JERUSALEM, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Israel's army confirmed on Sunday that the fires near the Israeli-Lebanese border, reportedly sparked by Israeli artillery attack, were caused by its activity.
The fires broke out in the area of the Shebaa Farms, a disputed region at the intersection of Lebanon, Syria, and Israel. Israel refers to this land as Har Dov and claims it to be part of its territory.
"The fires in the area of Har Dov were caused by IDF (Israel Defense Forces) activity," a military spokesperson said in a statement, without elaborating on the activity.
Earlier on Sunday, Hezbollah's al-Manar network reported that Israeli drones dropped incendiary materials on groves in the area.
Lebanese media reported that over the weekend, Israel fired illuminating bombs over the Shebaa Farms.
The incident comes a day after Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah vowed that the Shiite group will retaliate Israeli drone attacks last week in Beirut's Shiite quarter "in every possible spot along the border."
Tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, an Iran-backed armed group, were on the rise over the past weeks, fueled by Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon and Syria.
Israel said last week that the attacks aim to prevent Hezbollah from building factories for precision-guided missiles. Hezbollah denied it has such factories in Lebanon.
Israel and Hezbollah fought a bloody war in 2006.
