Border with Lebanon quiet after shootout

The border with Lebanon was quiet yesterday following a serious incident on Wednesday night in which the Israel Defense Forces and Lebanese Army forces exchanged fire north of moshav Avivim.

Defense Minister Amir Peretz said yesterday that Israel is not interested in escalation but stressed that it would respond any time shots are fired against IDF troops. Military sources described the situation along the border as fragile. The tension began on Monday following the discovery of four explosive devices several meters north of the Blue Line, the internationally recognized border.

On Wednesday night an IDF force, which included bulldozers and infantry, crossed the fence to search for more hidden explosives.

Israel insists that its forces operated inside its sovereign territory, a salient of several dozen meters between the fence and the Blue Line.

It was while the IDF force was inside the salient that Lebanese Army troops fired warning shots from machine guns, over their heads. The IDF responded by firing two tank rounds against a Lebanese Army position and an armored vehicle stationed nearby.

United Nations peacekeepers deployed in Southern Lebanon reported to the IDF that five Lebanese were injured, but the Lebanese Army denies it suffered any casualties.

Since the withdrawal of the IDF force from the area, there has been calm along the border.

Yesterday, the UN sent tanks and armor to the border area, as army officers worked on the ground - on both sides - to try to establish whether the IDF force had crossed into Lebanon.

In New York, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed deep concern over the shootout and called on all parties to exercise maximum restraint so as not to endanger the fragile calm that prevails in Southern Lebanon, UN spokeswoman Michele Montas said.

Lebanese President Emile Lahoud lauded the army's action in opening fire at the Israelis, while Prime Minister Fouad Siniora told UN envoy Geir Pedersen that the IDF incursion compounded the daily violations of Lebanese sovereignty by Israeli aircraft flying over the country.

The IDF maintained its high level of alert along the border yesterday, all the while exchanging messages withe the Lebanese Army through UN liaison officers.

Defense Minister Peretz held a special meeting yesterday morning, attended by outgoing Chief of Staff Dan Halutz and his replacement, Lt. General Gabi Ashkenazi. "We have no intention to cause escalation in the area, but any time there is gunfire that endangers IDF forces, we will have to respond," Peretz said.

Peretz commended the Northern Command for the way it conducted itself during the incident.

Efforts to play down the incident were evident in Israel yesterday, but the IDF is concerned about the clear challenge posed by the Lebanese Army's shooting.