Israeli army wary of Hezbollah attacks in northern borders: report

JERUSALEM, Jan. 4 (PNA/Xinhua) -- The Israeli army is on high alert along the northern border with Lebanon out of concern that Lebanon's Shiite militant group Hezbollah will attack Israel, local daily The Jerusalem Post reported Sunday.

Hezbollah will possibly fire rockets -- or use Palestinian proxies to do so -- in response to the Israel's escalation of its Cast Lead operation in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, said the report.

This would open a second front for Israel Defense Forces (IDF) as it is operating against Hamas in the south, it noted.

Another element that has Israel concerned is that the first anniversary of the assassination of Imad Mughniyeh -- the Hezbollah military commander who was killed in a Damascus car bombing in February last year -- is approaching and that the group is seeking revenge, said The Jerusalem Post.

The fear is that Hezbollah will take advantage of Israel's preoccupation in Gaza to carry out a retaliatory attack, it said.

On Saturday evening, following the launch of the IDF ground incursion in Gaza, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak addressed the possibility of an escalation in violence in northern Israel, along the border with Lebanon.

"We hope that the northern front will remain calm, but we are prepared for any possibility," he said while addressing the nation in a special televised press conference.

In July 2006, the Second Lebanon War broke out between Israel and Hezbollah, sparked by Hezbollah's kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers.

Following 34-day fierce fighting that left 1,000 Lebanese and 130 Israelis killed, a UN-brokered ceasefire came into effect between Israel and Lebanon on Aug. 14, 2006. (PNA/Xinha)