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Jerusalem
21 February 2009
Lebanese security sources say Israel has fired artillery shells into southern Lebanon, after three rockets were fired toward Israel from Lebanon. Israeli sources say one of those rockets landed in northern Israel and wounded three people. Lebanese rocket fire is raising tension on the border with Israel.
Rockets were fired at Israel from Lebanon, including one that slammed into an Israeli Arab village in Galilee.
"We heard a loud boom," a resident of the village told Israel's Army Radio. It was raining, and he said that at first people thought it was thunder. He said there was a lot of broken glass and damage in several houses.
Israeli artillery returned fire. There was no claim of responsibility but Israeli officials said such attacks could not take place without the knowledge of the Islamic guerrilla group Hezbollah which controls South Lebanon. Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran and Syria, said it was not involved.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora issued a statement condemning the rocket attack, saying it "threatened security and stability."
Rocket fire has been rare since the Lebanon War in 2006, when Israel launched a 34-day assault on Hezbollah. Lebanon is still recovering and the western-backed Lebanese government does not want another war.
But the Israeli army says Hezbollah has rearmed with 40,000 rockets since the war, and military intelligence has warned that another conflict with Hezbollah appears inevitable.
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