Lebanon border explosive wounds 2 Israeli soldiers

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM — The Israeli military fired towards Hizbollah positions in southern Lebanon after two Israeli soldiers were wounded Tuesday in an explosion on the tense border, the most serious incident between the two countries in months.

The soldiers were on a patrol along the border when an explosive device went off, the Israeli military said. Israeli troops then found a second explosive device on the Israeli side of the border, which was detonated by Israeli bomb squads.

Israeli forces responded by firing artillery towards two positions of Hizbollah guerrillas in Lebanon, the Israeli Defence Forces said.

On its Al Manar TV station, Hizbollah issued a statement claiming responsibility for the blast, saying it targeted an Israeli patrol. The admission marked a rare instance of an open clash between the two bitter enemies.

Israel suspects that Hizbollah may be looking to flex its muscles along the Israeli border to Israel to deflect attention away from its struggles in fighting against Islamic rebels in Syria. Officials said Tuesday’s attack marked an escalation but they did not expect it to devolve into an all-out conflict.

Israel and Lebanon have been in a state of war for six decades, but the border area has remained largely quiet since a month-long war in the summer of 2006 between Israel and Hizbollah. There have been sporadic outbursts of violence since then.

Tuesday’s incident comes just two days after Israeli soldiers opened fire after what they said was a border breach in the Shebaa farms area. Lebanon’s military countered that one of its army outposts came under Israeli fire, and one soldier was lightly wounded.

“The Lebanese government and Hizbollah are directly liable for this blatant breach of Israel’s sovereignty,” said Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, a military spokesman. “The IDF responded to the unprovoked aggression against its forces and will continue to operate in order to maintain the safety of the northern border of Israel.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel has “proven that we will respond strongly against any attempts to harm us.”