Soldiers clearing mines in Kfar Falous shelled by SLA

Soldiers clearing mines from the road between Ain el Mir and Kfar Falous on July 9 came under fire from South Lebanon Army units, security sources said.

Two mortar shells impacted close to the unit, which was removing land mines from a stretch of road under army control in a bid to reopen the Kfar Falous gate between Sidon and the occupied town of Jezzine.

Lebanese president strongly condemned the attack during last night's cabinet session, and pledged the government will not be discouraged "by such harassment."

However, the bombardment, coming three days afterthe Rafik Hariri hospital in Kfar Falous was shelled for the first time in years, indicated that the SLA may prevent the crossing from being reopened.

Two weeks ago, the government announced it would reopen the road at el-Mir to allow the residents of Jezzine easier access to Sidon and Beirut.

The only gateway between the occupied town and the rest of Lebanon is the Bater gate, just north of Jezzine.

While the stretch of road between Ain el-Mir and Kfar Falous is under government authority, the 3 km section from Kfar Falous to Sfarai falls within the occupation zone controlled by the SLA. The SLA has not commented on the issue but July 9's shelling suggests the militia will refuse to comply.

The army said that the road between Ain el Mir and Kfar Falous will be cleared within the next 48 hours.