Israeli Forces Cross Blue Line while Trying to Expand Border Wall beyond Agreed Measurements
Israeli troops on Thursday crossed the Blue Line while constructing the border wall that they started building on April 30, reported the National News Agency.
It said that the forces crossed 65 centimeters into Lebanese territory near Kfar Kila as they were attempting to expand the border wall beyond the measurements that had been agreed upon.
The Lebanese army noticed the violation and went on alert.
The Commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon Major General Paolo Serra soon arrived at the scene along with a number of army officers in order to follow up on the development.
Serra soon made the necessary contacts on the Israeli side of the border in order to tackle the situation, which he labeled as a blatant violation.
The Israeli military on Monday began building a wall that will run several kilometers along part of its border with Lebanon, a military spokeswoman told Agence France Presse.
"This construction, which began on Monday, is being carried out in coordination with UNIFIL and the Lebanese army. The wall is intended to avoid frictions on the border," she said.
Israeli public radio said the wall would be several meters high and intended to protect the Israeli border town of Metulla from fire coming from the Lebanese side. It is expected to take several weeks to build.
Israel's military announced the project in January, saying it would protect recently-constructed apartment blocks in Metulla from sniper fire coming from the Lebanese border town of Kfar Kila.
Israel and Lebanon are technically at war but military officers from the two sides meet regularly under the auspices of UNIFIL to coordinate security along their joint border.
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