Weeks after Hezbollah flareup, Israel announces military drills near tense Lebanon border
The announced drills near the border with Lebanon on Tuesday, weeks after an sharply raised tensions between the countryÌýand Lebanese militant group,Ìý.
The artillery drills are pre-planned and not the result of a security assessment, the military said in a statement reported by Israeli media.
They will take place in the occupiedÌýShebaa Farms border district, with blasts expected to be heard in nearby towns.
EarlierÌýthis month, Hezbollah said it fired dozens of rockets near Israeli positions in the areaÌý- the first direct attack on Israeli territory claimed by the group since 2019.
The attack was an apparentÌýresponse to an Israeli airstrike on southern Lebanon the previous day, itself the first Israeli air raids on LebanonÌýin seven years.
The tensions began when Israel claimed that 19 rockets were fired from Lebanon, six of which hit Israeli territory.
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But after the exchange, Israeli said it did "not wish to escalate to a full war". Hezbollah echoed that de-escalatory tone but vowed a "suitable and proportionate"Ìýresponse to any Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon.
A 33-day war between Israel and Hezbollah in the summer of 2006 killed 1,200 people in Lebanon, mostly Lebanese civilians.
It ended with an UN-monitored ceasefire that saw the Lebanese army deployed alongÌýthe border areas.
A week after the latestÌýflareup, the Israeli army said it had shot down a Hezbollah drone that crossed into its airspace.