TEL AVIV Ñ Israel's military has been placed on high alert for the prospect of a Hizbullah strike along the border with Lebanon.

Military sources said Israeli troops and aircraft have increased activities along the border area. This includes ground and air patrols as well as imposing increased security at bases in northern Israel.

The sources said military intelligence has drafted several scenarios of a Hizbullah attack. They said the Iranian-backed movement has been ordered to stage a major provocation in support of the Palestinian war against Israel.

The most worrisome scenario, the sources said, is a Hizbullah attempt to kidnap Israeli soldiers and bring them to Lebanon. In October, Hizbullah abducted three Israeli soldiers in an operation conducted in cooperation with several United Nations peacekeepers who served along the Lebanese border.

"The Hizbullah kidnapping could take place anywhere along the border," a senior military source said. "The Hizbullah has no intention of limiting the sphere of such an operation."

Israeli police have also been on alert along the northern border to respond to any Hizbullah infiltration. Israeli communities along the border are also on alert for the prospect of an attack by a Hizbullah suicide bomber.

On Thursday, Hizbullah said its anti-aircraft batteries fired at Israeli warplanes that flew over southern Lebanon. Lebanese sources said the Hizbullah fire missed the Israeli aircraft.

At the same time, Hizbullah has restricted its presence in the divided border village of Ghajar. Militants left the village with their placards calling for liberation of the Alawi town.

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