Special to WorldTribune.com

TEL AVIV — Israel’s military has been ordered to keep Hizbullah away from the northern border of the Jewish state.

Military sources said Israel Army’s Northern Command has been on alert for Hizbullah attacks along the border with Lebanon and Syria.

The sources said infantry and armored units have been ordered to shoot at any Hizbullah or other suspected combatant near the 70-kilometer border fence.

“We have made it very clear that we don’t intend to return to a situation where Hizbullah terrorists threaten our territory,” a source said.

On March 5, the military said a main battle tank shot and struck two Hizbullah fighters near the border fence with Syria. The military said the fighters tried to place an improvised explosive device near the Israeli fence where Lebanon and Syria meet.

This marked the latest operation in what the military determined was an escalation between Israel and Hizbullah. In late February, Israel struck a suspected Hizbullah missile convoy headed from Syria to Lebanon.

Days later, Hizbullah was believed to have fired a rocket from Syria
toward the Israel Army base on Mount Hermon. Hizbullah was said to have
accumulated an arsenal of 100,000 missiles and rockets.

“After that move was deemed successful, Hizbullah began working to
obtain advanced anti-aircraft missiles to hit [Israel] Air Force planes,
anti-ship missiles to strike navy vessels and long-range accurate
surface-to-surface missiles to hit high-quality targets deep within Israel,”
former Israel Navy commander [Res.] Vice Adm. Eliezer Marom said.

Syria has confirmed the latest Israeli strike. Syria’s official Sana
news agency said four Israeli shells were fired toward the Golan village of
Hamidiyeh. Sana said seven people were injured in a series of Israeli tank
fire on the Golan.

  70-kilometer border fence, Israel’s Northern Command on alert against Hizbullah threat from Lebanon, Mount Hermon, Syria, Vice Adm. Eliezer Marom