Israel escalates aggression against South Lebanon
While the Israeli occupation forces on Thursday escalated their aggressions against south Lebanon and the western Bekaa areas, the April Understanding Monitoring Committee started its meetings in the Lebanese border town of al-Naqoura to discuss Lebanese complaints over Israeli violations of the provisions of the understanding.
Meanwhile on Thursday Lebanon reiterated its opposition to any separate agreement with Israel. It asserted the importance of continued cooperation and coordination with Syria and the unity of track and destiny.
Lebanese Prime Minister Salim al-Hoss asserted cohesion between the Syrian and Lebanese tracks and that, "No separate deal will be signed with Israel."
Commenting on what was proposed by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak about an Israeli withdrawal in an agreement with Lebanon, within 11 months, as there are no such security arrangements agreement with Israel in the existence of UN resolution 425.
Meanwhile, Lebanese President Emile Lahoud had received an official invitation from Iranian President Muhammad Khatami to visit Iran in the very near future. The invitation visit was delivered by Iranian Trade Minister Muhammad Shariat-Madari during his meeting with President Lahoud on Thursday in Beirut.
Following the meeting, with the Lebanese president, the Iranian minister stressed Iran's unswerving stand for strengthening and backing relations with Lebanon in all political, cultural, trade and tourism areas.
Later in the day, the secretary general of the Hizbullah Party, Hassan Nasrallah, received the Iranian minister, who is visiting Lebanon to take part in the meetings of the Asian ministerial conference for the UN Trade and Development Conference. Talks dealt with the political situations in the region and Lebanese-Iranian bilateral relations and means of developing them.
Following the meeting the Iranian minister stressed his country's backing for "Lebanon's people, government and national resistance against the Israeli occupation."
Moreover, the April Understanding committee held a meeting on Thursday at the headquarters of UNIFIL in the Lebanese border town of al-Naqoura to study some 13 complaints, of which seven were submitted by Lebanon.
The Lebanese complaints pertain to Israel's bombardment of several villages in south Lebanon, resulted in damaging several houses.
Concerning the repeated Israeli aggressions, the occupation forces renewed their bombardment of areas adjacent to the occupied part of south Lebanon. Lebanese security sources said the Israeli artillery positioned in al-Zaffatah bombarded on Thursday night the woods of Sujoud and Aqmata in al-Tuffah district, using 155 mm shells.