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Lebanese army dismantles 4 rockets near Israel | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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BEIRUT (AP) – Lebanese troops found and dismantled four rockets near the border with Israel on Wednesday, a day after a brief flare-up across the tense boundary, a Lebanese military official said.

The Katyusha rockets, three of them ready to be fired, were discovered placed in a building under construction in the Houla area, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with military regulations.

The border has been largely quiet since Israel and Lebanon’s militant group Hezbollah fought a bitter war in the summer of 2006 that ended with a U.N.-brokered cease-fire, but occasional flare-ups occur.

On Tuesday evening, Lebanon-based militants launched a rocket into northern Israel hitting near the Israeli town of Kiryat Shemona. The attack drew a rapid response from Israeli artillery, which shelled the launch area. No casualties were reported on either side.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the rocket launch. The Israeli military said it views the incident as “grave” and holds the Lebanese government responsible.

The government in Beirut regularly criticizes both the firing of rockets from southern Lebanon into Israel and the Israeli retaliation. An official with the Hezbollah refused to comment on the rocket firing when contacted by The Associated Press.

U.N. peacekeepers, deployed in southern Lebanon since the 2006 conflict, urged restraint on both sides and launched an investigation.

Hezbollah has not claimed responsibility for any attacks since the end of the fighting, but smaller militant groups have launched rockets on several occasions.

Tuesday’s attack was the fifth this year. None have caused serious casualties.