It appears that a two-front war has been launched against Israel, with Lebanon’s Iranian proxy Hezbollah apparently joining the battle.
IDF soldiers responded with artillery fire after Hezbollah forces in Lebanon fired mortar shells at northern Israel early Sunday morning, Israel’s Channel 12 News reported.
Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the mortar fire, which was directed at Mount Dov.
In addition to artillery fire, the IDF deployed an unmanned aerial vehicle (drone) to attack those who launched the mortar fire.
תיעוד מתקיפת תשתיות חיזבאללה מוקדם יותר היום במרחב הר דב: pic.twitter.com/Myrb7r1pqZ
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) October 8, 2023
The IDF also blew up a military outpost planted by Hezbollah on Mount Dov earlier this year, it was cleared for publication.
כלי טיס מאויש מרחוק תקף לפני זמן קצר תשתיות של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה במרחב הר דב
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) October 8, 2023
“A remotely manned aircraft … attacked the infrastructure of the terrorist organization Hezbollah in the area of Mount Dov,” the IDF said in a statement.
The army “is prepared for scenarios in all sectors and will continue to protect the security of the residents of the State of Israel,” the IDF said.
UNIFIL Denies Reports of Abandoning Posts
A spokesperson for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) denied reports Sunday morning that some of its forces were beginning to withdraw from their posts.
“Early this morning, UNIFIL peacekeepers detected several rockets fired from southeast Lebanon toward Israeli-occupied territory in the general area of Kafr Chouba, and artillery fire from Israel to Lebanon in response,” the spokesperson said.
“We are in contact with authorities on both sides of the Blue Line, at all levels, to contain the situation and avoid a more serious escalation.
“Our peacekeepers remain in their positions and on task. They continue to work, some from shelters for their safety,” the spokesperson said, making it clear that its forces would not endanger their own lives to carry out their assigned task: maintaining the ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel.
“We urge everyone to exercise restraint and make use of UNIFIL’s liaison and coordination mechanisms to de-escalate to prevent a fast deterioration of the security situation,” the spokesperson added.
Hezbollah Outpost on Israeli Territory
The Hezbollah outpost destroyed by the IDF was set up on the Israeli side of the border in April, in an area south of the real border but north of an Israeli security barrier near Mount Dov, where the border converges with Syria.
The outpost was also a few hundred meters away from a Hezbollah border outpost on the Lebanese side of the border.
Although the Hezbollah outpost was located in an isolated area and not close to any Israeli communities, it was nevertheless situated in an area where IDF soldiers have continuously operated to thwart incursions.
Hezbollah removed part of the outpost — originally two military tents — under international pressure, but threatened to escalate violence if Israel tried to forcibly remove it. Israel pursued a diplomatic solution, preferring Hezbollah remove the tent on its own, which the Iranian proxy refused to do.
The Blue Line demarcating the 120 km-long border was created in 2000 by United Nations cartographers to verify Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon, which the UN Security Council later certified as complete.
The border runs from Rosh Hanikra on the Mediterranean coast to Mount Dov, where the Israeli-Lebanese border converges with Syria. Hezbollah refuses to recognize the Blue Line and disputes numerous points along the border.
The Iranian proxy this year established some 30 military outposts on the Lebanese side of the border, all of which are being used to observe Israeli activities.
Among those points is a strip of land on Mount Dov itself, which Israel captured from Syria. Hezbollah claims the area, which it calls Sheba’a Farms, belongs to Lebanon. Syria has not commented on the matter.
Sunday morning’s exchange with Hezbollah came as Israeli forces in the south of the country continue to be heavily engaged in fighting a war launched Saturday by Gaza’s ruling Hamas terrorist organization.
IDF Home Front Command has ordered residents in the area to stay in protected spaces and remain alert for updated instructions.
Public shelters in the area were opened by the municipalities.
Pesach Benson and TPS contributed to this report.
