MOSCOW, January 8 (RIA Novosti) - Moscow is concerned over the escalation of tensions on the border between Israel and Lebanon following a brief fire exchange earlier on Thursday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

At least three Katyusha rockets fell around the northern Israeli border town of Nahariya in the morning, wounding two persons, Israeli police earlier said. Israeli army fired back with at least six artillery shells. No casualties among the Lebanese have been reported.

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command, a Palestinian faction, claimed responsibility for the rocket attack.

The incident heightened fears of a second front opening up in the Gaza war, which has killed over 700 Palestinians and injured another 3,000 people since late December.

"We call for a strict adherence to the provisions of UN Security Council resolution 1701," the ministry said in a commentary posted on its web site.

"It is particularly important for all parties to exercise restraint and to show a sense of responsibility. There should be no provocations that could affect the situation in the region,

where everything is closely intertwined and the situation is strained to the limit as a result of the Palestinian-Israeli confrontation in Gaza," the commentary said.

A violent conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006 killed over 1,000 Lebanese and about 160 Israelis. Resolution 1701 helped bring an end to that conflict.

The border area in southern Lebanon is now controlled by Lebanese troops and U.N. peacekeepers.