Lebanon’s prime minister Tuesday accused Israel of provoking a “dangerous escalation” along the border in an attempt to modify the mandate of a U.N. peacekeeping force in south Lebanon, cautioning against “a slide toward the worse” in coming days. Hassan Diab’s comments came a day after the Israeli military said it thwarted an infiltration attempt by Hezbollah militants — setting off one of the heaviest exchanges of fire along the volatile Israel-Lebanon frontier since a 2006 war between the two enemies. Hezbollah denied its fighters had engaged in any attack along the border, but the Israeli military said it was sure the Iranian-backed militant group had carried out the operation, and Israeli forces in the area remained on heightened alert.
Lebanon’s prime minister Tuesday accused Israel of provoking a “dangerous escalation” along the border in an attempt to modify the mandate of a U.N. peacekeeping force in south Lebanon, cautioning against “a slide toward the worse” in coming days. Hassan Diab’s comments came a day after the Israeli military said it thwarted an infiltration attempt by Hezbollah militants — setting off one of the heaviest exchanges of fire along the volatile Israel-Lebanon frontier since a 2006 war between the two enemies. Hezbollah denied its fighters had engaged in any attack along the border, but the Israeli military said it was sure the Iranian-backed militant group had carried out the operation, and Israeli forces in the area remained on heightened alert.