Lebanon Files Complaint over 516 Israeli Violations, Says 'Unorganized Groups' Firing Rockets at Israel

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday filed a complaint with the United Nations Security Council over “the numerous and dangerous Israeli violations of Lebanese sovereignty and of resolution 1701.”

"The Israeli daily aerial, naval, and territorial violations against Lebanon, of Lebanese sovereignty and resolution 1701 have exceeded 516 since the beginning of this year,” the Foreign Ministry said in its complaint.

It detailed that among these violations was the firing of twenty-one 155-millimeter artillery shells on July 11 at the outskirts of town of Kfarshouba in the South.

And on July 12, twenty-five 155-millimeter artillery shells were fired at Lebanese territories, the complaint said.

"Israeli also fired around 31 shells at the outskirts of al-Qlayleh and al-Maaliyeh villages (in the South) on July 14,” it added.

Meanwhile, the foreign ministry stressed the cabinet's commitment to “implementing all the stipulations of U.N. Security Council's resolution 1701.”

"The army is fulfilling its duties in this respect in coordination with UNIFIL troops and soldiers are naturally deployed in the Area of Operations to the south of the Litani River,” the complaint elaborated.

"And the firing of rockets by some individuals or by unorganized or marginal groups towards the occupied Palestinian territories is a rejected act that does not serve the interest of Lebanon or of the Palestinian resistance in Gaza,” it warned, adding that these activities give Israel excuses to attack Lebanon and its sovereignty.

On the ongoing war in Gaza, the ministry noted that the continuous “barbaric” Israeli assault threatens peace and security in the Middle East.

In the fourth such attack in four days, at least one rocket was fired Monday night from southern Lebanon towards northern Israel.

In retaliation, the Israeli army fired several artillery shells.

And three rockets were fired Saturday at Israel from the same region while a rocket was launched early Friday from the southern region of Hasbaya. A man has been arrested over his involvement in Friday's attack, which he said was in solidarity with the Gaza Strip.

Israel had filed a complaint to UNIFIL, which monitors the border between Lebanon and Israel, after Friday's attack.

Israeli military officials said they believed Friday's attack was carried out by a small Palestinian group in retaliation to Israel's deadly assault on Gaza.

These security developments in the South come as an Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip has entered its tenth day, killing at least 231 people and wounding over 1,500 others.

S.D.B.

Y.R.