Hezbollah on alert for possible Israeli attacks

(Patria) - Hezbollah is on alert, two security sources told Reuters, as tensions rise after a deadly attack on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights for which Israel blamed the Lebanese armed group.

Hezbollah denied responsibility for the rocket attack that hit a football field in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights yesterday, killing 12 people. Israel has promised swift retaliation.

Security sources said Hezbollah had preemptively cleared some key locations in southern Lebanon and the eastern Bekaa Valley in case of possible Israeli retaliation.

- The Lebanese government has asked the US to encourage Israeli restraint - Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib told Reuters today.

Habib stated that the US asked the Lebanese government to convey a message to Hezbollah to also show restraint. He added that a major Israeli attack would lead to a regional war.

Iran warned Israel today against what it called any new adventure in Lebanon, in a statement released by Foreign Ministry spokesman Naser Kanani.

However, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, visiting the site of the strike, said: "We will strike the enemy hard."

The US, which is leading diplomatic efforts aimed at de-escalating the conflict on the Lebanese-Israeli border, condemned the "terrible attack" but did not directly blame Hezbollah.

A White House statement said that US support for Israel's security is unquestionable and that it "will continue to support efforts to end these terrible attacks along the Blue Line, which must be a top priority." The Blue Line refers to the border between Lebanon and Israel.

A senior diplomat focused on Lebanon said that all efforts are now needed to avoid a comprehensive war.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said today in Tokyo that he does not want to see an escalation of the conflict after Israel accused Hezbollah of killing 12 children and teenagers in a rocket attack.

The conflict has forced tens of thousands of people in Lebanon and Israel to leave their homes.

Israeli attacks have killed about 350 Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon and more than 100 civilians, including doctors, children, and journalists.