Israel and Hezbollah clash after border ‘infiltration attempt’
Israel’s military announced it had thwarted a Hezbollah “infiltration attempt” along its northern border with Lebanon that led to an armed clash, a flare-up that comes during a period of heightened tensions between the longstanding foes.
Lt Col Jonathan Conricus, an army spokesman, said there had been no Israeli military casualties. Residents in the area had heard exchanges of fire as white smoke rose from the hills.
Hezbollah, however, denied its forces had conducted a botched operation, saying in a statement that Israeli forces had “moved nervously on the ground”.
“There were no clashes or opening of fire from our side in today’s events,” it said, suggesting Israeli forces had panicked and opened fire. It was not clear whether there were casualties on the Lebanese side.
The incident occurred in the Shebaa Farms area, a contentious piece of land captured by Israel in the 1967 war and claimed by Lebanon.
Hezbollah, an Iran-backed political and militant group, has been hinting it would avenge the deaths of one of its fighters killed in Syria last week by a purported Israeli airstrike.
The group said in its Monday statement that its response to that killing would still come.
The two sides have visibly mobilised in recent days, with Israel moving artillery and infantry units to the border, and Hezbollah displaying images on social media of a Kornet anti-tank missile. On Sunday, an Israeli drone crashed in Lebanon.
Last September, the deaths of two Hezbollah fighters in Syria led to a confrontation between Israel and Lebanon, where missiles and artillery fire were exchanged over an afternoon. It
was their first cross-border clash for years. The fighting soon ended, with neither side interested in an escalation.
Israel has initiated thousands of missions into Syria since mid-2013 in an attempt to disrupt Iranian attempts to secure a stronghold in the country.
While Hezbollah has fought alongside Iranian forces in Syria and is a patron of Tehran, the group has attempted to limit its engagements with Israel to when its own members have been killed by Israeli strikes.
On Sunday, the deputy leader of Hezbollah dismissed the prospect of a full-blown conflict with Israel.
“The atmosphere does not indicate a war … It’s unlikely, the atmosphere of war in the next few months,” Sheikh Naim Qassem said in an interview with Al Mayadeen.
Speaking in parliament on Monday, the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said the government was closely following developments in the north.
“The military is prepared for every scenario,” he said. “We operate in all the arenas for Israel’s defence – close to our borders and far from our borders.”
Israel’s military said residents in the north had been ordered to stay in their houses and farmers should head indoors. “At this time, routes in the area are blocked. Non-essential car traffic should be avoided,” an army spokesperson said.