Israel retaliates after Hezbollah shoots at IDF from Lebanon
Israel is worried that a security incident late Aug. 25 on the border fence with Lebanon means that Hezbollah intends to escalate tensions.
“Israel takes the shooting at our forces by Hezbollah very seriously. We will not tolerate any aggression against our citizens,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the morning of Aug. 26. He was reacting to developments overnight, of shots fired from Lebanese territory at Israel Defense Forces (IDF) troops on the Israeli side, near the border fence.
Addressing Hezbollah, Netanyahu said that aggression by the group is endangering the state of Lebanon. “I suggest that Hezbollah not test Israel’s crushing force,” warned Israel’s prime minister.
Defense Minister Benny Gantz also reacted, tweeting, "Yesterday at 22:40 shots were fired in the Manara sector against our troops, from Lebanese territory. The incident ended without any injuries. The IDF retaliated with combat helicopters and aircraft attacking Hezbollah terror targets. We will not allow [Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan] Nasrallah to hurt either our soldiers or our country. We will react severely to any incident on the border.’’
After the shooting, residents living near the Israel-Lebanon border were instructed to shelter in their homes. The army blocked some roads near the border fence as the IDF reported an ongoing "security incident." It was only several hours later that information came out about fire from the Lebanese side of the fence.
