Hezbollah Leader Threatens Israel Over Disputed Town
Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah threatened to attack Israel if it tries to remove tents set up by his group on the separation line with Lebanon.
Two tents were set up in early June by Hezbollah fighters several dozen meters into the Shebaa Farms, which were occupied by Israel during the 1967 Six Day War and later effectively annexed along with the Syrian Golan Heights and the town of Ghajar. The Lebanese government says the area belongs to Lebanon.
“Israel won’t dare to take one step in the territory against the tent because it knows what will happen,” Nasrallah said during a speech on July 12, marking the 17th anniversary of the 2006 Second Lebanon War between Israel and its northern neighbor. “If there’s any harm to the tent, we won’t stay quiet.”
“The youth of the resistance have orders to act if an Israeli attack takes place on the tent,” the Lebanese leader added.
Nasrallah denied that Hezbollah was attempting to demarcate the land border by placing the tents, claiming that they were erected inside Lebanese territory.
Lebanon needs to take decisive action to take back Ghajar “without any preconditions,” the leader said, adding that Hezbollah and the Lebanese government should cooperate to resolve this problem.
“The land of Ghajar will not be left for Israel, and certainly not Shebaa Farms and Kfar Chouba” Nasrallah said. “This is a problem that we need to solve.”
Nasrallah’s threat came just a few hours after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that they foiled had an attempt by a number of alleged Hezbollah members to damage the fence along the separation line near the northern town of Zar’it. The leader said that his group was investigating the incident.
This was not the first instance of escalation along the separation line. Last week, an anti-tank guided missile that was fired from southern Lebanon landed near Ghajar, without causing any injuries.
Israel has relayed requests via the United Nations to have the tents set up by Hezbollah removed, while in response, Lebanon have demanded that Israel withdraw from Ghajar. If an understanding is not reached soon, the two sides could attempt to use force.
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