13 may 2014
The Euro-Mediterranean Observatory for Human Rights slammed the Lebanese authorities for seeking out ways to deport Palestinian refugees back to Syria by cracking them down. The Geneva-based observatory said in a press release: “The Lebanese authorities opted for several decisions so as to clamp down on Palestinian refugees seeking asylum over Lebanese territories by either driving them out or forcing them back to Syria, which they have fled to save their lives.”
Amendments to the ban-verdicts claimed by Beirut “are not realistic and do not change in any way the up-the-creek-state of affairs of Palestinian asylum-seekers,” Euro-Med further stated.
The international Euro-Med team documented several violations perpetrated by the Lebanese authorities ever since the ban order, including the arrest of three Palestinian refugees at Nahr Al-Bared refugee camp entrance on Saturday.
Omar Issa and his son, 19, were arrested despite the fact that his residence card was not yet expired, while his son’s renewal application was turned down by the Lebanese authorities.
Along the same line, the Lebanese authorities released 8 refugees after having allotted them a 15-day-deadline, only, to “patch up their legal status.”
Mira Bushara , a researcher at Euro-Med’s legal department chided Lebanon over such ban-orders when she stated: "The Lebanese authorities have often been dragging their feet vis-à-vis renewal applications submitted by Palestinian refugees from Syria . The result is that two-thirds of those asylum-seekers are currently left without residency visas.”
“Beirut is coming down hard on Palestinian refugees whose visa’s time-limits have come by. Large numbers are being forced back to Syria, having their lives threatened all the way through,” Bushara further maintained.
Euro-Med called on Lebanon to "immediately bring such violations of Palestinian refugees’ rights to a standstill and restore them the right to set up a home over Lebanese territories until the end of the Syrian conflict comes by.”
Amendments to the ban-verdicts claimed by Beirut “are not realistic and do not change in any way the up-the-creek-state of affairs of Palestinian asylum-seekers,” Euro-Med further stated.
The international Euro-Med team documented several violations perpetrated by the Lebanese authorities ever since the ban order, including the arrest of three Palestinian refugees at Nahr Al-Bared refugee camp entrance on Saturday.
Omar Issa and his son, 19, were arrested despite the fact that his residence card was not yet expired, while his son’s renewal application was turned down by the Lebanese authorities.
Along the same line, the Lebanese authorities released 8 refugees after having allotted them a 15-day-deadline, only, to “patch up their legal status.”
Mira Bushara , a researcher at Euro-Med’s legal department chided Lebanon over such ban-orders when she stated: "The Lebanese authorities have often been dragging their feet vis-à-vis renewal applications submitted by Palestinian refugees from Syria . The result is that two-thirds of those asylum-seekers are currently left without residency visas.”
“Beirut is coming down hard on Palestinian refugees whose visa’s time-limits have come by. Large numbers are being forced back to Syria, having their lives threatened all the way through,” Bushara further maintained.
Euro-Med called on Lebanon to "immediately bring such violations of Palestinian refugees’ rights to a standstill and restore them the right to set up a home over Lebanese territories until the end of the Syrian conflict comes by.”
12 may 2014
The Lebanese authorities released on Sunday a group of Palestinian refugees from Syria, held in custody for nearly 36 hours after the Lebanese security forces arrested them at Nahr Al-Bared refugee camp’s entrance under the pretext of invalid residence permits. The Action Group for Palestinians in Syria said in a statement on Monday, quoting a released refugee, the Lebanese security not only confiscated the refugees’ cell phones and denied them the right to contact any human rights organization, but also forced them to sign a pledge declaring the compulsory renewal of their residence permits within 15 days.
Hamas Refugees Office spoke against the event and slammed the Lebanese detention and deportation policies launched against Palestinian refugees in such an arbitrary and abrupt manner.
The Office called on the Lebanese authorities to tone down the restrictions imposed on the Palestinian refugees from Syria and handle their case in line with international norms and decrees.
A state of extreme anxiety and tension has overwhelmed Palestinians refugees, who sought refuge in Lebanon and estimated at around 53 thousand persons, for fear of being forced back to Syria.
An official source revealed to the Action Group a decision has just been issued, ruling for the arrest of the Palestinian refugees who have not yet officially renewed their residence permits.
In another event, Madelaine Omar confirmed via her Facebook page that her father Fuad Omar, head of the Yarmouk National Committee, died under torture in Syrian prisons.
Omar’s son Bassel called on the Syrian authorities and Palestinian Liberation Front, to which his father was affiliated, to provide a detailed account of his father’s death.
Sources in the Yarmouk refugee camp confirmed Omar was more of a humanitarian activist than an anti-Syrian campaigner, active in the national committee formed since the siege was imposed on the camp by Syrian regime forces and Popular Front militias.
188 Palestinian refugees died under torture in Syrian prisons and most of their families have been denied the right to get their bodies.
The Action Group called on the Syrian authorities to provide details about Fuad Omar’s case along with hundreds of other Palestinian detainees who have, till now, been missing.
What is currently taking place inside of Syrian detention centers is a crime par excellence, the Group further declared.
Along the same line, limited food-aid parcels were distributed on Sunday in the Yarmouk refugee camp, besieged for more than ten months.
Both Hindrat camp in Aleppo and Khan al-Sheeh camp in Damascus were targeted with several explosive barrels also on Sunday.
Hamas Refugees Office spoke against the event and slammed the Lebanese detention and deportation policies launched against Palestinian refugees in such an arbitrary and abrupt manner.
The Office called on the Lebanese authorities to tone down the restrictions imposed on the Palestinian refugees from Syria and handle their case in line with international norms and decrees.
A state of extreme anxiety and tension has overwhelmed Palestinians refugees, who sought refuge in Lebanon and estimated at around 53 thousand persons, for fear of being forced back to Syria.
An official source revealed to the Action Group a decision has just been issued, ruling for the arrest of the Palestinian refugees who have not yet officially renewed their residence permits.
In another event, Madelaine Omar confirmed via her Facebook page that her father Fuad Omar, head of the Yarmouk National Committee, died under torture in Syrian prisons.
Omar’s son Bassel called on the Syrian authorities and Palestinian Liberation Front, to which his father was affiliated, to provide a detailed account of his father’s death.
Sources in the Yarmouk refugee camp confirmed Omar was more of a humanitarian activist than an anti-Syrian campaigner, active in the national committee formed since the siege was imposed on the camp by Syrian regime forces and Popular Front militias.
188 Palestinian refugees died under torture in Syrian prisons and most of their families have been denied the right to get their bodies.
The Action Group called on the Syrian authorities to provide details about Fuad Omar’s case along with hundreds of other Palestinian detainees who have, till now, been missing.
What is currently taking place inside of Syrian detention centers is a crime par excellence, the Group further declared.
Along the same line, limited food-aid parcels were distributed on Sunday in the Yarmouk refugee camp, besieged for more than ten months.
Both Hindrat camp in Aleppo and Khan al-Sheeh camp in Damascus were targeted with several explosive barrels also on Sunday.
7 may 2014
Palestinian Authority officials have been pressuring Lebanese authorities to allow Palestinian refugees fleeing Syria to enter Lebanon, an official said Tuesday.
Anwar Abd al-Hadi, director of the PLO's political bureau, told Ma'an that the PA ambassador to Lebanon had been in touch with Lebanese officials to ensure access to Lebanon for Palestinian refugees.
Last week, 49 people -- among them eight Palestinians -- used false visas to enter Lebanon from Syria, Abd al-Hadi said.
The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees said in a statement that 41 Palestinian refugees were deported from Lebanon over the weekend.
"Lebanese authorities reassured us that restrictions are temporary, and would hopefully be lifted in the coming days," UNRWA said.
"We recognize that Lebanon has given refuge to hundreds of thousands of people fleeing the conflict in Syria, including about 50,000 Palestinians, and is in need of increased international assistance," UNRWA spokesperson Chris Gunness said.
"However we underscore the position of the Security Council which has 'affirmed the importance of the principle of non-refoulement' and 'recalled its encouragement to countries neighboring Syria to protect all people fleeing the violence in Syria, including Palestinians.'"
At least 1,500 Palestinians have been killed in the ongoing Syria conflict, and around 250,000 Palestinian refugees have been forced to leave their homes in Syria due to violence in the country.
Prior to the conflict, 600,000 Palestinian refugees lived in Syria.
Some 760,000 Palestinians were expelled or fled from their homes during the 1948 conflict that led to the creation of the State of Israel, and today their descendants number around five million, spread across the world.
Anwar Abd al-Hadi, director of the PLO's political bureau, told Ma'an that the PA ambassador to Lebanon had been in touch with Lebanese officials to ensure access to Lebanon for Palestinian refugees.
Last week, 49 people -- among them eight Palestinians -- used false visas to enter Lebanon from Syria, Abd al-Hadi said.
The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees said in a statement that 41 Palestinian refugees were deported from Lebanon over the weekend.
"Lebanese authorities reassured us that restrictions are temporary, and would hopefully be lifted in the coming days," UNRWA said.
"We recognize that Lebanon has given refuge to hundreds of thousands of people fleeing the conflict in Syria, including about 50,000 Palestinians, and is in need of increased international assistance," UNRWA spokesperson Chris Gunness said.
"However we underscore the position of the Security Council which has 'affirmed the importance of the principle of non-refoulement' and 'recalled its encouragement to countries neighboring Syria to protect all people fleeing the violence in Syria, including Palestinians.'"
At least 1,500 Palestinians have been killed in the ongoing Syria conflict, and around 250,000 Palestinian refugees have been forced to leave their homes in Syria due to violence in the country.
Prior to the conflict, 600,000 Palestinian refugees lived in Syria.
Some 760,000 Palestinians were expelled or fled from their homes during the 1948 conflict that led to the creation of the State of Israel, and today their descendants number around five million, spread across the world.
Syrian refugees in the eastern Lebanese border town of Arsal
The Guardian: Human Rights Watch and a UN refugee agency have expressed concern that Lebanon is blocking Palestinians fleeing Syria from entering the country. UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, said it was "concerned about the increased restrictions on Palestine refugees fleeing the conflict in Syria from entering Lebanon".
Its spokesman, Chris Gunness, said in a statement: "We are monitoring the situation on the border carefully and have been given assurances by the Lebanese authorities that these restrictions are temporary."
Human Rights Watch criticised Lebanon for refusing entry for Palestinians from Syria and forcibly returning them to the war-torn country. It accused Beirut of arbitrarily denying entry, and documented the deportation of around 40 Palestinians accused of having forged documents.
Beirut has not announced a blanket ban on the entry of Palestinians from Syria, but government sources confirmed there was a general policy to keep out Palestinians fleeing the conflict. Speaking on condition of anonymity, one source said the government felt Palestinian refugees registered in Syria should stay there, pointing out that Lebanon already had more than one million Syrian refugees.
HRW said the Lebanese government was violating international law by sending civilians back to an active war zone. "The Lebanese government should urgently rescind its decision to bar Palestinians from Syria from entering Lebanon. Lebanon is turning people back without adequately considering the dangers they face."
The group said Palestinians seeking to enter Lebanon from a crossing with Syria had been arbitrarily denied entry over the weekend. A security official told AFP that 41 people, many of them Palestinians, were returned to Syria after they were caught trying to fly out from Beirut airport using fake visas. "Eight were allowed to stay because they have Palestinian Lebanese relatives here, or other documentation that allows them to be here," the official said. Among the more than one million refugees from Syria registered in Lebanon are around 52,000 Palestinian Syrians.
Once numbering 500,000 in Syria, Palestinians have been targeted by both sides in the war, making them one of the country's most vulnerable groups, rights groups say. Lebanon is home to around 422,000 Palestinian refugees, whose presence in the country remains a source of tension. Unlike Jordan and Turkey, which also host a large number of Syrian refugees, Lebanon refuses to set up camps for people fleeing Syria's war. Some politicians have cited the semi-permanent status of Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon dating back to the 1948 creation of Israel as the reason why Lebanon does not want more camps.
The international community has praised Lebanon, which has a population of four million, for absorbing so many of those fleeing Syria. HRW urged foreign governments to better assist Beirut in hosting refugees. "The Lebanese government is bearing an incomparable burden with the Syrian refugees crossing its borders, but blocking Palestinians from Syria is mishandling the situation," said HRW's deputyMiddle East and North Africa director, Joe Stork.
The Guardian: Human Rights Watch and a UN refugee agency have expressed concern that Lebanon is blocking Palestinians fleeing Syria from entering the country. UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, said it was "concerned about the increased restrictions on Palestine refugees fleeing the conflict in Syria from entering Lebanon".
Its spokesman, Chris Gunness, said in a statement: "We are monitoring the situation on the border carefully and have been given assurances by the Lebanese authorities that these restrictions are temporary."
Human Rights Watch criticised Lebanon for refusing entry for Palestinians from Syria and forcibly returning them to the war-torn country. It accused Beirut of arbitrarily denying entry, and documented the deportation of around 40 Palestinians accused of having forged documents.
Beirut has not announced a blanket ban on the entry of Palestinians from Syria, but government sources confirmed there was a general policy to keep out Palestinians fleeing the conflict. Speaking on condition of anonymity, one source said the government felt Palestinian refugees registered in Syria should stay there, pointing out that Lebanon already had more than one million Syrian refugees.
HRW said the Lebanese government was violating international law by sending civilians back to an active war zone. "The Lebanese government should urgently rescind its decision to bar Palestinians from Syria from entering Lebanon. Lebanon is turning people back without adequately considering the dangers they face."
The group said Palestinians seeking to enter Lebanon from a crossing with Syria had been arbitrarily denied entry over the weekend. A security official told AFP that 41 people, many of them Palestinians, were returned to Syria after they were caught trying to fly out from Beirut airport using fake visas. "Eight were allowed to stay because they have Palestinian Lebanese relatives here, or other documentation that allows them to be here," the official said. Among the more than one million refugees from Syria registered in Lebanon are around 52,000 Palestinian Syrians.
Once numbering 500,000 in Syria, Palestinians have been targeted by both sides in the war, making them one of the country's most vulnerable groups, rights groups say. Lebanon is home to around 422,000 Palestinian refugees, whose presence in the country remains a source of tension. Unlike Jordan and Turkey, which also host a large number of Syrian refugees, Lebanon refuses to set up camps for people fleeing Syria's war. Some politicians have cited the semi-permanent status of Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon dating back to the 1948 creation of Israel as the reason why Lebanon does not want more camps.
The international community has praised Lebanon, which has a population of four million, for absorbing so many of those fleeing Syria. HRW urged foreign governments to better assist Beirut in hosting refugees. "The Lebanese government is bearing an incomparable burden with the Syrian refugees crossing its borders, but blocking Palestinians from Syria is mishandling the situation," said HRW's deputyMiddle East and North Africa director, Joe Stork.
17 apr 2014
The Lebanese army said that Israeli forces crossed the border and detained five people near the occupied Shebaa Farms on Thursday.
The Lebanese army said in a statement that an Israeli foot patrol had violated the border and subsequently arrested brothers Hassan and Ismail Qassem Zahra, while Nouhad Awad, Wafa Moussa, and Woroud Moussa were detained while attempting to prevent the arrests.
The statement added that the three detained women were released after 20 minutes but the two brothers were kept in detention by Israeli forces.
It added that Lebanon was actively coordinating with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon which patrols the border to secure their release.
UNIFIL, meanwhile, said that they had been notified by the Lebanese army of the arrests near the town of Bastara and were in contact with both sides to secure their release.
An Israeli army spokeswoman said that the army had "identified suspects crossing the border into Israel," and after detaining them "two were transferred into Israel for questioning."
The Shebaa farms have been occupied by Israeli forces since 1967, when they occupied the Syrian Golan Heights.
Lebanese officials claim that the area is in fact Lebanese territory, as residents of the nearby Lebanese town of Shebaa own farmland in the area. They insist that it is the final strip of Lebanese territory still occupied by Israel after the end of it's 20-year occupation of southern Lebanon in 2000.
UNIFIL troops have been deployed along the border since the 34-day war between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006 which killed some 1,200 people in Lebanon, mostly civilians, and 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers.
Although the border is generally calm as a result of the ceasefire in effect since 2006, in recent months there has been an uptick in violent incidents.
In January an Israeli soldier was wounded in a blast on the border, while in December, an Israeli soldier was shot by his Lebanese counterpart on the border, though authorities claimed it was an "individual act."
The attack came four months after an Israeli incursion onto Lebanese territory near the border, which was repelled by an explosion claimed by Hezbollah that injured four Israeli soldiers. Israeli soldiers had penetrated 400 yards into Lebanese territory at the time of the blast.
The Lebanese army said in a statement that an Israeli foot patrol had violated the border and subsequently arrested brothers Hassan and Ismail Qassem Zahra, while Nouhad Awad, Wafa Moussa, and Woroud Moussa were detained while attempting to prevent the arrests.
The statement added that the three detained women were released after 20 minutes but the two brothers were kept in detention by Israeli forces.
It added that Lebanon was actively coordinating with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon which patrols the border to secure their release.
UNIFIL, meanwhile, said that they had been notified by the Lebanese army of the arrests near the town of Bastara and were in contact with both sides to secure their release.
An Israeli army spokeswoman said that the army had "identified suspects crossing the border into Israel," and after detaining them "two were transferred into Israel for questioning."
The Shebaa farms have been occupied by Israeli forces since 1967, when they occupied the Syrian Golan Heights.
Lebanese officials claim that the area is in fact Lebanese territory, as residents of the nearby Lebanese town of Shebaa own farmland in the area. They insist that it is the final strip of Lebanese territory still occupied by Israel after the end of it's 20-year occupation of southern Lebanon in 2000.
UNIFIL troops have been deployed along the border since the 34-day war between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006 which killed some 1,200 people in Lebanon, mostly civilians, and 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers.
Although the border is generally calm as a result of the ceasefire in effect since 2006, in recent months there has been an uptick in violent incidents.
In January an Israeli soldier was wounded in a blast on the border, while in December, an Israeli soldier was shot by his Lebanese counterpart on the border, though authorities claimed it was an "individual act."
The attack came four months after an Israeli incursion onto Lebanese territory near the border, which was repelled by an explosion claimed by Hezbollah that injured four Israeli soldiers. Israeli soldiers had penetrated 400 yards into Lebanese territory at the time of the blast.
21 mar 2014
Israel's air strikes on Syria after a bomb targeted Israeli troops on the occupied Golan Heights was unlikely to spiral into full-scale confrontation, with each side preoccupied elsewhere, commentators said Thursday.
Israeli warplanes attacked Syrian army positions early on Wednesday and the Jewish state issued a stark warning to Damascus just hours after a bomb wounded four Israeli soldiers on the Golan, one severely.
Over the past year, Israel has reportedly carried out a series of raids on Syrian and Hezbollah targets but has not officially acknowledged them.
In a rare departure, the Israel military issued a public statement acknowledging Wednesday's strikes on Syrian army facilities.
Damascus. meanwhile, said one soldier had been killed and seven more wounded in an act of "aggression" that endangered regional stability.
But most commentators agreed that neither Israel nor the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad were seeking a faceoff as each was dealing with threats on other fronts.
Assad has been tied up fighting a three-year civil war against rebels seeking his ouster, while Israel is occupied with the threats of rockets from Gaza in the south, powerful Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah on its northern flank and the perceived threat posed by Iran's nuclear program.
"Assad has no desire to get into a direct confrontation with Israel, which could bring about his end," Syria expert Eyal Zisser told the Jerusalem Post.
Although the targets in Wednesday's raids were Syrian army, it appeared that the bomb was planted by militants from Damascus ally Hezbollah, pundits said.
Syria has long provided arms and other aid to Hezbollah, and served as a conduit for Iranian military aid to the movement, which battled Israel to a bloody stalemate in a 2006 war.
'Hezbollah not seeking escalation'
Israeli public radio quoted Paolo Serra, commander of UN peacekeeping troops in Lebanon, as saying Hezbollah too was unlikely to want a full-scale confrontation.
"Hezbollah and Israel are not interested in escalation after the Golan Heights incident," it quoted him as saying.
Last week, Israel shelled Hezbollah positions after another explosion targeted Israeli troops patrolling the Lebanese border.
And on March 5, troops on the Golan fired on what they said were two Hezbollah members allegedly trying to place an explosive device near the ceasefire line.
Analysts linked the escalation in border tensions to a February 24 air strike on a Hezbollah position in Lebanon, close to the Syrian border, which a security source said had targeted "weapons sent from Syria to Hezbollah".
Hezbollah openly blamed Israel and vowed to respond.
"Hezbollah is the first name that comes to mind when trying to figure out who masterminded (Tuesday's) roadside attack," a Jerusalem Post editorial said, while admitting that nothing was certain in war-torn Syria.
"The country has deteriorated into a free-for-all fire zone the likes of which even this erratic region has never known. It has become an arena for every terrorist group."
Writing in Yediot Aharonot, Middle East expert Guy Bechor said that responsibility for the Golan attack was far from clear, and may not rest with either Hezbollah or the Damascus regime.
"Assad controls approximately a fifth of his country and most of our border is no longer under his control but under that of the various rebels, mostly Sunni jihadists," he wrote.
"Hezbollah, like the Syrian regime, is up to its ears in fighting deep inside Syria. The Israeli border isn't an area that is controlled by Hezbollah, but by Salafist rebels," he said.
Israel, which is technically at war with Syria, seized 1,200 square kilometers (460 square miles) of the Golan Heights plateau during the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed it in a move never recognized by the international community.
The two countries went to war again in 1973.
Since the Syrian civil conflict erupted in 2011, the plateau has been tense, with a growing number of stray projectiles hitting the Israeli side, prompting an occasional armed response.
Israeli warplanes attacked Syrian army positions early on Wednesday and the Jewish state issued a stark warning to Damascus just hours after a bomb wounded four Israeli soldiers on the Golan, one severely.
Over the past year, Israel has reportedly carried out a series of raids on Syrian and Hezbollah targets but has not officially acknowledged them.
In a rare departure, the Israel military issued a public statement acknowledging Wednesday's strikes on Syrian army facilities.
Damascus. meanwhile, said one soldier had been killed and seven more wounded in an act of "aggression" that endangered regional stability.
But most commentators agreed that neither Israel nor the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad were seeking a faceoff as each was dealing with threats on other fronts.
Assad has been tied up fighting a three-year civil war against rebels seeking his ouster, while Israel is occupied with the threats of rockets from Gaza in the south, powerful Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah on its northern flank and the perceived threat posed by Iran's nuclear program.
"Assad has no desire to get into a direct confrontation with Israel, which could bring about his end," Syria expert Eyal Zisser told the Jerusalem Post.
Although the targets in Wednesday's raids were Syrian army, it appeared that the bomb was planted by militants from Damascus ally Hezbollah, pundits said.
Syria has long provided arms and other aid to Hezbollah, and served as a conduit for Iranian military aid to the movement, which battled Israel to a bloody stalemate in a 2006 war.
'Hezbollah not seeking escalation'
Israeli public radio quoted Paolo Serra, commander of UN peacekeeping troops in Lebanon, as saying Hezbollah too was unlikely to want a full-scale confrontation.
"Hezbollah and Israel are not interested in escalation after the Golan Heights incident," it quoted him as saying.
Last week, Israel shelled Hezbollah positions after another explosion targeted Israeli troops patrolling the Lebanese border.
And on March 5, troops on the Golan fired on what they said were two Hezbollah members allegedly trying to place an explosive device near the ceasefire line.
Analysts linked the escalation in border tensions to a February 24 air strike on a Hezbollah position in Lebanon, close to the Syrian border, which a security source said had targeted "weapons sent from Syria to Hezbollah".
Hezbollah openly blamed Israel and vowed to respond.
"Hezbollah is the first name that comes to mind when trying to figure out who masterminded (Tuesday's) roadside attack," a Jerusalem Post editorial said, while admitting that nothing was certain in war-torn Syria.
"The country has deteriorated into a free-for-all fire zone the likes of which even this erratic region has never known. It has become an arena for every terrorist group."
Writing in Yediot Aharonot, Middle East expert Guy Bechor said that responsibility for the Golan attack was far from clear, and may not rest with either Hezbollah or the Damascus regime.
"Assad controls approximately a fifth of his country and most of our border is no longer under his control but under that of the various rebels, mostly Sunni jihadists," he wrote.
"Hezbollah, like the Syrian regime, is up to its ears in fighting deep inside Syria. The Israeli border isn't an area that is controlled by Hezbollah, but by Salafist rebels," he said.
Israel, which is technically at war with Syria, seized 1,200 square kilometers (460 square miles) of the Golan Heights plateau during the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed it in a move never recognized by the international community.
The two countries went to war again in 1973.
Since the Syrian civil conflict erupted in 2011, the plateau has been tense, with a growing number of stray projectiles hitting the Israeli side, prompting an occasional armed response.
18 mar 2014
An Israeli army officer speaks to a soldier who was wounded during an explosion as he is evacuated to hospital, in the northern city of Haifa March 18, 2014
A roadside bomb wounded four Israeli soldiers patrolling the occupied Golan Heights on Tuesday, and Israel retaliated with artillery fire on Syrian army positions, the army said. It was not clear who had planted the bomb in an area where the Syrian military, Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas and Syrian rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad all have a presence.
Israel captured the Golan from Syria in the 1967 war and annexed the strategic plateau in a move the world has not recognised.
Violence in Syria has spilled over the Golan frontline in the past but Tuesday's casualties were the worst Israel has suffered in there since the Syrian uprising began three years ago, army spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Lerner said.
Noticing suspicious movement near the Golan separation fence, the soldiers left their patrol vehicle to inspect it on foot and were hit by an explosion, Lerner said. One was seriously hurt and the others had moderate to light injuries.
Israeli artillery shelled Syrian army positions on the far side of the fence in retaliation, Lerner said.
"We see the Syrian army as responsible, and that is indicated by our response to the attack," he said.
His language suggested Israel was blaming Damascus because it had formal authority over the Syrian-held side of the Golan.
Lerner declined to be drawn on whether Israel knew who specifically had planted the bomb. Two weeks ago, Israel said it foiled a similar attack when its forces shot two Hezbollah men near the Golan fence. Hezbollah has fighters in Syria helping Assad combat a rebellion led by Sunni Islamist insurgents.
In Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said the Syrian-held side of the Golan was "filled" with al Qaeda-linked rebels and Hezbollah guerrillas who, while at each other's throats in Syria, shared deep enmity for the Jewish state.
"This presents a new challenge for the State of Israel," Netanyahu told his Likud faction.
Israel has accused Hezbollah of setting up positions on the other side of the boundary fence. On Friday, an explosive device was detonated against Israeli soldiers patrolling the nearby border with Lebanon, causing no injuries, the army said.
Hezbollah accused Israel of carrying out an air strike on one of its bases on the Lebanon-Syria border last month and vowed to respond. Israel said it would hold the Beirut government responsible if Hezbollah attacked it from Lebanese territory.
A roadside bomb wounded four Israeli soldiers patrolling the occupied Golan Heights on Tuesday, and Israel retaliated with artillery fire on Syrian army positions, the army said. It was not clear who had planted the bomb in an area where the Syrian military, Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas and Syrian rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad all have a presence.
Israel captured the Golan from Syria in the 1967 war and annexed the strategic plateau in a move the world has not recognised.
Violence in Syria has spilled over the Golan frontline in the past but Tuesday's casualties were the worst Israel has suffered in there since the Syrian uprising began three years ago, army spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Lerner said.
Noticing suspicious movement near the Golan separation fence, the soldiers left their patrol vehicle to inspect it on foot and were hit by an explosion, Lerner said. One was seriously hurt and the others had moderate to light injuries.
Israeli artillery shelled Syrian army positions on the far side of the fence in retaliation, Lerner said.
"We see the Syrian army as responsible, and that is indicated by our response to the attack," he said.
His language suggested Israel was blaming Damascus because it had formal authority over the Syrian-held side of the Golan.
Lerner declined to be drawn on whether Israel knew who specifically had planted the bomb. Two weeks ago, Israel said it foiled a similar attack when its forces shot two Hezbollah men near the Golan fence. Hezbollah has fighters in Syria helping Assad combat a rebellion led by Sunni Islamist insurgents.
In Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said the Syrian-held side of the Golan was "filled" with al Qaeda-linked rebels and Hezbollah guerrillas who, while at each other's throats in Syria, shared deep enmity for the Jewish state.
"This presents a new challenge for the State of Israel," Netanyahu told his Likud faction.
Israel has accused Hezbollah of setting up positions on the other side of the boundary fence. On Friday, an explosive device was detonated against Israeli soldiers patrolling the nearby border with Lebanon, causing no injuries, the army said.
Hezbollah accused Israel of carrying out an air strike on one of its bases on the Lebanon-Syria border last month and vowed to respond. Israel said it would hold the Beirut government responsible if Hezbollah attacked it from Lebanese territory.
17 mar 2014
Hezbollah Flag
According to investigations by the Israeli Military, fighters of the Lebanon-based Hezbollah party crossed the border, a week ago, and planted explosive charges that were detonated near military vehicles.
Israeli Walla News said Hezbollah fighters advanced hundreds of meters beyond the Blue Line, separating Israel from Lebanon.
The report refers to an incident that took place last week when an explosive charge was detonated near a military vehicle driving close to the border with Lebanon.
Following the attack, Israel said Hezbollah fighters, placed the bomb on Friday at night, March 14, and that an Israeli military convoy, driving on the Sheba Farms border area, was hit by the bomb.
Israel said that, although the explosion directly struck the convoy, no injuries were reported among the soldiers who were moved to a medical center in Safad for “precautionary medical examination”.
According to the Jerusalem Post, Hezbollah fighters carried out this attack in response to shells fired by Israeli tanks at a Hezbollah site, close to the border.
According to investigations by the Israeli Military, fighters of the Lebanon-based Hezbollah party crossed the border, a week ago, and planted explosive charges that were detonated near military vehicles.
Israeli Walla News said Hezbollah fighters advanced hundreds of meters beyond the Blue Line, separating Israel from Lebanon.
The report refers to an incident that took place last week when an explosive charge was detonated near a military vehicle driving close to the border with Lebanon.
Following the attack, Israel said Hezbollah fighters, placed the bomb on Friday at night, March 14, and that an Israeli military convoy, driving on the Sheba Farms border area, was hit by the bomb.
Israel said that, although the explosion directly struck the convoy, no injuries were reported among the soldiers who were moved to a medical center in Safad for “precautionary medical examination”.
According to the Jerusalem Post, Hezbollah fighters carried out this attack in response to shells fired by Israeli tanks at a Hezbollah site, close to the border.
16 mar 2014
Israeli soldiers take position on the Israel-Lebanon border near the northern town of Metula
(Reuters) - Lebanon's new government agreed to a compromise policy statement on Friday that fell short of explicitly enshrining the militant group Hezbollah's role in confronting Israel but which would give all citizens the right to resist Israeli occupation or attacks.
The agreement on the compromise language came after weeks of dispute brought the government to the verge of collapse, and now paves the way for Prime Minister Tammam Salam to put his government to a vote of confidence.
Information Minister Ramzi Jreij told reporters that most ministers had agreed on a compromise statement that declares Lebanese citizens have the right to "resist Israeli occupation" and repel any Israeli attack.
The deal was reached a few hours after Israel's army said it fired tank rounds and artillery into southern Lebanon in retaliation for a bomb that targeted its soldiers patrolling the border. No injuries were reported on either side.
The Israel-Lebanon border has been mostly quiet since Israel and Hezbollah fought an inconclusive war in 2006, but Israeli forces still hold at least three pockets of occupied territory which are claimed by Lebanon.
"Based on the state's responsibility to preserve Lebanon's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity and the security of its citizens, the government affirms the duty of the state and its efforts to liberate the Shebaa Farms and Kfar Shouba Hills and the Lebanese part of Ghajar through all legitimate means," the government statement said.
It also "affirms the right of Lebanese citizens to resist Israeli occupation and repel aggressions and recover occupied territory".
Agreement on the declaration paves the way for Salam to put his government to a vote of confidence, almost exactly a year after he was first asked to try to put together a cabinet following the resignation of his predecessor, Najib Mikati.
The declaration reflected a compromise between the Hezbollah-led political coalition, which sought to guarantee Shi'ite Hezbollah's right to fight Israel and to justify maintaining its huge weapons arsenal, with Sunni-led political opponents who sought to emphasize the role of the state in carrying arms.
Tensions between Hezbollah and its Sunni opponents inside Lebanon have been sharply heightened by the civil war in neighboring Syria, where Hezbollah fighters have been battling alongside President Bashar al-Assad's forces against Sunni rebels who are backed by many Lebanese Sunnis.
Jreij said some ministers expressed reservations because the statement failed to spell out Lebanese state control over the military conflict with Israel and because it refers to "resistance", Hezbollah's label for its military operations.
A functioning Lebanese government would finally be in a position to pursue an offshore oil and gas exploration license round that was delayed for months by the political deadlock.
Salam has also said he hoped the emergence of the new government will allow Lebanon to hold presidential elections before President Michel Suleiman's mandate expires in May and also hold parliamentary polls that were postponed last year due to the political impasse.
Lebanon, still struggling to recover from its own 1975-1990 civil war, has found its internal divisions worsened by the conflict in Syria, whose sectarian divisions mirror its own.
Sectarian violence has erupted sporadically in the past year, particularly in the north, and car bombings targeting both security and political targets have increased dramatically, with Hezbollah-dominated areas being the most frequent target.
Security sources said on Friday the death toll after two days of fighting in the northern city of Tripoli between Sunni Muslims and minority Alawites - the same sect as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad - had risen to five.
(Reuters) - Lebanon's new government agreed to a compromise policy statement on Friday that fell short of explicitly enshrining the militant group Hezbollah's role in confronting Israel but which would give all citizens the right to resist Israeli occupation or attacks.
The agreement on the compromise language came after weeks of dispute brought the government to the verge of collapse, and now paves the way for Prime Minister Tammam Salam to put his government to a vote of confidence.
Information Minister Ramzi Jreij told reporters that most ministers had agreed on a compromise statement that declares Lebanese citizens have the right to "resist Israeli occupation" and repel any Israeli attack.
The deal was reached a few hours after Israel's army said it fired tank rounds and artillery into southern Lebanon in retaliation for a bomb that targeted its soldiers patrolling the border. No injuries were reported on either side.
The Israel-Lebanon border has been mostly quiet since Israel and Hezbollah fought an inconclusive war in 2006, but Israeli forces still hold at least three pockets of occupied territory which are claimed by Lebanon.
"Based on the state's responsibility to preserve Lebanon's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity and the security of its citizens, the government affirms the duty of the state and its efforts to liberate the Shebaa Farms and Kfar Shouba Hills and the Lebanese part of Ghajar through all legitimate means," the government statement said.
It also "affirms the right of Lebanese citizens to resist Israeli occupation and repel aggressions and recover occupied territory".
Agreement on the declaration paves the way for Salam to put his government to a vote of confidence, almost exactly a year after he was first asked to try to put together a cabinet following the resignation of his predecessor, Najib Mikati.
The declaration reflected a compromise between the Hezbollah-led political coalition, which sought to guarantee Shi'ite Hezbollah's right to fight Israel and to justify maintaining its huge weapons arsenal, with Sunni-led political opponents who sought to emphasize the role of the state in carrying arms.
Tensions between Hezbollah and its Sunni opponents inside Lebanon have been sharply heightened by the civil war in neighboring Syria, where Hezbollah fighters have been battling alongside President Bashar al-Assad's forces against Sunni rebels who are backed by many Lebanese Sunnis.
Jreij said some ministers expressed reservations because the statement failed to spell out Lebanese state control over the military conflict with Israel and because it refers to "resistance", Hezbollah's label for its military operations.
A functioning Lebanese government would finally be in a position to pursue an offshore oil and gas exploration license round that was delayed for months by the political deadlock.
Salam has also said he hoped the emergence of the new government will allow Lebanon to hold presidential elections before President Michel Suleiman's mandate expires in May and also hold parliamentary polls that were postponed last year due to the political impasse.
Lebanon, still struggling to recover from its own 1975-1990 civil war, has found its internal divisions worsened by the conflict in Syria, whose sectarian divisions mirror its own.
Sectarian violence has erupted sporadically in the past year, particularly in the north, and car bombings targeting both security and political targets have increased dramatically, with Hezbollah-dominated areas being the most frequent target.
Security sources said on Friday the death toll after two days of fighting in the northern city of Tripoli between Sunni Muslims and minority Alawites - the same sect as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad - had risen to five.
