The Israeli army announced that it had foiled a “infiltration attempt” by Hezbollah along its northern border with Lebanon that led to an armed confrontation, an outbreak that occurs during a period of intense tensions between long-standing enemies.
Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, an army spokesman, said there were no Israeli military casualties. Residents in the area had heard exchanges of gunfire as white smoke rose from the hills.
However, Hezbollah denied that its forces had carried out a failed operation, and said in a statement that Israeli forces “moved nervously on the ground.”
“There was no fighting or opening of fire on our side in today’s events,” he said, suggesting that Israeli forces panicked and opened fire. It was unclear if there were any victims on the Lebanese side.
The incident occurred in the Shebaa Farms area, controversial terrain captured by Israel in the 1967 war and claimed by Lebanon.
Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed political and militant group, has been hinting that it will avenge the death of one of its fighters killed in Syria last week for an alleged Israeli airstrike.
The group said in its statement Monday that its response to that murder would still come.
The two sides have visibly mobilized 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 death of two Hezbollah fighters in Syria sparked a confrontation between Israel and Lebanon, where missiles and artillery fire were exchanged for one afternoon. It was their first cross-border confrontation in years. The fight was soon over, and neither side was interested in an escalation.
Israel has launched thousands of missions in Syria since mid-2013 in an attempt to disrupt Iranian attempts to secure a fortress 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 commitments to Israel when its own members have been killed by Israeli attacks.
On Sunday, the Hezbollah deputy director ruled out the possibility of a full-blown conflict with Israel.
“The atmosphere does not indicate war … It is unlikely, the atmosphere of war in the coming months,” Sheikh Naim Qassem said in an interview with Al Mayadeen.
Speaking in parliament on Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the government was closely following developments in the north.
“The army is ready for every scenario,” he said. “We operate in all arenas for the defense of Israel, near our borders and far from our borders.”
The Israeli army said that residents of the north had been ordered to stay in their homes and that farmers should go inside. “Right now, the routes in the area are blocked. Non-essential car traffic should be avoided, ”said an army spokesman.
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