Posted on 11/06/2003 2:40:45 AM PST by LakeLady
Hezbollah Bombs Found on Border with Lebanon
By Uri Ash, Haaretz Correspondent
The Israel Defense Forces uncovered a series of Hezbollah roadside bombs along the Lebanese border between Kibbutz Ma'ayan Baruch and Ghajar on Wednesday. The explosive devices were discovered from a distance and have yet to be detonated.
According to the IDF, a United Nations helicopter patrol confirmed the presence of the bombs.
The area is in proximity to the border fence, that in this particular area is situated entirely within Israeli territory, and not on the actual border, marked by the Hatzbani River.
The bombs were planted in Israeli territory, west of the fence which runs from north to south, and were discovered by a routine IDF patrol.
A team of IDF scouts discovered the bombs near Ghajar, an Israeli village that is divided by the Lebanese border running through it.
The team spotted the mines from a distance and called in other scouts as well as sappers, who confirmed that four bombs were placed directly on the border, beside the road used by army patrols.
Military sources estimated that the bombs were planted Wednesday afternoon, after the previous patrol had passed along the road.
The IDF Spokesman said that the Hezbollah action is a violation of a United Nations resolution which states that Israel fulfilled international commitments when it withdrew from Lebanon in 2000.
The Hatzbani river's course is one of the most vulnerable points of the border since it enables anyone to reach the actual border and in effect enter Israeli territory, inside the wadi, without being detected.
It was the first time since last December that Hezbollah planted mines in any part of the border area. In December, two soldiers were seriously hurt when a mine exploded in the western sector of the border fence. The head of the northern command, Major General Benny Gantz, has warned over the past few weeks of a possible Hezbollah attack against Israel along the border with Lebanon.
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