Situation in S. Lebanon calm now- UNIFIL
Date
12/21/2015 1:25:20 AM
(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) BEIRUT Dec 20 (KUNA) -- The border region between Lebanon and Israel or the Blue line is currently calm UNIFIL Force Commander and Head of Mission Maj-Gen Luciano Portolano said on Sunday night.Portolano urged the de-escalation of both sides after exchanged rocket fire was reported earlier according to a UN Interim Force in Lebanon statement.Both sides had assured Portolano of their continued commitment to maintaining the halt of hostilities after contacts he had made with officials.The firing of rockets from southern Lebanon was considered by Portolano a serious breach of Security Council resolution number 1701 and he said he believes its aims were to de-stabilize stability in the region.He urged that those responsible be identified and apprehended.Meanwhile the UN force has launched an investigation into the incident in cooperation with relevant state bodies and has increased its presence on the ground in cooperation with the Lebanese army in order to prevent further similar incidents.The statement went on to outline the situation behind the incident revealing that three rockets had been fired from southern Lebanon towards Israel - two of which landed in northern Israel with the other falling into the sea.It added that Israel responded by firing eight rockets which landed in southern Lebanon while mentioning that no casualties were reported on either side.Until now however no one has claimed responsibility for the attack the statement said.The situation in southern Israel has been tense ever since Hezbollah announced that one of its senior members Samir Al-Qintar had been assassinated during an Israeli raid in Syria. (end) wsm.sd
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