Lebanese Army Official Denies Rocket Attack on Israel

A rocket was fired from southern Lebanon towards Israel late Sunday night, the state-run National News Agency reported although a high-ranking military official denied the attack.

No rocket was fired on the Jewish state, the official told Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3) although he confirmed that an explosion had taken place.

The news agency said the rocket was fired from a location near the southern town of Marjayoun, about 10 kilometers north of the Israeli border.

The Israeli military also did not confirm the attack, but said residents in northern Israel reported hearing an explosion. The military said it was searching the area and trying to determine the circumstances behind the explosion.

In addition to Hizbullah, militant Palestinian groups are also known to operate in south Lebanon.

The alleged incident came at a time of heightened tensions in Lebanon as Syria's civil war has spilled over with street clashes and other violence.

Earlier Sunday, two rockets hit Beirut's southern suburbs, tearing through an apartment and car dealership, wounding four Syrian workers.

There was no claim of responsibility, but the attack was widely portrayed as retaliation for Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's pledge that the party would fight alongside Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces until victory over Syrian rebels.