FEARS have been sparked of a renewed conflict in the Middle East after Lebanon's president called Israeli airstrikes inside the country a "declaration of war".

The strikes are thought to have been a warning to Hezbollah in Lebanon as well as Palestinian allies in Iran and Syria.

4 Israel has launched its first strikes inside Lebanon in 13 years Credit: AFP or licensors

4 The strikes were called a 'declaration of war' by Lebanese president Michel Aoun Credit: AFP or licensors

Just hours earlier, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah had issued an angry reaction to an incident on Sunday, when two small drones thought to be Israeli hit a building housing a Hezbollah media centre in a southern suburb of Beirut.

He said the devices had been sent on a "suicide mission", adding: "Hezbollah will not allow such an aggression.

"The time when Israeli aircraft come and bombard parts of Lebanon is over."

The Israeli strikes were the first attacks by Israel inside Lebanon in 13 years.

The strikes hit a base belonging to a militant Palestinian splinter faction in the in the Bekaa Valley, close to the Syrian border.

No-one was reported killed the attacks.

Two Reuters sources close to Hezbollah said the group was preparing a "calculated strike" in response.

'WE MUST DEFEND OUR SOVEREIGNTY'

In a meeting on Monday, Lebanese president Michel Aoun told Jan Kubis, the UN special coordinator for Lebanon: "What happened is a declaration of war."

A statement released by his office later added: "This allows us to resort to our right to defend our sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity."

Also speaking on Monday, Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad Hariri said he hoped to avoid conflict with Israel, but that what happened over the weekend had been a "blatant violation" of Lebanese sovereignty.

"The Lebanese government sees it best to avoid any sliding of the situation towards a dangerous escalation but this requires the international community affirming its rejection of this blatant violation," he told the ambassadors of the UN Security Council's five permanent members.

Israeli forces in the occupied Golan Heights, near the Lebanese border, are said to be on high alert.

Since Israel invaded Lebanon to target Hezbollah in 2006, the group has gained in strength, and is now among the most powerful political actors in the country.

Its rise has prompted Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, to say that the Lebanese state would be a target were any war to interrupt.

Attacks have so far been launched on Iran-backed targets in Lebanon, Iraq, and Syria leading to fears of a fresh conflict between Israel and Iran's proxies.

On Sunday, the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) attacked a base near Damascus, killing two Hezbollah operatives and an Iranian Revolutionary Guard officer it said were helping to prepare a drone strike against Israel.

Also on Sunday, at least one member of a pro-Iranian Iraqi militia was killed in an airstrike on the Iraq-Syria border thought to have been carried out by an Israeli drone.

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Prime Minister Netanyahu is also in the process of running for re-election after failing to secure a renewed majority in the previous election in September 2019.

He is politically vulnerable, likely to face corruption charges in the coming months, and may want to be seen to be taking a tough stance against any retaliation.

4 Israel has launched a number of strikes on Iran-backed groups in the region in recent days

4 The exchanges have sparked fears of a renewed conflict in the region Credit: EPA

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