Israel's army chief says no war in north

JERUSALEM, July 28 (UPI) -- Israel is closely monitoring its northern border but doubts hostilities will break out, Israeli Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi said.

Visiting the Tel Hashomer induction center Tuesday, Ashkenazi made the comments while addressing new recruits to the army's Kfir Brigade, which operates in the West Bank, local media reports said.

The recent explosion of a Hezbollah arms cache in southern Lebanon does not indicate a war is imminent, the army chief said.

Ashkenazi's comments were at odds with those made by Israeli government officials Monday, suggesting Hezbollah may try to escalate the situation, Haaretz said.

Israel warned Beirut it will be held responsible for any hostile actions launched from its territory, the paper said. Defense Minister Ehud Barak expressed concern about Hezbollah's activities during Monday's meeting with U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, the paper said.