Israel accuses Hezbollah of 'dangerous provocation'

Jerusalem : Israel on Thursday accused its Lebanese arch-foe Hezbollah of expanding observation posts along the border under the cover of an environmental NGO, in what it called a "dangerous provocation".

The Israeli military published pictures of a building near the frontier supposedly controlled by an organisation called Green Without Borders.

"Hezbollah is thus conducting observation missions by claiming they are activities of this environmental organisation," General Hertzi Halevi, who heads the military intelligence services, told a security conference at Herzliya near Tel Aviv.

According to Israeli media reports, the organisation is controlled by the Shiite militant group Hezbollah, which Israel considers among its top threats and against which it fought a devastating 2006 war.

Israel's ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, sent a letter of protest to the Security Council with images of the alleged observation posts and maps locating them.

"The well-documented proof of Hezbollah's dangerous provocation verifies that Hezbollahconducts reconnaissance activity near the Blue Line (UN border demarcation) and disguises it as civilian activity, in clear violation" of UN Security Council resolutions, said Danon.

"The international community cannot continue to turn a blind eye to Hezbollah's flagrant violations" of its commitment to keep out of the border zone, he added.