Lebanon fears intensification of Israel's Hezbollah offensive

Lebanon is worried that Israel might intensify its offensive against the Lebanon-based Shia militant group Hezbollah, the country’s foreign minister has said, as the conflict between the two sides escalates along the border.

In an interview with the BBC, Abdallah Bou Habib said it was unlikely Israeli forces would cross into Lebanon but that there could be more fierce air strikes.

Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged near-daily strikes and counter-strikes since October, when Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel in support of the Palestinians in Gaza a day after the deadly Hamas attack on Israel.

The violence has killed civilians, Israeli soldiers and Hezbollah fighters and led to the displacement of tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border, raising fears of another major confrontation between Hezbollah and Israel, which fought a devastating month-long war in 2006.

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