Israel says it will use restraint against Hezbollah
Israel will not stage a large response to the killing of a teenager by guerilla shelling on the border with Lebanon, officials said today.
Israel blames Syria, the main power in Lebanon, for the clashes it has had with Hezbollah over the weekend.
Haviv Dadon, a 16-year-old Israeli, was killed yesterday by a Hezbollah shell as he walked home from a summer job in the border town of Shlomi.
He was the first Israeli civilian to be killed by Hezbollah shelling since 1999. Five others were hurt, including a woman and her nine-month-old baby.
Israeli attack helicopters destroyed the cannon that launched the shells, the Israeli military said.
Early today, an Israeli warplane broke the sound barrier over Beirut, triggering a sonic boom that woke residents, a frequent Israeli tactic when tension rises.
But Israeli defence officials suggested today that there would be no further response.
“There is a combined military and diplomatic reaction here. It is important to remember the diplomatic aspect here,” Deputy Defence Minister Zeev Boim said.
Israeli officials said Prime Minister Ariel Sharon would largely use diplomacy to try to halt attacks by the Lebanese guerrilla group.
There is concern that an escalation on the Israeli-Lebanese border might re-ignite Israeli-Palestinian fighting, in a lull since Palestinian militant groups declared a ceasefire six weeks ago.
The Hamas and Islamic Jihad militant groups in the Palestinian areas have ties to Hezbollah.
