BEIRUT, July 12, 2023 (AFP) – Israeli fire wounded three members of Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah movement Wednesday in an incident near the border with Israel, a security source in southern Lebanon said.
“Three Hezbollah members were wounded by Israeli fire near the border,” the source told AFP, requesting anonymity as they were not authorised to speak to the media.
Three other sources with knowledge of the incident also said Hezbollah members had been wounded. One said a sound grenade was fired and that the members were “lightly” hurt.
The Israeli army said in a statement that “a number of suspects approached the northern security fence with Lebanon and attempted to sabotage the security fence in the area”.
“Soldiers immediately spotted the suspects and used means to distance them,” the army said, adding that “the identity of the suspects is unknown.”
The Israel-Lebanon border area, a Hezbollah stronghold, is the site of sporadic incidents and skirmishes.
Israel and Hezbollah fought a devastating war in 2006 after the group captured two Israeli soldiers.
Wednesday’s incident comes less than a week after the Israeli army struck southern Lebanon after an anti-tank missile launched from its northern neighbour exploded in the border area between the two foes.
This is a developing story…
