Israel says buried explosives discovered by UN forces in Lebanon likely planted by Hezbollah

Israel accuses Hezbollah of planting explosives

UNITED NATIONS — Israel said Thursday that 300 kilograms (660 pounds) of buried explosives recently discovered by U.N. forces in southern Lebanon were likely planted by Hezbollah operatives.

Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Gabriela Shalev said the government believes the explosives were an advanced type “possibly industrially produced in Iran or Syria.”

In letters to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the Security Council, Shalev said the explosives were another serious violation of the 2006 council resolution that ended the 34-day Israeli-Hezbollah war. The resolution bans Hezbollah and other militias and their weapons from the area between the Litani River and the U.N.-drawn boundary with Israel.

The buried explosive devices were discovered on Dec. 26 about one kilometer (less than a mile) from the border by a U.N. peacekeeping patrol when they searched the area “after suspicious figures fled the scene,” Shalev said.

“Israel … believes that the types of explosives and the manner in which they were deployed demonstrate that it was Hezbollah operatives that, in fact, planted the … explosives,” she said.

Shalev did not say how Israel was informed of the discovery, in the area of Mazraat Sarda near Al-Khiyam.

She said the Lebanese government is responsible for all violations of the resolution and must take serious steps to tackle Hezbollah’s growing military activity, particularly in civilian villages.

“Israel expects a full and prompt investigation into the circumstances of this incident” and wants the results sent to the Security Council as soon as possible, Shalev said.

She said Israel is still waiting for the results of an investigation into an incident in Tayr Falsay. On Oct. 12, a fire, possibly caused by an explosion, erupted in the garage of a residential building owned by a Hezbollah official in the village. Shalev said a Hezbollah arms depot exploded.

Israel has accused Hezbollah of keeping other weapons caches south of the Litani River. In October, Israeli Navy commandos stopped a cargo vessel which Israel said was bound for Hezbollah with missiles, anti-tank weapons, grenades and ammunition. Hezbollah denied the arms were meant for them.

While Israel has criticized the more than 13,000-strong U.N. peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon in the past for failing to stop arms smuggling, Shalev said the government welcomes the force’s “efficient activity” in discovering the latest violation.

The fact that the latest discovery took place at night, she said, demonstrates the need for the U.N. peacekeepers to intensify their activities.