Lebanese army on 'maximum alert' after Israel threatens to remove border tent

The Lebanese army was placed on ‘maximum alert’ on Thursday, according to local media citing the state-run National News Agency (NNA), after Israeli soldiers tried to dismantle a tent along the Lebanese-Israeli border. 

The tent was reportedly near the Bastra-Shebaa Farms area, a small disputed territory situated at the intersection of the borders of Lebanon, Syria and Israel.

#TheLawyardMornings

Tensions have escalated at the #Lebanon-Israel border after an Israeli patrol attempted to dismantle a Lebanese army tent in the occupied #ShebaaFarms area.

— TheLawyard (@TheLawyard) June 2, 2023

Both Lebanon and Syria claim the territory, while Israel argues it is part of the Golan Heights, which it captured from Syria in the Six-Day War in 1967. The territory has been an unresolved source of tension in the area. 

Lebanon’s army took up positions along the southern border in response to the Israeli threat. 

A deployment of Israeli troops along the border, alongside dozens of armoured vehicles and tanks, was also reported by NNA. 

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), is attempting to curb tensions between the two sides. 

Formed in 1978 to prevent hostilities between Israel and Lebanon, it quoted the Israeli patrol as saying "the tent is concentrated inside Israeli territory and it must be removed by the concerned authorities".

The border between Israel and Lebanon has seen several conflicts between the two countries.

One of the key issues of contention is Hezbollah, the Lebanese militia and political party that most famously fought with Israel during the latter's invasion of Lebanon in 2006.