Wednesday, August 4, 2010

U.S. State Dept: Lebanese army's fire on IDF "totally unjustifie...

US State Department spokesman condemns incident of Lebanese fire on IDF troops

AFP and Ahiya Raved

 

The Lebanese army's fire on IDF troops working on Israel's northern border was "totally unjustified and deliberate," US State Department Spokesman Philip Crowley said Wednesday.

 

Crowley spoke after a statement released by the UN Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) declared that the trees troops were uprooting Tuesday, before shots fired by Lebanese soldiers killed Lieutenant Colonel Dov Harari and wounded Captain Ezra Lakia, were located the "Israeli side".

 

"UNIFIL has established... that trees chopped down by the Israeli army are located south of the Blue Line, the Israeli side," UNIFIL said Wednesday in a statement.

 

The Blue Line was drawn by the UN following the withdrawal of the IDF in May 2000 from southern Lebanon after 22 years of occupation to act as a border.