Live Updates: Israel, Lebanon Exchange Fire on Border Amid Rising Regional Tensions

Tensions in the region have escalated following reports of a Hezbollah fighter being killed in southern Damascus by an Israeli air strike last week. The Israeli Army has since increased its presence along the border with Lebanon and Syria, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued warnings to the movement on 26 July.

A source in the Lebanese Security Service told Sputnik that there have been clashes on the Lebanese-Israeli border. An armed detachment of Hezbollah fighters that appeared from the direction of the village of al-Ghazir tried to destroy an Israeli military convoy. The detachment was exposed and the IDF eliminated it. A firefight erupted and clashes between Hezbollah and the IDF are still ongoing, according to the source. Explosions can be heard in the area of the Shebaa Farms and the village of al-Ghazir; artillery is firing. Aviation is also involved in the clashes, the source said.

Earlier, the country’s Channel 12 reported that an exchange of fire had taken place on Israel's northern border. A military spokesman has confirmed that there was a security incident along the border and the Israeli military ordered residents in the area to remain indoors.

According to an Al Mayadeen report, the Israeli Army has opened fire on Lebanon's Kafershuba. The Israeli military is reportedly moving all troops and equipment to fortified positions on the Lebanese border.

The Israeli military attacked Lebanese territories following the Hezbollah movement's operation against the Israeli Army in the Shebaa farms area at the border, Al Mayadeen reported, citing sources familiar with the matter. According to the sources, the operation was in response to the Israeli attack in Syria in which a Hezbollah fighter died. The Shebaa farms area is a disputed territory between Lebanon, Israel, and Syria. 

The report comes a day after the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) said that a drone fell on Lebanese territory during operations along the border.

Last week, the Israeli media reported that additional troops had been moved to the country’s northern regions amid rising tensions after the latest Israeli air force strike in southern Damascus on 20 July.

On 24 July, explosions reportedly thundered on the border between Israel and Syria, damaging a building and a car on the Israeli side. In response, Israeli helicopters fired at Syrian Army targets in southern Syria.

Israel and Lebanon have tense bilateral relations. Tel Aviv has reportedly violated its neighbour’s air, sea, and land borders repeatedly and used Lebanese air space to launch strikes at Syria aimed at alleged targets belonging to the Hezbollah movement. The Hezbollah movement is deemed a terror organisation in Israel, who consider the group to be backed by Iran.

The two countries also have some territorial disputes about the demarcation of maritime and land borders.

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