Israel has been accused of expanding its occupation of southern Lebanon by building a concrete wall that extends beyond the Blue Line, the UN-monitored demarcation between the countries.
The Lebanese presidency has said the wall is “an infringement on Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity”. It has instructed Foreign Minister Youssef Raji to submit a complaint to the UN Security Council.
The Israeli wall touches the outskirts of the town of Yaroun. Its mayor, Mohamed Chahine, told The National that Israel began construction three to four months ago.
In Yaroun, residents view the land grab as a provocation by Israel. “This is a clear escalation, the Israelis came, took the land and the whole world supported them,” resident Ali Qassem said.
While Israel is building walls inside Lebanese territory, its strikes have forced reconstruction from last year's war, and even basic clearing efforts, to halt completely in Yaroun, as well as other areas in southern Lebanon.
Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, said last Friday that the peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (Unifil) had called on Israel to remove the wall.
Where is Israel's wall?
Israeli has built two concrete walls that have crossed the Blue Line, a survey carried out last month by Unifil found. The mission, established in 1978, operates in Lebanon between the Litani River and the Blue Line. The mission has more than 10,000 troops from 50 countries and about 800 civilian staff.
The larger one lies south-west of Yaroun and "covers Lebanese agricultural land", the mayor said. The second extending beyond the Blue Line is in the south-east part of the village.
Yaroun is a village near the southern border and overlooks the Israeli settlements of Avivim and Yir'on. Yaroun suffered extensive damage in last year’s war between Israel and Hezbollah.
Yaroun remains in tatters, with only about 60 families able to return to their homes. “No one is rebuilding now,” Mr Qassem said. “Even those who were removing rubble or cleaning up collapsed homes have stopped because of the strikes and targeting of machinery that was digging terraces. ”
Israeli wall in southern Lebanon - in pictures
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Workers construct the concrete wall. Reuters -
A watchtower near the wall. Reuters -
A view from Israel of the border separating northern Israel and southern Lebanon. AFP -
A United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon vehicle on patrol on the Lebanese side of the border. AFP -
Israeli workers lay concrete while working on the border wall. AFP -
Work continues on the wall. Reuters
How big is the wall?
According to Unifil, the south-west wall has made more than 4,000 square metres of Lebanese territory inaccessible to the local population, while the south-east barrier covers fewer than 20 square metres.
Mr Chahine said construction work is continuing on the eastern section.
In its complaint to the UN, the Lebanese ministry is expected to demonstrate that local people cannot access the land.
Israel was informed in October of the first breach but "no action was taken to relocate the wall", Unifil spokesman Dany Ghafary said. The Israeli army denies the wall crosses the Blue Line.
The peacekeeping force said Israel also crossed the Blue Line into south-eastern Yaroun in the process of constructing another section of wall, but it did not specify how far it crossed into Lebanese territory.
What has Israel said?
Israel has said the wall is part of a broader military plan and that construction began in 2022. "Since the start of the war, and as part of lessons learnt from it, the [military] has been advancing a series of measures, including reinforcing the physical barrier along the northern border," the military said.
Israel continues to occupy five strategic points in Lebanese territory despite the terms its ceasefire with Hezbollah saying the military should withdraw. Israel has also gradually fortified those five points and often opens fire at people passing by.
What about Hezbollah?
A Hezbollah source told The National the move was an “Israeli escalation” and a “de facto annexation of Lebanese territory”. They said it “confirms Israel’s ambitions and its intention to continue its occupation and avoid committing to any agreement”.
The land grab, the source added, gives Hezbollah further legitimacy in its argument for refusing to surrender its weapons – as the Lebanese government proceeds with a US-backed plan to disarm the group.
“We are making concessions, while Israel continues to expand and take steps that further undermine Lebanese sovereignty,” they added.
A political source close to Hezbollah called the wall an "Israeli exploitation of the security-military reality it imposed" after the ceasefire, "allowing it to operate freely in border areas that have become almost empty of residents".
“Israel recognises that the Lebanese army is not capable of confronting border violations, let alone stopping daily attacks,” added the source. “The enemy has imposed security buffer zones that prevent villagers from approaching or entering their land, and the wall helps it annex parts of that land and cement the status quo.
A second political source close to Hezbollah said Israel is “replicating in southern Lebanon what it does in southern Syria under security pretexts, giving itself justification for incursions and gradual annexation”.
“Israel is pre-empting any potential negotiations with Lebanon, especially as the Americans are pushing for direct talks. This serves as a bargaining chip for Israel to force Lebanon to revise its position on the border line, where many points have remained unresolved since 1949,” added the source.
Daily attacks
Israel continues to bomb Lebanon – mainly the south, but also the Bekaa Valley – on a daily basis despite the November ceasefire. The country says it is going after Hezbollah members and infrastructure, but has also killed civilians with no links to the group.
In August, the Lebanese government charged the army with carrying out the previously unthinkable task of disarming Hezbollah. But some observers say this is happening too slowly, while Israel – without providing evidence – claims the Iran-backed group is gradually rearming. The group has rejected any calls to disarm.
This has led to fears that Israel may yet again wage a war on Lebanon, which is still reeling from the effects of last year's conflict.
