Special report: Israel, Lebanon agree on ceasefire

Hizbollah guerrillas inspect the area where Israeli commandos had conducted a raid on Boday plain in eastern Lebanon August 19, 2006. Helicopter-borne Israeli commandos raided a Hizbollah bastion in eastern Lebanon on Saturday in the first major attack since a U.N.-backed truce halted Israel 's 34-day war with the Shi'ite Muslim group. (Xinhua Photo) Photo Gallery >>>

    BEIRUT, Aug. 19 (Xinhua)-- Lebanese Defense Minister Elias Murr threatened on Saturday to halt army deployment in south Lebanon if the United Nations does not intervene after an Israeli raid, the pan-Arab al-Jazeera satellite channel reported.

    According to the report, Murr accused Israel's airborne raid in the eastern Lebanon early Saturday of violating a UN-brokered ceasefire which took effect about a week ago.

    Murr was quoted as saying that he would recommend the Lebanese cabinet to stop deploying troops in the south if the United Nations didn't react clearly on the issue.

    Lebanese troops started to deploy in south Lebanon, a traditional stronghold of Hezbollah, from early Thursday following the ceasefire after the UN Security Council adopted the resolution 1701 demanding an immediate, full cessation of hostilities.

    Murr warned that the Israeli operation deep inside Lebanon could trigger revenge and the Jewish state might use the retaliation as an excuse to carry out more attacks on Lebanon.

    On early Saturday, Israeli commandos carried out a raid on a Hezbollah stronghold near the Bodai village in eastern Lebanon to prevent weapons from being transferred to Hezbollah from Iran and Syria, the Israeli army said.

    An Israeli army spokesman confirmed that a special force soldier was killed in an operation carried out in eastern Lebanon overnight Saturday.

    Two other soldiers were wounded -one seriously- during the operation which was aimed at preventing weapons be smuggled to the Lebanese Hizbollah, he added.

    The spokesman stressed that all the goals of the operation were achieved and there is no information about the casualties of the Hezbollah in the raid.

    Previously, Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV reported that a gunbattle erupted when a group of Israeli commandoes dropped by helicopter launched the raid west of the Hezbollah's stronghold of Baalbek deep inside Lebanon, leaving Israeli casualties.

    The Israeli special forces landed before dawn and was heading into the Hezbollah stronghold when it was intercepted by Hezbollah guerrillas, said the TV report, adding Hezbollah guerrillas forced the Israeli commandoes to retreat under the cover of warplanes.

    The raid would mean the first time that Israel launched a formal military operation since the UN-brokered ceasefire went into effect on Monday.

    Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora blamed Israel for violating the UN Security Council Resolution 1701 in the wake of the first Israeli raid deep inside Lebanon after the ceasefire between the two sides.

    Israel launched a massive assault against Hezbollah after the Lebanese Shiite group seized two Israeli soldiers and killed eight others during cross-border raids on July 12.

    Over 1,000 Lebanese and 157 Israelis have been killed in the conflict. Enditem