Serra: Investigations Ongoing over Labbouneh Blast

UNIFIL commander Maj.-Gen. Paolo Serra said on Thursday that investigations are ongoing regarding Labbouneh blast that wounded four Israeli soldiers, in reply to Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's remarks.

He considered the incident “dangerous,” pointing out that it should not occur again.

“The UNIFIL is seeking to avoid any misunderstanding and violations... We are working with the Lebanese security forces to reach results over the issue,” Serra said.

He told reporters that the UNIFIL peacekeeping troops in Labbouneh were a kilometer away from the explosion site.

Nasrallah claimed in an interview with the pan-Arab al-Mayadeen network last week's blast, saying his party "will face" any further border violations by the Jewish state.

"We had prior information that the Israelis were going to pass through this zone. Bombs were placed there and when they came that night, they were detonated," Nasrallah said.

“It is a newly planted bomb and not an Israeli remnant of the July 2006 war. The incident was an intended operation and did not happen by coincidence. We took the decision to target Israelis in Labbouneh because the border is under the control of the Lebanese army and the state,” he noted.

Caretaker Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour filed last week a complaint through Lebanon's mission to the United Nations against Israel's violation of the Blue Line.

A Lebanese army communique said that the “Israeli infantry army penetrated 400 meters inside Lebanon in the Labbouneh area at 00:24 local time.”

"An explosion took place and the soldiers were wounded, with blood found at the scene. A military committee has opened an investigation in coordination with UNIFIL," the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, it said.

The Security Council Resolution 1701 ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hizbullah.