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Hezbollah has escalated malicious activities across Israel’s northern border and has become increasingly belligerent in recent weeks.
Last week, an anti-tank missile was launched from Lebanon to the village of Ghajar. In response, the IDF carried out artillery strikes against the area from which the missile was launched.
The day before the launch, around 30 armed and uniformed Lebanese Army Soldiers and Hezbollah militants crossed the Blue Line, the informal border between Israel and Lebanon, manned by United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNFIL), but did not breach Israel’s actual border fence. After 20 minutes in Israel’s territory, mediators from UNIFIL expelled the troops. Shortly before the episode, two Lebanese men approached an IDF machine in the area and were driven back by IDF warning shots.
On the 15th of July, 18 Lebanese journalists joined a Lebanese parliamentarian who crossed the Blue Line by 80 metres but did not penetrate Israel’s defensive barrier either. The day prior, a number of Lebanese nationals hurled stones toward the border before being deterred by IDF riot-dispersal means. On the 12th of July, Hezbollah personnel crossed the Blue Line and scaled Israel’s northern barrier to steal surveillance equipment and erect flags, which were promptly dismantled by the IDF. Hours earlier, Hezbollah attempted to damage Israel’s border fence in another area, but were met with non-lethal explosives operated by the IDF. Three Hezbollah terrorists were lightly wounded.
Increased infiltration of the Blue Line, follows the erection of Hezbollah outposts on Israel’s side of the Blue Line last month, within the Mount Dov / Shebaa Farms region. Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, has threatened to resist any attempts to remove the remaining outpost, after one was dismantled by the designated terrorist organisation.
Amid the tension, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi held an assessment with the Northern Command on Tuesday, touring the border. IDF Northern Command Mj. Gen. Ori Gordin told local mayors that the military believes the chances of an immediate conflict with the Hezbollah are still low.
With tensions heightening, U.S. Special Presidential Coordinator for Global Infrastructure and Energy Security, Amos Hochstein, has been dispatched to the region, having mediated the Israel-Lebanon agreement delineating their maritime border.
In March, The Iranian proxy militia conducted a roadside bombing at the Megiddo Junction inside of Israel. It is also thought to have approved the barrage of rockets fired at Israel by Palestinian terrorist groups in Lebanon during Passover in April.
In September, Israel’s barrier north of Ghajar village was completed, obstructing Hezbollah’s access. Beirut demands that Israel recognise the 1923 border and withdraw from the northern half of the village, however, the local population protests against its division and half-annexation to Lebanon.
