BEIRUT: Lebanon’s army reported on Wednesday that it had engaged in an exchange of smoke bombs with Israeli troops along the border, marking the second such incident in the span of a week.
According to an online statement released by the Lebanese army, Israeli troops had fired smoke bombs at a Lebanese patrol accompanying workers responsible for removing “infringements” allegedly established by Israelis north of the Blue Line.
Tensions have escalated along the border throughout the summer, with incidents such as rocket attacks during periods of Israeli-Palestinian violence.
Lebanese Army Responds to Israeli Military’s Smoke Bomb
As of the time of reporting, neither the Israeli military nor the United Nations peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon had responded to Reuters’ requests for comments on the incident.
The demarcation line currently defining the boundary between Lebanon and Israel is known as the Blue Line, established by the United Nations to denote the point to which Israeli forces retreated when they withdrew from southern Lebanon in the year 2000.
In response to the reported smoke bomb exchange, the Lebanese army stated that its troops had “responded by firing smoke bombs toward enemy troops.” This incident marks the second time within a week that such an exchange has occurred, following a previous episode where tear gas and smoke bombs were exchanged over a similar dispute near the Blue Line.
