Security officials in Lebanon say supporters of the militant group Hezbollah have attacked a U.S. envoy's motorcade with stones to protest her visit to southern Lebanon.
U.S. State Department spokesman Tom Casey says a Lebanese security
guard was slightly wounded in the attack against U.S. envoy Michele
Sison Wednesday in Nabatiyeh. Officials and witnesses say at
least 100 Hezbollah supporters also surrounded the house of local
official Abdullah Bitar as he met with Sison, throwing stones and
shouting anti-U.S. slogans.
Meanwhile, Israel renewed its call today for peace talks with Lebanon. Government spokesman Mark Regev said Israel is interested in direct, bilateral talks with Beirut, and is ready to discuss all contentious issues.
Lebanon last week dismissed an Israeli call for the two countries to open peace talks, saying the Jewish state must first withdraw from a disputed border region, the Shebaa Farms.
Israel captured the Shebaa Farms when it seized the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war. The United Nations considers the Shebaa Farms to be occupied Syrian territory, but Beirut claims sovereignty over the area with the approval of Damascus.
In other news, Lebanese political officials today said Hezbollah and Israel are working on the final details of a prisoner swap agreement. Under the deal, Hezbollah would return two Israeli soldiers captured in 2006 in exchange for at least four militants and the bodies of 10 Hezbollah fighters.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
