3 Lebanese Soldiers, 1 Israeli Army Officer Killed in Odaissah Clashes, President Sulaiman Vows to Stand Up to Israeli Aggression

Lebanon’s Sulaiman Vows to Stand Up to Israeli Violation

Al-Manar TV, 03/08/2010

Lebanon's president, prime minister and parliament speaker on Tuesday slammed Israel's "aggression" against the country as Lebanese and Israeli occupation troops exchanged fire along the Lebanese-Palestinian border.

Sulaiman has vowed to "stand up to Israel's violation of Resolution 1701, whatever the price".

"The president denounces the new Israeli violation of Resolution 1701, which includes ... the bombing of a Lebanese army checkpoint and attacks on Lebanese property," a statement released by Sulaiman's office said.

Hariri condemned the "violation of Lebanese sovereignty and demands ... the United Nations and the international community bear their responsibilities and pressure Israel to stop its aggression," a statement from his office said.

Speaker Nabih Berri also issued a statement calling on the government to "urgently file a complaint to the Security Council over the violation of Resolution 1701".

UNIFIL spokesman Neeraj Singh told AFP the international force was working to restore calm in the area and urged maximum restraint on both sides.

Three Lebanese soldiers and a journalist were martyred near the Lebanese village of Al-'Odaissah after clashes erupted around noon (0900 GMT), security officials said. An Israeli occupation officer was killed and a soldier was in critical condition after being injured.

The fighting broke out after Israeli troops tried to uproot a tree “blocking their view” in the Lebanese area, Lebanese army and security officials said.

3 Lebanese Soldiers Martyred, 1 Israeli Officer Killed in Odeisseh Clashes

Al-Manar TV, 03/08/2010

Lebanese soldiers and Israeli occupation troops exchanged fire on Tuesday along the Lebanese-Palestinian border, sparking clashes that left three Lebanese army martyred and one Israeli occupation officer killed.

Security sources said that three Lebanese soldiers were martyred and four others were injured with one soldier in a critical condition.

Al-Manar TV quoted a security official as saying that a high ranking Israeli officer was killed in the shelling and the occupation forces were trying to pull him.

Unconfirmed reports say that there is a martyred journalist for a Lebanese daily during the clashes.

"The Israelis fired four shells (from a tank) that fell near a Lebanese army position on the outskirts of the village of Al-'Odaissah and the Lebanese army fired back," a security official in the area told AFP, adding that two houses were damaged by the rockets.

A Lebanese army spokesman said the clashes erupted after Israeli soldiers attempted to uproot a tree on the Lebanese side of the fenced border (in order to place an Israeli surveillance camera inside the Lebanese border, according to former President Emil Lahood in Aljazeera tv, at 9:15 am ET, August 3, 2010).

"The Israelis began to fire and we responded," he said.

An AFP correspondent in Al-'Odaissah said soldiers from the Indonesian contingent serving with the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon tried to no avail to calm the situation before the clashes erupted.

Ambulances rushed to the village as residents panicked with many fleeing.
The Israeli army could be heard calling in Arabic for an immediate ceasefire over loudspeakers.

Israel-Lebanon clash kills four

Press TV, Tue, 03 Aug 2010 11:52:02 GMT

At least three Lebanese soldiers and one senior Israeli army officer have been killed after the two sides exchanged fire along their border.

Several other Lebanese and Israeli soldiers were also injured in the fighting on Tuesday, according to Lebanese media.

The violence broke out after Israeli troops uprooted a tree on the Lebanese side, officials from Beirut said.

Israeli soldiers launched several rockets near the southern Lebanese village of Al-'Odaissah.

Reports also said that a Lebanese journalist was also killed in the fighting.

Meanwhile, Lebanon's President Michel Sulaiman said any violation into Lebanese territory by Israel is a breach of the UN Resolution 1701, which ended Israel's war against Lebanon in 2006.

He added that the Lebanese army would confront such moves at any cost.

Prime Minister Sa'ad Al-Hariri also condemned the violation of Lebanese sovereignty and demands.

"The United Nations and the international community bear their responsibilities and pressure Israel to stop its aggression," a statement from Hariri's office said.

Parliamentary Speaker Nabih Berri also issued a statement, calling on the government to urgently file a complaint to the UN Security Council over the violation.

AGB/AGB

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