The Lebanese Army moves a barbed wire that had been placed in Lebanese territory, violating the Blue Line. (Credit: Twitter/@LebarmyOfficial)
BEIRUT — The Lebanese Army on Tuesday deployed to the area where an Israeli army tank had crossed the technical fence along the border with Lebanon, the state-run National News Agency reported.
Though the fourth such incident in less than a week, the tank reportedly did not violate the Blue Line, which demarcates the border between Lebanon and Israeli-controlled territory.
Previously, on Monday, the Lebanese army tweeted that it moved a barbed wire that was placed in Lebanese territory, violating the Blue Line. The borderline was drawn in June 2000 by the UN after the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon on May 25, 2000, ending the occupation that began in 1982. Much of the border remains disputed.
On Sunday, an Israeli patrol consisting of three bulldozers, an armored personnel carrier and an infantry force advanced beyond the "technical fence" in Wadi Hounine, South Lebanon. The Lebanese Army was on high alert in the area to prevent a violation of the Blue Line.
Last Wednesday, tensions flared when Israeli bulldozers crossed the Blue Line, clearing the area near the technical fence of the Israeli settlement of Metoula, not far from Marjayoun.
While Israeli ground violations are relatively rare, Israeli air forces violate Lebanese airspace on a near-daily basis.