Israeli army hits Lebanese territory with artillery

JERUSALEM

The Israeli army on Thursday confirmed its artillery attack inside Lebanon in response to a rocket firing incident.

In a statement, the Israeli army said it followed the initial reports on the explosion near the border village of Ghajar, and found that "a launch was carried out from the Lebanese territory that exploded adjacent to the border in Israeli territory."

The Israeli army responded with 15 artillery rounds to the incident, according to the Israeli army radio.

Meanwhile, the Israeli public broadcaster KAN said a mortar shell was fired from the Kfarchouba area in Lebanon toward Israel and fell on the Israeli side of the border area.

According to an initial assessment by Israel, the blast was caused by the explosion of an old landmine.

Local sources told Anadolu that the Israeli army fired at least 22 artillery shells toward the Kfarchouba town, causing a fire that was brought down by Lebanese firefighting teams.

There was no comment on the incident from the Hezbollah group which has a strong presence in the area.

In May 2000, the Israeli army announced its withdrawal from most areas of southern Lebanon after two decades of occupation.

However, it still maintains its occupation of a small area claimed by Lebanon known as the Shebaa Farms.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara