AMMAN/BEIRUT šC In a sign Israel may expand its ground operations against Hezbollah while bolstering its own defenses, its troops have cleared landmines and established new barriers on the frontier between the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and a demilitarized strip bordering Syria, security sources and analysts said.
The move suggests Israel may seek to strike Hezbollah for the first time from further east along Lebanon¡¯s border, at the same time creating a secure area from which it can freely reconnoiter the armed group and prevent infiltration, the sources said.
While demining activity has been reported, sources ¡ª including a Syrian soldier stationed in south Syria, a Lebanese security official and a U.N. peacekeeping official ¡ª revealed additional unreported details that showed Israel was moving the fence separating the DMZ towards the Syrian side and digging more fortifications in the area.
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