The Israeli armed forces have officially categorically denied any involvement in the recent incident in which a Lebanese military patrol was injured.
Tel Aviv's official position was released in an extraordinary statement on Sunday evening.
The Israeli Defense Ministry and the army command noted that “according to intelligence information available to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF),“ the explosion was caused by a pre-planted explosive device. Israeli authorities have pointed to fighters from the Shiite radical organization “Hezbollah“ as the direct perpetrators of the attack.
Details surrounding the incident in South Lebanon
The explosion occurred in a border region of southern Lebanon, where the situation remains extremely unstable despite international agreements. Earlier, Lebanese sources reported an attack on their patrol, which initially raised suspicions of an Israeli strike in the security zone.
However, the Israeli army was quick to clarify the situation in order to prevent a new escalation of the conflict. According to the IDF, “Hezbollah“ is deliberately mining the roads in the region to sabotage stabilization efforts and attack both foreign forces and the regular Lebanese army.
Context of the conflict and the fragile ceasefire
The incident occurs at a critical moment in the so-called 2026 Lebanon War. Just weeks ago, under the auspices of the US, a framework agreement was agreed for a phased withdrawal of Israeli forces from the so-called “pilot zones“ and the deployment of the Lebanese Armed Forces there.
However, tensions have risen again in recent days. The Lebanese army and the government in Beirut accuse Israel of continuing violations of sovereignty and shelling, while Jerusalem claims that “Hezbollah“ is not respecting the agreements and continues to use drones and improvised explosive devices against Israeli engineering equipment on the Ali al-Taher ridge.
Reference and sources of information:
- Official Bulletins of the Military Command of Israel and Lebanon: (Source: Quotes from the International News Agency Agence France-Presse – afp.com)
- Chronology of events and reports from the scene of the incident: (Source: Reports of the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency – bta.bg)
- Analysis of the geopolitical situation in the Middle East: (Source: Al Jazeera English News Portal – aljazeera.com)