Israeli sources reported on Wednesday that Israeli soldiers opened fire last Thursday at “suspicious figures” who crossed the international border between Lebanon and Israel, and that early the following day, soldiers searched the area.
Israeli Ynetnews reported that the incident took place near the military post where the two Israeli soldiers, Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser were abducted by Hezbollah fighters mid-July last year.
This is the first incident since the Israeli army formed a unit called Modus Operandi which is in charge, according to the Ynetnews, of maintaining the Israeli sovereignty over the borders to allow the army to operate there.
A senior Israeli military official stated that in the past, the army used to operate further away from the border, but now it is investigating any irregular report, and the soldiers act according to any present circumstances.
Army sources reported that soldiers uncovered in early February newly planted explosives in what is known as the buffer zone. According to the military report, soldiers were subjected to gunfire by Lebanese troops, and responded to it as they were attempting to remove the explosives.
An Israeli military official said that in that incident, UN forces immediately arrived at the scene, but the soldiers “showed them that this is an Israeli territory”, and that anyone who approaches the fence between Lebanon and Israel will be “suspected of terror activity”.
Recently, Israel carried out what was described as a large-scale military project” along the northern border. The project, as the Ynetnews reported, aims to rehabilitate and reinforce the 'security fence' along the border, and fortify the military outposts.
Also, the army increased the number of armored vehicles in its Galilee division, and estimated the cost of the “post war” project at $25 million.
The Israeli military intelligence believes that Hezbollah is rebuilding itself, and that the party increased the amount of arms smuggled to its fighters across the Syrian border.
Israel also believes that Hezbollah fighters are posing as civilians along the border.
Also, the Israeli military intelligence said that Iran is continuing to fund Hezbollah and is providing training to its fighters.
