http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=119032#axzz0yluNIMzy
UNIFIL probes southern blast amid fresh arms claims Israel accuses Hizbullah of placing 15,000 rockets near Blue Line By Patrick Galey and Agence France Presse (AFP) Daily Star staff Monday, September 06, 2010 Listen to the Article - Powered by BEIRUT: The investigation into the blasts which hit a three-storey building in southern Lebanon on Friday continued over the weekend amid Israeli claims that Hizbullah had moved a substantial amount of rockets closer to the Blue Line in anticipation of fresh hostilities. The explosions at a suspected arms depot close to the village of Shehabiyeh are being looked at by a team of investigators which includes members of the Lebanese Army and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). Israeli military spokeswoman Lieutenant Colonel Avital Leibovich told the Associated Press on Saturday that footage obtained by one of its intelligence drones proved the explosions emanated from a residential building used as a Hizbullah arms cache. She alleged that the Shehabiyeh incident was the third of its kind this year and that Hizbullah was actively maintaining several weapons stores close to the Blue Line - in contravention of international resolutions. Leibovich claimed the party had ammunition silos dotted around 160 southern towns and villages. Following the blasts, Israel's Ambassador to Washington, Michael Oren, accused Hizbullah of placing 15,000 rockets along the Blue Line, some capable of reaching southern Eilat. "The Syrian-Iranian backed Hizbullah poses a very serious threat to Israel," Oren said. "Hizbullah today now has four times as many rockets as it had during the 2006 Lebanon war. These rockets are longer-range. Every city in Israel is within range right now, including Eilat." Hizbullah has maintained its policy of refusing to comment on the make-up of its arsenal, which some Israeli analysts estimate to comprise 40,000 warheads. The party released a statement on Friday dismissing the Shehabiyeh incident as "a fire." Oren accused Hizbullah of actively maintaining its weapons, which if true would constitute a violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 - drafted to end the 2006 July War between Israel and Hizbullah and which stipulates no arms be present in south Lebanon outside of state control. "In 2006, many of their missiles were basically out in the open, in silos and the Israeli air force was able to neutralize a great number of them," the ambassador said. "Today those same missiles have been placed under hospitals, and homes and schools because Hizbullah knows full well if we try to defend ourselves against them, we will be branded once again as war criminals," he claimed. "We know Hizbullah has in violation of UN resolutions once again penetrated southern Lebanon, transformed entire villages into armed camps and put in about 15,000 rockets along the Israeli border," Oren added. Reports from Shehabiyeh suggested that men resembling Hizbullah members had blocked initial Army and UNIFIL investigation teams from entering the blast site. Individuals with communications equipment were seen confiscating rolls of film from journalists and noting reporters' license plates at the scene. UNIFIL spokesperson Neeraj Singh said that an investigation into the blasts was under way and that members of the probe were given free access to the building in question over the weekend. "We have our investigations ongoing although we don't have an investigation report yet. UNIFIL has been on top of things from the time the incident happened," Singh told The Daily Star. "The Sector West Commander [Brigadier General Giuseppe Nicola Tota] went to the spot and went into the house in which the incident happened. We have had good cooperation with the Lebanese Army on this and maintained a substantial presence in the area," Singh said. "On [Saturday] morning an investigation team visited the spot. It all went smoothly and there was no obstruction whatsoever," he added. A suspected Hizbullah arms cache exploded last summer close to the village of Khirbet Silim. In October 2009, a rocket blew up in a garage at Tayr Felsay. Hizbullah denied involvement in both blasts. - With AP, AFP Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=119032#ixzz0ylv0NZg6 (The Daily Star :: Lebanon News :: http://www.dailystar.com.lb) [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
