An IDF soldier stands next to an Iron Dome anti-missile system near Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, July 27, 2020. Photo: Reuters / Amir Cohen.

Israel warned the Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah of a “disproportionate” response to further cross‐border attacks following Monday’s thwarted infiltration attempt.

A small squad of four Hezbollah fighters crossed the northern border in the Har Dov area on Monday afternoon, where they were quickly detected and met with massive firepower, including artillery. The fate of the terrorists is currently unknown. No Israelis were injured in the incident.

The attack was almost certainly in response to the death of a Hezbollah terrorist in Syria last week in an air strike attributed to Israel. The IDF has been on high alert on the northern front, anticipating a Hezbollah response.

Israeli news site N12 reported that, following the attack, Israel conveyed messages to Hezbollah stating, “Israel will not stand aside and will respond disproportionately if the shooting continues.”

The IDF stated, “Complex and tense days are ahead of us,” but noted that civilians near the northern border were being allowed to return to their normal routines.

At the same time, a spokesperson for UNIFIL, the international peacekeeping force on the Israel‐Lebanon border, said it was seeking to deescalate the situation.

A commentator on the Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Manar media outlet said, “If the operation really did not succeed, and did not cause casualties to the Israeli side, we are ready for further actions. The other side must be ready for a response at all times.”

Israel’s public broadcaster Kan reported that a Hezbollah parliament member denied the attack was committed by the terror group, saying, “Israel’s maximum alert is causing it to imagine things.”