Lebanon: army blames Israel for changing rules of engagement

The Lebanese army said on Thursday that it holds Israel responsible for “changing the rules of engagement” and appealed to the international community to put pressure on the Israeli government to “curb its hostile practices”.

A Lebanese army delegation headed by Brigadier General Haseeb Abdo met with Israeli counterparts yesterday at the UN headquarters in Ras Naqoura in southern Lebanon. In talks under the auspices of the international organisation, they discussed the latest security developments on the border between the two states.

The meeting was chaired by the Commander of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), General Stefano Del Col. The Lebanese delegation is reported to have “stressed the need for the Israeli enemy to withdraw from all the occupied lands, namely the Shebaa Farms, the Kfar Shuba Hills, the northern part of the Ghajar area, and other border posts.”

On Wednesday, the Israeli army said that it had “raided Lebanese areas” from which “rocket-propelled grenades” had been fired. Infrastructure used for “terrorist purposes” was also targeted.

Earlier on Thursday, UNIFIL announced that it had opened an investigation into Israeli raids on three sites in southern Lebanon. The authorities in Beirut, meanwhile, announced their intention to file a complaint with the UN Security Council in this regard.

READ: Israel launches airstrikes on Southern Lebanon