By Abdelraouf Arnaout
JERUSALEM (AA) – Israel is close to carry out a military campaign against Lebanon, the country’s permanent delegate to the United Nations warned Wednesday.
Israel is "the nearest to launching military action in Lebanon since the 2006 [war]," Gilad Erdan told Army Radio, citing what he called Hezbollah escalation along the border.
The Israeli delegate said Tel Aviv will not be able to tolerate what he described as Hezbollah’s rising violations against Israel.
On Tuesday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant sent a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warning of “violent escalation” along Israeli-Lebanese border.
Israel "will not tolerate increasing threats to the security of its citizens, and will act as required in their defense," Gallant warned.
There was no comment from Lebanese authorities or Hezbollah on the Israeli accusations.
The Israeli-Lebanese border has witnessed tension in recent months amid mutual accusations of violating and crossing the borderline.
In June, Hezbollah set up tents in Shebaa Farms and the Kfar Shouba hills close to the border. Lebanon insists that the Shebaa Farms area, which has been under Israeli occupation since 1967, is Lebanese territory.
In 2006, Israel and Hezbollah fought a 34-day war in which more than 1,200 Lebanese – mostly civilians – were killed. Some 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers, were killed in the same conflict.
*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara