Maronite bishops condemn 'attempts to turn Lebanon into regional mailbox'

The Council of Maronite Bishops on Wednesday condemned the latest use of Lebanese soil to fire rockets at Israel.

In a statement issued after their monthly meeting, the bishops strongly condemned “the renewed attempts at turning Lebanon into a mailbox for exchanging messages in the regional conflicts.”

“We call on the Lebanese Army and UNIFIL forces to be strict in the implementation of Resolution 1701, including boosting the monitoring and surveillance apparatuses,” the bishops added.

More than 34 rockets were fired from southern Lebanon at northern Israel on Thursday of which 25 were intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome system and only five hit Israeli-controlled territory. Israel accused Palestinian group Hamas of firing the unusual salvo of rockets and retaliated through a limited airstrike on a southern Lebanese area and major airstrikes on the Gaza Strip.