The Israeli army said Wednesday that soldiers killed an armed man suspected of entering the country from Lebanon and blowing up a car, raising the risk of renewed tensions with Hezbollah.
The security situation in Israel prompted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to cut short his two-day visit to Germany, his office said. Netanyahu will return late Thursday from Germany, a day earlier than planned, his office said.
The army said soldiers stopped a car carrying the bombing suspect at a checkpoint Monday shortly after a roadside explosion seriously injured a driver near Megiddo Junction in the country’s north. The suspect was wearing a suicide vest and had a rifle and a gun when he was stopped. The army said it shot and killed the man and is questioning the driver.
The army said the device that exploded was unusual for the area, exploding at a 90-degree angle. That led officials to suspect that the man infiltrated from Lebanon and may have been linked to Hezbollah.
Israel and Hezbollah are bitter enemies that fought a monthlong war in the summer of 2006. Israel considers the Iran-backed party its most serious immediate threat, estimating that Hezbollah has some 150,000 rockets and missiles aimed at Israel.
Israel's northern border with Lebanon has remained quiet but tense since the 2006 war.
But Israel discovered four years ago what it said was a network of tunnels built by Hezbollah along the border. Israel also frequently attacks targets in Syria, saying they are Iranian weapons deliveries headed to Hezbollah.
