MOUNT DOV - Several explosive devices exploded in the Mount Dov area on the Lebanese border Sunday afternoon, amid speculation that Hizbullah
may be attempting to escalate tensions in the country's north.
No injuries were reported in the blasts, the IDF later said.
| Nasrallah threatens Israel (Photo: AP) |
"The explosive devices were apparently directed at vehicles that were supposed to drive by the area," the officer said. "Had the devices exploded when our forces were traveling there, we would have suffered quite a few casualties."
The area was sealed off by the IDF following the detection of the bombs and the subsequent explosion, and helicopters were dispatched to secure forces operating in the area.
However, it will only be several days before IDF troops examine the scene in order to estimate the quantity of explosives placed there.
The senior officer said it would be difficult to estimate when the devices were placed, but said the incident may have marked a Hizbullah attempt to hurt or abduct soldiers.
In January of this year, an IDF soldier was killed after several explosive devices planted by the Hizbullah in the same area exploded when an army jeep drove by the roadside bombs.
'A new stance'
A French army officer and a Hizbullah member were later killed in the exchanges of fire that followed the incident.
This past Friday, Hizbullah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah
threatened that his group would abduct Israeli soldiers so it could negotiate with Israel for their release.
"We may need to return to the old methods of abductions for the purpose of prisoner exchanges," he said.
Nasrallah added that the Hizbullah will soon declare a "new stance" regarding the ongoing negotiations with Israel on a possible prisoner swap.
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