South Lebanon violence kills 16
Lebanon, Military, 11/25/1997

Clashes continued in southern Lebanon Monday between Israeli troops and Lebanese resistance guerrillas, bringing the number of deaths in three days to 16 and sharply raising tensions in the region.

Israel announced on Monday its soldiers had killed three resistance men in an early morning clash on the edge of an Israeli-occupied enclave. Security sources in the south confirmed the claim, although the guerrilla group, composed mostly of Hizbullah men, declined to comment on any casualties.

Meanwhile, Israeli warplanes Monday bombed resistance bases in south Lebanon, causing no casualties. Its artillery shells injured two fighters, the sources said.

Amal have joined Hizbullah in the fight to oust Israeli troops and their militia allies from the zone Israel has maintained as a buffer zone since 1985.

Amal and Hizbullah both denied, as claimed by Israel, that they were responsible for the attack on Beit Lif earlier this week, accusing Israel of firing the mortars to put the blame on the Lebanese guerrillas. But Israeli officials and Lebanese security sources said the fire came from north of the occupied zone and was apparently fired by mistake by the guerrillas.

Meanwhile, Israel lodged a complaint with a five-nation committee monitoring a cease-fire agreement in south Lebanon, protesting the Beit Lif attack. The Lebanese government also complained over the same incident.

The committee, comprising members from the United States, France, Syria, Israel and Lebanon, will meet Wednesday to discuss the complaints. The committee was created in April 1996, following an Israeli onslaught on Lebanese guerrillas in which at least 170 civilians were killed.

A US-brokered agreement halted the so-called "Grapes of Wrath" operation and created the monitoring committee to monitor the April Understanding, which prohibits both parties from targeting civilians.

In other development, the Lebanese resistance clashed with an Israeli on-foot patrol which was trying to move towards Zien Edin valley in the western sector of South Lebanon. The resistance machine guns and rockets were used in the clashes. Further reports said a group of resistance-men rocketed and machine gunned an Israeli occupation position in al-Hardoun area, while another group attacked a joint Israeli and Lahd militia force in south eastern Sham' town.

Lebanese resistance sources said a group of resistance-men found an explosive charge along the road leading to al-Qutt citadel in the outskirts of Sulum town. The sources added that the charge was linked to electric wires, and was ready for detonation. Also, Israeli jets raided areas adjacent to occupied South Lebanon. Security sources said the raid targeted Zibqin and al Hinich towns in the western sector of South Lebanon, close to the position of the Nepali contingent of the UNIFIL.

In retaliation, the Lebanese resistance confronted the Israeli warplanes by anti-aircraft rockets. The Israeli occupation forces also hit areas close to occupied South Lebanon and Western Bekaa. Security sources said the Israeli artillery violently shelled al Mansouri, Kafra, Yater and Beint al Seyad towns as well as Qliya, al Dalafa, Birket al Jabbour, Abou Rashad mountain, Litani river bed and Lousi areas in the Western Bekaa. The shelling was accompanied by mopping-up operations with heavy machine guns against the targeted areas. Two Lebanese civilians were wounded as a result of the attacks.

Previous Stories:
  Nine civilians killed in south Lebanon violence   (11/24/1997)
  More violence in the South   (11/21/1997)
  Israel decides to stay in Lebanon   (11/20/1997)

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