13 January 2011
BEIRUT: Israel kidnapped a shepherd from inside south Lebanon Wednesday, the Lebanese Army have said.
“At 12:30 p.m. and in a flagrant assault against the citizens of borderline villages, an Israeli patrol trespassed [over] Rmeish village’s barbed wire and abducted a Lebanese citizen, and then drove him inside the Occupied Palestinian Territories,” an army statement said.
“Deployed army units duly took necessary measures in the area, while intensive contacts between the Lebanese Army and [the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (Unifil)] are currently taking place so as to instantly set the kidnapped citizen free,” it added.
A security source told The Daily Star that the individual was identified as Charbel Khoury, a Lebanese goat herder from Rmeish. The Lebanese Army contacted Unifil, which in turn contacted Israeli authorities, the source added.
Unifil deputy spokesperson Andrea Tenenti said that an investigation into the kidnapping had been launched.
“The Lebanese Army informed us of a detention of a shepherd by the [Israeli Army] today,” he told The Daily Star. “We are still in touch with the parties to secure the release of the shepherd and we sent our investigators to the area to access the situation.”
Israel kidnapped Lebanese shepherd Imad Atwi in June last year from the Shebaa Farms region. He was returned to Lebanon, via Unifil, 24 hours after going missing, with heavy bruising over his face and body. Atwi claimed Israeli soldiers had beaten him during detention. In February 2010, shepherd Rabih Mohammad Zahra was taken from Lebanese territory by an Israeli patrol. An army communiqué at the time said that Zahra had been “severely beaten.”
Unifil officials were present at a tripartite meeting between Lebanese and Israeli Army representatives in Naqoura earlier Wednesday where “the three parties met and discussed issues related to the Blue line, Ghajar and [U.N. Security Council] Resolution 1701,” according to Tenenti.
In remarks published in Israeli media Wednesday, Israeli Army Colonel Adam Zussman warned that Hizbullah could target Tel Aviv with dozens of missiles should the two foes recommence hostilities.
“We know that this city will be hit during the next round [of fighting]. We don’t know whether it will happen on the first day of the fighting; that is the enemy’s decision, and it has the ability,” Zussman was quoted by Israeli daily Haaretz as saying.
In a detailed interview assessing the threats faced by the Israeli Army in 2011, Zussman accused Hizbullah and Hamas of obtaining new and more sophisticated weaponry since their last conflicts with Israel.
“This time, in contrast to the [summer 2006 war] and Operation Cast Lead, long-range weapons are in large quantity, and they are more lethal. We know what the missiles and rockets will do, in terms of the scope of casualties and destruction to infrastructure and buildings,” Zussman said.
“[Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan] Nasrallah says categorically that Tel Aviv is the state of Israel’s socio-economic center, and that he is making every investment to reach it.”
Israel maintains that Hizbullah has stockpiled up to 40,000 short and mid-range rockets, in violation of international law, since the cessation of hostilities in 2006.
Copyright The Daily Star 2011.
