Lebanese and UNIFIL soldiers deployed along the Blue Line, facing Israeli armed vehicles, March, 2023. (Credit: Lebanese Army)
BEIRUT — The Lebanese Army was on "maximum alert" Thursday on the country's southern border after tensions rose over an attempt by an Israeli patrol to dismantle a tent for the Lebanese army stationed along the Israeli-Lebanese border in the Bastra-Shebaa Farms area, the state-run National News Agency reported.
The Lebanese Army, ready with military vehicles and equipment, took position in response to the Israeli's threats to forcibly remove a tent that is "concentrated in a Lebanese area," according to the NNA.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) operating in southern Lebanon quoted the Israeli patrol saying, "the tent is concentrated inside Israeli territory and it must be removed by the concerned authorities."
The NNA also reported a widespread deployment of Israeli troops, with dozens of armored vehicles and tanks along the border.
Meanwhile, UNIFIL is working to curb tension between the sides.
UNIFIL was created in 1978 as a buffer between Lebanon and Israel and tensions along the border are common.
On March 5, the Lebanese Army was on alert at the country's southern border after tensions rose over a breach of the Blue Line by an Israeli patrol.
On March 21, an Israeli military vehicle triggered a landmine along the Lebanese border near Aita Shaab in South Lebanon.