An Israeli soldier takes position near the Lebanon border, in the settlement of Metulla in northern Israel on July 12, 2023. (Credit: AFP/JALAA MAREY)
BEIRUT — The Israel army on Saturday fired teargas on journalists and Amal-affiliated MP Qassem Hashem, who were on a tour near the occupied Shebaa farms in South Lebanon.
Live TV footage from the area appeared to show Israeli forces firing teargas and sound grenades at several journalists accompanying Hashem. They also asked them to back off from the area. Other footage shows an Israeli military vehicle and a tank positioned right behind the Lebanese MP and the journalists. UNIFIL forces could be seen in the area between Israeli soldiers and journalists.
A spokesperson for Amal told L'Orient Today that Hashem was lightly injured in his knee as he tripped while the attack was happening. The spokesperson said the MP is still on the scene as of around noon Saturday.
"This morning, about a dozen individuals crossed south of the Blue Line in the Bastarra area," a UNIFIL spokesperson told L'Orient Today. "The Israel Defense Forces deployed tear grenades in response. UNIFIL peacekeepers, the Lebanese Armed Forces, and the Israel Defense Forces are all at the site. The situation is ongoing, but currently calm."
"Major General Aroldo Lazaro, our Head of Mission and Force Commander, is speaking with authorities on both sides of the Blue Line," she added. "A number of incidents in recent days have raised tensions, and thanks to the commitment of the parties on both sides of the Blue Line, these incidents did not escalate further."
The Lebanese Army did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The occupied Shebaa farms are among the disputed areas that Israel did not withdraw from when its forces left South Lebanon in 2000. It is not officially considered Lebanese territory and some experts claim it is Syrian.
Tensions increased earlier this month after Israel’s annexation of the northern part of the nearby village of Ghajar, split by the UN's Blue Line between Israel and Lebanon. Days after Israeli forces fenced off northern Ghajar, Israel and unidentified parties in South Lebanon exchanged artillery fire.
On Friday, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah called once again for the liberation of Ghajar, during a live televised speech.
Tensions between Lebanon and Israeli forces have flared up in recent weeks, while several security incidents have been recorded on the southern border.
On Friday, the Israeli army fired a stun grenade toward a journalist as well as three shots into the air near the border area.
On Wednesday afternoon, Israeli forces injured three Hezbollah members with a stun grenade near Boustan in South Lebanon.
And on July 6, the Israeli army conducted airstrikes on South Lebanon in response to an unclaimed anti-tank missile launch, which they alleged originated from Lebanese territory.
