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Israeli Alert on Border with Lebanon Raises Fears of War

Concerns have been heightened over the eruption of a new war between Lebanon and Israel. (AFP file photo)
Concerns have been heightened over the eruption of a new war between Lebanon and Israel. (AFP file photo)
    Tel Aviv, Beirut - Nazir Magally and Asharq Al-Awsat
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Israeli Alert on Border with Lebanon Raises Fears of War

Concerns have been heightened over the eruption of a new war between Lebanon and Israel. (AFP file photo)
Concerns have been heightened over the eruption of a new war between Lebanon and Israel. (AFP file photo)

Concerns have been heightened over the eruption of a new war between Lebanon and Israel in wake of the Iranian threats to retaliate for the assassination of nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh in Tehran.

The war may have likely erupted when an infiltration attempt from Lebanon to Israel was thwarted on Saturday night.

Israeli forces caught and arrested two persons trying to infiltrate the borders into the Galilee. The two Sudanese workers were attempting to enter Israel to make a living. On Sunday, the Lebanese Army Intelligence announced that it had arrested the infiltrators, after Israeli forces sent them back into Lebanese territories.

On Saturday overnight, the Israeli army fired more than 15 flare bombs over the Al-Abbad area overlooking Houla in southern Lebanon. It also launched surveillance drones over the region. The Israeli army spokesman announced that the two suspects had been arrested and were being questioned.

Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported on Sunday that an army intelligence patrol arrested the two persons in the outskirts of the town of Mais al-Jabal in the governorate of Marjeyoun.

The operation was carried out amid an Israeli state of alert that lasted for a full 45 minutes. The residents of nearby towns were warned of the possibility of hearing the sound of light bombs and unusual movement.

The development highlighted the amount of tension following the assassination of Fakhrizadeh. The Israeli army had announced a state of alert, while the intelligence services declared a mobilization in Israeli embassies abroad, as well as Jewish institutions in various countries of the world, for fear of Iranian retaliatory attacks.

On Sunday, the chief of the Israeli army general staff, Afif Kochavi, made an inspection tour of his army forces operating in the Golan Division on the borders with Syria to assess the situation. He also spoke with commanders and soldiers about the army’s readiness for all scenarios on the borders with Syria and Lebanon, stressing that the current situation was normal, “but all developments and possibilities in the region should be followed up.”

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4 UN Peacekeepers Wounded in Southern Lebanon

An UN soldier stands on the top of a tower at a base of the United Nations peacekeeping forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) at the Israeli-Lebanese border as seen from northern Israel, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP)
An UN soldier stands on the top of a tower at a base of the United Nations peacekeeping forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) at the Israeli-Lebanese border as seen from northern Israel, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP)
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4 UN Peacekeepers Wounded in Southern Lebanon

An UN soldier stands on the top of a tower at a base of the United Nations peacekeeping forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) at the Israeli-Lebanese border as seen from northern Israel, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP)
An UN soldier stands on the top of a tower at a base of the United Nations peacekeeping forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) at the Israeli-Lebanese border as seen from northern Israel, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP)

Four United Nations peacekeepers were wounded in southern Lebanon on Tuesday when a rocket struck a base, while another peacekeeping base was damaged by rocket fire and a patrol was shot at.

In a statement, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said “a rocket, likely fired by non-state actors within Lebanon,” struck the base of the Ghana's mission in the east of Ramyah village, injuring four peacekeepers, three of whom required hospitalization.

In the southern village of Chamaa, where heavy fighting between Hezbollah and the Israeli army has been taking place, five rockets damaged UNIFIL’s Sector West Headquarters. The UN force said this was the second attack on the base in a week, adding that no injuries were reported.

In another attack, an armed person “directly fired” at a UNIFIL patrol near Khirbat Silim, but there were no injuries, the statement said.

UNIFIL added that it launched investigations into each of the violent episodes and informed the Lebanese army about them.

“UNIFIL once again reminds all actors involved in the ongoing hostilities to respect the inviolability of United Nations peacekeepers and premises,” the statement said.

Italy said eight rockets struck the headquarters of its UN peacekeeping contingent in southern Lebanon. No one was injured.

According to the Italian defense ministry, the eight 107-millimenter rockets hit outdoor areas and a warehouse at the base in Chamaa, where no soldiers were present. Five soldiers were being kept under observation, the statement said.

Italy said it was investigating from where the rockets originated, and who was responsible.

It was the second time in a week that Italy has complained about rockets or shells hitting its peacekeepers' base.

Last week, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani spoke with his Israeli counterpart to demand an investigation after an artillery shell hit the gym on the base. No one was injured in that episode and the shell did not detonate.

Also on Tuesday, the Israeli military said another UN peacekeeper's position was hit by a Hezbollah rocket, causing damage and “several injuries.”

The army said it had received a report from UNIFIL that a post in the area of Ramyeh in southern Lebanon was hit.

The military said it conducted a review and determined the location was hit by a Hezbollah rocket fired in a barrage aimed at Israel. There was no immediate comment from UNIFIL on the episode.