Lebanon pumps water despite Israeli ire

Lebanon has begun pumping water from a tributary of the River Jordan to supply a southern border village despite opposition from Israel.

At a ceremony, a government official, Qablan Qablan, said the opening of a pumping station on the Hasbani river was the first step towards liberating the country's water.

The pump will supply drinking water for about two-hundred people in the village of Wazzani, and other projects are planned. Israeli officials have criticised the setting up of pumps on the river which rises in southern Lebanon and flows south to feed the River Jordan, a major source of water for Israel.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service