Lebanon weapons cache found near Israel

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BEIRUT, Lebanon, Jan. 9 (UPI) -- U.N. peacekeepers say they have found a "significant cache" of weapons in southern Lebanon near Israel.

Martin Nesirky, a spokesman for the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon, said Friday a patrol found the explosives Dec. 26 south of El Khiam after they had first noticed suspicious movement by five people, who fled as the patrol approached.

He said a probe conducted in close cooperation with the Lebanese army was ongoing to determine the precise nature of the explosives and the circumstances under which they were found.

"We must await the findings of the investigation before we can make any final assessment and conclusion," Nesirky said.

The discovery came three months after a series of explosions rocked southern Lebanon, as well as other incidents that included the firing of rockets into Israel and repeated Israeli overflights of Lebanon -- both violating U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, which calls for an end to hostilities between Israel and the Shiite Arab militant group Hezbollah.