Israel Uses Tear Gas at Border Protest, Tensions Escalate Over Land Claim Dispute
Israeli soldiers used tear gas to disperse protesters along the Lebanon border on Friday. The conflict began in the Lebanese border village of Kfarchouba earlier this week over Israel’s military digging in the area claimed by Lebanon. Protesters, who were throwing stones at the soldiers, and some troops suffered breathing difficulties due to the tear gas.
The situation escalated when a Lebanese villager attempted to halt an Israeli bulldozer from digging a trench along the border. UN peacekeepers intervened when the villager’s legs became covered with sand. The incident sparked an uproar on social media.
Kfarchouba hills and the nearby Shebaa Farms, where the protest took place, were captured by Israel during the 1967 Mideast War and have been claimed by Lebanon. The Israeli military said it responded with “riot dispersal means” to protesters damaging the border barrier and will “not allow any attempt to violate Israeli sovereignty.”
This incident comes amid a relatively calm period along the Lebanon-Israel border since the 2006 war between Israel and Hizbullah. However, tensions have occasionally flared, such as in April when Israel launched rare airstrikes on southern Lebanon after rocket attacks from armed groups.
