Israel Ready to Prevent Hezbollah Expansion Into Syria, Golan Heights

Israel reportedly expressed readiness to boost its defenses along the border with Lebanon in order to limit Hezbollah's expansion in the Golan Heights region in Syria, the Lebanese news outlet Naharnet reported Tuesday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – High-ranking Israeli officials said that Hezbollah would be deemed responsible for any hostile action against Israeli troops or settlements near the Golan Heights, with Israel ready to retaliate to any sign of aggression, Naharnet said referring to Tuesday's edition of al-Liwaa, an Arabic-language Lebanese daily.

Lebanese and Hezbullah officials are said to have been notified of Israel's warnings.

Western diplomatic sources of al-Liwaa quoted Israeli officials as saying that offensives in the Golan Heights were planned by Iran, and had direct links to Iran's nuclear program, Naharnet reported.

Hezbollah, established in the 1980s, is a paramilitary and political organization originating in Lebanon's Shiite population that aimed to end Israel's occupation of Lebanon.

In January, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said that Israel had carried out an airstrike in the Syrian sector of the Golan Heights that killed six Hezbollah militants.

The toughening of Israel's stance came after a Hezbollah strike in January, which left two Israeli soldiers dead and seven more wounded in the Golan Heights area.