The Lebanese government has said the car bomb attack which killed six peacekeepers in south Lebanon was linked to fighting between the army and Islamists holed up in the north.
Speaking after a cabinet meeting, Information Minister Ghazi Aridi said 'Lebanon is the victim of a terrorist wave...in which the latest target was the Spanish contingent.'
He also said that the attack was preceded by confessions from arrested terrorists about preparations against UNIFIL.
Abu Salim Taha, a spokesman for the extremist group, had accused UNIFIL naval forces of siding with the army and threatened to attack them.
Yesterday's blast, which killed three Spaniards and three Colombian nationals, was the first fatal attack on peacekeepers since the mandate of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon was expanded last year.
Security in the deeply divided country has already been shaken by a deadly stand-off between the army and the al-Qaeda inspired Fatah al-Islam militants in northern Lebanon, and a string of bomb attacks in and around Beirut.
The Lebanese government has called for UNIFIL's mandate to be renewed for a year and asked for the continued support of the international community for the peacekeeping mission.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has condemned the 'terrorist attack' that killed the peacekeepers according to a spokesman.
