Two Israeli soldiers, UN peacekeeper killed in Israel-Hizbollah violence

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM/BEIRUT — Two Israeli soldiers and a Spanish peacekeeper were killed on Wednesday in an exchange of fire between Hizbollah and Israel, one of the most violent clashes between the two sides since a 2006 war.

The soldiers were killed when Hizbollah fired five missiles at a convoy of Israeli military vehicles on the frontier with Lebanon.

The peacekeeper, serving with a UN monitoring force in southern Lebanon, was killed as Israel responded with air strikes and artillery fire, a UN spokesman and Spanish officials said.

Hizbollah said one of its brigades in the area had carried out the attack, which appeared to be in retaliation for a January 18 Israeli air strike in southern Syria that killed several Hizbollah members and an Iranian general.

"Those behind the attack today will pay the full price," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned later on Wednesday, in televised remarks as he met with security chiefs.

The Israeli military confirmed the deaths of the soldiers, saying they had been attacked while driving in unmarked civilian vehicles on a road next to the fence that marks the hilly frontier. Seven other soldiers were wounded.

Andrea Tenenti, spokesman for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which employs more than 10,000 troops, said the peacekeeper's death was under investigation.

The UN special coordinator for Lebanon urged all parties to refrain from any further destabilisation of the situation, while Lebanon's prime minister said his country was committed to the UN resolution that ended the 2006 war.

The 80km frontier has largely been quiet since 2006, when Hizbollah and Israel fought a 34-day war in which 120 people in Israel and more than 500 in Lebanon were killed.

Since the end of the war with Hamas militants in Gaza last year, Israel has warned of frictions on the northern border and the possibility that Hizbollah might dig tunnels to infiltrate Israel. In recent days it has moved more troops and military equipment into the area.

A retired Israeli army officer, Major-General Israel Ziv, said he believed Wednesday’s assault was an attempt by Hizbollah to draw Israel more deeply into the war in Syria, where Hizbollah is fighting alongside forces loyal to President Assad.

“Israel needs to protect its interests but not take any unnecessary steps that may pull us into the conflict in Syria,” he said.

Netanyahu, who faces a parliamentary election on March 17, said Israel was “prepared to act powerfully on all fronts”.

He accused Iran of trying to establish a “terror front” via Hizbollah from Syria and said Israel was “acting aggressively and responsibly against this attempt”. Iran is a major funder of Hizbollah, a Shiite group headed by Hassan Nasrallah.

In a communique, Hizbollah called Wednesday’s operation “statement number one”, indicating a further response to the Syrian incident was possible. Nasrallah is expected to announce the group’s formal reaction to Israel’s January 18 air strike on Friday.

In Beirut, celebratory gunfire rang out after the attack, while residents in the southern suburbs of the city, where Hizbollah is strong, packed their bags and prepared to evacuate neighbourhoods that were heavily bombed by Israel in 2006.

In Gaza, Palestinian militant groups praised Hizbollah. The United States said it condemned the Shiite group’s “act of violence” and urged all parties to refrain from actions that could escalate the situation.

With an Israeli election looming and Hizbollah deeply involved in support of Assad in Syria, there would appear to be little interest in a wider conflict for either side.

Regional analysts said they did not expect events to spiral.

“Netanyahu most likely realises that a prolonged military engagement in Lebanon could cost him the election,” said Ayham Kamel and Riccardo Fabiani of the Eurasia Group.