WAZZANI, Lebanon: Hezbollah condemned the exchange of fire between the Lebanese and Israeli armies along the Blue Line Monday morning as “an aggression against Lebanon,” while Israeli officials downplayed the incident, calling it a “misunderstanding.

”The Lebanese Army engaged in a brief confrontation with Israeli soldiers shortly after dawn Monday when an Israeli army convoy crossed the Blue Line at Wazzani into Lebanon. The fight did not lead to any casualties.

As army helicopters adorned with Lebanese flags hovered over the capital in celebration of Army Day, the Directorate General of the Army released a statement, saying that it confronted around 15 Israeli soldiers who crossed the Blue Line at 5:50 a.m.

“After they [Israeli soldiers] walked 70 meters into Lebanese territories, the army in the area confronted the troops, leading to an exchange of fire until their withdrawal around 7:25 a.m.,” the statement said.

In his speech on the occasion of Army Day in Fayyadieh, President Michel Sleiman praised the army’s move in confronting the Israeli troops in south Lebanon.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah condemned Israel’s actions, saying in a statement that “any aggression against any side of the Lebanese equation of army, people and resistance is an aggression against Lebanon.”

For his part, Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn said in a statement that the morning incident was more proof of the strength of Lebanese unity in facing the enemy. “This enemy [Israel] must know better now than anytime before that south Lebanon is not a battlefield or just a piece of land they can easily lay their hands on,” Ghosn said. “Any aggression against Lebanon’s sovereignty will be confronted to stop Israel from taking away Lebanese rights.”

Ghosn also reiterated that ongoing cooperation with UNIFIL will bring stability in the south and will help stop “the Zionist enemy from attempting to bring instability to the area.”

Adnan Mansour, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, described the incident as one of a series of violations of U.N. Resolution 1701 committed by Israel since 2006.

“The army will remain watchful against any aggression or Israeli violation of Resolution 1701, which we have committed to and which Israel violates daily,” said Mansour.

In the wake of Monday’s incident, Future bloc MP Ammar Houri calling for “imposing solely the army’s authority over all Lebanese territories.”

“It is clear that the army is required to make sacrifices in defending the nation since it represents all the Lebanese,” Houri added.

Houri also called to provide the army with all the necessary defensive capabilities to carry out its duties in a more effective manner.

Hours after the clash, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ruled out any Israeli intention for military escalation.

“Israel does not want an escalation on the Lebanese border … when fire is directed at our soldiers, it is normal that they respond,” said Netanyahu during a meeting with Israeli parliament’s defense and foreign affairs committee.

Netanyahu also said that the response of the Israeli troops was “restrained,” adding that the “government has asked them to act in just this way in order not to heat up the border.”

Speaking to an Israeli public radio station, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Monday’s incident was more likely to be the result of a mix-up than a deliberate attempt by the Lebanese military to raise tensions.

“The patrol that took place was a routine patrol, which passes there from time to time … and the Lebanese should know that,” said Barak.

“I don’t think that this incident is a deliberate intention to escalate the situation in the north, certainly not on the part of the Lebanese Army, but is perhaps a misunderstanding at the local level,” he added.

A security source told The Daily Star that natural resources could be behind the Israeli incursion.

“Such patrols have been carried out by Israeli soldiers in that area where some water tanks are located,” he said.

As of Monday evening, the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon had yet to release a report on the circumstances that led to the confrontation in the Wazzani area in south Lebanon.

“The UNIFIL has opened an investigation into the case through contacts with both armies to collect facts and information that could help us determine the reasons behind the confrontation,” UNIFIL spokesperson Neeraj Singh said Monday.

In an interview over the telephone with The Daily Star, Singh said the first “imperative for the UNIFIL was to contain the situation.”

“We were able to control the situation and avoid any military escalation following the peacekeepers arrival into the area,” Singh explained.

According to Singh, UNIFIL’s presence in the area and its coordination with the Lebanese and Israeli army commands helped put an end to the trade of fire.

Singh also said that the ongoing investigation into Monday’s confrontation would explain the reasons behind clash to avoid future incidents.