Lebanon’s premier condemned Tuesday a “dangerous military escalation” by Israel after a security incident at the border led the Jewish state to fire artillery across the frontier.
BREAKING: Exchange of fire across Israel-Lebanon border, reports Israeli media https://t.co/1NlF4izzxl pic.twitter.com/YIU3LX0yfr
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) July 27, 2020
“Israel has once again violated Lebanon’s sovereignty… in a dangerous military escalation,” Hassan Diab said on Twitter, in his government’s first official response to Monday’s shelling.
“I call for caution in the coming days because I fear that things will get worse in light of severe tension at the border,” he added.
Israel fires artillery into Lebanese territory for ‘defensive purposes’
The Israeli army had said a group of three to five men armed with rifles crossed the UN-demarcated Blue Line in the disputed Mount Dov area, claimed by Lebanon, Syria and Israel.
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It said the “terrorists” had fled back to Lebanon after an exchange of gunfire and that Israeli forces had fired artillery into Lebanon “for defensive purposes”.
Reports of flares launched by by the IDF at the #Lebanon–#Israel border. pic.twitter.com/LN0sOsJBjF
— Joe Truzman (@JoeTruzman) July 9, 2020
Israel blamed the Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah for the infiltration attempt and on Tuesday its prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said it had been acting on behalf of Iran.
“Everything happening now is the result of the effort by Iran and its Lebanese proxies to entrench militarily in our region,” he said during a visit to the Israeli army’s northern command headquarters.
“We will continue to take action to thwart Iran’s military entrenchment in our region,” he added. “We will do whatever is necessary to defend ourselves and I suggest that Hezbollah consider this simple fact. Israel is ready for any scenario.”
“Hezbollah is playing with fire and our response will be very strong,” the veteran premier added, insisting that the Shiite group and the Lebanese government, “carry responsibility” for Monday’s incident.
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But Hezbollah, which has a presence in the area where Monday’s incident occurred, denied the allegations.
Hezbollah denies involvement in Israel-Lebanon border incident
The Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah denied any involvement in fighting Monday on the Lebanon-Israel border after the Jewish state said it had repelled an infiltration attempt by “terrorists”.
Hezbollah “confirms that it did not take part in any clash and did not open fire in today’s events until now”, it said in a statement.
Hezbollah says all-out war with Israel unlikely in coming months https://t.co/CgBrzVNX5S
— The Daily Star Lebanon (@DailyStarLeb) July 27, 2020
“All that the enemy’s media is claiming about thwarting an infiltration operation from Lebanon into occupied Palestine… is completely false.”
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It said no Hezbollah fighters were killed or wounded.
UN investigates: incident follows last weeks Israeli strike killing five
United Nations peacekeeping force UNIFIL said it had opened an investigation into the Israel-Lebanon border incident.
Diab on Tuesday accused Israel of trying to “change the rules of engagement,” that have existed between the two countries since the end of a month-long 2006 war — the last direct conflict between the two states.
He also said that Lebanon rejects a push by Israel to alter the mandate of UNIFIL before it expires late next month.
“There is an attempt to pressure Lebanon by threatening to reduce the number of UNIFIL forces if the mission’s mandate is not changed,” Diab said.
“Lebanon refuses to amend the tasks of UNIFIL.”
In early May, the US ambassador to the UN, Kelly Craft, called on the world body to “pursue serious change to empower UNIFIL or realign its staffing and resources,” because the mission was being “prevented from fulfilling its mandate.”
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Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah swiftly rejected the proposal which he said was an Israeli demand.
Commenting on Monday’s events, President Michel Aoun said it threatened stability in south Lebanon weeks ahead of UNIFIL’s mandate renewal.
The latest border incident follows a July 20 Israeli missile attack on Syrian government and allied positions south of Damascus that killed five people.
Hezbollah, whose fighters back Damascus in the nine-year-old Syrian civil war, said one of its own was among the dead.
Since 2011, Israel has launched hundreds of strikes in Syria, targeting government troops and allied Iranian and Hezbollah forces with the stated aim of ending Iran’s military presence in Syria.
AFP with additional input by GVS News Desk