"We learned our lessons from the Lebanon war," said "Tempest" Armor Battalion commander Eldar, who declined to give his last name.

The 34-day war, which was launched by Israel in July 2006 after Hizbullah captured two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border attack, killed more than 1,200 Lebanese, mostly civilians, and more than 160 Israelis, most of them soldiers.

Amid renewed tensions and a political crisis in Beirut, the United States said on Thursday it was deploying the warship USS Cole off Lebanon in the eastern Mediterranean as a signal aimed at bolstering regional stability.

The 2006 war left Hizbullah gloating that it had inflicted a blistering defeat on the Middle East's most powerful military, which had been taken by surprise by the preparedness and fighting capability of the Shiite group. In a major blow to Israel's military establishment, the army was unable to break the back of the militants, who kept up a daily barrage of rockets against northern Israel.

A UN-brokered cessation of hostilities went into effect on August 14, 2006, but tension has risen since the assassination of a top Hizbullah commander in Syria.

Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah blamed Israel for the February 12 killing of Imad Mughniyeh in a car bomb in Damascus. Nasrallah said his party will not stand silent in face of Isreali threats or attacks.

While it did little to hide its joy over the death of the man behind Hizbullah's most stunning operations against Israeli and US targets, Israel has denied any involvement in his death.

Looking over the border from an observation post at the Misgav Am kibbutz, an Israeli military intelligence officer said Nasrallah's words must be taken seriously.

"He generally doesn't issue empty threats," the intelligence officer for the border division said, declining to give his name.

Tension is particularly high in the divided village of Ghajar, a border village occupied by Israeli troops. The northern part of the village is Lebanese, while the southern part belongs to Syria and has been occupied by Israeli troops since 1967.

For now, the situation in Ghajar is calm, apart from sporadic clashes between Israeli troops and drug smugglers.

But an Israeli intelligence officer stressed the troops are braced for any eventuality.

"Hizbullah has been rearming since the end of the war. It didn't wait for Mughniyeh's assassination to prepare for renewed conflict," he said, asking to be identified only as "Lieutenant-Colonel G."

The Israeli military is particularly concerned by the successes that Hizbullah scored against tank units by using Soviet-made Metis-M and Kornet anti-tank missiles Israel claims were supplied by Syria.

Officers say Israel's Merkava tanks, considered among the world's most powerful, now have better protection after suffering significant losses during the Lebanon war.

But avoiding being hit is still the best protection.

When the crew of four were told in the military exercise the enemy targeted their Merkava Mark III, they slammed the tank into reverse while firing smoke grenades to hide the 60-ton monster. - AFP