Israel Defense Forces thwarted an attempt on Wednesday by Hezbollah terrorists who tried to damage the security fence on Israel’s northern border with Lebanon.
דובר צה”ל:
צה״ל שיבש ניסיון פגיעה במכשול הגבול עם לבנון
מספר חשודים התקרבו מוקדם יותר היום (ד’) לגדר הגבול עם לבנון וניסו לחבל במרחב המכשול.
כוחות צה״ל זיהו אותם באופן מיידי והשתמשו באמצעים על מנת להרחיקם.
זהות החשודים לא ידועה.צה״ל ימשיך לפעול על מנת למנוע כל הפרה של… pic.twitter.com/wuc1GvuG2O
— בז news (@1717Bazz) July 12, 2023
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant confirmed the operatives were members of Iranian proxy in Lebanon, saying that the IDF “deterred Hezbollah activists with non-lethal means and will continue to guard the security of the State of Israel.”
The IDF said its soldiers spotted suspects approaching the barrier from the Lebanese side, and employed “non-lethal measures” to prevent them from approaching any closer. The military spokesperson did not provide any details on the “measures” used to prevent the operatives from reaching the fence.
The identity of the operatives is not yet clear. However, the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorist organization controls nearly all of southern Lebanon, so regardless of who they were, it is unlikely they would have carried out any action without Hezbollah knowing about it and possibly approving it.
A Lebanese security source told the AFP news agency on condition of anonymity that three operatives were, in fact, Hezbollah members.
There were two separate attempts to damage the border fence, with the second incident the more serious of the two. In the first, less serious incident, Lebanese operatives used fireworks and other means to engage or disrupt Israeli security forces. IDF troops succeeded in “persuading” those operatives to retreat.
In the second, more serious incident, three individuals were injured in an explosion at the site, according to Arab media.
The area where both incidents took place is clearly delineated by the United Nations-approved, so-called “blue line” as being within Israeli territory.
The two countries are separated by several security fences, rather than a single barrier. One of those barriers is a reinforced “smart fence” equipped with electronic sensors and other monitoring equipment.
“The IDF will continue to prevent any attempt to violate Israeli sovereignty and damage to the northern security fence,” the IDF said in its statement.
