Lebanese media says Israeli army drill sparks fire near border

22 July 2020, 4:46 pm

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A fire breaks out along the Israeli-Lebanese border, apparently caused by a military exercise nearby, amid heightened tensions between Israel and the Hezbollah terror group.

A journalist for the Hezbollah-affiliated al-Manar news outlet reports that Israeli troops were conducting an exercise in the Golan and fired two artillery shells into the area of Shebaa Farms, known in Israel as Mount Dov, sparking the blaze.

Spanish UN peacekeepers patrol in the disputed Shebaa Farms area between Lebanon and Israel, overlooking the divided border village of Ghajar, southeast Lebanon, February 24, 2015. (AP /Hussein Malla)

A number of firetrucks were sent into the area to put out the fire, according to al-Manar. The Israel Defense Forces says it is aware of reports and is looking into the matter.

The border incident comes a day after Hezbollah accused Israel of killing one of its members in an airstrike outside Damascus on Monday night.

— Judah Ari Gross