Hezbollah Thwarts Israeli Spy Offensive, Accuses UNIFIL of Bias

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Hussein Assi

19/10/2009 Once again, the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon thwarts an Israeli plot against the country and its people and uncovers a non-traditional violation of the Lebanese sovereignty under the form of "espionage."

In a statement it released at pre-dawn, Hezbollah hailed the "major accomplishment" achieved by the Islamic Resistance when its members "uncovered and thwarted an Israeli enemy aggression," a reference to three Israeli spy devices that have been blown up in south Lebanon over the weekend.

Hezbollah pointed out that the Islamic Resistance members "managed to uncover a spy device planted by Israel between Houla and Mais el-Jabal in South Lebanon that had been installed following the July 2006 war." It said the device was booby-trapped. "The spying gear was planted on a telecommunication cable that was placed after the 2006 July war. Right after the device was discovered, the"Israeli enemy remotely destroyed the gear," the statement read.

The Resistance party emphasized in its statement that this new failure of the Israeli enemy follows its failure in protecting its spies in Lebanon during the few past months that witnessed the collapse of Israeli agents in the country.

Hezbollah concluded its statement by reiterating that the Israeli uncovered offensive constitutes a flagrant aggression against Lebanon's sovereignty and another attempt to target the country by all possible means.

On Sunday, three Israeli spy devices have been blown up in south Lebanon, two detonated remotely by the Israeli army and one destroyed by the Lebanese army.

HEZBOLLAH ACCUSES UNIFIL OF "UNACCEPTED BIAS"

A UNIFIL statement, however, said preliminary indications showed that the blasts were caused by "explosive charges contained in unattended underground sensors" which were placed in that area by Israeli forces "apparently" during the 2006 war. "UNIFIL immediately launched an investigation to ascertain all the facts and circumstances relating to the presence of these devices and to establish how the explosions were triggered," the statement added.

But member of the Loyalty to Resistance parliamentary bloc MP Hasan Fadlallah slammed the UNIFIL statement as biased. Speaking to Agence France Press, Fadlallah said that the UNIFIL's statement constitutes a political stance that doesn't help the international forces in accomplishing their mission, adding that Hezbollah rejects such bias and urges the UNIFIL leadership to explain it especially that it came before the end of the investigations.

"I believe that official Lebanon was also surprised by that (UNIFIL's) position because it came instantly after the devices and bombs were discovered and before waiting for a Lebanese International investigation, knowing that there is an investigation conducted by a Lebanese Army-UNIFIL committee," the Hezbollah MP said.

"On which basis did the UNIFIL's spokesman claim that the bombs and devices have been planted since 2006 and how was this fact discovered before any investigation?", Fadlallah wondered.
ISRAEL: LEBANESE ALLEGATIONS DON'T DESERVE RESPONSE
Meanwhile, the Israeli enemy maintained its calm "officially." An Israeli Army spokesman claimed that the Lebanese allegations do not warrant a serious response. "We will continue to act to maintain calm on Israel's northern border," he added.

"Hezbollah is once again trying to divert the attention of the international community from their continuous violations of UN resolution 1701," the Israeli spokesman claimed.

The spokesman, who didn't deny the Israeli involvement in the espionage offensive, went on to claim that the mentioned incident proves "Hezbollah's military presence in southern Lebanon, particularly in rural areas near the Israeli border."

Some Israeli analysts, however, were clear in admitting the Israeli role in the aggression. "If this is true, then it means that Israeli is making every possible effort to supervise Hezbollah preparations for the next war," an Arab affairs expert in the Israeli media said. Another military expert said that the ongoing intelligence conflict between Hezbollah and Israel was a prelude to Lebanon's Third war.