The United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has called for an immediate de-escalation of tensions amid ongoing hostilities on the Lebanese-Israeli border following Israel's most intense airstrikes in nearly years in the conflict with the Iran Lebanese Shiite movement "Hezbollah", reported Reuters.
Yesterday, the Israeli military said it had hit hundreds of Hezbollah rocket launchers that had been prepared to fire at Israel, in what Lebanese security sources said was the worst attack since hostilities began in October last year.
The conflict fueled by the war in the Gaza Strip intensified significantly this week with an unprecedented attack on Hezbollah, in which pagers and walkie-talkies used by members of the militant group exploded, killing 37 people and injuring thousands .
A highly explosive compound known as PETN, or pentaerythritol tetranitrate, was added to the walkie-talkies' batteries, a Lebanese source familiar with the communication device's components told Reuters. The way the explosive was embedded in the batteries made it extremely difficult to detect, the source said.
This morning, UNIFIL peacekeeping forces in southern Lebanon reported that during the past 12 hours there has been an increase in military activity along the Lebanese-Israeli border and in their area of operations.
"We are concerned about the increased escalation across the Blue Line (the demarcation dividing line between Lebanon and Israel) and call on all actors to immediately de-escalate,'' UNIFIL spokeswoman Andrea Tenenti told Reuters.
According to Lebanese security sources and Hezbollah-funded Al-Manar TV, which aired footage showing a plume of smoke rising from the site of one of the attacks, Israeli airstrikes have affected at least three villages in southern Lebanon.
From "Hezbollah" reported that its fighters fired a guided missile at Israeli troops in Metula, an Israeli border town that has been repeatedly attacked by the Lebanese group over the past year.
Israel Radio reported that residents of several towns in northern Israel have been instructed by the Internal Command of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to stay close to their shelters.
Earlier, the military lifted orders to restrict movement and large gatherings that they had issued last night for a number of municipalities in the north of the country and in the territory of the Golan Heights. The restrictions were imposed after the strikes began.
Lebanon security sources reported that four people were injured yesterday in Israel's intense bombardment. However, it is not clear whether the victims are members of "Hezbollah".
The ongoing shelling along the border between Israel and "Hezbollah" is also the worst conflict between the two sides since the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war. As a result of the cross-border shelling, tens of thousands of people have been forced to leave their homes on both sides of the border, Reuters notes.
Although the conflict is largely taking place in or near border areas, this week's escalation has heightened fears that it could widen and escalate further.
Yesterday, the United States warned all countries in the Middle East not to allow the conflict to escalate, saying that Washington's priority is to find a diplomatic solution to the problem.
"We will continue to support Israel's right to defend itself, but we do not want either side to escalate this conflict, period,", State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said at a briefing.
According to Lebanese sources, since the start of hostilities with Israel almost a year ago, more than 460 Hezbollah fighters have been killed, as well as around 170 civilians. In Israel, at least 52 people died - half of them civilians and half of the military - according to data from the Israel Institute for National Security Studies, Reuters notes.
The 15-member panel of the UN Security Council will meet later today in connection with the explosions of communication devices belonging to members of "Hezbollah".
Yesterday, in a televised address, the leader of "Hezbollah" Hassan Nasrallah said the blasts earlier this week "crossed all red lines" and promised to punish Israel for its actions.
Israel has not directly commented on the detonations of pagers and walkie-talkies, which security sources say may have been carried out by the Mossad foreign intelligence agency.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant said late last night that Israel will continue military operations against "Hezbollah".
"Hezbollah", an ally of the Palestinian armed group "Hamas", claims that its attacks on northern Israel are aimed at supporting Palestinians who are under Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip.
Yesterday, during his televised statement, Nasrallah said that the fighting on the Lebanese front will not stop "until the aggression in Gaza stops".