Beirut: 'Israel violated Lebanon border 11,000 times'

By Muhammed Ali Akman

BEIRUT

The Lebanese president said Monday that Israel had violated the border that both countries share 11,000 times.

The Lebanese presidency released a statement after Michel Aoun met with Acting UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Pernille Dahler Kardel.

"President Michel Aoun has communicated to UN Coordinator that Israel has violated the Lebanese border 11,000 times [from 2000] until today and it is continuing these violations insistently. Lebanon, as a response to this, is only defending itself, complying to UN rules."

The UN designated a Blue Line between Lebanon and Israel after Israeli troops' withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000. Since then, Lebanon has complained repeatedly of Israeli border violations, especially of its airspace.

Israel's preparations to build a wall on the Lebanese border line are also worrying and do not comply with international border rules, the statement added.

Lebanon, which shares borders with the the self-proclaimed Jewish state, bore the brunt of a military confrontation between Israel and Shiite militant group Hezbollah in 2006, which ended after 36 days of fighting with a UN resolution under which international peacekeeping troops were deployed along the border.