The IDF on Tuesday morning stepped up its alert status along the northern border, fearing increased Hizbullah activity in the area.

According to a Galei Tzahal (Army) Radio report, the release of the UN report into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, which points to high-level Syrian involvement, will act as an impetus for Syria to order increased Hizbullah attacks along Israel’s northern border.

Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad recently stated that if Syria is implicated in the assassination, “the entire Middle East will be impacted,” leading Israeli intelligence officials to fear increased border hostilities as part of the effort to divert the attention of the international community from Damascus.