Lebanon accuses Israel of 'dangerous provocation'

Lebanon's prime minister Tuesday accused Israel of provoking a "dangerous escalation" along the border in an attempt to modify the mandate of a U.N. peacekeeping force in south Lebanon, cautioning against "a slide toward the worse" in coming days.

Hassan Diab's comments came a day after the Israeli military said it thwarted an infiltration attempt by Hezbollah militants — setting off one of the heaviest exchanges of fire along the volatile Israel-Lebanon frontier since a 2006 war between the two enemies.

Hezbollah denied its fighters had engaged in any attack along the border, but the Israeli military said it was sure the Iranian-backed militant group had carried out the operation, and Israeli forces in the area remained on heightened alert.

Manal Abdel Samad, Lebanon's minister of information, blamed Israel for the flare-up and said it confirmed what she called Israel's "hostile mentality".

Meanwhile, Lebanon's government on Tuesday held a regular session at Baabda Palace and approved the Higher Defense Council recommendation to impose a partial coronavirus lockdown as of today.

A complete lockdown will be implemented as of Thursday, for a period of 5 days, to be followed by a 2-day break, and another 5 days of complete lockdown, after which the outcomes will be evaluated.