Skirmishes Reported on Israel's Northern Border

Hezbollah and other terrorist groups launched rockets into northern Israel setting off some battles along Lebanon's southern border:

IDF troops and guerillas from Hezbollah traded heavy fire across the length of the Israel-Lebanon border Sunday, in clashes which began when militants fired Katyusha rockets at an IDF base in northern Israel, in a pre-dawn strike.

A statement claiming to be from Islamic Jihad claimed the attack later Sunday, saying it was retaliation for the death of one of the group's leaders in a southern Lebanon car bombing the day before.

But Abu Imad Rifai, Islamic Jihad's representative in Lebanon, said the militant group had not issued a statement claiming responsibility for the attack, although he reserved the group's right "to retaliate to the crimes and aggression of the occupation.

"Two Katyusha rockets fired from Lebanon landed in the western Galilee late Sunday afternoon.

Israel Air Force jets and IDF artillery bombarded southern Lebanese border areas, witnesses and the IDF said, as Hezbollah guerillas struck across the frontier, hitting local communities and IDF bases with mortar shells and small arms fire.

Olmert had this to say:

" If there was no halt in the shooting, Olmert went on, there would be a "very harsh response" by Israel.

"Let there be no doubt that we will deal a very painful blow to whoever tries to disrupt life along our northern border," he said.

"I think those taking part in this fire have miscalculated. They will receive an unequivocal and very aggressive response without hesitation if they don't stop."

No ambiguity there. Lebanon has got to cleanse itself of Hezbollah, but from all accounts, the Lebanese armed forces don't have the stomach to tangle with the Iranian-backed terror group.