Israel prepares for Hezbollah retaliation
Israeli military officials say the country is on high alert for possible attacks from Hezbollah following an Israeli airstrike that killed six fighters from the group in Syria two days earlier, The Daily Star reported, citing news agencies.
Israeli officials told the Associated Press that the country has boosted deployment of its "Iron Dome" aerial defense system along its northern frontier with Lebanon, and has increased surveillance in the area.
The officials say Israel's Security Cabinet is scheduled to meet Tuesday to discuss a potential escalation in violence.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss security deliberations publicly.
Israel’s Channel 10 meanwhile described the border area with Lebanon as a “closed area” and “military zone,” saying that farmers have been banned from approaching the frontier.
Israel has neither confirmed nor denied Sunday's strike on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights, which killed six Hezbollah fighters and a senior Iranian general.
A Lebanese security source had told The Daily Star that two Syrian fighters affiliated with Hezbollah were also killed in the attack.
Israeli authorities have also closed the airspace over the Israeli-occupied section of the Golan Heights and in the Galilee region to civilian aircraft, reports said.
Yedioth Ahronoth reported that there were “no significant reinforcements” on the border with Lebanon, but that the region has gone into a state of alertness.
Israeli military intelligence website Debka said that emergency shelters have been opened and military arsenals are being prepared.