BEIRUT - Israeli warplanes launched two air raids on on southern Lebanon on Friday after a series of cross-border attacks in a disputed border area, Lebanese police said.
The Israeli aircraft went into action after a series of explosions probably caused by rocket fire occurred near an Israeli military position in the contested Shebaa farms area.
In the first raid the Israeli jets fired two surface-to-air missiles at Habbariye, north of Kfarshouba village, near the disputed border region of the Shebaa Farms, the police said.
There were no immediate reports of casualties.
A few minutes later Israeli aircraft raided the western outskirts of Kfarshouba.
At the same an Israeli helicopter gunship bombed the region of Khiyam, southeast of Kfarshouba, while Israel gunners fired several rounds of artillery at the border town of Rmeish.
The raids were the first since air attacks on January 17 wounded two Lebanese civilians.
They came amid stern warnings from Israel that the Beirut government is responsible for maintaining peace along the border, following explosions in 24 hours in the volative region.
Syria completed a troop withdrawal from Lebanon on April 26, ending 29 years of military and political domination over Lebanon.
Israel ended its occupation of southern Lebanon in May 2000.
The Shiite movement Hezbollah, controls virtually all the area along the border, has vowed to liberate the Shebaa Farms.
Seized from Syria in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war along with the rest of Syria`s Golan Heights, the Shebaa Farms are now claimed by Lebanon with Syrian blessing.
05/13/2005 14:59 GMT