The Israeli military on Monday started building a wall that will run several kilometers (miles) along part of its border with Lebanon, a military spokeswoman told AFP.

“This construction, which began on Monday, is being carried out in coordination with UNIFIL (the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) and the Lebanese Army. The wall is intended to avoid frictions on the border,” she said.

Israeli public radio said the wall would be several meters high and intended to "protect the Israeli border town of Metulla from fire coming from the Lebanese side. It is expected to take several weeks to build".

Israel’s military announced the project in January, saying it would protect recently-constructed apartment blocks in Metulla from sniper fire coming from the Lebanese border town of Kfar Kila.

The Lebanese National News Agency (LNNA) reported on Sunday that UNIFIL forces erected a barbed wire fence at the Fatima Gate along the South Lebanon border.

The statement added that the UNIFIL activity was “in preparation for the building of a separation wall by the Israel Defense Forces, which is expected to reach 10 meters in height and 2 km in length.”

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) deployed into South Lebanon in the wake of the March 1978 Israeli invasion of Lebanon.

Israel and Lebanon are at war but military officers from the two sides meet regularly under the auspices of UNIFIL to coordinate security along their joint border.

Israel launched a devastating war against Lebanon in 2006, which cost the lives of 1,200 people in Lebanon, mainly civilians, and 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers.

 

Source: AFP; LNNA – Photo: AFP