December 17, 2013 12:29:24 am
A Lebanese army sniper has killed an Israeli soldier,prompting retaliation from Israeli troops who shot down two Lebanese soldiers,breaking a long lull in the volatile border region.
The Israeli soldier was killed not far from a military outpost where UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL),which has a strong contingent from India,has been at the forefront of maintaining peace in the restive region.
The Israel Defence Forces said the Israeli soldier,Shlomi Cohen,31,was killed by the fire of a Lebanese soldier who acted on his own accord.
Arch-rival Lebanese Shia faction Hezbollah,which fought a 34-day war with Israel in 2006,apparently did not have any hand in the incident.
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In efforts to calm down the situation,a joint meeting between commanders from the IDF,Lebanons Armed Forces and UNIFIL was called Monday morning to take stock of the situation.
This was a very serious incident. The person who shot our soldier was a Lebanese soldier. We see the Lebanese government and army as responsible for what happens on their side of the border, Israels Defence Minister,Moshe Yaalon,said. We will not accept any infringement on our sovereignty,certainly not from Lebanon, Yaalon asserted.
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