The commander of the U.N. peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, Maj. Gen. Aroldo Lázaro, met in Beirut with caretaker Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Monday and conveyed Israel’s demand to remove the Hezbollah tent established on Israeli territory.

Mikati’s response was that Israel should withdraw its soldier from the north of Ghajar “which is considered Lebanese territory.”

Israeli soldiers captured the northern part of Ghajar during the Lebanon War in 2006. Since September 2022, when the military opened the checkpoint to the village, the town has become a tourist attraction for Israelis. Recently, Lebanese officials are claiming that Israel built a wall and fence around the Lebanese part of Ghajar in a plan to “occupy it.”

However, Ynet reported that the spokesperson for the Ghajar local council, Bilal Khatib, said that the Ghajar council actually built the new wall and a fence after residents complained of wild animals entering the village. According to the report, Hezbollah and Lebanese officials are using the narrative of Israel “taking over” the northern area of Ghajar as a pretext for war.

The report quotes Tal Be’eri, the head of the Alma Center think tank, who believes that the recent provocations on the border are being carried out with an understanding that they may kindle a war. “Hezbollah’s position is stronger than ever, both militarily and politically, and this is the ideal opportunity for them to engage in a war while Lebanon is in crisis and they could potentially increase their grip on the crumbling state,” he said.

Be’eri, a former intelligence officer with years of experience in the Lebanese and Syrian arenas, added that since last week, Hezbollah has been influencing public opinion by using the wall in Ghajar as a justification for engaging in a confrontation with Israel.

Another recent Ynet report quoted senior IDF generals as saying that Israel will have no choice but to soon engage in limited confrontations with Hezbollah in the wake of the numerous provocations on the border.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)