Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, August 5, 1994 TAG: 9408050095
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Los Angeles Times
DATELINE: JERUSALEM LENGTH: Medium
It was Israel's first attack on the group since it accused Hezbollah of attacking Jewish and Israeli institutions abroad, south Lebanese security sources said.
An Israeli army spokeswoman apologized for what she said was the mistaken bombing of a home in the village of Deir Zaharani. The spokeswoman said ``innocent civilians are not a target,'' and the army ``expresses sorrow for the casualties,'' she said.
Israel Radio reported that the incident is under investigation by the army.
The air raid came one day before U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher is due to arrive in Damascus, Syria, for another attempt at breaking the deadlock in peace negotiations between the Israelis and Syrians.
The incident is likely to heighten the already tense atmosphere in southern Lebanon, where Israel and Hezbollah are engaged in deadly tit-for-tat strikes against each other.
Hezbollah has threatened to fire rockets into northern Israel if Israel strikes at it in southern Lebanon.
South Lebanese security sources said that eight people were killed and up to 15 injured in the attack on Deir Zaharani. The sources said a home and adjacent shop were flattened by a direct hit from a missile fired from an Israeli jet.
The sources said two earlier air raids struck at a Hezbollah base in the village of Ein Bouswar in the Iqlim al-Tuffah, midway between Sidon, southern Lebanon's largest town, on the western coast, and Nabatiyeh.
Nabatiyeh borders Israel's 440-square mile, self-proclaimed security zone above its northern border. The Israelis have occupied this strip since 1985, contending it must do so to secure the border from rocket attacks and terrorist incursions.
Lebanese sources said four Israeli fighters first fired four missiles on Ein Bouswar, then returned and fired a fifth missile an hour later, reportedly as guerrillas were picking through the rubble of the first strike. Three jets then reportedly attacked Deir Zahrani. There were no reports of casualties among guerrillas in Ein Bouswar.
Thousands of Lebanese began fleeing their villages in the south last month, seeking safety in the north after Israel threatened to make Hezbollah pay for attacks on a Jewish organization's building in Buenos Aires, Argentina; the Israeli Embassy in London; and the Jewish community center in London. As many as 100 people died in the Buenos Aires bombing.
Villagers had begun coming home recently, according to Lebanese news reports, believing that the Israelis had decided not to strike.
Israel accused Hezbollah and Iran of carrying out the attacks, which it said were meant to derail the peace process. Iran has denied any involvement in the bombings, as have prominent Hezbollah sheiks. Hezbollah is funded and armed by Iran, and has vowed to sabotage Israel's peace negotiations with the Palestinians and Arab states.
After the Buenos Aires attack, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin called for cooperation among Western governments and intelligence organizations to thwart future Hezbollah attacks.
Keywords:
FATALITY
by CNB