Israel returns fire after rocket attack from Lebanon

Several rockets fired from southern Lebanon slammed into Israel yesterday triggering retaliatory artillery fire across the border, the Israeli military said.

"Several rockets hit western Galilee. They did not cause any casualties," a military spokesman said. "We responded by firing 12 to 15 artillery shells towards the source of the fire."

The Lebanese army said the village of Al-Qlaileh was hit and ambulances were rushed from the port city of Tyre, nine kilometres away.

A Lebanese security official said two rockets were fired earlier from the village, 15 kilometres from the border. No one immediately claimed responsibility. Troops and UN peacekeepers later found the wooden platforms from which the rockets were fired, the official said.

In Israel, police said they found debris from Katyusha rockets near the northern city of Nahariya, while witnesses said they heard explosions.

"The IDF (Israel military) considers the Lebanese government and Lebanese military as accountable to prevent such attacks," the spokesman added.

The UN Interim Force in Lebanon said that together with the Lebanese armed forces, it deployed additional troops in the area "to prevent an escalation."

"UNIFIL is in contact with both sides urging them to exercise maximum restraint, uphold the cessation of hostilities and avoid taking steps which could lead to further escalation," it said in a statement.

It said calm later returned to the area, adding that it had no report of casualties on either side.

Outgoing Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora said: "This incident aims to provoke tension and drag Lebanon into a crisis situation," calling it "an attack on Lebanon and its sovereignty."

UN chief Ban Ki-moon condemned the rocket attack on Israel and urged restraint.

"The Secretary General condemns the firing of at least two rockets against Israel from southern Lebanon on 11 September," spokeswoman Marie Okabe said at the United Nations.

Mr Ban "urges all parties to exercise maximum restraint," she said, adding that the parties "must fully adhere to Security Council resolution 1701 (2006) and respect the cessation of hostilities agreement."

In February, Israeli artillery bombarded Al-Qlaileh in response to similar rocket fire. There were no casualties on the Lebanese side while a few Israelis were lightly wounded.

The Shiite militant group Hizbollah, which fought a devastating 34-day war with Israel in 2006 and has its stronghold in the south, denied responsibility for the February attack.

In the 2006 conflict, more than 1,200 people were killed in Lebanon, most of them civilians, along with 160 Israelis, most of them soldiers.