Israeli raids violate truce with Lebanon

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan , pictured in July 2006, said an Israeli raid in Lebanon on Saturday violated the UN-backed truce and expressed deep concerns. (AFP photo/File) Photo Gallery >>>

    UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said an Israeli raid in Lebanon on Saturday violated the UN-backed truce and expressed deep concerns.

    "The secretary-general is deeply concerned about a violation by the Israeli side of the cessation of hostilities as laid out in Security Council resolution 1701," a spokesman for Annan said in a statement posted on the UN Web site.

    The statement said that according to UN peacekeepers in Lebanon, "there have also been several air violations by Israeli military aircraft."

    "All such violations of Security Council resolution 1701 endanger the fragile calm that was reached after much negotiation and undermine the authority of the government of Lebanon," the statement said.

    Annan called on all parties concerned to "respect strictly the arms embargo, exercise maximum restraint, avoid provocative actions and display responsibility in implementing resolution 1701," the statement said.

    Annan also demanded daily reports about compliance with the truce be provided to the Security Council, the statement added.

    The Israeli army confirmed that Israeli commandos launched a raid on a Hezbollah stronghold near the Bodai village in eastern Lebanon early Saturday to prevent weapons from being transferred to Hezbollah from Iran and Syria.

    The army said the raid, which it termed as a "defensive" one, left one Israeli officer dead and two soldiers wounded. There is no immediate information about Hezbollah casualties in the raid.

    It was the first time that Israel launched a formal military attack deep inside Lebanon since the UN-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah came into effect on Monday.

    Israel denied it had violated the UN resolution, which allows it to act in self-defense, and in turn accused Lebanon of breaching the truce by smuggling weapons.