Israel Gravely Concerned by Developments along Border with Lebanon
Israel expressed fear over an escalation along its northern border with Lebanon as its Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon sounded the alarm over the upcoming developments after Hizbullah's attack against an military vehicle in the occupied Shebaa Farms, media reports said on Sunday.
“The situation along the northern border with Lebanon and Syria is heading towards further escalation,” Yaalon said in comments to Israel's Channel 10.
The Israeli official pointed out that he based his remarks on security reports and Hizbullah's political attitude.
Yaalon accused Hizbullah, the Syrian regime and Iran are trying to “create a new equation along its border,” adding that Hizbullah “is seeking to establish a new frontier in the Golan Heights.”
At the end of January, two Israeli soldiers were killed and seven wounded in a Hizbullah attack on a military convoy in the occupied Shebaa Farms.
The attack prompted Israel to shell areas in southern Lebanon in a significant escalation along the volatile border.
Hizbullah said in its claim of responsibility that it targeted several vehicles transporting officers and soldiers with missiles to avenge the Israeli raid on Syria's Quneitra that killed six of its fighters and a top Iranian general.
For his part, outgoing Israel's armed forces chief Lieutenant General Benny Gantz expressed grave concern over the security situation in Israel, warning that a “war could erupt on several frontiers, including the Gaza strip and Lebanon.”
“Israel almost slipped into a dangerous escalation with Hizbullah,” Gantz noted, pointing out that the Israeli retaliation would have been far more enormous if ten soldiers were killed in the Shebaa attack.
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