Israel preparing for war, Hezbollah warns

BEIRUT, Lebanon, July 27 (UPI) -- Israel is making preliminary moves along the Lebanese border in order to launch another war by the end of this year, Hezbollah claims.

Border tensions along the Israeli border with Lebanon have escalated in recent weeks. Beirut has lodged a series of complaints to the United Nations, claiming Israel had violated U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 by entering Lebanese territorial waters and airspace.

Resolution 1701 brought an end to the 2006 conflict between Hezbollah and Israel. The resolution calls on Hezbollah to abandon its weapons, while demanding Israel respect Lebanese sovereignty.

The border conflict intensified following a skirmish between pro-Hezbollah demonstrators and members of the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon, who raided a weapons depot along the border with Israel.

Israel claims the weapons cache belonged to Hezbollah, while the Shiite movement states Israel is preparing for war, the Lebanese Daily Star reports.

"Israel cannot be trusted," said Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah.

Hezbollah denies it is behind the border skirmishes, though UNIFIL officials said the weapons depot suggests the militant group was not meeting its international obligations.

Al-Qaida, meanwhile, posted a video claiming responsibility for attacks on Israeli targets from southern Lebanon, blaming Hezbollah for not deterring "Zionist" aggression.