Two killed in SLA revenge bombardment

Two civilains were killed and a third wounded on July 14 when artillery shells fired by the South Lebanon Army (SLA) crashed into the village of Berti, 10 km east of Sidon, signaling an alarming expansion of the war to areas previously untouched by the conflict.

The shelling brought to three the number of civilians killed in the South during the last week.

It came in response to Hizbullah attack on an SLA position in Bourj Baydoun, near Jezzine, which left two militiamen wounded. They were evacuated to the hospital in Jezzine.

A Hizbullah statement said it attacked the patrol with "automatic weapons and anti-tank grenades" and said it had destroyed an SLA armored vehicle, "killing or wounding all the members of its team."

The bombardment began immediately after the attack, with more than a hundred 155 mm shells fired from Zafata and Majidieh in the occupation zone hitting the stricken area, according to security sources.