Tense Standoff in Holy Land as Foreign Trooper Levels RPG at Israeli Tank

The world was given a peek at the simmering tensions that underlie the Middle East Sunday after an Israel patrol was accused of illegally entering Lebanon by one meter. Images from a confrontation between Lebanese…

IJR SyndicatedMar 5, 20232 min read

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The Blue Line is a border between the two nations established in 2000 by the United Nations.

The Lebanese Army issued a statement about its face-off with what it called the “enemy.”

“An Israeli enemy patrol breached the Blue Line in Aita al-Shaab , to a distance of approximately one meter,” the release said.

“A Lebanese Army patrol came and forced the enemy patrol to retreat beyond the Blue Line towards Occupied Palestinian Territories. A patrol from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon also attended to check on the breach,” the Lebanese Army statement said.

“We are aware of tensions along the Blue Line in the area of Aita al-Shaab, where some Israeli maintenance works are ongoing,” a UNIFIL representative said.

“Our peacekeepers are on the spot to de-escalate the situation. We urge all parties, and everyone present at the scene, to maintain calm. Any kind of work near the Blue Line is extremely sensitive, and we continue to ask all parties to coordinate through UNIFIL to avoid unnecessary tension,” the representative added.

Israel occupied parts of southern Lebanon from 1982 through 2000.

Lebanon is currently struggling to exist after Abbas Ibrahim, head of the General Security agency retired without a replacement, according to the Times of Israel.

“The country is in a state of almost total disintegration,” analyst Karim Bitar said.

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“We are seeing the collapse of all state institutions that were still holding up,” Bitar said, adding the government meltdown that began last year “is probably the most serious in Lebanon’s history.”

Bitar said he fears “an even worse economic deterioration that could lead to security incidents.”

This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.