggression on southern villages will not push our people to surrender or abandon their land".
Israel has kept up its strikes on southern Lebanon despite a truce signed in November that ended more than a year of hostilities and two months of open war with Hezbollah.
It has also maintained troops in five locations in the south of Lebanon it deems strategic.
Source: Agence France Presse
| Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. | https://mobile.naharnet.com/stories/en/315376 |