The Israeli army is pulling forces towards the Lebanese border and taking additional measures in anticipation of a retaliatory strike by the Lebanese Hezbollah movement following the death of its fighter in an Israeli raid on southern Damascus, the Lebanese newspaper Al-Ahbar reported.
According to the newspaper, the Israeli military went on high alert without waiting for official statements from the Shiite party, while the leadership of Hezbollah is not in a hurry to make any promises related to the response, reserving the right to respond anywhere at any time.
The deputy leader of Hezbollah, Naeem Kasem, refused to answer a direct question about possible retaliatory actions in an interview with Al Mayadin TV on Sunday, but noted that the rules of war with Israel and the balance of forces remain in place, and no one has cancelled the Shiite leader’s promise of retaliatory action to kill the movement’s members. At the same time, according to Kasem, Hezbollah considers a new military conflict with Israel unlikely in the coming months.
The al-Bina newspaper, in turn, predicts even greater tension on Lebanon’s southern border after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced his intention to strike in response to possible actions by Shia resistance fighters. According to the newspaper, Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi sent a message to Hezbollah mediators calling for restraint and de-escalation of tensions, noting that the killing of a Shia fighter in southern Damascus was an accident and was not the aim of the strikes.
Netanyahu said on Sunday that Iran would not be allowed to establish a military base on Israel’s northern border and called Lebanon and Syria responsible for any attacks on Israel from their territory.
On Friday, Israeli helicopters launched another attack on Syrian army positions in the Golan Heights after explosions were heard on the Israeli-Syrian border and damage was caused to a building and a vehicle on Israeli territory.
On Sunday, an Israeli army reconnaissance drone crashed in the sky over southern Lebanon. The Israeli Air Force continues to systematically violate the airspace of a neighbouring State. The Lebanese Army Command reports daily on the intrusions by warplanes and drones from the Israeli side.
Earlier, Lebanese writer and political scientist Wissam Buzzie told RIA Novosti that a new war between Israel and Hezbollah was unlikely in the foreseeable future. According to the expert, this is due to the general sentiment within Israel itself and the defensive abilities of the Shiite resistance, which are valued quite highly today.