Israeli home damaged in December attack
Photo: Avihu Shapira
Suspects in rocket fire on Israel nabbed
Lebanese army says it detained members of Palestinian-Lebanese network suspected of belonging to radical Islamic groups, firing Katyusha rockets toward Israel; local media outlets report network accumulated rockets, weapons in and around Beirut, Baka Valley, south Lebanon
The Lebanese army revealed that members of a Palestinian-Lebanese network suspected of belonging to radical Islamic groups and firing Katyusha rockets toward Israel have been arrested.
Local media outlets said the network accumulated rockets and weapons in and around Beirut, the Baka Valley and south Lebanon.
According to Lebanese newspaper as-Safir, senior security officials said that some of the members are suspected of firing rockets from south Lebanon toward Israel on a number of occasions.
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The Lebanese army said in statement that “following a series of investigations army intelligence was successful in arresting members of an intricate network comprised of Lebanese and Palestinians who had gathered explosives, artillery shells, rockets and ammunition in several areas in Lebanon and stored them in caves for commercial and terror-related purposes.”
“The army confiscated the weapons and ammunition – and the detainees were brought before a judge on Friday,” it said.
Hizbullah denials
The security officials said the network includes eight members – four Lebanese citizens and four Palestinians residing in Beirut, Sidon and the Baka Valley, adding that one of the Palestinians, who refers to himself only as “Khomeini,” is said to be one of the network’s leaders and is suspected of sending arms and explosives to Iraq.
Last December a barrage of Katyusha rockets struck Israel’s northern border, but this time it was not Hizbullah who claimed responsibility for the attack, but al-Qaeda in Iraq. Three days after the attack Lebanese army sappers dismantled in Nakura two rockets that were meant to be fired at Israel.
The network exposed by the Lebanese army and the strong denials by Hizbullah regarding its involvement in the December attack strengthen the assumption that a number of Islamic organizations are operating in south Lebanon.
IDF officials estimated that the December attack was carried out by a Palestinian organization, as was the case in the past.
However, the officials stressed that Hizbullah Chief Hassan Nasrallah is aware of every attack emanating from south Lebanon, and Hizbullah’s denial may have been a part of its attempt to relieve some of the pressure applied by the Lebanese government on the group and on Palestinian organizations operating in the area.
