U.S. urges Israel and Lebanon to exercise 'maximum restraint'
Netanyahu blames Lebanon for 'violent provocation against Israel' after Israeli officer, 4 Lebanese killed in rare border skirmish.
By Natasha Mozgovaya and Barak Ravid Tags: Benjamin Netanyahu Ehud Barak LebanonThe United States is "extremely concerned" about violence on the border between Israel and Lebanon, and urges both sides to exercise "maximum restraint," State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said on Tuesday.
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Exchange of fire on the border between Israel and Lebanon - August 3, 2010 |
| Photo by: Yaron Kaminsky |
The spokesman made his remarks hours after an Israeli officer, three Lebanese soldiers and a journalist were killed in an exchange of fire between Israeli and Lebanese soldiers at the border. Another Israeli officer was seriously hurt in the clash.
The rare cross-border skirmish represented the most serious violence along the frontier since a 2006 war. A second Israeli officer was seriously wounded, but was considered in stable condition.
Crowley said the United States was in touch with both governments. "We are trying to understand what happened ... Our greatest concern is that whatever did happen not be repeated. The region has enough tension as it is. The last thing that we want to see is this incident expanding into something more significant."
"We deeply regret the loss of life. We urge both sides to exercise maximum restraint to avoid an escalation and maintain the ceasefire that is now in place," he added.
Earlier Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the Israel Defense Forces to firmly respond to any future Lebanese fire.
The prime minister said after the incident that "Israel views the attack on IDF soldiers with extreme severity. This is a blatant violation of United Nations Security Council resolution 1701 (which ended the 2006 war between Israel and the Lebanese militia Hezbollah in southern Lebanon). I see the Lebanese government as directly responsible for this violent provocation against Israel."
"Israel responded, and will continue to respond in the future to any attempt to spoil the calm along the border and to harm the residents of Israel's north and the soldiers protecting them," Netanyahu added.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak also issued a statement, offering his condolences to the families of the Israeli casualties. Barak warned the Lebanese government to refrain from "further provocation" - referring to recent incidents in which the Lebanese army provoked Israeli forces at the border - and demanded that Lebanon launch an investigation into what he termed "a murderous act of terror."
The defense minister called upon UN peacekeepers in the region to fulfill their duty and take resolute action to prevent similar events, and to investigate this specific event.
Barak also said that he expected the international community to condemn the incident. "The IDF will continue to protect Israel's residents and its sovereign borders. Israel seeks peace – we proved it when we withdrew our troops in 2006 to beyond the international line. However, Israel will not tolerate any attack on its soldiers or its citizens within its sovereign territory," he said.
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What this act really signifies is that Israel will not get away with international violations anymore. “Act of terror Barak says” sounds like the perpetrator is getting caught
Why not go the whole way and call it an act of genocide. The trouble is that Israel expects to be able to respond to however it likes to others' provocations, but continued colonization of the west bank and embargo of Gaza isn't a provocation at all.
Its time to take everything up to the Litani river in Lebanon. Drive Hezbollah north of the river. Another such incident and Israel will be bombing Beruit. We need a new minister of Defense and perhaps a new PM ! Weakness in the face of provocation is not a virtue.
by defining an act of self defence as an act of terrorism. Without curiously mentioning the Israeli soldiers on the Lebanese side of the fence.
While Israel right away responds with rockets and artillery, South Koreans lost a whole ship with troops and did not react that way at all. Two different approaches. One seems to result in non-stopping bloodshed. Another seems to have a much more peaceful result. But politicians never learn, do they?
We know it is not Israels fault. It never has been and never will be, especially when it is.
nothing more then hezbollah puppet... only themselves to blame when dessimated by Israel...
And, in large measure, he is right. They are mostly stupid, watching the AIPAC line on Fox News every day.
A Lebanese soldier killed an Israeli soldier while that soldier was standing in Israel. He made a bad mistake. Probably thought that crossing a fence meant crossing into Lebanon - which it doesn't.
Israël is violating anytime Liban air space with military aircrafts and believes as usual it has all the rights and the others have not any. The end of this will be a disaster. My father and uncle fought to help a normal country be born : they would be ashamed.
what are you talking about? Your father and uncle should be ashamed of you
SO I guess its OK for a Lebanese soldier to shoot and kill anyone even if they are standing in Israel? Is that what you are trying to defend here?
an exchange of gunfire along the border is a "murderous act of terrorism"??? collective insanity reigns in israel.
to removing a tree within Israel's own border. Apparently for those in the anti-Zionist crowd, its a capital offsense. . More so when Israel goes the responsible diplomatic route and informs UNIFIL of the maintanence in advance. And yet, we have Lebanese troops who are on site and who open fire. . But this is all "Israeli insanity" to you. Yeah, right.
that doesn't even attempt to explain what started this latest mini-conflict. Reporting the hollow words of the PM "a murderous act of terror". Sheds no light, only heat. At least the Washington post gave some context to the dispute. See http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/03/AR2010080301331.html?hpid=topnews, for more in depth analysis
It doesn't matter if Lebanese forces are responsible for this, the international community will find a way to blame Israel for this. My thoughts and prayers are with Lt. Co. Harari's family, and the family of the other soldier who was hurt.
You forget the Libanees soldiers and journalist who where killed too.
Now it's your turn stupid.
Since when was firing on armed soldiers an act of "terror"? Israelis undermine the significance of the word "terror" when they use it as a blanket term for military engagements between armed men, stone throwers in the West Bank, and indiscriminate rocket fire from Gaza.
Based on news accounts, it was the uniformed Lebanese military firinig across the border at Israeli troops. That's a Causus Belli from a foreign military, not an act of a terrorist group. .
It was not an act of terror it was an act of war firing at IDF troops who were on tehir own side of the border at all times. It wont happen again without a massive and decisive response from IDF. I would wager tehy would wipe out teh entire LAF contingent next time.
...because calling it such allows it to use planes, covert ops, incursions and so on. This is where hypocrasy is.
UNIFIL were there from the beginning, when Israeli soldiers entered Lebanese territory, uprooted a tree and began installing a Video camera. That may be classified as an act of terror. Bombarding civilians, which followed, by tanks and rockets are acts of terror. Indeed, violating Lebanese air space in contravention to international accord could be construed legally as acts of terror too.
Not 'technically', but 'actually' an act of war.
Read more articles Chirs. Israel and IDF were on their side of teh border at all times. But you knew this . Still you decided to preach your drivel and hate. Go live on teh border so asome Huizbullah can take you out. We can tehn nominate you for a Darwin Award
The Israeli-Lebanese border has 3 fences: Israeli, Lebanese and International. Israel is within its territory up to the International border that is marked with flags and signs. Lebanon has the same rights on the other side.
That's what you meant to say.
Come on! Who is provoking? Just to get an excuse to invade Lebanon again for water (Litani river) and now also for gas (coast)? And still suprised why nobody believes Netanyahu c.s.?.. Israël lost all credibility in the world and please don't blame anti-semitisme for it! Don't fool your self.; blame your self!
Responding to tree-trimming with deadly sniper fire is an act of war by Lebanon. If I were a Leb soldier, I would not want to be within 5 miles of the border in the next week.
What water from the Litani? Are you serious? FACT: They were shot at on Israels side of the fence and were at their posts - not entering Lebonese territory. If you want to come down on Israel for no reason, do it, but to make this attack into an invading force ,you simply make a fool of yourself
Israel will start a new war because it does not want the peace process to get moving. Israel does not know how to live in peace.
Every day the IDF, including the IAF, violate the UN sponsored cease fire in Lebanon. When Lebanon finally responds, the Lebanese are responsible for "murderous acts". Lets talk murderous acts in Lebanon; Sabra, Shatilla, the UN buildings destroyed in Lebanon, the UN soldiers killed by Israeli's in Lebanon, etc.. shall I continue. Don't talk about murderous people, lets talk about Rachel Corrie, who will never go away until some Israeli pays for her death with prison time.
are imprisoned on a trumped up charge in Iran and will likely not see freedom again for many more years. Why are you not protesting that instead rather than siding the the party that actually started shooting first ? Israel did not do anything improper here. The only country interested in a confrontation is Iran who dispatched orders to their proxy Hizbo who undoubtedly had a hand in it.
... just switch conversation to Iran because all Arabs have the same goals. Lunacy...
How could Lebanon possibly be responsbile when IDF crossed their border?!
The security fence is inside Israeli territory
Photo's show Israeli troops well behind the "Blue Line" even if they are on the other side of the fence removing a tree.
How come the IDF have photo's? I don't think a fotograf is standing 7/24 there at that location. Or did the IDF know the Lebanees soldiers would fire warning shots?
How do you know fro the photographs that Israeli troops are within Israeli territory? In my book when you put up a fence then that is the border.. If you don't want the border to be defined by a fence then you don't put one up.
Please wake up, on the photos you can see IDF soldiers inside the fence. That is a provocation.
Are we totally sure that it was a Lebanon's "act of terror" or maybe Israel has some responsibility in the incident?
...and the Poles provoked WW II
Actually, the Sudetanland provoked WWII just by being there. Herr Hitler helped a little. (If it were not for sarcasm and cynicism, ex-cops would have no sense of humor at all.)