Israel could escalate border tensions, Western diplomat says

A Western diplomat told AFP there was an increasing possibility Israel will escalate border tensions because of internal political pressure, "but meanwhile, Hezbollah does not want to start a war".

Hezbollah had previously signalled its willingness to endorse a diplomatic solution, but only after Israel ends its war in the Gaza Strip.

Western diplomats, including British officials, are pushing for a solution that would include "fully implementing resolution 1701 and giving new impetus" to U.N. peacekeeping forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL), said the Western official.

On Thursday, British foreign minister David Cameron met Lebanese prime minister Najib Mikati in Beirut to discuss defusing tensions on the Lebanon-Israel border as Israel's military reported new exchanges of fire.

Senior Hezbollah official Nabil Qaouq said Wednesday the group had "intensified" its operations "in response to Israel's escalation", Lebanon's official news agency NNA reported.

His comments came after Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Monday that troops would "very soon go into action" near the Lebanese border.

Nearly four months of cross-border fire have killed more than 210 people in Lebanon, most of them Hezbollah fighters but also including more than 25 civilians, according to an AFP tally.

On the Israeli side of the border, nine soldiers and six civilians have been killed, Israeli officials have said