Israeli, Lebanese border skirmish under Western watch

The US State Department said it was concerned by security incidents along the Israeli border with Lebanon but was relieved the situation hasn't yet escalated. The Daily Star newspaper in Lebanon reported one Israeli soldier was killed along the shared border. The U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon described the shooting by a Lebanese soldier as an isolated event. The Lebanese soldier acted alone, UNIFIL said Monday. U.S. State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said during a press conference Monday there were unconfirmed reports that two Lebanese soldiers were injured during the weekend melee. Harf said the U.S. government was concerned by the incident but was relieved the Israeli and Lebanese governments were working to prevent the situation from escalating further. "It's my understanding that they're talking," she said in a statement. UNIFIL is mandated to ensure security along the so-called Blue Line separating Israel from Lebanon. UNIFIL said in a statement it hosted Israeli and Lebanese representatives to discuss the incident. "In this context, the parties emphasized their interest in preserving calm and stability along the Blue Line and pledged to work with UNIFIL to strengthen security arrangements to this end," UNIFIL Force Commander Maj. Gen. Paolo Serra said.