Hezbollah Urges Action to Prevent Israeli Settlements in Ghajar

On Thursday, Hezbollah urged the Lebanese government and people to take immediate action to prevent the Israeli settlement in the northern part of Ghajar, a disputed village straddling the Israeli-Lebanese border.

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Israel "has recently adopted serious measures in the northern part of the border Ghajar village, which is recognized by the United Nations as part of the Lebanese territory," said the Iran-backed Lebanese political party and militant group.

The measures include the erection of a wire fence and cement wall besieging the entire village, it added, warning that the move could lead to complete occupation of the Lebanese part of Ghajar.

Hezbollah's call came a day after the Lebanese army stopped an Israeli breach attempt at the Blue Line, a demarcation line between Lebanon and Israel published by the United Nations in 2000 to determine whether Israel had fully withdrawn from Lebanon.

As part of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution that ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, Israel must withdraw from the northern part of Ghajar, which has not yet happened.

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has for years called on Israel to end its construction work in the area and withdraw its troops.

Earlier on Thursday, Israel and Lebanon exchanged shelling on the border, and the UNIFIL chief is actively mediating between the two sides to prevent further escalation.

Apart from occasional tensions in recent months, the Lebanese-Israeli border has largely remained quiet since Israel fought a month-long war with Hezbollah in 2006.