by Lilach Shoval, Associated Press and Israel Hayom Staff
Construction of 80-mile wall along Israel's northern border stokes tensions as Lebanon claims the project infringes on its sovereignty
An Israeli soldier near the wall being built on Israel's northern border
Photo: AP
Israel is building a
massive wall along its northern border, saying the barrier is needed
to protect nearby communities from Hezbollah attacks, but the project
has raised tensions with Lebanon, which fears the wall will encroach on
its territory.
The Israeli military insists the entire
barrier is being constructed in Israeli territory, and UNIFIL – the
U.N. peacekeeping force in the area – agrees.
But Iranian-backed Shiite terrorist group
Hezbollah has never fully accepted the border, and a senior Israeli
military official stressed the need for the wall, saying that while
Israeli intelligence closely monitors Hezbollah, "we are prepared for
the possibility that they will surprise us."
"Borders, as the saying goes, will forever
be breached. They [Hezbollah] may mark certain achievements but it
won't be anything as big as they are planning. Wherever it happens, a
Hezbollah force that infiltrates Israel won't get out alive," he
said.
Hezbollah has been heavily involved in the
seven-year-long Syrian civil war, sending thousands of operatives to
fight alongside Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces. With the
conflict in Syria waning, Israel is wary of renewed hostilities with Hezbollah.
Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon waged war
in 2006, sparked by a deadly cross-border raid in which Hezbollah
killed eight Israeli soldiers and abducted two others, whose remains
were returned to Israel in a prisoner exchange two years later.
Twelve years on, Hezbollah is believed to have an even larger and more sophisticated arsenal of rockets that pose a threat to all of Israel's territory.
Brig. Gen. Eran Ofir, the commander in
charge of Israel's border wall projects, said around 7 miles of the
80-mile barrier has been built. Most of it comprises a 30-foot high
concrete wall topped by steel mesh and lined with a grid of
sophisticated sensors and advanced surveillance systems. Steel fencing
replaces the concrete in especially rugged areas.
The $450 million project is slated for completion in two years.
Lebanese soldiers routinely monitor the
construction's progress from a guard post on the opposite side of the
Blue Line, which was demarcated by the U.N. after Israeli forces
withdrew from south Lebanon in 2000 following an 18-year military
campaign.
An IDF official said Israel has noted a
troubling rise in "very close cooperation between the Lebanese army
and Hezbollah" near the Israeli border in the past year. He said the
IDF expects even more Hezbollah fighters to arrive in the area after
the Syrian war ends.
Israel and Lebanon technically remain at war.
The U.N. Security Council warned last month
that violations of the cease-fire agreement between Lebanon and
Israel could lead to fresh conflict.
Lebanon's top security body earlier this year described the planned border wall as an "aggression" against it.
"This wall, if it is built, will be
considered an aggression against Lebanon," it said in a statement.
"The Higher Defense Council has given instructions to confront this
aggression to prevent Israel from building this so-called wall barrier
on Lebanese territory."
Maj. Tomer Gilad, Israel's liaison officer
with UNIFIL, said monthly meetings are held with the Lebanese military
and U.N. officials to coordinate the barrier's construction.
"Even for the past year before we started
this construction, we've coordinated this activity with UNIFIL, and
through UNIFIL with the Lebanese Armed Forces. We've alerted them of
our intention to construct this defensive mechanism," Gilad told
reporters.
Thus far, construction has proceeded "very
calmly with the participation on all sides to maintain stability," he
said. "We expect UNIFIL and the Lebanese army to maintain stability
over here throughout this construction because this project is a
stabilizing measure."
UNIFIL spokesman Andrea Tenenti said that
since construction began in February, all the building work has been
south of the Blue Line and away from sensitive areas.
Lilach Shoval, Associated Press and Israel Hayom Staff
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/2018/09/07/hezbollah-force-that-infiltrates-israel-wont-get-%e2%80%8eout-alive-idf-warns-%e2%80%8e/
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