Hezbollah reportedly sets up base on Israeli side of Lebanon border
Incident was observed by IDF, but no military response has been undertaken
A Hezbollah force has reportedly set up an armed encampment on the Israeli side of the Lebanon border, according to a report from Israel's Kan News.
The information was first reported on the Reshet Bet radio program on Wednesday morning, which stated that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was briefed about the Hezbollah base last week by the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.
The report said that Hezbollah forces reportedly crossed the Blue Line recently and erected two tents inside Israeli territory, manned by several armed Hezbollah militants.
While Israel Defense Forces was aware of the infiltration and began monitoring the activities in real-time, it chose not to make a public announcement, as it believed the Hezbollah move was made to attract attention to itself in order to provoke.
An IDF spokesperson stated: “The issue is known and dealt with by all the relevant parties.”
The Israeli government is reportedly trying to resolve the issue through diplomatic-political means, with discussions between Israel's foreign ministry and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
Meanwhile, IDF allegedly attempted to use non-lethal crowd dispersal measures at the location of the Hezbollah base without success, according to the Reshet Bet program.
Yisrael Beytenu party leader Avigdor Liberman criticized the coalition government on social media.
“A weak, frightened government that shows laxity every day. Hezbollah's invasion of the sovereign territory of the State of Israel and the lack of an IDF response, fully reflect the true capabilities of the ‘right-wing’ government. A government that neglects the security of its citizens on a daily basis does not deserve to continue to serve,” said Liberman.
Hezbollah has increased its activity near the Israeli border in recent months. Last month, Hezbollah held a wargame exercise in southern Lebanon, where it conducted a military-style drill simulating an attack on Israel.
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
