Seven members of a Palestinian group have been handed over to the Lebanese courts for firing rockets at Israeli forces.
The suspects belong to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC) of Ahmad Jibril, which is based in Damascus and has offices in Lebanon.
They were arrested in a search by Lebanese troops after a salvo of Grad rockets was fired on Israeli positions in the disputed Shebaa Farms area, which was captured from Syria by Israel in 1967 and is now claimed by Lebanon with Damascus' consent.
Judicial sources said the five Palestinians and two Syrians said they were acting on the orders of their superiors, named as Abu Daoud and Atef.
Beirut backs the Shiite Hezbollah, whose guerrillas have stepped up their attacks on the Shebaa Farms in recent days in what it says is resistance to occupation of Lebanese land.
But in a bid to contain the conflict and minimise the risks of strong Israeli reprisals, Beirut says it will allow no other group to carry out cross-border operations.
On Sunday Lebanese security sources said four Palestinians had been arrested for firing mortar rounds on an Israeli position in the border village of Ghajar.
AFP