After a cautious calm settled over the highlands of Kfarshouba following a series of skirmishes between protesters from Arqoub and the Israeli army, a number of Kfarshouba residents advanced towards sensitive points along the southern Lebanese border. Reports indicated that Al-Manar correspondent Ali Shaib was injured in the hand due to tear gas fired by the Israeli army. Amid the recent escalation, military reinforcements are being sent to both sides.
Israeli forces launched tear gas canisters toward the residents of Kfarshouba this morning, resulting in one citizen being injured and a vehicle being damaged, after the residents crossed the barbed wire that Israel had erected around Barka Hassan and the Samaka site. They managed to remove part of it and threw stones at Israeli soldiers and vehicles in response to the tear gas being fired at them. Several citizens gathered in the outskirts of Kfarshouba for Friday prayers, attended by the Mufti of Hasbaya-Marjeyoun Sheikh Hassan Dalleh and MP Qassem Hashem, protesting against Israeli excavations near the Blue Line. Al-Mayadeen channel broadcast images of Israeli soldiers aiming their weapons at the protesters.
The residents backfilled part of the trench that Israeli bulldozers had been digging in the area near the so-called Blue Line. In response, Israel deployed a Merkava tank that moved around the Samaka area. Lebanese army soldiers took up combat positions at the Kfarshouba border point and conducted troop deployments opposite the Israeli army. In a first Israeli response to the situation at the border with Lebanon, Israeli army spokesman Avichai Adrai warned, stating: "We will not allow any violation of Israeli sovereignty."
Today's action also aimed to show solidarity with citizen Ismail Nasser, amidst a significant mobilization of the Lebanese army and UNIFIL forces, who brought reinforcements to the location in the hills of Kfarshouba. On the previous Tuesday, farmer Ismail Nasser from Kfarshouba successfully crossed the fence and confronted the Israeli bulldozers.
