Beirut  - Lebanese villagers living in areas adjacent to the Israeli border received voice messages on their local telephone lines warning them against facilitating the movements of Palestinian militants to launch rocket attacks on Israel, Lebanese radio said Wednesday.

The recorded voice messages which were from "the state of Israel" addressed "the residents of South Lebanon."

"Do not cooperate with the Palestinians," the voice messages said.

The voice messages also warned the southern Lebanese not allow militants loyal to al-Qaeda or the Popular Front to Liberate Palestine-General Command to use their territory to launch rockets into Israel.

"Remember the disasters ... and destruction you suffered in 1982 because of the Palestinian presence in the south," the messages said.

Palestinian guerrillas launched Katyusha rockets from Lebanon into Israel in the 1970s, which led Israel to finally invade Lebanon in 1982 and oust the Palestinian mainstream Fatah movement and its leadership including former Palestinian president Yasser Arafat.

Meanwhile, Lebanese army commander General Jean Kahwaji said Wednesday that the "army will spare no sacrifice to defend Lebanon in case of any Israeli aggression."

While inspecting army posts south of the Litani river, Kahwaji said that "Lebanon throughout its history never committed a hostile act against a neighbour."

However, he added that "Lebanon's army ... will stand as one to deter any aggression. We are all committed to the international resolutions."

Kahwaji stressed that "those with premeditated intentions to drag us (Lebanon) into a confrontation that drains all the national capabilities do not serve the national interest."

Israeli police said earlier Wednesday that three rockets fired from south Lebanon hit northern Israel early Wednesday in the second such attack in less than a week, amid an intense Israeli army assault on Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip.

A military statement said that the Israeli army "responded to the source of fire," but Lebanese police said at least 17 Israeli shells fell on the outskirts of the southern Lebanese border area of Habariyeh, targeting the area from where the rockets were launched into Israel. Israeli helicopters also flew at low altitude over Habariyeh.

In Lebanon, a security official said at least five rockets were launched into the Jewish state from the southern Lebanese border area of Habariyeh. (dpa)