Three Grads found in south Lebanon

Several hours after at least three Katyusha rockets fired from Lebanon landed near Kiryat Shmona, a joint UNIFIL-LAF (Lebanese Armed Forces) patrol discovered three live Grad rockets prepared for launch in the El Hebbariye area, in south Lebanon. Sappers safely deactivated the rockets.UNIFIL said its forces and the Lebanese army were continuing intensive patrols and searches throughout the area.Wednesday morning's Katyusha fire was the second rocket attack from Lebanon in less than a week.While security forces continued to search for the rockets, there were no immediate reports of anyone wounded or damage to property.The army launched a counter strike, firing artillery shells at the assumed location of the Katyusha launchers.Lebanese officials also confirmed that several rockets were fired, with at least one falling short inside Lebanon. They said that the source of the rockets was likely the village of Kfar Hamam.Israeli helicopter gunships flew reconnaissance missions along the heavily protected border as Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers sent out patrols, the Lebanese officials said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press.The IDF Northern Command announced it was holding ongoing security assessments in light of the situation."We view the Lebanese government and military as responsible for preventing such attacks," an army statement said.Following the strike, the Home Front Command ordered all residents of the North to stay close to bomb shelters in case there was a repeat attack. Students in Kiryat Shmona were moved underground into bomb shelters for the rest of their school day.UNIFIL said that its commander, Major-General Claudio Graziano, was in contact with the LAF and the IDF. The peacekeeping force said Graziano urged maximum restraint and was working with both parties to maintain the cessation of hostilities.In a statement released to the press, former deputy defense minister and current chairman of the Yisrael Hazaka party, Ephraim Sneh, said that Israel must consider this attack when deciding on how to proceed with the operation in the South."The Katyusha rocket fire is a reminder of the lesson from the Second Lebanon War," he said."The operation in Gaza must not end like the Second Lebanon War ended, with Gaza being left as a Hamas base just like south Lebanon is left as a Hizbullah base," Sneh continued. "We must topple the Hamas regime in Gaza."Several incidents of this nature have occurred since the onset of Operation Cast Lead more than two weeks ago. Last Thursday, three Katyusha rockets struck Nahariya, lightly wounding two people in a retirement home.The IDF had prepared for the scenario that Hizbullah would try and exploit the situation in Gaza by firing on Israel in the North. The army placed its forces in the North on high alert since the start of Operation Cast Lead, and diverted reservists, ground troops and other units into the area to bolster the regular presence there. Hizbullah denied any involvement in last week's attack. According to assessments, Palestinians from refugee camps in southern Lebanon were responsible for the incident, although no one has taken responsibility for firing the rockets.In other cross-border violence, on Tuesday, a Jordanian soldier fired on Israeli Border Police who were conducting a patrol. While their jeep sustained damage, no one was wounded in the attack. Similarly, on Sunday a man fired on Israeli troops from the Syrian side of the border. He missed the soldiers, but hit a car that was carrying farmers. No one was wounded in that incident either. Yaakov Katz and AP contributed to this report
By JPOST.COM STAFF AND BRENDA GAZZAR
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Three Katyusha rockets fired from Lebanon land near Kiryat Shmona
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