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Israel demands tougher UN action against Hezbollah arms

Israel Materials 17 July 2009 12:43 (UTC +04:00)
Israel demands tougher UN action against Hezbollah arms

Israel on Thursday demanded tougher action by United Nations peacekeepers against Hezbollah arms stockpiles following blasts in south Lebanon, reported AFP.

The Israeli foreign ministry called on UNIFIL and France, Italy and Spain, participants in the force, "to act more energetically following information about Hezbollah stocks of weapons."

In a statement, the ministry also asked UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon to find out the "results of the UN investigation" following Tuesday's explosions.

UNIFIL said on Wednesday said that a series of blasts in an area considered to be a Hezbollah stronghold was probably caused by stockpiled ammunition and marked a "serious violation" of a UN Security Council resolution.

A Lebanese military officer said: "It was an arms dump dating from the July war" in 2006 between Israel and the Shiite group.

However, an Israeli military leader told newspapers it was "a new stock of short-range rockets" belonging to Hezbollah.

The Israeli army circulated photos of a building severely damaged by the blasts, taken by an unmanned Israeli aircraft.

According to Lebanese press reports, the stockpile comprised Hezbollah rockets, automatic weapons and ammunition.

Resolution 1701 which led to a halt in fighting in 2006 without a permanent ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah, imposed a strict embargo on weapons destined for Lebanese or foreign militias in Lebanon.

Hezbollah, which advocates armed struggle against Israel, has had no declared arsenal in south Lebanon since 2006 but Israel says the movement has tripled its hoard of weapons and has 42,000 missiles capable of reaching locations in central Israel.

No one was hurt in the explosions in the village of Khirbet Selm, 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the border with Israel.

The ammunition was likely stored in an abandoned house, UNIFIL spokeswoman Yasmine Bouziane told AFP.

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