UN investigating rocket salvo from Lebanon

Australian News.Net
Friday 9th January, 2009

The top United Nations official in Lebanon met with Lebanese leaders on Friday to discuss the firing of three rockets into Israel from southern Lebanon on Thursday.

The meeting was to take steps to ensure the hostilities in Gaza did not spread to Lebanon.

“Utmost vigilance is required during this period to avoid any tension from spreading to Lebanon,” Michael Williams, the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, and Lebanon Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri agreed during their talks, according to a statement released by the Coordinator’s office.

The two officials also discussed Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s forthcoming visit to the region, which also came up during Mr. Williams’ meeting with Lebanese President Michel Sleiman.

A weapons cache was found Friday hidden inside two disused bunkers located between the hills of Kafer Chouba and Kafer Hammam in the Eastern Sector of the area of responsibility of the UN Force, known as UNIFIL.

According to a UNIFIL press release, the cache comprised approximately 34 Grad-P rockets along with some boxes of ammunition and was covered by camouflage nets.

There was no sign of any recent use of the bunkers and the weapons appear to date from the period of the 2006 conflict between Israel and Hizbollah, UNIFIL said.

It said that UNIFIL Explosive Ordnance Teams together with the Lebanese Armed Forces are currently conducting further inspections at the location, after which the weapons will be handed over to the Lebanese Armed Forces for disposal.

“Recent developments have prompted us to enhance our joint presence on the ground. It was in the course of this intensified patrolling activity that the weapons cache was found,” UNIFIL Force Commander Major-General Claudio Graziano said.

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