UNIFIL: Shepherd showed signs of abuse

BEIRUT, Lebanon, June 29 (UPI) -- A shepherd held briefly by Israeli forces during the weekend showed signs he may have been roughed up during his detention, U.N. peacekeepers said in Lebanon.

The Israeli military apprehended 37-year-old shepherd Imad Hassan Atwi during the weekend from the Shebaa Farms region near southern Lebanon.

A spokesman for the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon was quoted in Lebanon's Daily Star newspaper as saying Atwi showed signs of mistreatment from his brief detention.

"He was examined by the UNIFIL physician and found to have some bruises on his head and body as well as sprain in his right ankle," the spokesman said.

Lebanese media reports suggest Israeli forces crossed the Lebanese border and took the shepherd to the occupied Shebaa Farms region.

Israel captured Shebaa Farms during the 1967 Six Day War. The United Nations says Israeli forces have retreated from the area, though Syria and Lebanon contend the withdrawal isn't complete until Shebaa Farms is liberated.

The Lebanese military said the shepherd was detained in an area in southern Lebanon where the so-called Blue Line separating Israel from Lebanon isn't clearly demarcated.

UNIFIL said it was investigating the claims to determine where Atwi was captured.