A senior military source on Friday accused the UNIFIL peacekeeping force of doing nothing to stop Hizbollah attacks, the Jerusalem Post reported Sunday.
The force numbering some 6,000 troops is based in south Lebanon.
In a briefing to reporters, the source said the UN forces in the vicinity apparently witnessed the abduction, did not “report the event” and did “nothing to stop it,” according to the daily.
"According to our information, the Hizbollah operatives kidnapped the Israeli soldiers using equipment, uniforms, vehicles, communications equipment, guns and flags belonging to the UNIFIL." The source told the newspaper.
Earlier, Israel has warned the Syrian government that further Hizbollah cross-border attacks would lead to severe Israeli retaliation against Syrian targets in Lebanon, reported the paper on the same day.
The Israeli warning was delivered last week to Syria's Deputy Foreign Minister via US Ambassador to Syria, Ryan Crocker, the paper added.
In response, the official Syrian daily Al-Thawra said, "these [Israeli warnings] are not mere threats, but operative military plans."
Syria was rained with a wave of accusations by the Israeli government, which charges that the Syrian government facilitates the Hizbollah attacks against its army located in the occupied Lebanese Shabaa.
Israel had threatened to bomb Syrian targets in Lebanon if Hizbollah carried out more attacks against the Israeli forces.
The Syrian government gave the raging Israeli anger a deaf ear reassuring the world that they have no control over the attacks – Albawaba.com
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
