Israel builds new wall at Lebanon’s southern border
Tension is rising on the Lebanese southern border, where Israel has started building a wall, despite UNIFIL’s reassurances that the situation there is under control.
BEIRUT — Israel started building a new wall along its border with Lebanon on Feb. 8. No official reason was given, but the last time Israel built a wall along the border in 2012, it was to “avoid friction.”
In 2012, the 2-kilometer (1.2-mile) wall was erected next to the village of Kfar Kila in Lebanon. “This used to be a touristic area. People would come and take pictures of themselves in front of occupied Palestine,” Abu Ali, a local from Kfar Kila, told Al-Monitor, pointing to the small replica of the Dome of the Rock that stands in the middle of the village’s roundabout. Today, the wall, which is between 7-10 meters high (23-33 feet), completely obstructs the view of the Israeli town of Metulla. Several jeeps of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) patrol the area, and intelligence officers of the Lebanese army dressed in civilian clothes keep an eye on visitors.
