The Israel Defense Forces deployed soldiers around the northern border with Lebanon late Tuesday night to search for possible infiltrators into Israeli territory from Lebanon after an Israeli alert was activated.
האירוע בגבול לבנון: כתב הערוץ אל-מנאר בדרום המדינה דיווח ששני בתים ודיר עזים ניזוקו בצד הלבנוני בעקבות השימוש המסיבי של צה”ל בפצצות תאורה. עוד דווח שכמה שריפות פרצו בצד הלבנוני https://t.co/OWd3wG3Lpa
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Gunshots were fired from Lebanese territory at an IDF military post near Israel’s Kibbutz Manara, a community not far from the communities of Yiftach, Margaliot and several others.
The IDF launched nearly a dozen flares near the northern border in order to illuminate the area after residents heard the sounds of gunfire coming from across the border.
The IDF issued instructions at around 11:30 pm to civilian residents living in the area to remain in their homes and lock their doors, in the towns of Manara, Margaliot, Malkia, Misgav Am and Yiftach.
At around 12:20 am, the IDF followed up with an alert, saying, “Residents of the north are asked to stay near their bomb shelters, either those in the home or those nearby.”
All activities in open space were prohibited, including agricultural work. The residents were told to stay in their houses and upon receiving a warning to enter a protected area must immediately do so, be it a security / emergency room, shared shelter, internal stairwell or internal room in the house: “close doors and windows and stay there for 10 minutes.”
“A security incident has taken place in the area around Manara, on the Lebanese border,” the IDF Spokesperson said. “Some of the access roads in the area have been blocked while we check things out.”
At approximately 11:50 pm, Doron Shenfar, spokesperson for the Kiryat Shmona municipality, sent out a text message to reassure the community’s residents, however, saying ‘Following the security incident in the area of Ramim Ridge, the military has placed roadblocks on the access roads around Malkia, Ramot Naftali and Margaliot.
“The explosions you hear are all coming from our own forces and they will be continuing for the rest of the night. At this point, Kiryat Shmona is continuing its normal routine. Our municipal “106” switchboard is open for any questions you may have, 24/7, and we’ll continue to update you with any changes that take place.
By 12:30 am, everything had quieted down, and the IDF said no intrusion into Israeli territory had been identified. With the exception of Manara, Yiftach and Margaliot, the areas around all other communities had returned to normal.
The IDF reported that in addition it attacked multiple Hezbollah lookout positions overnight, including with the use of attack aircraft.