BEIRUT FURY AT CEASEFIRE BREACH!
The commandos were airlifted from a cornfield, witnesses sayLebanese PM Fouad Siniora has accused Israel of a "naked violation" of the five-day-old ceasefire, after a raid by Israeli commandos deep inside Lebanon.
The raid, in the eastern Bekaa Valley, left one Israeli dead and two injured.
Israel said it was trying to disrupt the movement of weapons from Iran and Syria to Hezbollah, and insisted the ceasefire was still intact.
The operation came hours after UN Secretary General Kofi Annan warned of a "fragile" situation on the ground.
The Israeli raid centred on the village of Bodai, west of the city of Baalbek, some 100km (60 miles) north of the Israeli border.
It is the first incident of its kind since the ceasefire came into effect.
Apparent remnants of the raid were found at the scene
Israeli helicopters are believed to have dropped off the commandos and two vehicles during the night.
The Israelis seem to have met more resistance than they expected, with one local fighter describing a gun battle lasting more than two hours, says the BBC's Jon Leyne at the scene.
Two helicopters landed in a cornfield and took away the soldiers, while Israeli fighter jets circled overhead, witnesses say.
There is speculation locally is that the Israelis may have been trying to capture a senior Hezbollah figure who lives in the village, our correspondent adds.
Lebanese sources earlier told Reuters agency that three militants died in the incident.
Government responses
In Beirut, the raid prompted an angry response from Mr Siniora.
"It is a naked violation of the cessation of hostilities declared by the Security Council," he told reporters.
Mid-East crisis: Key maps
Lebanon: Key facts
He said a complaint had been made to visiting UN envoys about the operation.
But Israel insisted it had not breached the ceasefire.
"We had specific information of arms transfers taking place and we acted to prevent that violation, so that violation is not from the Israeli side - we were responding to a violation of the resolution by Hezbollah," said Israeli spokesman Mark Regev.
Israel has said it will continue to carry out such actions until an expanded international military force is in place to prevent Hezbollah's re-armament.
The resolution which stopped the conflict said Israel should end all offensive military action and Hezbollah should end all attacks.
Reinforcements
Meanwhile, 50 French troops arrived in the Lebanese port of Naqoura, the first soldiers to bolster the UN peacekeeping force.
View a 360-degree panorama taken in Beirut
They are among 200 extra troops promised by France, as the UN struggles to build its expanded force.
The UN wants 3,500 troops on the ground speedily, to be increased later to 15,000. It says it is disappointed with the French contribution and wants other European nations to offer more help too.
In a separate development, an Israeli soldier was shot dead by a Palestinian gunman in the West Bank, the army said.
The incident happened near the city of Nablus, when militants opened fire from a car, one report said.
The raid, in the eastern Bekaa Valley, left one Israeli dead and two injured.
Israel said it was trying to disrupt the movement of weapons from Iran and Syria to Hezbollah, and insisted the ceasefire was still intact.
The operation came hours after UN Secretary General Kofi Annan warned of a "fragile" situation on the ground.
The Israeli raid centred on the village of Bodai, west of the city of Baalbek, some 100km (60 miles) north of the Israeli border.
It is the first incident of its kind since the ceasefire came into effect.
Apparent remnants of the raid were found at the scene
Israeli helicopters are believed to have dropped off the commandos and two vehicles during the night.
The Israelis seem to have met more resistance than they expected, with one local fighter describing a gun battle lasting more than two hours, says the BBC's Jon Leyne at the scene.
Two helicopters landed in a cornfield and took away the soldiers, while Israeli fighter jets circled overhead, witnesses say.
There is speculation locally is that the Israelis may have been trying to capture a senior Hezbollah figure who lives in the village, our correspondent adds.
Lebanese sources earlier told Reuters agency that three militants died in the incident.
Government responses
In Beirut, the raid prompted an angry response from Mr Siniora.
"It is a naked violation of the cessation of hostilities declared by the Security Council," he told reporters.
Mid-East crisis: Key maps
Lebanon: Key facts
He said a complaint had been made to visiting UN envoys about the operation.
But Israel insisted it had not breached the ceasefire.
"We had specific information of arms transfers taking place and we acted to prevent that violation, so that violation is not from the Israeli side - we were responding to a violation of the resolution by Hezbollah," said Israeli spokesman Mark Regev.
Israel has said it will continue to carry out such actions until an expanded international military force is in place to prevent Hezbollah's re-armament.
The resolution which stopped the conflict said Israel should end all offensive military action and Hezbollah should end all attacks.
Reinforcements
Meanwhile, 50 French troops arrived in the Lebanese port of Naqoura, the first soldiers to bolster the UN peacekeeping force.
View a 360-degree panorama taken in Beirut
They are among 200 extra troops promised by France, as the UN struggles to build its expanded force.
The UN wants 3,500 troops on the ground speedily, to be increased later to 15,000. It says it is disappointed with the French contribution and wants other European nations to offer more help too.
In a separate development, an Israeli soldier was shot dead by a Palestinian gunman in the West Bank, the army said.
The incident happened near the city of Nablus, when militants opened fire from a car, one report said.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
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