Israeli forces exchanged fire with Hezbollah fighters along the volatile Israeli-Lebanese border on Monday, the toughest fight between bitter enemies in nearly a year.
Israeli army spokesman in the Arabic language, Avichay Adraee, said troops thwarted Hezbollah’s attack by three or four men who infiltrated a few meters above the Blue Line, which marks Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000.
There were no casualties among the Israeli forces, Adraee said.
Hezbollah carried out the operation against Israeli soldiers in the disputed area of Shebaa Farms, Reuters news agency quoted anonymous sources familiar with the situation as saying.
The raid was in retaliation after an Israeli airstrike near the Syrian capital Damascus that killed a Hezbollah fighter last week, sources said.
Residents in the area were ordered to stay at their homes and “any activity in open areas is prohibited,” said a statement from the Israeli army.
There was no immediate statement from Hezbollah.
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Lebanon: living on the blue line – Al Jazeera World |
A resident of the city of Khiam, about 5 km (2 miles) from the southern border of Lebanon, told Al Jazeera that he heard about two dozen explosions and saw large plumes of smoke rising near Mount Hermon.
Andrea Tenenti, a spokesperson for the UN peacekeeping forces in southern Lebanon (UNIFIL), said that its commander, Major General Stefano Del Col, “is in contact with both parties to assess the situation and ease the tension.”
“Urge maximum restraint,” Tenenti told Al Jazeera.
Syrian airstrike
Tension has increased along Israel’s northern border with Lebanon and Syria, including the occupied Golan Heights, after a Hezbollah fighter was killed in an apparent Israeli airstrike on the edge of Damascus last Monday.
Speaking in parliament, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the government was closely following developments in the north.
Smoke rises over the border area in # South Lebanon after a reported “security incident” that follows a week of high tensions between Israel and #Hezbollah. https://t.co/7I8x8ct43v
– Timour Azhari (@timourazhari) July 27, 2020
“The army is ready for every scenario,” he said. “We operate in all arenas for the defense of Israel, near our borders and far from our borders.”
“Lebanon and Hezbollah will be responsible for any attack from Lebanese territory.”
Netanyahu and Defense Minister Benny Gantz interrupted meetings in parliament to meet with military commanders at army headquarters in Tel Aviv.
The Shebaa Farms area was captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East War and is claimed by Lebanon.
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Hezbollah Launches Large Ground Offensive on Syrian-Lebanese Border |
‘Strategic threat’
Following the killing of two Hezbollah members in Syria last August, Hassan Nasrallah, the group’s leader, promised that he would respond if Israel killed more fighters in the country.
Hezbollah deployed fighters to Syria as part of the Iran-backed efforts to support President Bashar al-Assad in the country’s nine-year conflict.
Israel views the presence of Hezbollah and its ally Iran in Syria as a strategic threat, and has mounted hundreds of air strikes against Iranian-linked targets there.
The last exchange of fire between Hezbollah and Israel took place in September 2019, when the Lebanese armed group launched rockets across the southern border in an Israeli vehicle, and Israel responded by bombarding border areas. There were no confirmed victims.
That attack came in response to an attack by Israeli drones in the southern suburbs of Beirut, a Hezbollah fortress.
Israel and Hezbollah fought to a standstill in a month-long war in Lebanon in 2006.
Hezbollah was able to overwhelm Israel’s ground invasion of southern Lebanon and attack military and civilian targets, undermining support for the war within Israel.
Timour Azhari of Al Jazeera contributed to this report from Beirut
SOURCE:
Al Jazeera and news agencies
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