BEIRUT, Lebanon, Dec. 7 (UPI) -- The Lebanese military said it thwarted a militant attack on members of the U.N. peacekeeping mission deployed in the south of the country.
Lebanese officials announced the arrest of four members of a cell carrying large quantities of explosives in Bekaa Valley, Hezbollah's al-Manar satellite news station reported.
"The investigation continues in a bid to reveal which organization is behind the attempted attack," the report added, quoting anonymous sources in the Lebanese army. Other Lebanese media outlets said the cell was connected to Sunni extremists in the south with possible connections to al-Qaida.
Investigators noted members of Fatah al-Islam carried out attacks on the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon earlier this year.
The allegations surface as the German Parliament announced its decision to extend its commitment to the naval contingent of UNIFIL through June 2010, but with a modest reduction in troops.
The U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon is deployed to monitor activity along the border between Lebanon and Israel.
