Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today blamed Iran for a deadly flare-up along the Lebanese border, the deadliest escalation on the disputed frontier since the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel.
"It is Iran that is responsible for yesterday's attack against us from Lebanon," Netanyahu said. "We will continue to defend ourselves against all threats, near and far alike." There was no immediate comment from Tehran.
Iran backs Hezbollah, which declared its attack an act of retaliation for an airstrike, attributed to Israel, that targeted Hezbollah fighters inside neighboring Syria earlier this month.
The strike killed six Hezbollah fighters and an Iranian general. Both Iran and Hezbollah are allies of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
"This is the same Iran that is now trying to achieve an agreement, via the major powers, that would leave it with the ability to develop nuclear weapons, and we strongly oppose this agreement," Netanyahu said, referring to the negotiations over Tehran's disputed nuclear program.
Though the violence sparked fears of yet another crippling war between the two foes, neither Israel nor Hezbollah seemed interested in escalating the situation further.
