Israel, Hezbollah engage in brief, intense fighting

JER U SA LEM» Hezbollah militants on Sunday fired a barrage of anti-tank missiles into Israel, prompting a reprisal of heavy Israeli artillery fire in a rare burst of fighting between the bitter enemies.

Although the shooting quickly subsided without casualties on either side, the situation remained volatile. The bitter enemies, which fought a month-long war in 2006, have indicated they do not want to go to war but appeared on a collision course in recent days after a pair of Israeli strikes against Hezbollah. The militant group vowed it would retaliate.

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri held telephone calls with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as well as an adviser to French President Emmanuel Macron urging the international community to calm the situation. The U.N. peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, said it was in contact with all sides and urged restraint.

U.N. spokesman Andrea Tenenti said later that “calm has returned in the area” and the U.N. peacekeeping force is maintaining its presence on the ground together with the Lebanese army.

By nightfall, the fighting appeared to have halted. But Israeli officials said troops remained on high alert.

“We are consulting about the next steps,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. “I have ordered that we be prepared for any scenario. We will decide on the next steps pending developments.”

Hezbollah’s deputy leader, Naim Kassem, said Sunday night that the group was committed to retaliating whenever it comes under attack. “Hezbollah wants to preserve deterrence and the rules of engagement in order to prevent something worse from happening,” he said.

Israel considers Iran to be its greatest enemy, and Iran-backed Hezbollah to be its most immediate military threat.

Throughout the Syrian war, Israel has acknowledged carrying out scores of airstrikes in Syria aimed at preventing alleged Iranian arms transfers to Hezbollah. But in recent weeks, Israel is believed to have widened its campaign and struck Iranian or Hezbollah targets in Iraq and Lebanon as well.