Lebanese soldier said injured by Israeli fire
IDF says it fired on ‘suspects’ trying to cross the border, apparently hitting one and forcing them to retreat
A soldier in southern Lebanon was wounded by fire from the Israeli side of the border, a spokesperson for the United Nations peacekeeping force that monitors Israel’s northern border confirmed to The Times of Israel Sunday.
According to the spokesperson, the soldier, identified by the Lebanese Daily Star as Zakaria Hamza al-Masri, was rushed to the hospital following the incident.
The Israel Defense Forces said that its troops opened fire on “suspects” attempting to cross the border from Lebanon, apparently hitting one and forcing them to retreat.
The soldier was patrolling in the southern Lebanese town of Kfar Chouba, about 2 kilometers from the border with Israel, according to Naharnet news outlet.
A Lebanese security source told AFP the soldier was hit when a Lebanese Army patrol came under fire in Jabal Sadanneh, west of the disputed Shebaa Farms area. The soldier was reported to have been injured in the hand, according to the Daily Star.
An Israeli military spokesperson told The Times of Israel the army was looking into the reports.
Hezbollah-linked al-Manar reported that Israeli troops clashed with Lebanese forces after entering Lebanon near the Shebaa Farms, according to a Naharnet translation.
The Shebaa Farms area is located at the junction of Lebanon, Syria and Israel and is often the site of cross-border clashes.
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There have been a number of cross-border incidents in the past years, though the border has remained mostly quiet.
In 2013, an Israeli soldier was killed near Rosh Hanikra by a Lebanese soldier who left his post and shot at IDF troops on patrol. The incident temporarily raised tensions in the area.
The same year saw a number of Israeli soldiers injured by bombings along the border.
Clashes have erupted in the past when Israeli forces crossed the border fence, which Israel says technically sits on its side of the ceasefire line.
In 2010, an officer was killed and another soldier wounded when Lebanese forces opened fire on a crew cutting trees on the border.
Israeli officials have warned that a war in the north with Shiite terror group Hezbollah could be easily sparked, saying the effects would be more devastating than wars with Hamas in Gaza.
Israel waged a three-week war against Hezbollah in 2006.
AFP contributed to this report.
