NATO's mission in Kosovo says it has withheld authorization for a request by Pristina to deploy the ethnically fractured country's national security body, the Kosovo Security Force (KSF), to the Serb-majority northern region where an explosion last week damaged a water canal and ratcheted up tensions.
Kosovar officials have accused neighboring Serbia of involvement, without providing evidence -- a charge Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic rejected before vowing to conduct an investigation and hinting cryptically, "We have information about who might be the perpetrator."
NATO's KFOR mission confirmed to RFE/RL's Kosovo Service on December 1 that Kosovar authorities had asked to deploy the KSF to the northern area of Zubin Potok, a region where the transatlantic alliance and European civilian mission EULEX have helped keep the peace for years.
“The KFOR Commander has not given such authorization, based on his security assessment and the actions already undertaken by KFOR," the NATO force said in a written response.
Serbia rejects independence for its former province, and decade-old talks facilitated by the European Union to normalize relations between Pristina and Belgrade have largely stalled.
Belgrade has long maintained parallel institutions in northern Kosovo that serve the tens of thousands of Serbs there who mostly reject Kosovar central authority.
Pristina has essentially pledged since a 2013 agreement not to deploy its mostly ethnically Albanian forces to the northern region without KFOR's prior consent.
Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti called the November 29 blast that damaged the canal supplying water to his country's two main coal power plants a "criminal and terrorist attack" by northern neighbor and bitter rival Serbia.
The attack did not cause any casualties but threatened power disruption as the region hunkers down for the onset of winter.
Drinking water supplies to Pristina were also said to be at risk.
Officials inspect the damaged section of the canal in Varrage village, in the Zubin Potok municipality, after the November 29 explosion.
"KFOR has deployed units to secure the Zobin Potok area of the damaged water canal," KFOR told RFE/RL. "KFOR has also offered additional assistance to the Institutions in Kosovo, including logistical and explosive ordnance disposal support."
It said it was in contact with all key partners and was monitoring events.
At a press conference late on December 1, Kurti avoided saying whether he had sought KFOR permission for a deployment but acknowledged Pristina was "constrained" by the 2013 deal.
The next day, Kurti invited foreign envoys for a meeting to discuss the situation.
Afterward, U.S. Ambassador to Pristina Jeffrey Hovenier said Washington doesn't know who was behind the attack. But, he added, "Once it is...determined who is responsible, we will work with the proper authorities to ensure that they are held accountable."
Kurti, whose ruling Self-Determination Movement (Vetëvendosje) is facing national elections next year, has spent much of the past year squeezing out dinar payments, Serbian postal and banking ties, and other Serbian-dominated aspects of everyday life in northern Kosovo.
EU and U.S. officials have repeatedly warned his government to refrain from unilateral and potentially provocative steps.
The explosion in the village of Varrage, in the Zubin Potok municipality, created a large crack in the Iber-Lepenc canal.
The waterway, which originates at Ujman (Gazivoda) Lake, supplies water to the entire northern region of Kosovo, the Mitrovica regions, and Pristina and its surroundings, including the Kosovo Energy Corporation for cooling its power plants.