Israel Resumes Wall Construction along Border with Lebanon

The Israeli "Iron Dome" on the border with Lebanon (AFP)
The Israeli "Iron Dome" on the border with Lebanon (AFP)
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Israel Resumes Wall Construction along Border with Lebanon

The Israeli "Iron Dome" on the border with Lebanon (AFP)
The Israeli "Iron Dome" on the border with Lebanon (AFP)

Israel on Thursday resumed the construction of its separation wall on the border with Lebanon after heightened tension over a “false” security alert.

Israel used its Iron Dome air defense system Thursday morning to shoot at its own unmanned drone, which they mistook for an enemy drone.

Tension heightened on Lebanon’s southern border after that. Lebanese living close to the border said Israeli warplanes were flying at low altitudes above their villages.

In May, tensions between Israel and Lebanon increased in parallel with maneuvers conducted by the Israeli forces on the border with Lebanon.

Earlier, Hezbollah said its fighters were deployed along the border to counter any Israeli military move against Lebanon.

After an almost two-year hiatus, Israel resumed on Thursday the construction of the separation wall on its northern border with Lebanon.

Lebanese media reported that the Israeli army had begun building a concrete wall at the technical fence between the settlements of Zariit and Shtula on the Israeli side, and the Lebanese town of Ramyah.

Israel began the construction of the wall in 2019, closing several kilometers in the area adjacent to the coast and in the border area near the Galilee.

Lebanon remains vigilant of any Israeli military activity on its southern border after the parliamentary elections.

Israel seeks to install a floating platform in territorial waters to extract oil and gas from a maritime border area adjacent to the disputed area near the border with Lebanon.

Hezbollah had threatened to use missiles or drones to target the platform should Lebanon fail to reach an agreement with Israel to demarcate the maritime borders.

Lebanon rejected in April, without closing the door on negotiations, a US proposal regarding the demarcation of the sea border with Israel which it says would nibble 20 percent of the maritime area it is entitled to.



Iraq Sends Delegation to Damascus to Study Restoring Oil Pipeline Via Syria

A worker walks at the Rumaila oil field in Basra, Iraq (Reuters file photo)
A worker walks at the Rumaila oil field in Basra, Iraq (Reuters file photo)
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Iraq Sends Delegation to Damascus to Study Restoring Oil Pipeline Via Syria

A worker walks at the Rumaila oil field in Basra, Iraq (Reuters file photo)
A worker walks at the Rumaila oil field in Basra, Iraq (Reuters file photo)

Iraq sent a delegation to Damascus on Friday to study the possibility of restoring an Iraqi oil pipeline that transports oil through Syria to Mediterranean ports, the prime minister's office said. The Iraqi delegation, led by the head of the National Intelligence Service, is also set to discuss counter-terrorism cooperation, border security and ways to expand trade between the two countries, the office added. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani held talks with Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Qatar this month, marking their first meeting since the ousting of former President Bashar al-Assad in December after more than 13 years of civil war, Reuters said. Syria is facing a severe energy crisis after the collapse of its oil industry during civil war and is now turning to local intermediaries for oil imports. Its efforts to secure oil through public tenders have been largely unsuccessful owing to international sanctions and financial risks.