Hezbollah Claims 'Forced Israeli Jets To Turn Back' From Lebanon

Wires carring comments from a statement released by Hezbollah, claiming that it 'intercepted Israeli warplanes that broke the sound barrier above Lebanese skies', and that it 'forced the Israeli warpolanes to turn back'. There are increased tensions on the Israeli-Lebanon border following the 27 July rocket attack on the Majdal Shams area of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Hezbollah has denied responsibility, but both Israel and the US have laid the blame at the Iranian-backed groups' feet.

• Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged retaliation against Hezbollah, while Israel's allies have cautioned restraintin an effort to avoid sparking a wider conflict.
• It is all-but-impossible to say what sort of action, either by Israel or Hezbollah, could be the final trigger for a wider conflict. Nevertheless, at present the prospect of an all-out confrontation between the two sides is higher than it has been at any point since the 7 October Hamas attacks on Israel.