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Lebanese Leaders Promise Unidentified Measures Against Israel

Lebanese leaders vowed on Tuesday to take action against Israeli “threats,” including its building of a security fence along the Israel-Lebanon border and its warning to Lebanon concerning its plans to market an energy field claimed by Israel in the Mediterranean. The Lebanese insist the area being marketed lies within its territorial waters, a claim rejected by the Israelis, whose Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman called the tender floated by Beirut “provocative.” No indication was given by the leaders of the nature of the actions they had in mind. The Lebanese admonitions came from President Michel Aoun, Prime Minister Sa’ad Hariri and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri who attended the annual meeting under the auspices of the United Nations peacekeeping forces attended by Lebanon, Israel and UNIFIL peacekeepers. Regarding building the wall, Israel insists all land upon which the barrier will be constructed is sovereign Israeli territory. But at one point, the barrier passes through land on the Israeli side of the “Blue Line” – the United Nations-certified border between Israeli and Lebanon. Despite the UN imprimatur, Lebanese leaders insist it is sovereign Lebanese land. UNIFIL Commander Gen. Beary called attention to what he called “relative calm” along the border since the last tripartite meeting and complimented the sides for “exercising restraint and maintaining stability.”