Khirbet Selm Blast Set Off by Old Shells
The Khirbet Selm explosion that raised tensions along the border with Israel was set off by old shells, not a secret arms cache, Hizbullah”s deputy leader said.
The statements by Sheikh Naim Qassem marked the group”s first comment on the nature of last week”s explosion, which Israel and U.N. officials called a violation of U.N. Security Council resolution 1701.
"There is no violation of resolution 1701," Qassem said. "What happened … is a normal incident that has to do with leftover shells that had been collected during and after Israel”s withdrawal from Lebanon" in 2000, he said.
Qassem spoke in an interview with the Qatari Al-Watan newspaper.
The Hizbullah official said Israel exaggerated the Khirbet Selm incident in an attempt to deflect from its occupation as well as its daily violations of Lebanon”s airspace.