Report: Israel expects ‘major flare-up’ with Hezbollah

Israel expects a “resumption of full-fledged hostilities” with Lebanese Shia militia Hezbollah in the near future, a senior army official was quoted by Israel Hayom newspaper as claiming.

The unnamed official was cited as saying: “There is a high probability of [hostilities] materialising and this requires all of us to prepare accordingly; the chances of a sudden escalation is increasing steadily.”

The Northern Command official went on to claim the imminent hostilities would “eclipse the Shebaa Farms event” and “result in fatalities.”

The Shebaa Farms is a disputed region occupied by Israel but claimed by Lebanon. Fire was exchanged over the area in July.

An Israeli military spokesman said at the time that Israeli troops had “thwarted an infiltration attempt by a Hezbollah terror squad” in the territory.

The Iranian-backed Shia militia, however, denied the charges claiming their forces were not involved in the exchange of fire.

According to Israel Hayom, the Northern Command official claimed the recent rise in tensions could be traced back to aggressive tactics employed by Hezbollah since September 2019.

READ: Israeli missiles kill Syrian soldier and wound five others

The unidentified source pinpointed the increase in tensions as starting in September 2019, when Hezbollah fired several anti-tank rockets into northern Israel as retaliation for a drone attack in Beirut.

However, tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border, which is patrolled by a UN peacekeeping force known as UNIFIL, have consistently run high with frequent incursions resulting in tense flare-ups.

Most recently, late last year Israeli soldiers shot over the frontier after a rogue chicken escaped from its nine-year-old Lebanese owner and dashed towards the UN-demarcated border.

Meanwhile, in November, Israel’s military claimed it had shot down a Hezbollah drone after the unmanned plane crossed into the so-called Jewish state’s airspace.

Of the incident, the official told Israel Hayom: “The events are still very much ongoing – we have maintained our high state of readiness since.”

The unnamed military spokesperson added that Israel was “well aware of Hezbollah’s efforts to surprise us” in the near future.

Warning the Iranian-backed group it would “be met with a strong adversary” if it was planning an attack on Israel.

“We can identify anyone who breaches the border; violating our sovereignty will be treated accordingly and we are ready for any event.”

READ: Maronite patriarch warns of ‘complete collapse’ in Lebanon