UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan called on all parties in the Middle East on Wednesday to respect fully the Blue Line.

In a statement issued by his spokesman, Annan deplored the firing of Katyusha rockets from Lebanon into the Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona on Tuesday night.

He noted the fragility of the situation in Lebanon and the wider region, and called once again on the government of Lebanon to extend its control over all its territory, to exert its monopoly on the use of force, and to put an end to all such attacks.

The secretary-general also called on all parties to respect fully the Blue Line and to avoid any actions that could lead to an escalation of the situation.

At least four rockets fired from Lebanese territory hit Israeli towns close to the border on Tuesday night, causing damages to houses but no casualties. And several hours later, Israeli warplanes struck a Palestinian militant training base south of the Lebanese capital Beirut early Wednesday.

Source: Xinhua