Israel expands border by annexing a Lebanese town

Lebanese security sources stressed news reports that a joint force of Israelis and Israeli-allied South Lebanon Army militia troops on Wednesday at 7 p.m. approached the surroundings of Arnoun water reservoir banks accompanied by trucks, lorries and Jeeps and installed a fence around the city of Arnoun. Then the joint force established a barrier to inspect the documents of cars heading for Yahmur.

The operation lasted until midnight. Lebanese citizens from the area said that the joint Israeli -SLA force told them that Arnoun has become inside the security belt and that Birket (Arabic for pool or small lake) Arnoun has become the separating border.

Lebanon's news agency described the move by Israel as meant to add pressure on Lebanon. The report said "Heavy bulldozers were duly seen errecting 3 to 9 meters-high earthworks while troops were buzy unfolding barbed wire fences around the villages. Villagers trying to travel on customary highways were fired on subjected to hours of interrogation before being told that commuting would be only allowed through Kfar-Tibneet crossing or other crossings manned by (Israeli-Backed) SLA militiamen."

The Lebanese news agency said "Israeli gunboats cruising off the shore of Tyre fired their heavy machineguns forcing Lebanese fishermen back into Tyre seaport. no damage or casualties were reported."

Lebanese President Emile Lahoud on Thursday received members of the US delgation to the April Understanding Monitoring Committee, led by Richard Adman. The US ambassador to Lebanon, David Satterfield, also attended the meeting.

The Lebanese President informed the American side of the committee and the ambassador that Lebanon has decided to lodge an immediate complaint on the Israeli actions against the citizens and town of Arnoun. The Lebanese president described these measures as constituting a new aggression in the series of the Israeli aggressions against Lebanon.