Hezbollah fighters attacked an Israeli tank in the occupied Shebaa Farms Monday, sparking heavy clashes in the area, a Lebanese security source told The Daily Star.
The source said fighters fired a guided anti-tank missile, triggering an exchange of fire. Israel responded by shelling the hills surrounding the area. Hezbollah fired at Israeli military posts in an attempt to allow its fighters to retreat, the source said, while Israeli aircraft flew over the area.
The Israeli Army later said it was engaged in “ongoing combat” after Israeli media said that a Hezbollah cell was “neutralized.”
The military also reported that there had been a "security incident" on Israel's northern border with Lebanon and ordered residents in the area to remain indoors. It later ordered a lockdown of the Golan Heights.
Israel's N12 TV News reported an exchange of fire between Israeli forces and fighters and said explosions were heard in the area.
UNIFIL force commander Major General Stefano Del Col is currently in contact with both parties to “assess the situation and decrease tension,” a UNIFIL spokesperson said. Del Col called for maximum restraint.
Tensions have come to a head on Israel's northern border with Syria and Lebanon after Hezbollah said a fighter had been killed in an Israeli strike on the edge of Damascus a week ago.
After two Hezbollah members were killed in Damascus in August 2019, Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said the party would respond if Israel killed more of its fighters inside Syria.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
