Israel Shells Kfarshouba, Says Foiled Border 'Infiltration' Attempt
Israel's army said Monday it had thwarted an attempt to infiltrate its territory by a "Hizbullah cell" that crossed the Lebanese border and exchanged fire with Israeli forces.
"We were able to successfully thwart an attempt to infiltrate into Israel by a terrorist cell," army spokesman Jonathan Conricus told reporters, adding that there were no reported casualties among Israeli troops.
"We confirmed visually that the terrorists fled back to Lebanon," he added.
United Nations peacekeeping force UNIFIL called for "maximum restraint" after the reported clashes, adding the firing had stopped.
An AFP correspondent reported Israeli artillery bombardment on the hills of Kfarshouba in the Shebaa Farms area near the Israeli position of Roueysaat al-Alam, and reported plumes of smoke rising above the area.
Lebanon’s National News Agency said an Israeli shell landed on the house of Lebanese citizen Fawzi Abu Alwan during the incident.
Earlier in the day, media reports said Hizbullah fired a Kornet missile at an Israeli military vehicle in the occupied Shebaa Farms and that clashes had raged in the area for around two hours.
Media reports quoted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as saying that the development was not a “minor incident.”
Sources close to Hizbullah told Lebanon’s al-Markazia news agency that “the operation in the South is a response to the recent Israeli raid and it is a limited response within the rules of engagement.”
Speaking in parliament, Netanyahu said his government was closely following developments in the north.
"The military is prepared for every scenario," he said. "We operate in all the arenas for Israel's defense -- close to our borders and far from our borders," he added
Reports meanwhile said that Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz had headed to the Defense Ministry to carry out security consultations as other reports said the Israeli artillery shelled four Hizbullah posts on the Lebanese border.
Israel's army meanwhile ordered residents along its northern border to stay inside.
"Following the security incident in the Mount Dov (Shebaa Farms) area... residents are asked to stay in their houses. Any kind of activity in open areas is forbidden," an army statement said.
It later announced the end of the emergency situation and said calm had returned to the area.
Source: Naharnet, Agence France Presse, Associated Press
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