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Grazing Cows Lead to Squabble on Lebanese-Israeli Border

A shepherd herds cows in the village of Wazzani, near the Lebanese-Israeli border | © Reuters/AZIZ TAHER
A shepherd herds cows in the village of Wazzani, near the Lebanese-Israeli border | © Reuters/AZIZ TAHER
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Grazing Cows Lead to Squabble on Lebanese-Israeli Border

A shepherd herds cows in the village of Wazzani, near the Lebanese-Israeli border | © Reuters/AZIZ TAHER
A shepherd herds cows in the village of Wazzani, near the Lebanese-Israeli border | © Reuters/AZIZ TAHER

Lebanese cattle herders from a village close to the border with Israel said several of their cows, which have grazed freely in the area for decades, were taken by Israeli soldiers, in what could become a new dispute between the two countries.

The herders from the border village of Wazzani say Israeli patrols crossed into a grey zone on Sunday between a technical fence that separates the two countries and the 'Blue Line' that constitutes the internationally recognized border and started rounding up livestock, taking seven cows.

Lebanon and Israel are still in a formal state of war and have long contested their land and maritime borders.

"For twenty years and more these cows are there, from the time of the grandparents of our grandparents and this is the first time that someone takes them," villager Kamal al-Ahmad, who lost three cows in the incident, told Reuters.

"I don't know if they did this as a challenge or what?"

A cow is worth around $2,000, meaning the loss of an animal is no small matter to the farmers who are already living through the tough reality of Lebanon's ongoing financial crisis.

The area near a river where the Wazzani cows graze is only around 200 meters away from Israel.

The two countries disagree over a border wall Israel started building in 2018.

A UN peacekeeping force monitors the boundary since Israel's military withdrew from south Lebanon in 2000, ending a 22-year occupation.

"We are aware of the alleged incident and we are in touch with both parties in relation to this issue," the UN Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) spokesperson Andrea Tenenti, told Reuters by phone.

The two countries are also in a maritime dispute over an area in the sea on the edge of three Lebanese offshore energy blocks.

"God help these people, this is their livelihood," Ahmad al-Mohammed, the head of the Wazzani municipality, said of the herders.

Not far from Wazzani, in another border village called Mais al-Jabal, local teenager Hussein Chartouni complained earlier of the loss of one of his chickens to Israel - earning him the nickname in the village of 'Chicken Hussein'.

When one of his chickens wandered off behind the border barbed wire, it was snatched and never returned he said.

"I want my chicken," he told Reuters, using the phrase that has now become a hashtag on Twitter.

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Arab World

Lebanon at Risk as Iran Uses Its Airspace, Israel Responds

Passengers stranded in the departure hall of Rafik Hariri International Airport following flight delays (DPA)
Passengers stranded in the departure hall of Rafik Hariri International Airport following flight delays (DPA)
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Lebanon at Risk as Iran Uses Its Airspace, Israel Responds

Passengers stranded in the departure hall of Rafik Hariri International Airport following flight delays (DPA)
Passengers stranded in the departure hall of Rafik Hariri International Airport following flight delays (DPA)

Lebanon found itself entangled in the latest flare-up between Israel and Iran, as its skies became a battleground for Iranian missiles and drones, and Israeli interceptor rockets throughout Friday night and into Saturday morning.

Residents across several towns and cities endured a tense and sleepless night, fearing the fallout of missiles potentially crashing into populated areas.

The country’s airspace, which was shut down Friday evening as a security precaution, was reopened at 10 a.m. on Saturday.

Minister of Public Works and Transport, Fayez Rasamny, speaking from Beirut’s international airport during an inspection visit, said the facility would remain open “unless an emergency beyond our control arises”.

The Ministry of Public Works said in a statement that the airspace closure and accompanying emergency measures were taken “strictly for security reasons,” stressing that “the safety of passengers and airport facilities remains a top priority.”

Middle East Airlines (MEA), Lebanon’s national carrier, rescheduled several flights to and from Beirut after passengers were left stranded overnight at the airport due to cancellations and delays.

Lebanon’s skies have become a corridor for conflict in the intensifying Israeli-Iranian standoff, sparking growing fears among Lebanese officials and analysts who warn the country is losing control over its own airspace - and may be paying the price.

Beirut lacks the leverage to deter Iran from using its airspace to launch attacks on Israel, nor can it stop Israeli forces from intercepting drones and missiles mid-flight over Lebanese territory.

With Iranian projectiles and Israeli countermeasures crossing through the same skies, experts warn Lebanon faces mounting military and civilian risks as long as it remains entangled in the regional confrontation.

“The passage of Iranian missiles and drones through Lebanese airspace toward Israel presents serious military and security threats on multiple levels,” retired Brigadier General Saeed Al-Qazaz told Asharq Al-Awsat.

He warned that turning Lebanon into a de facto battleground increases the risk of missiles falling into populated areas -- as seen in the Bekaa Valley during the overnight bombardment between Friday and Saturday.

“Israeli attempts to intercept these threats over Lebanon could result in casualties on the ground, whether due to guidance malfunctions or fuel depletion. The fragmentation of these weapons is just as dangerous as a direct hit,” explained Al-Qazaz.

One missile reportedly landed late Friday in the outskirts of Beit Shama, west of Baalbek, sending shockwaves through the valley and stoking fears of further fallout.

Airspace Safety and Legal Concerns

Al-Qazaz also voiced grave concern over aviation safety, saying Lebanon’s crowded airspace could become a deadly zone for civilian aircraft.

“There is an immediate threat to air navigation, and the risk of a commercial aircraft being struck is real. That justifies the need to close the airspace entirely in such circumstances,” he said.

Using the airspace of a sovereign nation without consent, he added, constitutes “a flagrant violation of international law,” citing the 1944 Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation, which affirms a state’s sovereignty over its own skies.

He stressed that the Lebanese government bears responsibility and “must not allow missiles and drones to pass through its airspace without taking action”. International legal liability could arise if any damage is caused to third countries by these aerial operations.

At the same time, Al-Qazaz pointed out a double standard: “While Israel uses the airspace of Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq without consequence, these countries fail to respond or prevent such actions. Jordan, however, has recently intercepted projectiles to avoid international accountability”.

Calls for International Action

Despite Lebanon’s limited capacity to influence either side in the conflict, Al-Qazaz said the government could still lodge a formal complaint with the UN Security Council over repeated airspace violations.

“Lebanon can protest to the international community over the use of its skies by both Israel and Iran, even if no concrete outcome is expected,” he said.

“But remaining silent while missiles continue to pass overhead exposes Lebanon to greater danger, undermines its sovereignty, and drags it further into a military confrontation it did not choose”.

As tensions simmer and skies remain contested, Lebanon finds itself navigating a high-stakes crisis with few tools to shield its people, or its sovereignty.