Lebanon-Israel border quiet after Hezbollah clash

The Lebanon-Israel border area was quiet on Monday, after Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah group and the Israeli army exchanged cross-border fire on Sunday, reports Reuters.

Israel’s military said anti-tank missiles from Lebanon targeted an army base and vehicles. It responded with fire into southern Lebanon, after a week of growing tension raised fears of a new war with long-time enemy Hezbollah.

Hezbollah said its fighters destroyed an Israeli military vehicle, killing and wounding those inside. Israel said there were no casualties.

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Israel and Hezbollah fought a month-long war in 2006 after Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid, but neither side seems eager for another conflict now.

Reuters witnesses on the Lebanese side of the border said all was quiet on Monday morning. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), the UN peacekeeping force on the frontier, was seen patrolling the border.

The Israeli shelling into Lebanon stopped at 6pm local time on Sunday, Lebanese state media said.

The UN peacekeeping force on the frontier said calm had returned to the region at night. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said it had urged both sides to “exercise utmost restraint to prevent any further escalation”.

Israel, Lebanon tensions at the border – Cartoon [Latuff/MiddleEastMonitor]