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Hezbollah Attacks Israelis in Shebaa Farms Before UN Vote on UNIFIL
Lebanese resistance group Hezbollah on Monday launched attacks on Israeli positions in the Shebaa Farms.
Hezbollah, or Party of God, said in a statement that its guerrillas "launched Katyusha rockets that hit two Israeli positions in the Shebaa Farms."
Israeli army has confirmed that several shells fell on the Shebaa Farms.
No casualties have been reported.
Israeli troops retaliated immediately by firing shells against villages in south Lebanon, Lebanese military sources said.
Hezbollah last attacked Israeli targets on April 14, a move which was followed by Israeli air strikes against a Syrian military radar station in eastern Lebanon.
The new conflict occurred one day before the United Nations Security Council votes on possible decrease of the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan has proposed a reduction of the peacekeeping force from the current level of 5,800 troops to 2,000 by July 31, 2002.
Annan said in a report that the situation in south Lebanon is " stable, so UNIFIL does not need so many troops."
Israel withdrew from south Lebanon nearly a year ago, ending 22- year occupation. But Hezbollah vows to continue fighting against Israel as long as it still occupies Arab lands.
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