Hezbollah warns of IOF 'dangerous' actions in occupied Lebanese town

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen
6 Jul 2023 15:05

The Resistance urged Lebanon's top authorities and the Lebanese people to reject and prevent the Israeli attempts to establish a permanent occupation of the town of Al-Ghajar.

Israeli occupation forces erect barbed wire fences and concrete blocs surrounding the Lebanese part of the occupied village of Al-Ghajar bordering Palestine and Syria (Social media)

Lebanese Resistance movement Hezbollah warned that the Israeli occupation entity has recently taken "dangerous measures" in the northern part of Al-Ghajar, a town at the border with occupied Palestine.

The United Nations' UNIFIL forces are currently present in the north of the town, which they consider an undisputed part of Lebanese territory.

In a statement on Thursday, Hezbollah said that occupation forces established "a barbed wire fence and constructed a concrete wall around the entire town," noting that these actions are "similar to what Israelis are doing on the border between Lebanon and occupied Palestine."

The newly placed Israeli physical barriers "separated the town of Al-Ghajar from its natural and historical surroundings inside Lebanese territory, and occupation forces have completely imposed their authority on both the Lebanese and occupied parts of the town, and subjected them to its administration in parallel with opening the village to tourists coming from inside the Zionist entity."

Hezbollah confirmed that the occupation's measures are "dangerous, and are considered a major development, and a complete forceful occupation of the Lebanese part of the town of Al-Ghajar, and the imposition of a de facto situation," noting that this "is not a routine breach" that occupation forces routinely carry out.

In light of these developments, Hezbollah called on the "Lebanese state, with all its institutions, particularly the Lebanese government, and the Lebanese people with all its political and civil forces as well, to take action to prevent the establishment of this occupation, to nullify the aggressive measures Israelis took, and to work to liberate this part of our land and return it to Lebanon."

Activists on social media published footage of the occupation's measures in the Lebanese part of the town of Al-Ghajar, which is located east of the Wazzani River, and lies at the intersection between Lebanon, Syria and occupied Palestine.

Qassem Hashem, a Lebanese MP and representative of the Development and Liberation parliamentary bloc, said that the Israeli steps are a new provocation and an attempt to establish a permanent occupation of Lebanese soil.

“It seems that what we had alerted and drew attention to two months ago has become a reality, and the Israeli enemy decided to annex the northern part of Al-Ghajar by building a new fence," he said.

Hashem continued that the Israeli forces also placed "concrete blocs in the village of Kfar Chouba, which saw confrontations earlier between Lebanese citizens defending their land and Israeli occupation forces last month."

Likewise, the Progressive Socialist Party said in a statement, "As for the fact that the Lebanese government is absent in its lethargy...it seems that it did not notice the fact that the Israeli enemy gnawed at the Lebanese part of the occupied town of Al-Ghajar without accountability or oversight."