Israel announces, Hizbullah denies clashes on borders

The Israeli army announced that fire was exchanged between its forces and fighters of the Lebanese Hizbullah party in Raas al-Naqoura on the western side of the border to the south of Lebanon on Tuesday.

However, sources in the Lebanese army denied these clashes, while Hizbullah party denied in a similar statement the occurrence of the attacks, noting that no fire exchange took place from its side in Shabaa farms.

One Israeli military spokeswoman alleged that an Israeli military position was exposed to fire from the side of one of the party fighters and that the Israeli position retaliated.

No casualties were reports as a result of the clashes which were not confirmed neither by Hizbullah nor by the Lebanese security officials. However, sources in UNIFIL in the region, stressed according to the Israeli radio, that the incident is just a random bullet from the machinegun of one Hizbullah fighter, fired unintentionally.

Worthy mentioning that operations of the Hizbullah party resulted in ending the Israeli occupation of south Lebanon in 2000 after it had lasted for 22 years. Israel says that its withdrawal from Lebanon was completed and that the Shabaa farms are Syrian territories, while both Damascus and Beirut say that the area is a Lebanese territory and is still occupied by Israel.