Israeli minister rules out war with Lebanon over Hezbollah tents in occupied Shebaa Farms

Israeli Energy Minister Israel Katz said his government was not concerned with starting a war with Lebanon’s Hezbollah over the group’s refusal to remove tents it erected in disputed territory.

"We have to realise that the crossing of the borderline by Hezbollah members in the Shebaa Farms area is a big problem and could lead to conflict, but Israel has no desire for war," Katz, also a Knesset Member, reportedly said.

Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert warned that the silence of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government on the practices of Hezbollah affects the Israeli deterrence force.

"The deterrent force has been damaged because of the government's inaction. There is a big gap between what it says and the level of courage it is willing to show," Olmert told the Israeli Army Radio.

Olmert was Israel’s premier during its month-long war with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah paramilitary group in 2006.

The Hezbollah outpost was reportedly set up at the start of June in the Shebaa Farms, a territory occupied by Israel but claimed by Lebanon.

Israeli media published images purportedly showing the tents and Hezbollah members in the area.

قناة كان العبرية
تنشر خيم مدعيّة إنها لحزب الله في مزارع شبعا المحتلة، مشيرة ان الكيان الإسرائيلي قدم شكوى ضد حزب الله في الأمم المتحدة، وفضلت اسرائيل عدم علم جمهورها بهذا الحدث كونه يؤكد تآكل الردع الإسرائيلي أمام حزب الله. pic.twitter.com/Nc6Wx4CKj2

— Mohammed Alwajih (@MohammedAlwaj16) June 23, 2023

Israel and its US ally have allegedly pressured, through different means, to get rid of the outpost, comprised of several tents used by Hezbollah operatives, but to no avail.

Hezbollah has warned that any attempt by Israel to remove the tents by force would lead to military escalation. The powerful Shia armed group reportedly set up the tents following repeated Israeli violations along the border.

While the border between Lebanon and its enemy state Israel is not officially demarcated, both countries largely abide by a UN frontier known as the Blue Line, which was drawn when the Israeli military withdrew from southern Lebanon in 2000.

The two sides have been involved in a number of border skirmishes since the 2006 war, and Israel has made repeated warnings that it will send Lebanon "back to the Stone Age" if Hezbollah carries out an attack against it.

Despite having no diplomatic ties, Lebanon and Israel demarcated their maritime border in a landmark US-mediated deal last October to start exploiting natural resources in disputed waters.