Aabasiya: Lebanese residents dismantled a barbed wire fence set up by Israeli troops in a disputed border area yesterday, leading to a call for restraint by UN peacekeepers in the tense region.
"The residents have taken down the barbed wire near the village of Aabasiya, which Lebanon considers part of its territory," a Lebanese military spokesman said on condition of anonymity.
Israeli troops set up the fence on Tuesday near the Blue Line, a UN-drawn border with Lebanon, in what the Lebanese army claims was a violation of Lebanese territory. Around 20 Lebanese, led by MP Qassem Hashem, marched into Aabasiya near the disputed area of Ghajar at the Lebanese border with Syria and Israel and tore down the barrier before leaving the area. Two Israeli tanks and dozens of soldiers immediately arrived at the border as Lebanese troops went on alert across the Blue Line, which was established after the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon in 2000 following a 22-year presence. The UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon — UNIFIL — said however that the Lebanese demonstrators had crossed the UN-drawn border.
The demonstrators "crossed the Blue Line and... removed sign posts of a minefield as well as concertina wire which was laid by the Israeli Defence Forces three days ago, and placed two Lebanese flags next to the Israeli technical fence," UNIFIL deputy spokesman Andrea Tenenti said. "UNIFIL has contacted the parties in order to prevent any escalation of the situation, urging restraint and calling on them to take the necessary steps in accordance with their obligations under UN Security Council 1701," he added.
the missing correlative not mentioned in the Arab press here is that UN 1701 also asks that Hezballah not be arming as part of a Lebonese government with advanced weaponry. Essentially any codes declared by the UN are voided by now... that is if one were to take the UN seriously at all
