A group of Lebanese suspects connected to the Hezbollah terror group attempted to damage Israel’s northern frontier border fence near the town of Zar’it on Wednesday afternoon.
The IDF published a video showing the suspects approaching and touching the fence before a small explosion went off at the site.
According to Israeli military sources, a nonlethal explosive charge was placed there in advance to prevent such attempts.
A security source in southern Lebanon reported to the AFP news agency that three members of the Hezbollah group were “lightly” wounded in the incident that came on the 17th anniversary of the 2006 Second Lebanon War between Israel and the Lebanese terror group.
Before departing on an official trip to Azerbaijan, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said the IDF “deterred Hezbollah activists with nonlethal means and will continue to guard the security of the State of Israel.”
“Anyone who tests us will get a response,” he added.
Several hours later, during a protest, Hezbollah activists launched fireworks and set fires near the northern Israeli town of Metula, causing several old landmines in the area to explode.
Israeli forces fired warning shots in response to the Hezbollah activists, according to both local Israeli and Lebanese reporters.
“The IDF will continue to prevent any attempt to violate Israeli sovereignty and damage to the northern security fence,” the military said in a statement.
Tensions have been high in recent weeks with Hezbollah activity along the internationally recognized border (the Blue Line). In early June, two tents manned by Hezbollah members were discovered in the Mount Dov region, also known as Shebba Farms. One tent was removed after Israel reportedly threatened an armed confrontation if it was not removed soon.
The Mount Dov region was captured by Israel from Syria in the 1967 Six Day War, and later annexed along with the Golan Heights. The Lebanese government says the area belongs to Lebanon.
An anti-tank missile was fired last week at the contested village of Ghajar resulting in no injuries.
According to an Army Radio report, dozens of Lebanese soldiers along with Hezbollah members crossed into Israeli territory without passing the border fence itself, before heading back.
Last month, Hezbollah claimed it shot down an Israeli drone flying over a southern Lebanese village.
The Blue Line, or boundary between Israel and Lebanon, is marked with blue barrels and lies several meters from the Israeli fence in some areas and is built entirely within Israeli territory.
Ghajar, the only Alawite Muslim-majority settlement in Israel, was also part of the territory captured from Syria in 1967 and was effectively annexed by Israel in 1981 together with the Golan Heights.
In 2000, following the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon and the demarcation of the Blue Line, the village was split in two, with the northern half coming officially under Lebanese control. Israel regained control over the entire village during the Second Lebanon War in 2006, and residents have since objected to the potential division of the village and annexation of its northern half to Lebanon.
The town remained a closed military zone for more than two decades, with special permission required for any nonresidents seeking to enter or exit the area. In September, area restrictions were lifted when a barrier north of the village was constructed to block the entrance from Lebanon.
The Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group has long been the IDF’s most potent adversary on Israel’s borders, with an estimated arsenal of nearly 150,000 rockets and missiles that can reach anywhere in Israel.
This article originally appeared on All Israel News and is reposted with permission.