Special to WorldTribune.com

TEL AVIV — Israel and Hizbullah have come to blows along the Lebanese border.

On Oct. 7, two Israel Army soldiers were injured in a bomb planted in the Shebaa Plateau. The military blamed Hizbullah as well as the Lebanese government for entering Israeli-controlled territory.

“The Lebanese government and Hizbullah are directly liable for this blatant breach of Israel’s sovereignty,” military spokesman Lt. Col. Peter Lerner said.

The army responded with artillery fire toward two Hizbullah positions in southern Lebanon. Later, a second bomb was detonated near Israeli forces but there were no reports of injuries.

“The Israel Defense Forces 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,” Lerner said.

For the first time in years, Hizbullah, which dominates the Lebanese government and military, claimed responsibility for the bombings. Previous attacks linked to Hizbullah included rocket fire into Israel.

“[They] detonated an explosive device on the Shebaa hills against a motorized Israeli patrol causing a number of injuries among the occupation’s soldiers,” Hizbullah said.

The latest Hizbullah attacks have been linked to the killing of a leading Shi’ite fighter. Hussein Haidar, identified as a senior Hizbullah operative, was killed when he tried to dismantle a suspected Israeli spy device in the southern Lebanese town of Adloun on Sept. 5. Hizbullah said the device was detonated by an Israeli unmanned aerial vehicle.

The military has been warning of Hizbullah operations against Israel. Military sources said Hizbullah, bolstered by the war in neighboring Syria, was working with the Lebanese Army in staging attacks and provocations along Israel’s northern border.

“Hizbullah is responsible for planting the explosive devices and setting them off today, and that’s why its targets were struck,” Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon said. “There is a phenomenon here of a state within a state, and we see the Lebanese government as also being responsible for this incident.”

  Israel fires on Hizbullah positions in Lebanon after bomb injures IDF soldiers, Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, Moshe Ya’alon, Shebaa