Israel says Hezbollah broke U.N. deal

JERUSALEM, July 16 (UPI) -- Weapons recently placed by Hezbollah in a village in southern Lebanon caused an explosion in a house, Israeli defense officials said.

Israel Wednesday accused Lebanon of violating U.N. Security Council resolution 1701, which prohibits arms and weapons in southern Lebanon other than those carried by the Lebanese army.

The Israeli army released footage taken by an aircraft showing the explosion in a house in a village 20 kilometers from the border.

Military ballistic experts said the holes in the roof appeared to have been caused by exploding katyusha rockets, The Jerusalem Post said.

The army rejected Lebanese claims that the weapons had been placed by Hezbollah operatives in a storeroom during the Second Lebanon War in 2006.

The incident proves Israel's claims Hezbollah is still using civilian structures as weapons depots and continues to violate the U.N. resolution, Israel officials said.

Resolution 1701, which effectively ended the Second Lebanon War in 2006, called for disarming all armed groups in Lebanon and boosted the presence of the U.N. Interim Force in southern Lebanon.