Report: Israel Warns Hizbullah of Hostile Actions in Golan
Israel reportedly expressed readiness to increase tension along the border with Lebanon to block the road on Hizbullah's movement and expansion in Syria, in particular in the Golan Heights.
Western diplomatic sources quoted high-ranking Israeli officials as saying that the developments in the Golan are planned by the Islamic Republic of Iran and directly linked to the negotiations over Tehran's nuclear program.
World powers are trying to strike a deal with Iran that would prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear bomb in return for an easing of punishing international economic sanctions.
Israel has repeatedly warned that Iran's nuclear program has military objectives, a claim Tehran denies.
The sources stressed, according to al-Liwaa newspaper published on Tuesday, that Hizbullah will be considered behind any hostile action against Israeli troops or settlements near the Golan.
Israel also warned that it would retaliate to any aggression.
The threats come after a Hizbullah strike in January which killed two Israeli soldiers and wounded seven others in the occupied Shebaa Farms.
Hizbullah said the operation was in response to a deadly Israeli air raid that killed six of its fighters, including prominent members, in Syria's Quneitra.
The sources pointed out that prominent Lebanese and Hizbullah officials have been informed about the Israeli warnings, remarking that the threats shouldn't be taken for granted to avert any destructive retaliation.
On Monday, an Israeli military vessel violated Lebanon's territorial waters at dawn, threatening a Lebanese fishing boat.
The Lebanese army said in a communique that the vessel crossed 10 meters into Lebanon's waters and threatened the crew of a Lebanese fishing boat.
The southern border area witnessed last week intensified Israeli movement as troops and armored vehicles combed the border area.
Israeli troops regularly cross the electronic border fence and sometimes enter Lebanese territory through the U.N.-demarcated Blue Line, which was drawn up following Israel’s withdrawal from south Lebanon in 2000 after a 22-year occupation.
The fence runs parallel to the Blue Line.
H.K.
G.K.
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