The Shi’ite extremist Hezbollah, a key player in the hostage drama unfolding in the Middle East, has stepped up its activities against the Israel Defense Force and the South Lebanon Army in southern Lebanon.
So far this week, 11 attacks have been launched against IDF and SLA units in the Israeli-defined security zone in southern Lebanon.
The attacks followed a boast by Hezbollah leader Sheik Abbas Musawi that his Iranian-backed organization had strengthened its capability to make life unbearable for the Israelis and their allies.
The most serious attacks came Tuesday, when two explosive devices were detonated on roads used by IDF and SLA troops on the border of the security zone. One killed a Lebanese policeman; the second wounded a Lebanese civilian.
SLA gunners retaliated with a three-hour shelling of three villages north of the security zone, causing an undetermined number of casualties and damage, according to local reports.
On Wednesday, rocket-propelled grenades and automatic gunfire were directed at an SLA base in the security zone, but there were no casualties.
Sources in the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon, said Israeli air force helicopters have been flying low over southern Lebanon in recent days.
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