Yesterday, a Lebanese sniper opened fire on an Israeli soldier who, according to Israeli military officials, was driving “too close” to the border, killing him.
Hours later, Israeli troops in the area retaliated against Lebanese soldiers patrolling the opposite side of the border, shooting two of them. The Israeli military claimed they were “suspects” in the previous shooting but that doesn’t appear to have been the case, and since Israel routinely shoots people on site along its borders, that explanation seems unusual, to say the least.
Either way, UN forces are meeting with both sides trying to calm rising tensions before the situation gets out of hand. Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon declared Lebanon’s government in general to be wholly responsible for both incidents.
Israeli General Israel Ziv said it was inexplicable how the soldier was allowed to drive an unarmored car so close to the border at night, and said he doubts the Lebanese military meant for the incident to happen.
Either way, the border between the two nations is always tense, and the shootings make it all the more dangerous.