IDF: Damage to Lebanon fence in three locations

Incident comes days after drone strike targeted Hezbollah vehicle

The IDF repaired two of three separate locations where damage was done to the border fence between Israel and Lebanon on Friday night.

A number of suspicious objects were found in the area of the third spot, leading the military to close the area.

According to a report from the Hezbollah-affiliated al-Manar, there were at least three plastic bags found in the third location and troops had fired 15 shots towards one bag that had been found next to the hole in the fence.

Video uploaded on pro-Hezbollah Twitter accounts showed several videos from the scene, including troops operating a drone and a bomb disposal robot carrying a blue plastic bag. A photo of Qassem Soleimani, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and Imad Mughniyeh with the word “Revenge” in Arabic and Persian was also found placed on the fence where the hole was cut.

Troops from The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) were present at the scene.

On Friday, the military fired flares after receiving indications of a possible breach in the border fence between northern Israel from southern Lebanon.

Israel has complained to the United Nations Security Council about the damage to the barrier. The Foreign Ministry called it a “provocative attempt” by Hezbollah to “undermine Israeli sovereignty” along that border.

Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz said on Saturday that, “Israel views very seriously any attempts to breach the border barrier. It expects the Lebanese government to exercise its responsibility and prevent these kind of threats to both Israeli and regional security.”

“Following earlier reports of fence indications along the Blue Line, IDF inspections revealed damage to the fence at three locations. Maintenance crews are currently repairing the damage,” the military said in a statement.

While the damage looked deliberate, the IDF said troops had carried out searches of the areas and confirmed that “no breach of Israeli territory occurred.”

Calling the damage to a security fence a “severe event,” the military said it “holds the Lebanese government responsible for actions emanating from its territory.”

The incident took place two days after an attack targeting a vehicle carrying Hezbollah fighters traveling from Syria

to Lebanon that was blamed on Israel.

According to reports, the strike by an unmanned combat aircraft targeted a Jeep Cherokee traveling from Syria into Lebanon, despite the border between the two countries being closed both ways except for trade since mid-March due to the continuing spread of coronavirus.

The car, which was missing its license plate and had tinted windows, had been traveling in Jdaidat Yabous some 45 kilometers from the Syrian capital Damascus and a crossing point into Lebanon’s