Lebanon: IDF carry out airstrikes on Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon on August 26

Event

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) carried out airstrikes on suspected Hezbollah positions along the Israeli-Lebanese border in Nabatieh Governorate, southern Lebanon, early on Wednesday, August 26. Several positions were hit after shots were reportedly fired at Israeli soldiers on the evening of Tuesday, August 25, near Manara (Upper Galilee Regional Council). The strikes came following the firing of illuminating flares by Israeli forces over the border area, as units carried out searches for possible infiltrators. No infiltration attempt was detected. Small fires were reportedly caused near the border by Israeli flares, and several unexploded pyrotechnic shells landed inside Lebanese communities. No casualties on the Israeli or Lebanese sides were immediately reported.

Further clashes along the border cannot be ruled out over the near term.

Context

Hezbollah is a Shi'a militant group and political party based out of Lebanon. Israeli officials are concerned that as the fighting in Syria slows, Iran and Hezbollah will attempt to maintain a permanent presence along the Israeli border. Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in numerous armed conflicts over the past 30 years, including the month-long 2006 war between the two parties.

Advice

Those along the Lebanese/Israeli border are advised to monitor the situation, anticipate a heightened security presence, and adhere to all instructions issued by the local authorities and their home governments.