News Brief12:52 PM

(IsraelNN.com) Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai says Israel is monitoring the situation in Lebanon closely, but does not plan to intervene at present. "We need to keep our eyes peeled and be especially sensitive regarding all that is happening there," Vilnai told listeners during an interview on IDF Army Radio.

The situation is especially dangerous, he noted, in light of the Hamas terrorist organization's control of Gaza. Both Hamas and Hizbullah are generously funded, trained, armed and otherwise equipped by Iran. As Iranian proxies, he said, both are mutually dependent.

Vilnai said Israel is prepared for the possibility that the situation north of the border may further deteriorate. However, he added, he doesn't believe either side will allow the situation to return to the condition of the previous 15-year civil war that ended in 1990.