IDF sends warplanes, puts up roadblocks in north as it readies for war with Hezbollah
Lebanese army also says Israeli drones dropped incendiary material that sparked a fire in a forest at the border; Israeli military confirmed the fires in the Mount Dov area started as a result of IDF activity
Israeli military also said Sunday a fire which broke out on the disputed piece of land along the Lebanese border was a result of IDF activity in the area.
"A short while ago, fires broke out in the Lebanese border area. The fires originate with operations by our forces in the area," said the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit.
The statement comes after Lebanese army said the IDF had shelled the area of Mount Dov near the Lebanese border and dropped incendiary material using drones that sparked a fire in a forest at the border.
The Lebanese army statement said it was following up on the violation with U.N. peacekeepers but gave no further details.
The military operated in area on Saturday as well with several fires reported to have been started in the region for reasons which remain unknown.
The army also said that in the past week its "ground forces, air, navy and intelligence forces improved their preparedness for various scenarios in the northern command area." It posted on Twitter footage of tanks and ground forces being deployed.
Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said earlier on Saturday in a televised speech that all options were open to counter Israeli drones violating Lebanon's sovereignty.
Drones like the ones used in the Beirut attack last weekend "open the door to assassinations" if left unanswered, he said. "This matter will not be tolerated ... Israel must pay the price."
Reuters contributed to this report
