An unusual incident took place Friday between the IDF and the Lebanese army near the Sheba Farms on the Israel-Lebanon border, during which a Lebanese soldier was instructed to aim a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) at an IDF tank and jeep.
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According to the IDF, the incident began when Lebanese civilians deliberately interfered with the army's work on the Israeli side of the border fence and were dispersed with anti-riot tactics, including teargas.
The area has long been contested. When Israel withdrew from Lebanon in 2000, Hezbollah falsly claimed that this area was Lebanese, although it was captured by Israel from Syria in the Six-Day War, and therefore its future will ultimately be determined as part of the negotiations over the Golan Heights.
Video: The clash on the Lebanese border / Arab media
"A disturbance developed a short time ago in the Mount Dov (Sheba Farms) area on the Lebanese border, during which rioters tried to destroy the barrier and threw stones at the IDF force that was operating there. The forces responded with measures to disperse the protests," the IDF spokesperson said in a statement.
The civilians crossed barbed wire fencing placed by Israeli forces and tried to remove it, according to Lebanese reports. The Lebanese army were deployed to intervene.
The Lebanese media reported on Thursday that a local farmer threw stones at the IDF forces doing routine work at the border fence.
This is not the first time tensions rise during IDF work on the border. Earlier in January, Lebanese military forces stopped in front of an Israeli military bulldozer preventing the engineering vehicle from continuing to operate on the grounds that it was Lebanese territory.
This article was first published by i24NEWS.
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