On the eve of President Bush’s visit to Israel, two rockets were fired from Lebanon on the Israeli town of Shlomi.

The remains of a 107-mm rocket found in Shlomi (photo by the Government Press Office (GPO), January 8, Nana website)

Overview

1. On the morning of Tuesday, January 8, the remains and fragments of two rockets were found in the Western Galilee town of Shlomi . Investigation showed them to be two 107-mm rockets fired from Lebanon during the night.

2. In the early afternoon of the same day, a roadside bombing targeted a vehicle traveling on a road to the north of Sidon . Two soldiers belonging to the Irish contingent of the peacekeeping force were wounded as a result.

3. No organization claimed responsibility for the two terrorist attacks. It is our assessment that the attacks were perpetrated by terrorist elements associated with the global jihad, and not by Hezbollah, which avoids perpetrating terrorist attacks against Israel ever since the second Lebanon war. The UN Secretary-General as well as the UN Security Council condemned both incidents, which constitute a violation of Security Council Resolution 1701.

The incidents in detail 

Rockets fired on Shlomi 

4. On the morning of January 8, the remains and fragments of two rockets were found in the Western Galilee town of Shlomi . Investigation showed them to be 107-mm rockets fired from Lebanon during the night. One rocket landed in the yard of a residential building, and parts of it were found on the house’s porch. The remains of the second rocket were found nearby. No one was hurt, and minor damage was caused to streetlights and trees. The rocket hits went unnoticed, owing perhaps to the stormy weather conditions in the region at the time.

Right: the remains of one of the rockets found in Shlomi (Nana website, courtesy of Channel 10, January 8); left: the damage caused by one of the rockets

5. The Lebanese army operated in the villages of south Lebanon to investigate the incident. A UNIFIL bomb squad was dispatched to Israel . Four UNIFIL officers came to Shlomi to collect data from the scene and confirmed that there had, in fact, been an attack. Hezbollah, on its part, falsely claimed that it was an old rocket from the second Lebanon war that exploded in the town of Shlomi (Al-Manar TV, January 8).

UNIFIL soldiers investigating the remains of one of the rockets in Shlomi

6. It is worth mentioning that it is the second time rockets are fired on Israel since the second Lebanon war. On June 17, 2007, three rockets were fired on Kiryat Shmona from the Taybeh-Addayseh region. That attack was also perpetrated by terrorist elements associated with the global jihad. ¹

7. In response, Israel submitted a strong protest to the UN Secretary-General and to the President of the Security Council (January 8). According to the protest, "the rocket fire constitutes a serious violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and serves as further proof that the resolution is not strictly implemented”. The protest also states that the rocket incident is a "warning call” to the international community and to Lebanon to implement Resolution 1701 on the ground.

Roadside bombing targeting a UNIFIL vehicle

Lebanese army soldiers investigating the place where the UNIFIL
vehicle was attacked (Al-Manar TV, January 8)

8. In the early afternoon of January 8, a civilian vehicle traveling on the Beirut-Sidon road near Al-Rumeyleh (to the north of Sidon ) was targeted by a roadside bombing. The passengers were soldiers belonging to the Irish contingent of the peacekeeping force, two of whom were lightly wounded as a result. The Lebanese army imposed a closure on the region. Hezbollah and AMAL quickly condemned the incident.

9. Initial investigation of the incident showed that the bombing was perpetrated using an improvised, remotely-operated explosive charge weighing some 3.5 kg . No possible suspects have been detained so far (Al-Hayat, January 10).

Summary

10. It is our assessment that the two attacks were perpetrated by terrorist elements associated with the global jihad, acting in Lebanon , perhaps as a way to convey a message prior to President George Bush’s visit to the Middle East . We believe that the terrorist attacks were not perpetrated by Hezbollah, which avoids perpetrating terrorist attacks against Israel ever since the second Lebanon war and which currently focuses on building and restoring its military infrastructure. It should be noted that it is the second time rockets are fired on Israeli population centers since the end of the second Lebanon war. In both cases, Hezbollah was not responsible for the attacks.