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Fearing attacks by Hezbollah, Israel upgrades barrier at Lebanon border

Fearing that Hezbollah might stage a ground invasion of the Jewish state and attack northern communities, Israel is building an upgraded barrier at the border with Lebanon.

Hebrew-language media reported Sunday that the IDF is expected to start construction of a wall on the Israeli-Lebanese border within the next month.

The initial stage of a new wall along the border with Lebanon will be built from Rosh Hanikra, at the northwest corner of Israel, running around 12 kilometers to Hanita to the east, and from Misgav Am to Metula.

The wall, the tender for which was published over a year ago, comes in response to fears that the Hezbollah terrorist group will stage a ground invasion of northern Israel and attempt to take over Israeli communities along the border. The barrier is eventually expected to run the entire 80 kilometers from Rosh Hanikra on the coast to Har Dov and the Hermon Mountain range in the east.

The report quoted security sources as saying that Hezbollah may try to disrupt the works by organizing demonstrations on the ground, claiming that the barrier does not comply with the international border, known as the Blue Line, and could even respond with sniper fire. The sources added, however, that Hezbollah is not interested in an all-out conflict.

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Israel and Hezbollah fought a 34-day war in the summer of 2006, but the Lebanese border has remained quiet ever since. IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot, however, recently called Hezbollah Israel’s “top priority” at an event marking the 11th anniversary of the war, although the Israeli intelligence community believes the northern border will remain quiet as long as Hezbollah stays embroiled in the Syrian civil war.

Counter-Terror Expert: Wall Could Lead to Attack

Former director of the Counter Terrorism Bureau at the Prime Minister’s Office and former deputy commander of the IDF’s Galil Division Brig.-Gen. (res.) Nitzan Nuriel offered a different perspective, The Jerusalem Post reported. The building of new barriers near Israeli communities adjacent to the border with Lebanon might lead in fact lead Hezbollah to attack Israel while they still have the ability, he said on Monday.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah warned last week that the next war with Israel could see “hundreds of thousands of fighters from all over the Arab and Islamic world” taking part.

By: TPS and World Israel News Staff