As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with his security chiefs on Sunday, including discussions of the security situation in the North, Hezbollah supporters recorded themselves violating the border and waving their flag.
Netanyahu’s meeting included IDF chief-of-staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, Mossad Director David Barnea, Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, National Security Council Chief Tzahi Hanegbi, IDF intelligence chief Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva and other senior officials.
Social media videos showed several Hezbollah supporters crossing a UNIFIL boundary signifying the border between the northern part of the Ghajar village, considered part of Lebanon, and the southern part of the village, considered part of Israel.
Israeli media claimed that #Hezbollah members cut the fence erected by UNIFIL in 2006 near the Lebanese occupied village of Ghajar and crossed into the area.Correct news is this was done by Lebanese civilians. But for us..wither way..this is our land..so cry us a river Zios. pic.twitter.com/yBQgVIeMuu
— Marwa Osman || مروة عثمان (@Marwa__Osman) July 30, 2023
Recording the invasion into Israeli territory
In the videos, the Hezbollah supporters waved flags and some jumped up and down, with Hezbollah confirming that “a group of youths” had marched through the area to protest Israel’s holding onto southern Ghajar.
Ghajar was split in two by the UN in May 2000 when Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon.
NORTH GHAJAR, in Lebanese territory, on the left, surrounded by a border fence, and the Lebanese village Wazzani to the right, with a Lebanese military road between them. (credit: Leor Bareli)Challenging Israel’s authority
However, in recent months, Hezbollah has increased a variety of activities challenging Israeli sovereignty and aspects of around a dozen minor border disputes, with the UN’s Blue Line not necessarily being completely clear in some of the spots.
Over the weekend, Hezbollah Chief Hassan Nasrallah made his second threatening speech in the last few weeks against Israel, likely relating to whether Jerusalem will decide to use force to remove a small Hezbollah outpost in the Mount Dov disputed area as well as the visit of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir to the Temple Mount.
Israel says the Hezbollah outpost of under 10 operatives, which was set up months ago but only exposed in the media a month or so after it was established, is a small number of meters into Israeli territory and cut off from being able to cause any danger.
As such, the IDF and the government have decided to give diplomatic efforts an extended period of several months to convince Hezbollah to withdraw, though the terror group has made it clear that it will not move.
On Saturday morning, Nasrallah said the entire Middle East will not rest until the “cancerous gland” that is Israel is removed.
The leader of the Lebanese terror organization further warned that Palestinians today “believe more than ever in the resistance and on the axis of resistance.” He also reaffirmed that Hezbollah “stands by the Palestinians with everything we possess.”
Earlier in July, IDF soldiers used warning shots and crowd dispersal measures to distance at least 20 Lebanese citizens who crossed around 80 meters into Israeli territory in the isolated Mount Dov enclave.
Prior to that, the IDF struck sites in Lebanon after an anti-tank missile was fired from Lebanon toward Ghajar.
Besides the northern border security and other border issues, the meeting likely discussed the latest status of erosion of those serving within the different arms of the defense establishment.
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