Big trouble brewing up

Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad Hariri urged the US and France to intervene yesterday as Hizbollah militias and Israeli security forces exchanged fire along the Lebanese border. Hizbollah hit an Israeli battalion headquarters and a military ambulance with anti-tank missiles, after several days of threats to retaliate for Israeli drone strikes last Sunday in south Beirut.

The Shi’ite militia said it had hit a Wolf armoured vehicle on the road to the Avivim barracks in northern Israel, and killed or injured four crew. Israel said it suffered no casualties. Israeli artillery units responded with a barrage of about 100 shells targeting the Hizbollah squad that fired the missiles from the outskirts of the town of Maroun Al Ras, across the border from Avivim.

As the exchange of fire continued, Hariri called US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and French presidential adviser Emmanuel Bonne and urged “the intervention of the US, France and the international community in the face of the evolving situation on the southern Lebanese border.” When the Hezbollah fire began, Israel told its citizens living within 4km of the Lebanese border to remain at home and prepare shelters.

There was panic among civilians in the southern suburbs of Beirut, who said they were expecting Hizbollah’s response but feared a repeat of the 2006 war. The UN force on the border, UNIFIL, said it was “in direct contact with the parties concerned to prevent the escalation of the security situation in the south,” and its mission chief Maj. Gen. Stefano del Col urged them to “exercise maximum restraint.” Lebanon would “pay the price for the attack,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. “We were attacked by anti-armour missiles, and we responded with 100 shells.

We will determine the next move on the border with Lebanon according to the evolution of events.” Netanyahu was “ holding security contacts and consultations over the phone with the Israeli army command to determine the situation,” his office said. After the firing stopped Israeli military spokesman Jonathan Conricus said the “strategic situation is still ongoing,” and tensions with Hizbollah remained.