A tense calm continues to prevail on Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, with Operation Northern-Shield making headway “to crackdown on tunnels” that were dug by the Iranian-backed Hezbollah. The tense calm was disrupted on Saturday, when IDF soldier opened fire into the air, when suspected Hezbollah activists approached the border under the cover of heavy weather conditions, the first such incident since Israel launched its operation. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency, however, claimed that Israeli troops shot into the air when a Lebanese army patrol approached the border area.
In response to the latest developments, the Lebanese army issued a statement, saying: “In light of recent developments on the southern border, army units were deployed in the area to carry out enhanced patrols, in coordination with the United Nation forces that are operating in Lebanon.” The statement further declared the Lebanese military preparedness to “deal with any emergency situation that might occur.”
Meanwhile, UNIFIL, the United Nations peacekeeping Interim Force in Lebanon, continues to hold a visual presence between Lebanese troops on the one hand and IDF forces on the other.