After reports of a rocket explosion in northern Israel, Lebanese official denies attack; UN peacekeepers search for evidence.
By JPOST.COM STAFFIDF soldier with binoculars 370 (photo credit: REUTERS/Finbarr O'Reilly)
Lebanese officials denied witness reports that a rocket was fired from south Lebanon towards Israel overnight Sunday, Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Manar website reported.A high-ranking Lebanese military official denied the attack on Monday, telling 'Voice of Lebanon' radio that "no rocket was fired on Israel."According to the Al-Manar report, the official admitted that an explosion had taken place.UN peacekeepers and security forces are searching a cluster of border villages for evidence of a rocket launch, Lebanon's The Daily Star reported.The rocket launch could be heard from the Lebanese town of Marjayoun, about 10 km (six miles) from the Israeli border. The IDF Spokesperson said residents of the northern Israeli town of Metula reported hearing an explosion.A security source told The Daily Star that Lebanese troops were dispatched early Monday morning to the Deir Mimas-Qlaiaa-Burj al-Moulok triangle in an attempt to locate the rocket launch site or remains of the projectile.The head of the Metula Regional Council, Herzl Boker, told Maariv that residents heard a projectile shriek past falling south of Metula."We haven't opened the bomb shelters, but we are ready," he said.The IDF has launched a search of the area for a potential rocket blast site, though none has been found so far.Yaakov Lappin and Reuters contributed to this report.
