Israel Hands Over Lebanon Cluster Bomb Maps
The U.N. peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon said the Israeli army handed over maps of where cluster bombs were dropped during the 2006 war with Hizbullah.
"UNIFIL received from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) today technical strike data and related maps on the cluster munitions fired by the IDF over Lebanon during the 2006 conflict," UNIFIL said in a statement on Tuesday.
"Technical experts from UNIFIL are currently examining and assessing the data received," it said.
The statement added that UNIFIL will pass the maps on to the Lebanese army.
Prime Minister Fouad Saniora said the maps and locations should have been handed over immediately after the adoption of Security Council resolution 1701 that ended the war.
In a statement issued by his press office, Saniora also thanked UNIFIL commander Maj. Gen. Claudio Graziano and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for informing Israel about Lebanese demands to receive the maps.
Government sources told An Nahar daily that the timing of the Israeli step comes "as part of messages that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to send prior to his expected visit to Washington."
The U.N. and human rights groups say Israel dropped about 4 million cluster bomblets during the monthlong war. Up to 1 million failed to explode and can detonate at the slightest disturbance.
Southern Lebanon is also riddled with land mines.
Meanwhile, diplomatic sources told As Safir newspaper Israel informed the UNIFIL command that the northern part of the border village of Ghajar "will not be handed over to the Lebanese government" if Hizbullah and its allies win the June 7 parliamentary elections.