LEBANON attempted to shore up the week-long truce between Israel and Hezbollah yesterday after a weekend raid by Israeli commandos inside Lebanon threatened to unravel the ceasefire.

Michel Murr, the Lebanese Defence Minister, said that his troops, now deploying across the southern part of the country, would react forcefully if any attempts were made to attack Israel and open a second phase in the war. “The army will be very tough in dealing with such an issue,” Mr Murr said.

“Any violation . . . any rocket that would give Israel a justification [to hit Lebanon] will be treated harshly. It will be considered as direct collaboration with the Israeli enemy.”

Kofi Annan, the UN Secretary-General, said in a statement that he was deeply concerned about the raid on Saturday on a suspected Hezbollah arms supply, which he described as a violation of UN Security Council resolution 1701, which brought an end to the fighting. Israel insisted yesterday that the attack was legitimate because it was not “offensive” but a defensive move to halt the supply of rockets.

The situation could affect the chances for a long-term solution to the crisis in Lebanon.

“We may slip into war again, this is why incidents such as what happened yesterday are not very helpful,” Terje Roed-Larsen, the UN’s special representative to Lebanon, said.

While the international community debates how to respond, people in Lebanon are attempting to return to normal life after the five-week war.

Thousands of refugees had returned home to the south, but in many cases their houses and livelihoods had been destroyed. Most bridges have been repaired, fuel and food are now available but the damage to infrastructure could take months to repair.

“We hope that the Lebanese Army and the UN soldiers will protect us,” said Mahmoud Osman, a farmer in Aita Shaab, one of the most heavily bombed villages in the south.

Times Recommends

• Mandela’s tribe threatens President Zuma
• The French empire strikes back
• Wife of cheating governor exacts a political revenge