South Lebanon blast raises tensions along the border



BEIRUT // Lebanese authorities yesterday blamed an explosion in south Lebanon this month on an abandoned Israeli stockpile of munitions left after the 2006 summer war, disputing the Israeli and United Nations contention that the explosion resulted from an accident at a Hizbollah storage facility.

Israeli and United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) officials last week alleged that a massive explosion July 14 in the village of Khirbet Selm in southern Lebanon was caused by mishandled rockets at a Hizbollah storage facility. Under the terms of the UN-brokered ceasefire in 2006, Hizbollah was mandated to remove all of its weapons and personnel from an area south of the Litani River adjacent to Israel. Israeli and UN officials quickly accused the group of violating the terms of that agreement and a subsequent attempt to investigate the blast by UN peacekeepers turned into a violent scuffle with local villagers led by Hizbollah officials determined to keep the Unifil troops away from the scene.

A UN official said in an interview that the peacekeeping contingent suspects that the blast might have resulted from an Israeli commando raid on a Hizbollah stockpile with the intent to reveal a violation of the ceasefire arrangement but that no conclusive proof had been determined. The official, who is not authorised to speak to the media, called the allegations against both sides "very unsettling" and said the border situation was at its highest level of tension since the end of the 2006 war.

But after almost two weeks of silence, the Lebanese foreign ministry sent a letter yesterday to the UN arguing that the explosion resulted from abandoned Israeli munitions, an argument that appears to have done little to reassure either the Israeli government or the UN peacekeepers along the border region. An emergency meeting was scheduled for last night between top UN representatives, Hizbollah military and political officials and the Lebanese government in an effort to diffuse tensions.

The explosion and its aftermath is only the latest in a series of incidents this summer that have raised concerns along the border. The Lebanese military has accused the Israeli Defence Forces of breaching the border on several occasions with small commando units to help Lebanese citizens accused of spying for Israel to escape arrest, while IDF officials continue to warn that Hizbollah activity along the border is rapidly increasing and that the militant Shiite group had reconstituted its bunker defences south of the Litani River - a grave accusation seen as a possible precursor to another war.

Hassan Nasrallah, Hizbollah's leader, was reported to have noted the tensions in a meeting with expatriate Lebanese supporters and donors in a private meeting last week, according to local media accounts. According to New TV, Mr Nasrallah told the supporters that he did not mean to scare the Lebanese people but that he expected an Israeli attack sometime after the new year. He also was reported to have said that any assault on the southern suburbs of Beirut - Hizbollah's key political power base - would be responded to with assaults by the militant group on Tel Aviv, but did not specify how the group might strike from such a distance. Hizbollah was able to effectively target much of northern Israel with its rocket arsenal in 2006 but has claimed that it has since added new weaponry.

Hizbollah's media relations office refused to confirm or deny the comments. mprothero@thenational.ae

The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

Cryopreservation: A timeline
  1. Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
  2. Ovarian tissue surgically removed
  3. Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
  4. Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
  5. Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
Emergency

Director: Kangana Ranaut

Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry 

Rating: 2/5

Our legal consultants

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

The specs

Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6

Power: 400hp

Torque: 475Nm

Transmission: 9-speed automatic

Price: From Dh215,900

On sale: Now

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

Five%20calorie-packed%20Ramadan%20drinks
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERooh%20Afza%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E100ml%20contains%20414%20calories%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETang%20orange%20drink%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E100ml%20serving%20contains%20300%20calories%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECarob%20beverage%20mix%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E100ml%20serving%20contains%20about%20300%20calories%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EQamar%20Al%20Din%20apricot%20drink%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E100ml%20saving%20contains%2061%20calories%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EVimto%20fruit%20squash%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E100ml%20serving%20contains%2030%20calories%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Fixtures (6pm UAE unless stated)

Saturday Bournemouth v Leicester City, Chelsea v Manchester City (8.30pm), Huddersfield v Tottenham Hotspur (3.30pm), Manchester United v Crystal Palace, Stoke City v Southampton, West Bromwich Albion v Watford, West Ham United v Swansea City

Sunday Arsenal v Brighton (3pm), Everton v Burnley (5.15pm), Newcastle United v Liverpool (6.30pm)