Rocket attack on Shelomi

On May 11, 2005, at 11:30 PM on the eve of Israel 's 57^th Independence Day, a 107 mm rocket was fired in the village of Shelomi in the western Galilee . It hit a local bakery, causing extensive damage. No one was injured. A Lebanese “security source” reported that it was fired from the region of Hamoul, near the coastal village of Naqoura in south Lebanon . Hezbollah denied involvement in the attack.

A similar incident occurred on November 15, 2004, when a mortar shell fell near Shelomi . Hezbollah also denied responsibility for the attack. During 2004 there were six rocket attacks on Israel from Lebanese territory , and one in October 2003. Fortunately, none of the attacks resulted in casualties (For a description of the attacks see the Appendix ).

In our assessment, Palestinian terrorist operatives working in Hezbollah-controlled territory were behind the attack . They have a vested interest in showing solidarity and involvement in the ongoing violent Palestinian-Israeli confrontation in the Palestinian Authority (PA)-administered territories and want to heat up the Israeli-Lebanese border. It should be noted that every rocket was launched from an area controlled by Hezbollah, not by the Lebanese army . There is no doubt that if Hezbollah wanted to, it could easily end the attacks . It does not because it is interested in maintaining tension along the Israeli-Lebanese border without leaving fingerprints, and because it is continually testing the rules of the game it plays with Israel .

On May 12 and 13, Israel 's Independence day and the day after, Hezbollah fired at Israeli posts at Har Dov (Shebaa Farms) in provocation:

• On the night of May 12 (Independence Day), two rockets were launched at an Israeli post at Har Dov. No damage was caused and there were no casualties. The Israeli soldiers did not return fire.

• On May 13, during the afternoon, 20 rockets and mortar shells were fired in three volleys at Israeli army outposts. Hezbollah (“the Islamic Resistance”) claimed responsibility for the attack, alleging – utterly falsely – that it came as retaliation for an Israeli attack on two civilian buildings in the village of Shuba . ¹ In response the Israeli air force sent planes and helicopters to strafe Hezbollah targets in the Har Dov and central south Lebanon areas; Israeli soldiers also returned artillery fire.

• The attacks were part of Hezbollah's ongoing policy of attacking the IDF in the Har Dov region. They continue their attacks even though Israel complied with Security Council Resolution 425 and withdrew from Lebanon to UN satisfaction. Hezbollah's excuses have not been accepted by the UN, the international community or even by figures in Lebanon who do not follow the Syrian line . ²

International response

The response of the US State Department (taken from the what Internet site, May 14, 2005):

Question: There was an attack in Lebanon . There was an exchange of fire between Hezbollah and Israel today and yesterday. Do you have any comment on that?

Mr. Boucher: Yeah. We are – they – start over. The United States is deeply concerned about the recent violence along the blue line. We call on all parties to immediately cease all attacks and to exercise calm and restraint. This is an especially sensitive and critical time for the Lebanese people, who will be voting in parliamentary elections beginning on May 29th. This opportunity for reaffirming democracy in Lebanon must not be undermined by militias pursuing their own agendas.

The response of the UN Secretary General to the rocket attack on Shelomi

The secretary general's spokesperson announced (Agence France Press, May 12, 2005) that:

“The secretary general emphasizes once again the fragility of the situation in Lebanon and the wider region,” Annan's spokesman said in a statement, adding that he was “gravely concerned” about the incident.

He reiterated his call on the government of Lebanon “to extend its control to all of its territory, to exert its monopoly on the use of force and to put an end to all such attacks,” the statement said.

In our assessment, Hezbollah is using the attacks to send a message to Lebanon , Israel and even the international community, informing them that:

• It has no intention of disarming (as demanded by the international community); ³

• It means to continue its attacks within the framework of what Lebanon claims is “legitimate; ” for example, it continues its attacks on Shebaa Farms.

That will be done despite the fact that such “legitimacy” and the use of force to solve disagreements is unacceptable to the international community in general and responsible elements in Lebanon in particular. In the meantime, Hezbollah continues using the Palestinian terrorist organizations to attack Israel from areas under its control, even if it tries to present itself as uninvolved .

It should be remembered that according to the Taif Agreement (1989), the Lebanese government is obliged to comply with Security Council An article appearing in the Lebanese newspaper Al-Nahar (May 16, 2005), based on the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Rai Al-Aam (May 15, 2005), quoted the Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, as saying “We will not give up our weapons or lay them down. If more pressure is put on us we will launch our missiles, of which they [the Israelis] think we have about 12,000, at the north of Israel . We are certain we will strike a painful blow and burn a great deal of Israel , come what may.”

So far Israel has exercised restraint in the face of continued Hezbollah provocations . However, the launching of rockets at Israeli centers of population from Lebanese territory and attacks on IDF posts at Har Dov are liable to lead to an escalation of violence, especially if Israeli civilians are harmed .

Artillery attacks on Israel from Lebanese territory since October 2003

October 6, 2003 : Reacting to an Israeli air force attack on a Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC) base at Eyn Sahab near Damascus in Syria , PFLP-CG terrorists made an abortive attempt to fire five rockets from the central sector of south Lebanon . The rockets fell in Lebanon and a Lebanese child was killed. Hezbollah denied involvement in the incident. The Lebanese government announced that it was not interested in an escalation of violence with Israel .

March 22, 2004 : A PFLP-GC attempt to fire mortar shells (?) was thwarted. The attempt was made in the wake of the killing of sheikh Ahmad Yassin, the Hamas founder and leader. Two days later the PFLP-GC claimed responsibility for the attack.

April 24, 2004 : A rocket was fired from the area around Yarin, a village on the Israeli-Lebanese border, apparently in response to the targeted killing of Hamas leader ‘Abd al-‘Aziz al-Rantisi.

June 7, 2004 : Rockets were fired from the area around Naqoura in the wake of the jail sentence handed down to Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti and wide-spread IDF activity in the PA-administered territories. In response the Israeli air force attacked a PFLP base in Lebanon . Fatah and the PFLP-GC denied involvement in the rocket attack.

October 9, 2004 : An abortive attempt was made to fire a rocket from the area of Yarin in response to the death of top Hamas operative Izz al-Din Sheikh Khalil in Damascus . Hezbollah denied involvement in the attack. October 28, 2004 : Rockets were fired from the area of ‘ Alma al-Sha'ab, a village in the central sector of the Israeli-Lebanese border, about 7 km to the east of Naqoura. The perpetrators were apparently unaligned Palestinian terrorists and responsibility was never claimed.

October 28, 2004 : Rockets were fired from the area of ‘ Alma al-Sha'ab, a village in the western sector of the Israeli-Lebanese border. The perpetrators were apparently unaligned Palestinian terrorists and responsibility was never claimed.

November 15, 2004 : Two rockets were fired at Israeli territory, one falling into Lebanese territorial waters and the other near the village of Shelomi . The Lebanese Minister of Information condemned the incident, calling it “an act of entrapment and anarchy,” and stated that “the Lebanese government rejects the action” ( Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, November 17, 2004). Hezbollah denied responsibility for the attack.

May 11, 2005 : On the eve of Israel 's 57 th Independence Day, a 107 mm rocket shell was fired from the area of Naqoura at the village of Shelomi . It hit a bakery and caused extensive damage. No one was injured. Hezbollah denied involvement in the incident.