The border between Lebanon and Israel at the village of Dhaira, in Southern Lebanon, on March 15, 2023. (Credit: Jalaa Marey/AFP)
BEIRUT — Three Hezbollah members were injured Wednesday evening in an incident on the border between Lebanon and Israel, near the town of Boustan, a Hezbollah spokesperson told L'Orient-Le Jour. The circumstances of the incident are still unclear, he added.
The Israeli army tweeted that it had targeted "unknown" individuals approaching the fence on the border between the two countries.
A security source told our correspondent in South Lebanon that three Hezbollah soldiers were injured. According to this source, Israeli soldiers threw a grenade across the border toward the men. The Lebanese army and United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) have cordoned off the area.
Shortly before 6 p.m., the Israeli army's Arabic-speaking spokesperson Avichay Adraee tweeted a video appearing to show four people walking near a fence. An explosion occurs near them, causing them to flee.
"Suspects approached the security fence on the border with Lebanon and tried to reach the security fence," he wrote. "The defense forces detected them immediately and used means to drive them away. The identity of the suspects is unknown," he added. "We will continue to work to prevent any violation of Israel's sovereignty and any breach of the border fence."
A UNIFIL source told L'Orient-Le Jour they could not yet confirm the information.
A source in the Lebanese army confirmed that an "incident" had indeed taken place in South Lebanon, without specifying its nature. This source said that he was monitoring the situation to determine the cause and details of the incident. The source did not confirm whether members of Hezbollah were involved.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah is due to give a speech Wednesday evening at 8:45 p.m. to mark the 17th anniversary of the July 2006 war with Israel.
The southern border has seen a resurgence of tension in recent weeks, culminating in an exchange of fire on July 6. After at least one unclaimed mortar shell was fired from Lebanon towards Israel, the Israeli army shelled the area around the nearby villages of Kfar Shuba and Mazraat Halta with around 15 rockets.