Israeli Army on Maximal Alert Along Border With Lebanon

The Israel Defense Force (IDF) has been on maximal alert since Tuesday along the northern border with Lebanon for possible attacks by Lebanese Hezbollah marking the first anniversary of Israel's troop withdrawal from south Lebanon.

The IDF soldiers had reduced the number of patrols along the border to reduce their vulnerability to possible Hezbollah attempts to attack or kidnap Israeli soldiers, Israel's Army Radio reported Wednesday, quoting a senior officer in the IDF's Northern command.

The IDF pulled out its troops from south Lebanon on May 24 last year after a 22-year occupation.

Hezbollah, or Party of God, is to commemorate the withdrawal on May 25, but the IDF is taking into consideration that attacks might occur before that date, especially in light of the weekend ahead, the officer said.

The IDF's main concern is that Hezbollah will attempt to kidnap IDF soldiers, but the IDF is also concerned that Hezbollah might try to kidnap Israeli civilians too, he added.

"We are not hysterical, not recruiting anyone, but we are aware of the sensitivity of the date...we know the threats of Hezbollah and of its leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah...We are on high alert for any incident," the officer told the radio.

Despite the attention centered on disputed Shabaa Farms on the eastern sector of the border, the IDF is aware of the possibility that other sites might be targeted, said the officer.

Israel insists that the Shabaa Farms captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast War belong to Syria under the United Nations declarations, but the area was claimed by Hezbollah as Lebanese territory.

Three IDF soldiers have been killed and three others abducted by Hezbollah since the IDF left its bases in south Lebanon.

On Tuesday night, Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres phoned U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov and warned them to act immediately to prevent Hezbollah from attacking Israel's north from Lebanon.






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